Teachings from above the Clouds

by Ari 13 Oct 2025 2 minute read

🏔️ Notes to Self (and Bassists): Teachings from above the Clouds

Published 1 minute ago • 2 min read

Relax into the Groove


I hiked a mountain today, Ebner Joch, 6400 feet. We were higher than the clouds…

At one point, though, I was struggling.

The path grew steeper and narrower. Stones and roots everywhere. My breath got heavy. I was pushing – trying to force my way up.
That’s when my mountain-savvy friend Susanne advised:
“Ariane, relax into it. Take a breath and a step. Stop forcing it.
Don’t slow down, don’t speed up – just go steady. A breath, and a step.”

Like Music, I thought…

There, too:
Stop working against yourself.
Let go of tension. Let go of pushing.
Feel the pulse. Find the steady beat…

By applying the simple formula – a breath and a step – my mind began to relax. Energy flowed more freely as I stopped working against myself.

And before I knew it, we were above the clouds – legs burning, heart pumping… steady and strong. It was amazing.

Just like on the trail, relax into the groove. Stop forcing it. Good advice indeed from my friend!

And that’s exactly what we’re working on in our groove classes each month, and especially in our Rhythm Matrix. Feeling the steady beat not only makes your groove tighter, it makes the entire experience easier!

Keep grooving low and reaching high!
Notice the rainbow glory in the second picture on the top… maybe it’s a whole note. Or a fermata sign. In any event I take it as a sign to slow down!

Another good way to slow down and relax is to read a good book. K.J. Jensen’s Titans of Bsss is a good one

Close Your Eyes and See in New Ways – A Heartwarming Story

 

 

 

 

 

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Bassist, author, educator.

Groove enthusiast and learning nerd.

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Hi. I'm Ari.

As a bassist, I have toured/played/recorded with a variety of rock, Jazz, and funk bands, I have worked with some incredible producers (Keith Olsen) and musicians (Paul Hanson, Muriel Anderson) and I toured Brazil with Stu Hamm as a duo.

 

As a bass teacher, I have taught at London Bass Day, Gerald Veasley’s Bass Boot Camp, SBL, Truefire, notreble… I even ran my own music school for a few years before gigs took me back on the road.

 

One thing to know about me is that I teach because I am absolutely fascinated with the learning process. And I am obsessed with helping others realize their musical potential.

 

When I started playing bass, I excelled very quickly because I had an amazing teacher who taught me using a powerful method. This method transformed my playing so quickly that I passed a bunch of high-level university auditions and even tested out of entire classes at university even though I had been playing for only a very short time.

 

That’s what, many years later turned into one of my books, co-written with Wolf Wein, called “The Pattern System for the Bass Player”. I created entire systems of learning based on some of these ideas and wrote books and created courses together with Wolf. Our bass books have sold over 30,000 copies and garnered rave reviews.

 

I started teaching online in 2009 and have embraced technology as a powerful learning tool since then, never losing sight of the importance of providing feedback and personalized guidance to learners.

 

Read more…

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