Beginner
The adventure begins! Learning any instrument takes time and practice, and the bass is no exception. So let's begin. In the first lesson Roy will take you on a tour of the instrument, then show you some simple 4x4 exercises to get your fingers ready for the challenges to come. You'll also learn chromatic scales and how to get around the neck quickly and easily. There's a lot to do, so let's get started.
Okay, time to stretch your musical chops. In this Lesson you're going to learn the notes in the first position, simple rhythms, whole, half, and quarter notes and rests, and the twelve bar blues form, as well as key and time signatures. You're also going to learn Roy's Keep It Simple Blues - and play along with TMBGs incredible studio band. Think you're ready? Get crackin'!
In this Lesson, you're going to learn 1/8th notes and mix up some rhythms with dotted eighth syncopations. You're also going to learn how to play with a pick (plectrum) and when it's a good idea, and when it's not. You're going meet one of Roy's first-time students and, together, you'll learn basic triads and building chords. Then you're going to learn a hard-rocker called Rockin' Blues to play along with the amazing TMBG Band.
In Lesson 4, Roy's going to build on what you've learned so far. At the end of this Lesson, you'll know all the mysteries of the major and minor scales, how to use moveable shapes up and down the neck, and be on a first-name basis with all the notes from frets five through eight. You'll also learn Roy's tune Mid- Neck Blues. Then he'll toss you into the deep end of the pool with the band. So, don't wade. Jump in!
Lesson five is where you really start to get into the bass groove. Now you're going to learn eighth note syncopations, the three-key patterns, using the foot-tap system to read and count rhythms, some funk and R & B concepts, 7th chords (major, minor, augmented, and diminished), and the principles of playing with a drummer in Rock and Funk. Then you're going to bring all that knowledge into the real world when you learn Roy's On the Good Foot to play with the band.
While the same musical principles apply no matter what you're playing, the feel, or "groove" you put down will vary wildly from one musical genre to the next. In this Lesson, Roy's going to take you to the wonderful world of swing and shuffle, and give you a tantalizing preview of jazz concepts. Then he'll teach you the bass line to Shufflin' Along, before turning you over to the band. This stuff is so cool, you'll need your mittens!
Intermediate
Once you've got the concepts and techniques of the Beginner segment in your head and under your fingers, you'll be ready for the challenge of the Intermediate section. This ain't the bunny slope, so make sure you're ready!
All the notes have a name, and by the end of this lesson you'll be on a first-name basis with frets nine through twelve. You'll also be able to read the higher ledger lines, learn about 16th note rhythms and three-key patterns and how to "think across the neck." Then Roy will teach you The One Spot to play with the band.
Welcome to Lesson Eight. Here's where you learn to tie together everything you've learned so far on frets 1 through 12. Roy will also introduce you to double-stop chords, and the chromatic scales on all four strings. All of which leads into student favorite Stanley's Secret, which you'll play with the band. This is good stuff, so get to it!
Get down, get funky! This lesson is gonna be just plain fun! Roy's going to teach you the rudiments of Slap Bass and Drums on Bass techniques, as well as slappin', poppin', disco octaves, and lines in the style of bass greats Louis Johnson, Larry Graham, Mark King, Victor Wooten, and Marcus Miller. And, of course, another original tune - Funk Patrol - to practice with the band!
Some basses have more playable frets than others. In this intensive and comprehensive Lesson you'll learn notes in the region some bass players fear to tred (or take advantage of!)- from the seventeenth to twentieth fret. You'll also learn some choice solo licks and ideas in the Jaco-style of right-handplaying. All this brings you to Florida Groove and, your chance to play it with the Band!
In this lesson, Roy takes you the rest of the way up the neck, then leads you into Triple Stop Arpeggio Chords - and how to use them, to boost your playing up to the next level. Then you get to put the lesson to work on his original tune Austin Bound, which you get to play with the TMBG Band of Nashville session musicians slow with and without bass, then fast with and without bass. Think you're ready? Then go for it!
If you've made it this far - and you're not just skimming through to see what outfit I'm wearing - AND you've been practicing everything Roy's been showing you, you're practically a real bass player! Good job! In this lesson you're going to learn double and triple stop chords in the style of Rosco Beck and Chuck Rainey, and how to spice up R&B and blues lines. The new tune Turn Down incorporates all this, and let's you put it to work with the TMBG Band!
Welcome to Lesson 13. We're into serious musicianship now, but that's okay. Roy's the captain of our musical ship and he's familiar with these waters. Now we're going to cover modes and how to use them to create bass lines and solo licks and learn how to transpose into any key. You're also going to learn how to unlock melodies in modes with sequential patterns as well as diatonic chords and how they relate to modes. Then you put all this knowledge to practice with the band. So, play on!
Advanced
If you've reached Lesson 14 the hard way - that is, by actually learning and practicing the principles, techniques, and exercises Roy has taught in the preceding lessons - you'll have reached an important milestone in your bass-playing career; and are now ready to acquire the skills that will make you a proficient, professional bassist.
In this lesson, you're going to learn major and minor pentatonic scales; how to build an entire system of scales up and down the neck; and how to spice up those scales with sequences and match them with the four-note chords covered in earlier lessons. Then you get to take what you've learned and put it to work on Roy's new tune Weatherman, with the TMBG Band.
From this point on, to learn more about bass playing, it's best to learn more about bass players. In Lesson 15, Roy's going to introduce you 2-handed tapping chords and bass lines simultaneously in the styles of bass legends Victor Wooten, Stu Hamm, and Roscoe Beck. Then fasten your seat belts for Jet Propelled with the band.
Want to know a secret? Not many make it this far. Learning anything as complex as a musical instrument takes commitment and dedication that . . . well, not everybody has. You're one of the few. The chosen. The bassists. Thanks for sticking with us. In Sixteen, Roy is going to open The Working Pro's Toolkit to show you the tricks of the trade when it comes to sight-reading strategies and exercises. The band tune is The Rhythm Gauntlet.
Lesson 17 is The Working Pro's Tool Kit, Part 2. In this Lesson, Roy opens the compartment marked "Standard chord progressions and how to hear them." He'll also teach you 2-5-1 cadences, 1-6-4-5 and 1-6-2-5 progressions, as well as rhythm changes and how to "fake" a tune you don't know. Then he'll put you to the test with Rhythm Changes. This is where we separate the wanna-be's from the will-be's.
Having mastered all the principles and acquired all the knowledge Roy's laid down in the last 17 lessons, you're almost ready for the stage or studio! In this, The Working Pro's Toolkit, Part 3, Roy takes you on a guided tour of world music, including Bossa Nova and Samba, Salsa and Tumbao, Raggae and Ska, as well as numerous African styles. Then you'll learn Riddim Riddle to play with the band! O, mon, you gonna love 'dis!
The Working Pro's Toolkit, Part 4 is for those of you who want to know how to transition from amateur to professional bassists. Here, Roy will tell you all about what it's like to play to a click track in a studio, the simple secrets of the Nashville number system, how to get good sound recordings, contemporary bass styles, and how to chart a tune using the number system. Then you'll learn the tune Both Kinds of Music, and play-along with the TMBG Band. See if you can keep up!
Roy's final lesson will cover various forms of bass guitar - 4, 5, 6 and 7 string basses as well as EQing bass, bass effects, and performing maintenance on your bass.
Here's what each lesson of TMBG Lite contains
Well, that's it. When you've truly taken the time to learn everything Roy shows you, and convert that knowledge into skill through constant practice, you'll be ready to take your place as a bassist on any stage, in any studio, in any venue in the world!