Conquer the Fretboard
How 5 patterns and training the musical mind leads to fretboard freedom.
How is the Pattern System different from Ari's Theory Method?
In Ari’s “Music Theory for the Bass Player” book you learn the foundation, the lego pieces music is made of, AKA “theory”.
You understand how the fretboard works and how music works.
You embrace the importance of shapes, fingering and technique.
You get a solid theory foundation.
In Ari’s and Wolf’s 20 Unit Theory Course you put these lego pieces to work and construct your own bass lines and practice theory, styles, and note finding with Ari.
You learn to bring theory to life through improvisation.
You make these shapes yours by putting them into a variety of contexts and you begin to discover “your voice”.
Your technique begins to relax, and your solid knowledge gives you confidence!
What comes next?
With the Pattern System, you then take all these fundamentals to an entirely new level of competence.
Based on five basic scale patterns you learn the fretboard inside and out. All keys, all across the fretboard, vertically, horizontally, diagonally! First, the shapes themselves, then “shapes within shapes”, such as triads, pentatonics and modes.
And that is just one exciting part of it:
A pattern doesn’t just refer to a pattern on the fretboard – Music itself is made of patterns!
The Pattern System teaches you how to think music and to translate this music onto your bass (fretboard) instantly and ultimately effortlessly.
How does the Pattern System work?
You will:
🎯 Learn five shapes and divide the bass into six areas
🎯 Learn these shapes backwards, forwards, diagonally, vertically, in chord progressions, connection exercises and broken down into intervals and more
🎯 Use improvisation exercises to make these shapes yours in all keys and areas of the bass, systematically
🎯 Do mind-bending drills that train you in the patterns of the fretboard and those of music at a depth you never thought possible
🎯 Dive deeply into the wondrous world of “shapes within shapes”
🎯 Follow precise instructions on how to practice – including visualization practice away from the bass – represent and manifest music’s patterns in your mind
🎯 Learn to think ahead – a vital skill for coming up with cool lines on the fly
🎯 And how to play without looking at the fretboard
🎯 Systematically train your musical mind
What does "training the musical mind" mean?
“Training the musical mind means” means mental practicing of any aspect of music.
Simply put: without the mind, there is no music. No mind – no sound will come from the bass.
The mind uses our body to translate the music in our mind onto the bass.
It’s easy to get this backwards and to think the instrument creates the music. Yet it’s not so.
Rather, we use the bass to convert what’s in our minds into sound, into music.
Mental practicing is the ultimate goal and tool for deep learning.
All the physical stuff (ie the movements) ideally is an expression of what the mind creates.
That’s tricky, because often our conscious tracking of movements is not fast enough to keep up with the music.
There is a lot to track at the same time: pitch, rhythm, form, band mates, audience etc.
Therefore we have to ingrain many of the tasks – make them automatic so our mind is free to jump around between things to track.
Laurent’s final submission of the Pattern System Level 3 Class.
After we watched his performance in class he described his process.
Who is the Pattern System for?
Anyone who has a desire to play freely and creatively. Anyone can learn this. Be aware that theory fundamentals (intervals, chords, keys, the diatonic cycle, the cycle of fifths, scales, modes) are required, so start with “Music Theory for the Bass Player” if needed. You will practice all these theory items all over the fretboard, in all keys, step-by-step and creatively so you know them inside and out. The “Pattern System” will open doors you never knew existed.
Most fretboard approaches:
- show a few shapes and leave it at that
- don’t guide you to practice systematically all across the fretboard
- don’t train the musical mind
The Pattern System:
- uses the shapes as a starting point
- practices those shapes systematically all over the fretboard
- trains the musical mind
How is The Pattern System different than the CAGE system?
The CAGE System
The Pattern System
Just shows shapes, expecting that
just moving them around is all it takes
just moving them around is all it takes
Fretboard shapes are merely the starting point of this system
Naming in CAGE is confusing in keys other than "C"
Shapes are named by scale steps and hence work in any key
No connection between theory and patterns ,
missing many shortcuts
missing many shortcuts
Patterns as shortcuts to understanding music
Limited guidance on what to do with it all
Improvisation Drills and other musical applications
Diagrams for passive consumption
Create your own diagrams with instructions - empowering!
Scalar studies written out as a reading exercises
Create scalar studies yourself with guidance, use creatively
Changing keys means moving shapes around
Systematic training enables you to change keys freely, anywhere
Presentation as diagrams without further discussion
Discussion of visual, kinesthetic, auditory & conceptual recall
No systematic practice of note names, scale degrees
Systematic note name and scale degree practice
Exclusion of modes
Modes integrated into the system
Practice = Repetition
Many effective practicing techniques (incl. mental practice)
Fretboard organization shifts with every key
Fretboard organized into areas; diagonal playing, combining of shapes
Understanding may or may not occur
Test Your Understanding Questions assure understanding
Often lack step-by-step practice plan
Blueprints for practice in every chapter
No explanation on how and when to use a metronome
Precise guidance on metronome usage
Video demos not always included
111 video demonstrations
Check out ways to study the Pattern System
The Book: Learn the System
⚫️ The step-by-step guide to the 5 shapes in 6 areas and how to use them to train the musical mind
⚫️ Includes 111 Videos that stream online
⚫️ Engaging Test Your Understanding questions; diagrams you fill out and check
⚫️ Scalar Explorations, Improv drills, mental practice
⚫️ Concise practice descriptions in each chapter (called "Blueprint for Practice")
⚫️ Includes 111 Videos that stream online
⚫️ Engaging Test Your Understanding questions; diagrams you fill out and check
⚫️ Scalar Explorations, Improv drills, mental practice
⚫️ Concise practice descriptions in each chapter (called "Blueprint for Practice")
Book
For your practice room wall
⚫️ The most important fundamentals you learned from the book at a single glance so you keep the basics top of mind
⚫️ The shapes in all areas, the area matrix, chords, pentatonics and the Practice Sequences
⚫️ The ultimate practice tool for the Pattern System
⚫️ The shapes in all areas, the area matrix, chords, pentatonics and the Practice Sequences
⚫️ The ultimate practice tool for the Pattern System
POSTER
Learn the System with Ari
⚫️ In these masterclasses - recorded live on zoom - you learn the system with Ari and a group of peers
⚫️ Each masterclass ran for ten weeks. It's put together for you like a course, with 10 hours of videos, PDFs, jamtracks, diagrams, practice logs, transcriptions, animations
⚫️ You can practice along with the students and learn with and from them. They may just ask a question you had on your mind
⚫️ The longer the class went, the deeper Ari and the students got into musicality. One group went 6 levels deep. We are offering the latest (2023/2024) recordings at this time.
⚫️ Each masterclass ran for ten weeks. It's put together for you like a course, with 10 hours of videos, PDFs, jamtracks, diagrams, practice logs, transcriptions, animations
⚫️ You can practice along with the students and learn with and from them. They may just ask a question you had on your mind
⚫️ The longer the class went, the deeper Ari and the students got into musicality. One group went 6 levels deep. We are offering the latest (2023/2024) recordings at this time.
Master
Classes
Classes
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