Learn Bass Online with Ari

We now have a great way to connect – Check out our new Ari’s Bass Blog Forums! Or, maybe we should call it Ari’s fretBOARDS?  What do you think? It all started with our new Cohort Course which we launched in January – Cohorts offer a way to go through the course with extra support,

Well, there is this triangle… There is a running gag between me and the singer/bandleader of a project I am in, Generation Esmeralda. Let’s just say that triangle is super groovy but also so incredibly loud on stage, Jimmy sends me to the other end of the stage with it because. We always get a

Floating thumb? Three-finger Gary-Willis style? Raking? Pumping eighths? The right-hand does not only pose several opportunities for sound variations, but it is also crucial in relieving the left hand from overgripping and plays a vital role in the overall set up to reduce tension and allow the music to flow. So, this is an important

Seems like Quora liked my answer on the phrygian characteristic last week, because I got similar request today, this time for: The characteristic of Dorian! Many of the answers recommended playing C major, and then using all the same notes, start the scale from D. The problem with that is you can’t really “hear” Dorian

Scroll down and click the Quora link to watch the videos: A Quoran requested my answer to the question: What are the characteristics of Phrygian? A few of the other answers that beat me to it stressed the fact that Phrygian is the third mode and hence any iii chord (chord on the third scale

A Quoran asked about the difference between major and minor scales… I tried to put myself into the shoes of someone who would ask this question below. In doing so my goal was not only to answer the question but to show the beautiful symmetry of sounds and modes, and how just like putting beads

It is a bit past the middle of the year. Revisiting New Year’s Resolutions is a great strategy to reinforce what’s working and tweak what is not If revisiting New Year’s Resolutions in the middle of the year is not your idea of a good time, you may need this conversation more than ever. Either

Practice tips galore in this iRealPro Tutorial From how to get started with the program, to downloading songs, to using its practice capabilities to the fullest. iRealPro is a great practice tool! Did you know you can create loops that change the key so you can shed transposing? Or put a click on 2 and 4?

Scroll down to watch the video Student Feature: Beautiful Practice Beautiful Practice is a practice regimen that tackles a whole legion of core challenges: the diatonic cycle arpeggios inversions of triads open voicings going up the bass neck in a systematic way string crossing playing with a hocket delay  It is a bear on your

This post is a big shout of thanks to all who voted for me! I have been busy recording and releasing the new Ear Training Course for you, so I am just now getting to the big news that – thanks to your votes – I am one of four winners! The prize is a

I refer to this video lesson on the Whole Tone Scale regularly in my lessons As one YouTube commenter stated: “I always found little use in this scale, you have just changed my mind. Thanks as always! You’re amazing.” The whole tone scale is a very educational scale because it is the easiest of all

(Scroll down to watch video. Header is image only) Transcribe! is one Nifty Program Here are 9 reasons why you really should look into it: It is far superior to iTunes and other audio players (or worse, YouTube!) in just finding your spot. Ever try to transcribe a tune using YouTube? Forget about getting to

You have all heard the advice… Create a major scale with the formula W W H W W W H – which of course stands for whole step – whole step – half step – whole step – whole step – whole step – half step Don’t. Just don’t. Here’s why: It’s a mouthful! It’s way too

Dominant 7#11 – The Lydian Dominant Sound Dominant seventh chords are all about tension! Why? Quick reminder, there is a tritone between the third and seventh of a dominant seventh chord that begs to resolve since hundreds of years. Western harmony (the “functional harmony” part of it!), you could say, is built on that resolution

Multiple Basses – Switch Routines! (Talking Technique) Love options? Me, too. I have 4-string, 5-string and 6-string basses (I know there are way more, but those three serve all my needs). Sometimes when switching from one to the other, it takes me a second to adjust. This is even true when using different basses with the

Dmin sus or “D minor sus” Dmin means a D minor triad, the root, flat three, and perfect fifth. D sus means a triad without a third. The third is suspended, in favor of the 4 (or, if specified as sus2, the 2), so typically root, perfect fourth, perfect fifth. Or, in the case of

Bass Player Magazine Article It is a huge honor to find myself in this month’s Bass Player Magazine with a great interview that Joel McIver conducted.   Other players featured in this edition are: Shez Raja Jeremy Lenzo Bill Wurtz David Friesen Max Moran Horace Panter Jeff Hughell Stuart Clayton Heike Mueller Andrew Taylor-Cummings Gabe

Why We Want You to Create Your Own Basslines Right From The Start Have you been playing for quite a while and been mostly copying basslines and learning songs instead of being able to create your own basslines?? Get me right that is a valid way to learn but it is quite limiting if that

A Quoran asked whether it matters to call the middle note of a C minor triad D# or Eb D# or Eb? Oh, yes, does it ever matter. Read my answer below. It is comprehensive, yet as always I like to give you shortcuts and immediately usable tricks. You can skip straight to the tricks

Sweet Emotion Bass Intro The iconic Aerosmith song “Sweet Emotion” boasts a killer bass line. And because the bass starts the song – you must do it convincingly straight from the very first note with a consistent feel and at tempo! No margin for error, as all eyes and ears are on you laying down

It’s a fair question… after all, we learn to identify which key a piece of music is in, and we carefully think about functions of chords… there are all these rules in music theory and then it seems music itself breaks them left and right. So, why do some notes stray from the family and