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Lessons and Tips

Playing Jazz Bass: Learning Bossa Nova Bass Lines

Last Updated: August 13, 2022 by John Marley

Getz-gilberto (1)

When we think of jazz bass playing, the first thing that comes to mind will often be the walking bass style which is so often associated with the genre. However, jazz is a large and varied type of music which takes influence from many areas of the musical spectrum. In coming lessons, we will look at some of these styles - funk, soul, blues and this month Bossa Nova. Bossa Nova … [Read more...] about Playing Jazz Bass: Learning Bossa Nova Bass Lines

Playing Jazz Bass: Arpeggios, Passing Notes and Chords

Last Updated: August 13, 2022 by John Marley

vanguardpic1_2

In the previous lesson, we began to build a bass line for a jazz blues progression in the key of F. In this lesson we're going to explore chord types, progressions and harmony when playing jazz and playing jazz bass. Now we should have a clear idea of the root movement of the chord sequence and we've solidified the sound using the fifths of each chord. To begin to create a … [Read more...] about Playing Jazz Bass: Arpeggios, Passing Notes and Chords

Bass Guitar and Small Hands: Don’t Let It Stop You From Playing Bass

Last Updated: July 26, 2022 by Mike Emiliani

small hands man

You have small hands and you want to play bass guitar - what do you do? As a person who doesn't have particularly large hands, you reach for a bass guitar and start playing, that's what. For most of us - including myself- the issue of hand size and bass playing never came up. It was figured that if I can play the instrument, I can play the instrument and that's the end of … [Read more...] about Bass Guitar and Small Hands: Don’t Let It Stop You From Playing Bass

Playing Jazz Bass: Why You Should Learn Jazz and How It Applies to All Bass Players

Last Updated: August 13, 2022 by John Marley

ron carter upright bass jazz bass

Firstly I'd like to thanks Mike for asking me to contribute to this great blog. I've decided to do a few jazz lessons as I'm a strong believer that learning some jazz benefits your playing in most styles of music. It's one of those genres of music that demands that you really know which notes are in which chords, which scales work over chords and where the notes are … [Read more...] about Playing Jazz Bass: Why You Should Learn Jazz and How It Applies to All Bass Players

Reggae Bass and Reggae Music: Everything You Need to Know

Last Updated: August 13, 2022 by Mike Emiliani 3 Comments

jamaica flag

Reggae music is many things to an entire culture. To it's native Jamaica, it's a culture and art form that carries the struggle and faith of Rastafari. To the United States and United Kingdom, it jumpstarted a new way of thinking about music both from an arrangement perspective as well as Reggae music is more than just something college kids around the world play when they're … [Read more...] about Reggae Bass and Reggae Music: Everything You Need to Know

Playing In the Upper Register of the Bass Guitar

Last Updated: August 13, 2022 by John Marley

bass guitar upper register

In my previous lesson, I discussed the advantages of practicing scales up each individual string and now I'd like to take that one step further. When teaching, I find that students often get stuck finding notes in certain areas of the bass. This is most common around the 9th to 12th fret areas. If you really want to feel completely comfortable on the instrument and free to … [Read more...] about Playing In the Upper Register of the Bass Guitar

What I Learned From Playing Bass For 6 Hours Straight This Past Weekend

Last Updated: January 6, 2019 by Mike Emiliani

musictown logo

Over the weekend, I participated in an event called Jamathon RI hosted by an up-and-coming Rhode Island startup called MusicTown.co. MusicTown is an online and in-person musician matchmaking service for the music-making community based out of Rhode Island. The company is still young - but incredibly active in Rhode Island's music scene. According to the event’s page on … [Read more...] about What I Learned From Playing Bass For 6 Hours Straight This Past Weekend

The Importance of Playing Scales Up Each String

Last Updated: August 13, 2022 by John Marley

practicing bass scales on one string

Let's face it. When us bass players and guitarists learn to play scales we quite often learn finger patterns rather than always studying all of the notes in the scales. Doing this is nothing to be ashamed of and has some major benefits. The patterns allow us to move around the instrument quickly and let us play in all of the keys with minimal fuss. However, as you develop as a … [Read more...] about The Importance of Playing Scales Up Each String

Bass Arpeggios: 6 Exercises For Hand Strength and Dexterity

Last Updated: August 30, 2020 by Mike Emiliani 4 Comments

bass arpeggio form

Bass arpeggios are a great resource for both practicing finger exercises as well as learning the fundamental components of chords. Every practice routine should include some kind of incorporation of finger exercise both for developing dexterity and finger independence as well as understanding chords from a fundamental perspective and how they relate to one another … [Read more...] about Bass Arpeggios: 6 Exercises For Hand Strength and Dexterity

Counting 102: Counting Odd Time Signatures

Last Updated: December 9, 2015 by Mike Emiliani Leave a Comment

clapping out 7/8 time

If you remember some time ago, I published an article covering how to count music and attached a free download to the article. The article was well received, but it begged a sequel. So this is that sequel: Counting 102: Counting Odd Time Signatures In this article we're going to look at a handful of common and some uncommon time signatures and break down some strategies … [Read more...] about Counting 102: Counting Odd Time Signatures

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