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The course is intended for absolute beginners. No previous knowledge is required. Advanced players may simply start somewhere in the middle.
Every exercise should be practiced until it can be played straightaway two times faultlessly. When you can play the entire lesson safely you may move on to the next. Depending on the effort you put in it this will take between one and four weeks.
All of the lessons are available as pdf-files here. Click on the note symbol in the respective table row. Normally your browser should open it automatically. Otherwise you will have to install the Acrobat Reader. If the staff lines are not displayed correctly try zooming in a little (by pressing CTRL+0).
For each exercise there is a sound file you can listen to in order to verify if you play correctly. You may open the sound files by pressing the speaker symbol in the respective table row. In case you can't hear the bass that's probably because of your speakers. Simple laptop-speakers are not sufficient. Use ear-phones or connect your computer to your stereo (that's quite simple, you only need a suitable wire). You can also save these files on a MP3 player for exercising (right button click and "Save target as").
Some lessons have a theory part (see column Theory). Sometimes they are referred to in later lessons. Thus you may repeat the theory part if necessary.
The color shading of the lessons tells you something about the respective subject matter. It helps you when you want to specifically practice or refresh some aspects of bass playing.
| Rhythm | Chords, Intervals, Scales, Arpeggios | Jazz Accompaniment, Walking Bass | Playing techniques and Phrasing |
| # | Title | Theory | Sheet | Audios |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| L1 | Quarter Notes Root notes / Plucking (Right Hand) / Fretting (Left Hand) |  |
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| L2 | Quarter Notes - Simple Blues | Reading Tabs | |
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| L3 | Quarter Notes- Root/Fifth | Accidentals/Key Signature | |
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| L4 | Quarter Notes Major Arpeggio | Major Third | |
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| L5 | Eighth Notes - Root Notes | |
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| L6 | Quarter Notes Major Arpeggio (2) | |
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| L7 | Eighth Notes and Rests | Eighth Notes | |
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| L8 | Eighth Notes - Octave | Octave | |
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| L9 | Eighth Notes - Root/Fifth | Fifth | |
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| L10 | Eighth Notes Rhythm Exercises | |
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| L11 | Eighth Notes - Root/Fifth (2) | |
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| L12 | Eighth Notes - Steady Eighth Notes | Slur | |
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| L13 | Eighth Notes Major Arpeggio | Inversions | |
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| L14 | Eighth Notes Rhythm Exercises (2) | |
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| L15 | Eighth Notes Major Arpeggio (2) | |
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