Bass Lines & Exercises
Warm-ups, the shapes every bass player uses, and the kind of bass lines each style is built on. Pick one, loop it with the metronome, and let the speed trainer push the tempo up a little at a time.
- TechniqueBeginner
Chromatic 1-2-3-4 warm-up
One finger per fret across all four strings and back — the warm-up that builds strength and evens out your fingers.
- TechniqueBeginner
Root, fifth and octave
The one shape every bass player uses: root, fifth and octave, moved through A, D and E. Learn it once and it works for every major and minor chord.
- TechniqueBeginner
Major scale in A
The A major scale up and down in one position — the sound most bass lines are built from.
- TechniqueBeginner
Minor pentatonic in A
A minor pentatonic across all four strings: the five notes behind countless rock, blues and funk bass lines.
- TechniqueIntermediate
Octave pump
Root and octave bouncing in eighths over A, G, D and E — the disco and dance-floor sound, and great practice for string skipping.
- RockBeginner
Driving rock eighths
Steady eighth notes on the root of E, C, G and D — the engine under a rock song. Simple, but it has to be rock solid.
- RockBeginner
Walk-up from G to C
Three beats on the root, then two passing notes that walk you into the next chord — the simplest way to make a bass line move.
- PopBeginner
Pop anthem roots (I–V–vi–IV)
The roots of the most-used pop progression — C, G, Am, F — in steady eighths. Play this and you can play along to a huge number of songs.
- BluesIntermediate
Blues boogie walk
Root, 3rd, 5th, 6th and ♭7 up and back down over A7 and D7 — the walking boogie line under a shuffle blues.
- BluesBeginner
Minor blues riff
A minor pentatonic riff over Am that moves to Dm — dark, bluesy and the basis of many rock riffs too.
- SoulIntermediate
Motown-style line
A busy, melodic line over C, F and G that climbs through the chord notes — the sound of 60s soul and Motown bass.
- FunkIntermediate
Sixteenth-note funk in E
Open E, octaves and pentatonic fills in sixteenths, with rests that make it bounce — a classic funk groove.
- FunkIntermediate
Syncopated funk in A
Off-beat sixteenths around a low A with an octave jump and a pentatonic run up — the push-and-pull of funk bass.
- ReggaeIntermediate
Reggae one drop
A deep, laid-back line that leaves beat 1 empty — the 'one drop' that gives reggae its floating feel.
- JazzAdvanced
Walking bass over ii–V–I in C
Quarter notes that walk through Dm7, G7 and Cmaj7: chord notes on the strong beats, half-step approaches into each new chord.
- MetalIntermediate
Metal gallop in E
The galloping eighth-and-two-sixteenths rhythm on the open E, moving to G and A — the horse-riding pulse of classic heavy metal.
Then play your own bass line: chord progressions with the bass left out · learn the notes on the bass · scales on the bass neck