Say goodbye to rote learning, practicing mindlessly and endless repetition, and hello to personal guidance that gets you PRACTICING PROPERLY and PLAYING fast, freely, and all over the fretboard!
When it comes to practicing, these are
common mistakes bassists make:
Imagine instead...
In this unique online format you practice along with Ari & Ari-trained teachers:
Whether you’re a complete beginner picking up your first bass guitar for the first time, a frustrated hobbyist looking to break through a plateau, or a band player eager to turn heads at your next gig, this membership is for you.
Because practicing SMARTER is the superpower that delivers fast results!
What exactly is in this
Practice Membership?
A wide variety of Live practice sessions for various levels
Practice live up to 16 times a month
Join as many classes as you like!
Choose your favorite classes or join all of them. Some of our advanced students join every single class, even the beginner ones. Because they know that each great practice session is making them better!
Tune in, as Ari introduces the theme of the month and sets the tone with her Groove Classes.
Sometimes mini-series that span over a month, sometimes one-offs, expect a well-rounded practice session each time!
Expect 45 minutes jampacked with fun drills.
First class of the month includes a General Q&A!
Beginners, tune in (again) on Tuesday for “Tuesdays with Tracie” where Tracie goes over Ari’s Monday material with a beginner bent!
Expect a comfortable pace that still packs a punch.
Practice some more, with focus on the foundation!
More practice on Ari’s Groove Training. More variations, different keys, slightly new angles.
Because that is what good practice is!
Alan guides you through it all using Ari’s template!
Technique, theory, bass lines!
Expect more review in more variations! Just join and practice along!
Join Tracie for one-off live practice sessions designed for beginner bass players!
Using Ari’s proven materials, Tracie will guide you through the essentials of bass theory, groove, technique, timing, and rhythm.
Each session is engaging and fun, offering you the perfect foundation to improve your playing and build confidence on the bass.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to solidify your skills, this class will help you groove with ease!
Expect a comfortable pace that still packs a punch.
This is eartraining, bass in hand!
Using Ari’s six favorite paths of training your ear you will train your ear properly so you can ditch the TAB and jam with your friends.
Some drills we do:
Mastering the fretboard inside and out is the very first step – the next, then, is to dig deep into musicality and expression. In these sessions we do all that
Prerequisites:
• read the first three chapters of the Pattern System Book
• and or: watch the pre-recorded Pattern System Level 1 Masterclasses
NOTE: Levels 1, 2, 3 of pre-recorded Pattern System Masterclasses are included with your membership!
Expect a challenging class!
Join various levels/topics as your schedule allows; up to 16 sessions per month you can join!
Click on the calendar dates to view upcoming events.
Hundreds of live practice sessions at your fingertips,
with videos and downloadables from the live sessions
Choose from one-off live sessions or dive into our mini-series, including:
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.
I also utilize the power of learning in groups: our first cohort with volunteer coaches ran in 2018, and Masterclasses started in 2020.
I can't say enough how fun it is working with Ari. [...]It's a very fun way to practice. It gives you, I think it's nice to have a structure to your practice 'cause sometimes, you know, you can pick up the instrument and noodle with it without any particular purpose. But those sessions, they give you a structure so you can see where you were and where you're going to[...]
And I definitely feel the progress, because the band I'm playing with now is telling me that they can see me progressing because I can try some of the more challenging things I wouldn't normally try before.
And you also see other folks having the same struggles that you have and it's kind of pretty helpful to understand that you're not alone. [...] It's definitely, a high time of my week.Peter
I didn’t feel like I was on a path. I didn’t know where I was going.
I would say, this guy, oh, he’s a good player and let’s take a look at this YouTube and okay [...], but it’s like nothing was really coming together for me.
I didn’t know where I was going. I didn’t know how to practice, which is huge for me, you know. It’s like so I pick up the instrument and I’d be like, let’s do this today, but it was no path for me. I didn’t have a direction. And now I do which is magnificent.
So I noticed that my playing is getting better because of what I am doing with her. In other words, my movement, where I’m going, what I can learn, how to prepare for that groove. It’s all improving. All of it.Ellie
Just her style of teaching is really, really accessible to anybody on any level of music.
So, each class there is some musical application which I really, really enjoy. And of course, it’s great to be in a group with other people who are already very skilled but also people like me who are just kind of learning some things.[...] Her enthusiasm, her knowledge, and her willingness to break it down to its elemental components is really incredible.[...]
So she’s created this online community which is really incredible - talking with, asking questions of, interacting with other bass players - it’s a very friendly place.
Daniel
Up to 16 monthly Live Sessions with Ari & Ari-trained teachers – various topics and levels!
ARCHIVES with 350+ recorded Live Practice sessions including…
We offer a no-questions-asked money back guarantee so your commitment is risk free for 14 days.
Join us for a few practice sessions and if you’re not completely convinced that this practice membership is right for you, we will promptly refund your money.
We use secure checkout powered by Stripe.
Without Ari
With Ari
In this video from a recent membership event, Ari demonstrates a cycle practice involving triad grips in two fingerings. Inspired by a song, you need to think quickly on your feet!
Everyone joins muted.
Ari or Ari-trained teachers lead you through the drills and you practice along. You can hear yourself, nobody else can.
Got a question or want to do a drill in front of the class? Raise your hand and unmute!
Practicing like the pros do – using creative applications to learn principles, train the fingers and improve musicianship.
Consistent live sessions to keep you motivated, with real-time feedback from Ari and her expert teachers. Pick by topic, level and style!
Ever needed a push to show up? We got you! Sync up with our calendar and have your scheduled bass practice front of mind. Tune up! It's Monday, bass o'clock!
Whether you're a beginner or advanced, you'll find lessons that challenge and develop your technique, rhythm, reading and musicality.
Learn directly from Ari, the creator of programs such as 'Music Theory for the Bass Player,' and 'The Pattern System for the Bass Player', with her proven teaching methods.
It's a thrill to learn your favorite bass lines, but any YouTube or TAB can hook you up with rote learning. Ari takes it much further: variations, how to make it your own, grokk the style!
Experience fresh challenges and new techniques that keep your learning dynamic, ensuring your playing stays inspired and evolving.
Up to 16 monthly Live Sessions with Ari & Ari-trained teachers – various topics and levels!
ARCHIVES with 350+ recorded Live Practice sessions including…
We offer a no-questions-asked money back guarantee so your commitment is risk free for 14 days.
Join us for a few practice sessions and if you’re not completely convinced that this practice membership is right for you, we will promptly refund your money.
We use secure checkout powered by Stripe.
As soon as you join you get instant access to our vast library of archived live sessions.
To join a live event, check our calendar and RSVP if you’d like a personal reminder sent to you. At the time of the live event click the zoom link on your dashboard (also in your email if you chose the RSVP option).
On entering, everyone is muted; you can choose to have your camera on or not.
Ari or one of her teachers guides you through a well-rounded practice session, that always starts with a fun warm up. Simply practice along – you can hear yourself, but nobody else can hear you.
It’s very interactive, you can ask questions and play for feedback whenever Ari opens the floor.
With Ari’s multi-cam setup, you will see closeups of her fingerings and fretboard from every critical angle.
With all sessions, you’ll receive downloadable study materials, jam tracks, PDFs, plus access to a recording of the session to review afterward.
That’s it! Even tablets or smartphones will work, but computers offer much better audio options. If you have an audio interface and want to go fancy, go for it, but simple works well, too.
The calendar shows what level an event is best suited for.
Our archives are chock full of resources for various levels. Just find your level and hit play!
Beginners will love our 20 hour beginner series which starts at zero, and a variety of “Rapid Results” one-offs, taught by Ari or one of our awesome teachers using Ari’s materials.
Advanced players can enjoy over 30 hours of advanced pattern system masterclasses.
Intermediate players will find hundreds of hours of sessions that will advance their skill level – mini-series, bassling-series, one-offs, styles months…
You will never run out of fun and effective practice sessions, no matter your level!
Expect a zero-fluff, highly productive session each time. This is quality practice over quantity practice.
The best way to support yourself is to make the regular live sessions a staple or watch and re-watch the recordings.
You are welcome and encouraged to practice in addition, but even if you don’t do that and just show up and practice along or simply press play, your learning curve is reliably headed in the right direction!
The kind of practice you do here is so engaging, motivating and fun that you are effortlessly forming a solid habit!
Yes! All of our PDFs have sheet music as well as TAB and chords. Reading is a great skill to have for a musician, and you will practice it in several of our sessions, but if you don’t know it yet, you can follow along using the TAB or imitate in the beginner sessions.
Only if you want to! (It’s a great opportunity for direct feedback! You can also count on nothing but support from the group!)
When you first enter the meeting, all participants will be automatically muted. Ari and the other teachers guide you through drills and exercises and you play along; you can hear the teacher and yourself. Nobody else can hear you unless you hit the unmute button.
Ari may ask for volunteers, or you may raise your hand if you have a question or need help.
Ari’s Ear Confidence Course is a deep and layered self-study course, while the live events provide hands-on training, examples, and applications.
Unlike most apps or ear training programs, that focus on interval identification for ear training, our EarTraining live classes simulate real playing situations! They provide light bulb moments, and creative breakthroughs and give you confidence as a player.
EarTraining is vital training for any musician. And, with Ari, it’s fun, too, especially because we learn with our favorite tool – the bass – in hand!
Not all sessions are with Ari. However, all sessions and all content is put together by Ari (sometimes together with her partner Wolf). You get consistent teaching by either Ari herself or carefully trained and qualified teachers.
Check the calendar to see who is teaching!
Courses are dedicated to a particular topic and are designed for self-study.
Practice events are well-rounded practice sessions, either one-offs, or mini-series centered around a song or particular topic.
Their main purpose is to ensure you get a well-rounded practice session that draws from all of Ari’s methods.
Sessions with Ari are recorded and archived.
Sessions with Ari-trained teachers are not always included in the archives.
Sometimes you simply “had to be there” to receive personal support!
With literally hundreds of hours of archived live sessions and new ones added each week, you will not run out of practice sessions anytime soon!
Yes, you can start and stop your membership anytime. Just go into your account and hit cancel to stop membership. Your membership will remain active for the remainder of the current membership cycle, and no new payments will be incurred.
Yes. You may purchase blocks of a few months at a time for a one-time payment. When these months have passed, you will simply lose access.
Our membership is covered by a 14 day guarantee. Just email us within 14 days of signing up and we will refund your investment in full!
Once you are a member, you can start and stop your membership with one click from your account menu.
We offer a no-questions-asked money back guarantee so your commitment is risk free for 14 days.
Join us for a few practice sessions and if you’re not completely convinced that this practice membership is right for you, we will promptly refund your money.
We use secure checkout powered by Stripe.
From Research:
Critical success factors
Ari & Wolf's
Teaching
Ariane Cap (‘Ari’) is a multifaceted musician based in Nashville, Tennessee. She is an accomplished bassist, educator, author, blogger, writer, and composer
As an online teaching personality, she runs a thriving blog and offers popular bass courses and webinars
Her expertise has been recognized in leading bass magazines, including a feature on the cover of Bass Player Magazine
Holding a Master’s of Science from the University of Innsbruck and a Master’s of Music from the University of West London, Ari combines her academic background with practical music experience to provide comprehensive education to bass players worldwide
Tracie Whitelaw, MMus, BMus, BA, is a versatile musician with a rich 20-year career as a US military musician, performing across North
Her accomplishments include touring with the US Army Field Band, contributing to a Grammy-winning album, and teaching bassoon at the Armed Forces School of Music
Tracie’s passion for music extends beyond her military service, as she has received numerous awards and grants for her chamber music performances
After discovering a love for bass guitar during a deployment in Iraq, she pursued extensive training, including completing Ariane Cap’s Music Theory for the Bass Player course
Today, Tracie plays in a variety of ensembles and teaches private lessons
Alan Bader is a seasoned bassist with over four decades of experience, starting his musical journey at 13. He has played in various bands, covering genres from Country to Jazz, and has performed with notable acts including impersonator Rich Little.
Al has completed 9 of Ari’s Masterclasses Series and the Cohort, and has been teaching bass and guitar at the United Conservatory of Music since 2003. His passion for music and dedication to continuous learning make him an inspiring instructor for students of all levels