Bass Performance 101
Course Authors: Richard Appleman, Danny Morris
The bass not only holds the band together rhythmically, but is also a crucial component to the overall sound and direction of the music. In Bass Performance 101, you'll learn to create and perform your own unique bass lines in a variety of different styles. Throughout the course you'll focus on four key areas of performance: time, tonality, timbre, and taste, and learn how to use theory to generate ideas that you can apply directly to your bass lines.
You will also study the techniques and unique playing styles of bass masters across many different genres, including Roger Waters, Paul McCartney, Carol Kaye, James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, Pino Palladino, Paul Chambers, Dave Holland, Stanley Clarke, Ray Brown, and Charles Mingus. Additional study topics include pentatonic, blues, major, and minor scales; diatonic harmony; ostinato bass lines; groove and time feel; and compositional techniques, such as tritones, pedal points, and double stops.
By the end of the course, you will be able to:
- apply major, minor, blues, and pentatonic scales and their modes to your bass lines
- play accurately in time
- improve the timbre or sound quality of your playing
- demonstrate enhanced tonality, and know what note to play when
- perform with your own unique style
What You Should Know |
Ready to Enroll? |
Online Spring Term Starts April 2nd
Course Info
| For-credit tuition: $1,400 |
| Non-credit tuition: $1,200 |
| Credits: 3 |
| Duration: 12 weeks |
| Catalog #: BMP-130 |
| Syllabus |
| Requirements |
Course Faculty 
| Richard Appleman The chair of the bass department at Berklee College of Music. | |
| Danny Morris Professor in the bass department at Berklee College of Music. | |
©2001-2012 Berklee College of Music
Berklee College of Music is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
