New Year’s Buddy Support Cohort 2020!

Bass New Year’s Resolutions!

Have you made New Year’s resolutions before about playing more bass only to break them within a few weeks?

The Truth about learning an instrument is…

It takes a bit of patience and discipline.

Our 20 unit Music Theory course is systematic and in-depth. From technique to grooves, from applying theory to fills, grooves and solos, from styles analysis to mastering the fretboard basics – the course covers a lot of ground!  

To go through a course this rich and comprehensive and get the most out of it – like everything worthwhile – takes a bit of focus and determination.

There are technique drills that get progressively harder, theory exercises that are sometimes brain twisters and in general, I push you to practice in a smart and focused way so you get real, and reliable results.  

Some people long for personal support in this process!

I have a coaching background – I am a certified Tiny Habits™ Coach, NLP Trainer and practicing routine nerd – so I really heard these requests and dug deep to find a solution to help in this online format….

So, last year – right around this time – we decided to try something new and quite revolutionary:

A Course with peer support, various levels of feedback and built-in accountability! The Cohort was born!

We had lots of ideas to test and some technical hurdles to overcome so we tried the first run in a free beta version. And we learned a lot! Over the course of the year – mind you, the course goes over 40 weeks – we experimented with various processes, changed forums around, tweaked bits and pieces and watched lots and lots of videos that our participants submitted. We surveyed and listened.

The results were outstanding!

  • 35% of all who started made it all the way through, completely on schedule! 
  • Of the ones who started, 70% made it more than halfway through. (Compare that to the 10% of people who typically stick to their New Year’s resolutions!)
  • And everyone surveyed said the cohort helped them stick with it much more than without it!

We took all we learned to heart and are now proud to present to you:

Our New Years Cohort 2.0

Sign up now! This will be the only Cohort we offer in 2020!

What is it?

An amazing ride and quite the experience.

We keep it real and we keep it realistic.

  • What I ask of you is to reserve 45 minutes 5 times a week. More is welcome, but 45 x 5 works!
  • You will make your own specific “commitments” each unit. 
  • And then you will record yourself (short videos)
  • Precise instructions on what to do
  • Join monthly LIVE check-ins to keep you on track (in addition to Ask Ari Live for bass questions)
  • Cohort Graduates will encourage you and help you stay current
  • Peer support – you will want to show up!
  • Includes our popular Before and After Skills Assessment

In Cohort 2.0, there are several tiers, depending on how much feedback you are looking for

Get feedback from Ari and Wolf, and even lessons.

The higher tiers have extremely limited space.  

This is for you if you are serious and want to make big gains this year.

Music Theory Cohort

A few things to note:

*Because we have only very limited space for these tiers, tiers “Feedback” and “One-on-One” offer no money-back guarantees.  

Do you already own the Course and would like to join a Cohort?
As you know, I reward my early adopters! We credit you 75% of your original tuition!

Here is how to do this – follow instructions precisely, no exceptions:
1 – proof of purchase of your original course paid in full.
2 – the cohort tier you’d like to choose.
3 – whether you will choose an installment plan or up-front payments.
Please send all of the above in one email to qualify. Use the contact form or reply to a newsletter.

To find out more about the course 

If the course seems too big of a commitment, try our new Core Principles Course. It is brand new, a foundational music theory course for bass players! All new video (2 hours and 40 minutes) and currently 50% off!

Powerful Practice Tip

Reframing your practice…

Wolf Wein and Ariane Cap

 

A crucial aspect of learning is coming to the point (although it’s not actually a point, but rather a stage on the journey) where you know you can do something. You are aware of your skill – aware of what you can do and what you can not yet do. I call it enhanced self-awareness.
As a simple example, take playing a two-octave major triad arpeggio – played with a specific fingering, with a clean tone, legato, and an even rhythm. What tempo can you play it…

  • without any “false starts”
  • reliably
  • with such certainty that there is no doubt that you can execute it each and every time

An important part of this means keeping track of your progress by making a practice diary, mapping out what to practice, structuring your practice sessions (short term and over the long term) and setting smart goals.

Another, less talked about part of this process is becoming aware of the state of mind that goes along with “I can do it” (cleanly and at the goal-tempo, with such and such phrasing etc.).

We all have many things in our lives where we have an inner certainty that we can do something every single time without fail. Think of some simple everyday tasks that we do like filling a glass with water, or plugging in your phone, or boiling an egg. 

When I think about doing one of them – not much seems to be going on in my mind. I simply think about doing it and then I do it. I execute and it’s done. No big deal, right?

Or so it seems…

Actually what I am experiencing is exactly what I work towards with practicing. The goal is to reach the point or stage in your learning where what I am practicing becomes so effortless (as in, no mental strain) that something that once was a challenge, is now simply no big deal:

  • No longer is there an inner dialogue about whether or not I can do it
  • No longer am I wrestling with what the difficulties are
  • No longer am I thinking about what I need to pay attention to in order to get it right
  • And no “inner judge” to remind me of the last time I didn’t do it quite right

But what is there – and this is crucial – is an inner representation of the task at hand and how the outcome will sound/look/feel. The attention is on the actual doing of the task – not in words that evaluate it; maybe in words that guide (like when I internally recite a chord progression).

When you become aware that you’ve reached this “I can do it” state of mind, you will start to recognize it sooner and more quickly. You will also be able to recognize aspects that are outside of this state. These are not to be judged, condemned or wished away. They are important parts of the feedback process and information for further learning.

Here’s my recommendation:

After each practice session – in fact, after each item that you practiced – pause for a few moments and check your mental representation of what you just did. What aspects feel like “I can do it”? Acknowledge them. Make them conscious for a moment.

This is super important.

And what does not feel like it’s there yet – that’s the stuff to keep working on.


Using the two-octave arpeggio example I mentioned previously, this could be: “I can do it with eighths at tempo 70!” Yes!! Acknowledge this!

But if it’s: ”It gets a bit sloppy above 70bpm, though. At tempo 90, I start to miss notes.” That’s okay and great to know, too! (Because it tells you precisely what to work on!)

Add as many details you can think of like:

  •    Is there any tension in my shoulders or hand?
  •    How does it sound? Are the notes even in length, volume, and sound? Is there any buzz?

What happens when you make this a habit?

Here’s what happens when you start acknowledging details, sharpen your awareness and remind yourself of what you can already do well:

  • Your confidence grows
  • You will retain what you learned better and on a deeper level
  • You will know what skills you can rely on – especially when you are faced with stressful situations like auditions, gigs, studio recordings, etc.
  • You can remember all these moments of acknowledging your skill
  • They become an internal powerhouse and a foundation from which you can tackle new challenges
  • You will find yourself enjoying the moment, and giving yourself over to the music rather than “just playing” the notes.

 

One more thought


It may seem like there is less room in my mind for tasks that I can do effortlessly than for the things I’m still working on. Not so. It’s just different. It feels like there is less because there is no judging, no worries or anxiety – which feel heavy and burdensome.

There is awareness – which corrects me if something isn’t executed quite right – there is a representation of the outcome (like the line I’m playing). There is flow – a fully engaged mind that seems empty yet is actually filled with the task at hand.

That feels effortless, yet directs all its energy into doing here and now.

Read: Why just keep playing is not working

Practice with a Purpose

STOP – Performance versus Practice Modes

Efficient Practice Hacks: Sleep


Brazil Trip with Stuart Hamm

To say I had a good time in Brazil is an absolute understatement!

Seeing dear old friends and making new ones was the highlight of it all. To get to make music with the incredible Stuart Hamm and to spread solo bass and duo bass vibes

When vijazz invited me earlier this year to come to Brazil…

About vijazz

I had worked with them before GEsmeralda

Playing with Stu Hamm

Two shows

A clinic

An interview

Meeting Brazilian bassists

Jota Quest

The magic of making music together

Check out Stu’s itinerary

Ask Ari LIVE from Brazil featuring Stu Hamm

Alberti Bass for Finger Fitness and Theory Shedding [Video]

TalkingA common question I hear a lot has to do with practice routines:

  • “What are some good exercises to improve my technique?”
  • “What should my practice routine look like?”
  • “How can I be more creative?”
  • “How can I make music theory accessible and practical?”

Well, I love, love, LOVE exercises that practice more than one topic at a time, especially technique and music theory. If you manage to make some beautiful music on top of it with that, all the better :).

Here, for example, is a Talking Technique episode where I hope to achieve all that:

The Alberti Bass Talking Technique Episode

This exercise definitely sheds your fingers quite a bit (left and right!) and it gives you a good theory workout as we are going through the diatonic cycle in minor.

In it, I  explain the “Alberti-inspired” keyboard figures that we can adapt to the bass. Domenico Alberti was a composer in the 18th century. His left hand piano figures provide inspiration to this day and also give us some heavy-duty technique shedding: string crossing, right-hand shedding, and coordination.

Exercises like these are a beneficial part of a smart practice regimen. In this lesson, we’ll go over these Alberti-inspired figures over the diatonic cycle in minor.

Be sure to download the PDF that comes with Ari’s Alberti Bass episode for this lesson and follow along with the video.

A new episode of Talking Technique is going live next week! Make sure to subscribe at notreble.com and never miss an episode.

Check Ari’s Talking Technique Episode on the Alberti Bass here

Related Topics: 2-octave triads, beautiful practice