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.

← All bass lines & exercisesTechniqueIntermediate
80 BPM
Start at 80 · goal 130 BPM
Press play — or hit the space bar.
Position on the neck
0 frets
Frets 3–9 · key: A natural minorSee the scale →
1234EADG123412341234123457575757353535355757575779797979

Where to play it

012345678910111213141516171819EGAADEDGAGDE
Playing now Notes in this lick

How to practise it

  1. Index finger on the root, ring or pinky on the octave two strings up and two frets higher.
  2. Let the D string stay quiet: rest the index finger lightly across it while you skip over.
  3. Keep the eighths even and a little short — the space between notes makes it groove.
  4. Start at 80 BPM. Only speed up when you can play it cleanly three times in a row — the goal is 130 BPM.