Melbourne Bass Guitar Lessons

Learning to play online can be great and you can learn quite a bit on your own, however one on one lessons are highly recommended if you really want to advance in learning the bass guitar. Self teaching can develop bad habits that a dedicated teacher can help prevent. Also a teacher will be able to give you expert advice, and planned lessons to develop the aspects of your playing that need to be worked on.

AMEB CPM (Contemporary Popular Music) course repertoire can also be taught and students can be enrolled for AMEB CPM bass exams. The AMEB CPM syllabus covers 4 Advancing Steps which includes technical, set works & free choice pieces (including rock, pop, funk, jazz and latin music), improvising, theory, aural and reading skills. Further detailed information can be found on the AMEB website or by contacting Anthony.

Bass guitar lessons are designed to improve technique and musicianship and cover the following:

Aural Training

• learn to hear and recognise note intervals
• learn to hear and recognise chords
• learn to hear and recognise harmony

Technique

• Finger picking
• Muting
• Slap bass
• Fingering & hand positioning

Theory

• Scales
• Harmony
• Improvising
• Arpeggios
• Modes
• Reading
• Chords
• Harmonics
• Key centres
• Turnarounds
• Walking Bass Lines

Time

• Rhythmic exercises
• Keeping time
• Developing Grooves
• Odd timing

Musical Styles

• Rock including transcriptions to rock bass lines
• Funk including funk licks and exercises for finger picking and slapping
• Jazz including walking bass, two feel, latin and soloing/improvising

Lessons are held in Melbourne’s inner west and practice material is provided on CD, sheet music and notes.
Bass guitar lessons can be 30 minutes or an hour long.

Bass Guitar Lessons & Exercises

Check out the lessons below with YouTube videos included to give you an idea or what is taught to students.

Broken Arpeggios This exercise is a great way to learn patterns used in walking bass lines that can lso be applied to other tpyes of bass lines.

Funk Bass Lines Here are 2 examples of bass lines written for OMG by Usher and Hey Ya by Outkast showing ideas on creating funk bass lines including syncpation and 16th note feels.

Carol Kaye Chordal Scale Here are exercises using the "chordal scale" as taught by legendary recording session bass player and jazz guitarst Carol Kaye.

Walking Bass - Autumn Leaves Autumn Leaves is a jazz "standard" that is played at almost every jazz gig/jam you go to! In the AMEB CPM Bass syllabus students are asked to create a walking bass line for Autumn Leaves in the key of G Minor.