Try This Finger-Busting Arpeggio Exercise for Bass Guitar
If you already practice scales by harmonizing them with arpeggios, here’s a simple way to make that…
How to Practice Walking Bass Time Feel by Playing With the Masters
I recently transcribed Ray Brown’s walking bass line on “Teach Me Tonight.” But after learning the notes, I…
How to Internalize What You Practice on Bass (So It Actually Shows Up in Your Playing)
You spend hours practicing a bass line, lick, phrase, or musical concept. You get it under your fingers. You can…
Not Your Ideal Setup? Practice Anyway.
Practice doesn’t always happen under ideal conditions. Right now, that means sitting on a bench with a guitar…
You Can Still Practice Without Your Instrument
These days, a lot of my practice happens wherever and whenever I can fit it in. Sometimes that means I have my…
How to Make a Basic Thirds Exercise More Melodic
If you already know your basic thirds shapes on bass, you don’t necessarily need another exercise.…
How to Get a Modern Jazz Sound Using Pentatonic Scales
If you already know your major pentatonic scale, you have more material for jazz improvisation than you might…
You Know Your Scales. So Why Don’t Your Lines Sound Melodic?
You know the scale. You’ve practiced the pattern. You know which notes belong to the key and which scales…
How to Use Triad Pairs Without Memorizing Two Triads
Most musicians learn triad pairs by memorizing…. two triads. One triad, then another. And before long,…
How Triad Inversions Unlock Continuous Melodic Lines
If you’ve ever listened to a great improviser and wondered how they seem to spin one long musical thought…