StretchLearn Course

Hold down the low end and lock the groove from day one

Technique, timing, and the fretboard taught the way working bass players actually learn

Beginner9 hr 35 minSelf PacedRegistered

Course Overview

What this course is designed to develop

This course takes a complete beginner from tuning a four-string bass to playing real grooves in a band context. You learn one-finger-per-fret fretting, alternating finger plucking and pick technique, how to lock root notes to the kick drum, the minor and major pentatonic shapes, and how to build a simple walking line over chord changes. By the end you can read both tab and chord charts, play in time with a metronome and drum loop, and practise with a routine that compounds week over week.

Learning Outcomes

What the learner should be able to understand, build, or execute.

Tune a four-string bass to standard EADG and set a comfortable left-hand and right-hand position

Pluck cleanly with alternating index and middle fingers and play accurately with a pick using rest and free strokes

Name and find any natural note on the fretboard and use the octave and 12th-fret landmarks to navigate

Lock root notes tightly to the kick drum and play in the pocket against a metronome and drum loop

Play the minor and major pentatonic box shapes and build groove patterns from them

Construct a simple walking bass line over a chord progression and read both tab and chord charts

Curriculum Preview

Inside the curriculum: a structured path from fundamentals to execution.

Preview the course structure, see how the modules build on one another, and understand the path this program is designed to take you through.

Module 1

Module 1: The Instrument, Setup, and Both Hands

Get to know the bass, tune it reliably, and set up relaxed left- and right-hand positions before you play a single groove. Good mechanics now prevent tension and bad habits later.

3 lessons

Anatomy of the Bass and How It Makes SoundContent · 45 min

Preview Enabled

Tuning, Strap Height, and a Relaxed PostureContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Fretting Hand: One Finger Per FretContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Module 2

Module 2: Plucking Technique: Fingers and Pick

Develop the right-hand techniques that actually make the sound: alternating fingerstyle and pick playing, plus the muting that keeps low notes clean.

3 lessons

Fingerstyle: Alternating Index and MiddleContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Pick Technique and When to Use ItContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Muting and Clean Note SeparationContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 3

Module 3: The Fretboard, Roots, and the Pocket

Learn where the notes live, lock your root notes to the drummer, and develop the rock-solid timing that is a bassist's whole job.

3 lessons

Mapping the Fretboard and the Octave ShapeContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Root-Note Locking with the Kick DrumContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Timing, the Metronome, and the PocketContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Module 4

Module 4: Pentatonic Grooves, Walking Bass, and Reading

Move beyond roots into the patterns and lines real bassists play, and learn to read both tab and chord charts so you can learn any song.

3 lessons

The Minor and Major Pentatonic ShapesContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Building a Simple Walking Bass LineContent · 50 min

LMS Access

Reading Tab and Chord ChartsContent · 45 min

LMS Access

Built for Application

A complete learning path, not a one-off inspiration hit.

This program is designed around progression: focused lessons, structured modules, applied resources, assessments, and a course rhythm that turns information into usable capability.

bass guitarelectric bassfingerstyle techniquegroove and timingpentatonic scalewalking bassreading tabbeginner music