The Learning Path

My goal is to help students who would like a clear direction with regard to the materials available at BassEducation, as they apply to their own goals for the instrument. Not everybody needs to learn how to read, play upper-structure triads over chord changes or be able to sight-sing melodies, if all you want to do is just be more confident when jamming with friends, for example.

• NOTE: It’s worth saying however, that absolutely everything you know and learn applies to whatever it is you want to do on the instrument. ALL of these things can only make you a better player. So it may be worth exploring every ‘path’ at some point, regardless of your professional or personal goals in the moment. Just saying…

While this page (and the subsequent related pages) will likely continue to evolve over time, my goal is to try and lay out, not just a path through my videos as they relate to any one stated ‘goal’, but to also make suggestions as to how you can further follow that path outside of this site as well. I don’t have all of the answers and I don’t know everything. Where applicable, I may make suggestions about a book, app, or other resource.

Every one of these Paths will begin with the ‘Fundamentals’ Module. You can’t build anything of consequence on a weak foundation. I would encourage you all to start at the beginning and take your time. You may be tempted to jump ahead but there’s no finish-by date. You have all the time in the world and there’s no finish line. It’s a life-long process. Do yourself a favor and don’t skip any steps. You go the furthest, the fastest, by walking slowly and with focused intention on every step taken.

In fact, many of these ‘paths’ will contain some of the same elements, however I will be altering them all slightly to better reference the goals, as they relate to the chosen ‘path’.

Below, you’ll find a list of goals. The aim is to identify your goals for the instrument and then be led down a clear path through various materials and concepts in an effort to help you realize that goal as efficiently as possible. The better you know what your end-game is, the easier it is to hone your focus and work with intention.

As a thought experiment, it can be very useful to try and project into the future and try and envision:

• What do you want to sound like? (this can even be a specific player… and then imagine or research what they worked on, who they listened to, what gigs they played early on in their development, etc…)

• What types of gigs do you ultimately want to be doing?

• What type of music do you aspire to play?

The more clearly we know where we want to go (and why), the easier it is to reverse-engineer the process in an effort to manifest that reality. The more we know WHY we are doing something, the more invested in that process we will become.

This will be an evolving page and series. If you aren’t feeling represented here in some way, PLEASE reach out via the Feedback forms and make requests/suggestions. This is all about trying to help YOU… but you know you far better than I do. Feel free to help me out in our quest to realize your goals for your instrument!