Musicians have mixed feelings about music theory, but despite the fact that it may be confusing there is still a desire to grasp understanding of it. Why? Because deep down most know that there is value in learning it, and it all starts with one simple concept: notes. What are notes? How many …
The great Michelangelo once said “I am still learning.” Without context this may seem like just another inspirational quote, but the fact that he said this at 87 years old gives me goosebumps! It’s been a while since I’ve posted a fresh piece of content on the blog because, honestly, I’ve been practicing a lot …
Greetings, bass players! Let’s talk about walking bass lines. I bet many of you reading this post have at least somewhat of an idea of what a walking bass line is (or have at least heard the term) but may not fully understand how to construct one yourself. I was in the same boat… up …
“O O O O’Reillyyyyy… Auto Parts… OW!” If you live in the United States you’ve likely heard this catchy, iconic jingle on the radio at some point in your life (heck, you probably sang that in your head as you read it!). But there’s more to this jingle than you probably think… did you know there’s …
If you’re a beginner bass guitar player, the concept of chords may be the last thing on your mind. “That’s just something guitarists and keyboardists deal with. What does that have to do with me? Don’t bassists just have to play one note at a time?” Typically, yes – but playing chords and double stops …
Lydian. Phrygian. Mixolydian. It just sounds confusing, right? These words used to intimidate the heck out of me, and this is honestly why I didn’t learn about modes for a long time. Well I’m here to tell you that MODES AREN’T THAT SCARY. You don’t need to transcend time and space or have a PhD …
Greetings, bassists! A few months ago we began exploring some basic music theory concepts that we’ll use to dive into the next key area: The major scale. What is it? What does it sound like? What does it look like? Find out with this guide to the major scale for the bass guitar. Let’s get …
Hey bass players! It’s been a few months since we talked about music theory. In my last post we explained the musical alphabet, the fretboard, and briefly introduced intervals. In this post we’ll continue the discussion on intervals: the next step in the journey to learning music theory. Intervals pave the foundation for understanding chords, …
