Killer Octave Riff! [VIDEO]

by Ari 9 Jul 2020 1 minute read

Killer Octave Riff

Turn a simple 2-chord progression into something special using a modern take on a “disco-inspired” octave groove. This killer riff is also great for shedding your technique: Challenging string crossings, a varied rhythmic pattern, and a relatively quick tempo… enjoy!

I’ll go step by step to break it down for you starting with the rhythm using dead notes. Then I add the pitches – and finally octaves – as you get more comfortable with the string jumps. I’ll show you practical fingerings and lots of tips to get you grooving this riff.

  • Tip #1: Stay relaxed and maintain quiet hands.
  • Tip #2: “Go slow – slower – to go fast!”.
  • Tips #3 and #4: …check out the video!

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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.

 

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