Bass Guitar

This workbook turns the Bass Guitar course into daily practice you can actually do with the instrument plugged in. Each section matches a course module and mixes hands-on exercises, fill-in worksheets, and checklists that build groove, timing, and clean technique from the first session. Work through it with your bass, a tuner, a metronome, and a simple drum loop, and use the editable templates to track tuning, practice time, fretboard notes, and the songs you are learning.

Confirm your tuning, strap height, and hand positions so every later session starts from a relaxed, tension-free setup.

Plug in, set your tuner, and tune all four strings to standard pitch, always tuning up to the note. Then verify by ear using the 5th-fret method before you play anything else.

Fill in the details of your specific instrument and setup. Keep this on hand for string changes, amp settings, and resetting your strap to the same height each time.

Play the 1-2-3-4 chromatic exercise (frets 5-6-7-8) on every string, ascending then descending, with strict one-finger-per-fret. Keep the thumb low and centred on the back of the neck.

Lock in even two-finger plucking and confident pick playing, plus the two-hand muting that keeps your low end tight.

Anchor your thumb, then play one note per metronome click on a single open string, strictly alternating index then middle with rest strokes, at 60 to 70 bpm. Record one take to check evenness.

With a 1.0 to 1.5 mm pick held between thumb and curled index, play a simple root-note pattern using alternate down-up picking. Then play the same pattern fingerstyle and compare.

Play notes across all four strings while resting your plucking thumb on the next-thicker string to mute it. Then play a single note and silence everything to test for unwanted ring.

Know where the roots live, lock them to the kick drum, and build the steady internal time that is the bassist's core job.

Fill in the natural notes on the E and A strings up to the 12th fret from memory, then verify on the bass. These two strings hold most of your root notes.

Pick a random note and find every instance of it on the neck within 12 frets as fast as you can. Then use the octave shape (two strings up, two frets higher) to find octaves on demand.

Play a four-bar progression of C, A minor, F, G over a drum loop at 80 to 100 bpm, hitting the root of each chord exactly when the kick drum hits (typically beats 1 and 3).

Move beyond roots into movable pentatonic shapes and walking lines, and read both tab and chord charts to learn any song.

Learn the A minor pentatonic box from the 5th fret of the E string (A, C, D, E, G), play it ascending and descending with a metronome, then slide the whole shape to new roots to prove it is movable.

Plan a one-bar-per-chord walking line over a short progression using the root on beat 1, chord tones on 2 and 3, and an approach note on beat 4. Write the notes, then play it locked to a metronome.

Pick a simple song. First learn its bassline from tab on Songsterr or Ultimate Guitar, then write out just its chord chart and play your own root-and-groove version from the chart alone.