Most Bassists Solo WRONG

So today I've got something a little different for you. What you're about to watch is actually a sample lesson taken directly from week seven of my brand new intensive program called soloing and improvisation for the modern basis. Now

one of the biggest problems I see with soloing is that players often end up sounding kind of like they're just stitching together random ideas. Feels

weird and disconnected. it feels like the solo is just rambling along or sometimes it just sounds like somebody's playing one lick after another lick without any real direction. And the

truth is that's not usually because they don't know enough scales or arpeggios.

It's actually because they have no idea how to connect their ideas in real time.

So, in this lesson, I'm going to show you one of my favorite phrasing exercises that can instantly make your solo sound more intentional, more musical, and honestly, more like

something you'd hear a pro player doing.

And what's really cool is for this entire lesson, I'm only using a single scale. I'm only using the A major

scale. I'm only using the A major pentatonic scale. Just one simple scale

pentatonic scale. Just one simple scale and a powerful way of thinking about phrasing that can completely change how you approach soloing. If you enjoy what you see and you'd like to join us for

the full program, you'll find a link in the description down below and I've also pinned it in the comments. With that

said, let's jump into the lesson. Let me

give a demonstration of what call and response in a solo might sound like. I'm

going to give it a go and uh and we'll see how it ends up. Again, it's just all over a major. Um, and I'm going to use

the 90 BPM track.

Let's uh see if I can make a mess.

[music] [music] Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat.

[music] [music] [music] Okay. [music]

Okay. [music] Heat. [music]

Heat. [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] Okay, definitely overcooked it, but you get my point. I was really trying to get all of the ideas there to link up.

Calling and responding, playing something, then playing something related to it, showing that I could do it through rhythm, showing that I could do it through intervals. at the end there. I think up here I played this.

there. I think up here I played this.

[music] Something like this. Something. And I

was like, "Okay, where can I where can I take that interval?" [music]

And then Whoa. Okay.

Oh, wow. I've got it there. And

And then I started doing something like um [music] force. something like that. Okay. So,

force. something like that. Okay. So,

with this first exercise, we're going to start super simple. And all I want you to do is play it and then play it again with a different ending. Okay?

And for fun, let's do this. We're going

to play it. We're going to play it again with a different ending. Then, we're

going to play the original idea. Then,

we're going to play a response to the idea, which is play it again, but with a different ending. So, it's going to do

different ending. So, it's going to do this. Okay. Play it. Play it again, but

this. Okay. Play it. Play it again, but with a different ending. Play it. Play

it again with a different ending. Play

it. Play it again with a different Let's see how much I can do. I'm going to go to the 80 BPM one because I need to give myself a a leg up. Okay, here we go.

So, I'm going to play it.

I'm going to play it again, but with a different ending.

[music] I'm going to play the original idea again [music] with a different ending. Now [music]

play it again.

[music] Again with a different ending.

And again.

[music] And again with a different engine.

[music] [music] Heat. Heat.

Heat. Heat.

[music] [music] Okay. So, there I took that theme,

Okay. So, there I took that theme, [music] okay, and then I just glued myself to it. And I'm just gonna keep repeating it

it. And I'm just gonna keep repeating it and repeating it and repeating it.

[singing] [music] [music] It's going to do the same thing again.

[music] Uh, and the same thing again.

[music] [music] two.

[music] [music] Okay, you get the idea, right? So, play

it, play it again, but with a different ending. But with this exercise, the one

ending. But with this exercise, the one I really want you to milk that some of you might have heard of this. Do you

know when you get sort of like somebody be like, "Okay, you've got four notes.

All you can do is improvise with that.

[music] [music] You know, it's a great little exercise.

Actually, it goes like this. I'll show

you." And it's kind of similar, but I like this idea of when you get a phrase, but but this sub exercise is just take

these four notes and all you can do is improvise with those. Okay, check it out.

those. Okay, check it out.

[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] Okay, sub exercise for you there. Just

take four notes and just like really try and go around. But it's but they're serving different purposes. One is

really looking at how you can maximize a particular set of notes, normally three or four notes. Um the other exercise, the original exercise is how

you can maximize a phrase, how you can take an idea and just keep on going with it. Okay? Just keep on going with it. Um

it. Okay? Just keep on going with it. Um

and again, it's the same idea, but it's serving slightly different purposes. The

reason why it's great is for instance when I listen to myself play especially like a solo the number one criticism I have of myself is that I leave an idea

too early. I should keep going with it.

too early. I should keep going with it.

Keep going with the idea. But what I have a bad bad habit of doing and everybody is that you'll play well not you know it depends on how much of a badass you are but most people as me

immortals is we'll play an idea we'll play it again play and then we then it's a new idea right but but ideally we don't want to do that you really want to be able to milk the idea. So again there's um

[music] taking something like that and really seeing like how much minor you can get out of it. Now, before we move on to the next exercise, I just want to take that

same thing again and do it a different phrase just so you can see it again. So,

um [singing] instead of sort of like maybe sort of like um um [music] Okay, let's try that. I don't know whether it's going to be any good. Let's

try it.

Oh, faster. Here we go.

[music] Play it again.

Different ending. [music]

Same.

[music] [music] [music] Huh?

[music] [music] [music] Heat.

[music] [music] [music] [music] Okay. Yeah. Like um I love doing this.

Okay. Yeah. Like um I love doing this.

It's so great because it really helps you develop and you're doing this thing and it just doesn't sound like random BS, you know? It really pulls it all together. Now, if you're wondering what

together. Now, if you're wondering what that super spicy thing was, um I I went [music] I just played the whole thing

[music] up a semmit tone and then I went back down. You could even do it um

down. You could even do it um you could literally play play it [music] and play up and down. It would sound like this. Check it out.

like this. Check it out.

[music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] So hopefully you can see just how powerful that is we're not talking about learning 20 new scales or arpeggios.

We're not talking about memorizing hundreds of licks. Everything you saw in that lesson came from a single scale, just the A major pentatonic scale. The

difference wasn't the notes. The

difference was the phrasing. And that's

what really this entire intensive is about. It's about helping you stop

about. It's about helping you stop sounding like you're just wandering up and down scales and playing random stuff. Stop relying on stock licks and

stuff. Stop relying on stock licks and actually start creating real solos and improvisations that actually sound musical connected intentional and uniquely yours so you can build your own

voice on the bass. Now remember, what you've just watched is a lesson taken from week seven of the full program.

Inside the intensive, every lesson includes tab, notation, workbooks, backing tracks, guided assignments, and a complete 20week and over 20 hours step-by-step curriculum that takes you

from the fundamentals of phrasing and improvisation all the way through to advanced concepts like superimposition, chord tone, targeting, modal colors, and real world soloing applications. If you

would like to learn more, hopefully you do, you'll find all of the details in the link down below this video. And I've

also pinned a comment as well to make it easy to find. I will also put a URL here on the screen so you can just go there if you want to as well. And one thing to be aware of, I'm only opening enrollment

for soloing and improv for the modern basist once this year. Okay? And this is the once. So if the program looks like a

the once. So if the program looks like a good fit for you, make sure you check it out before I close enrollment. Take it

easy and I'll see you in the shed.