The aim of this course is to understand how music theory works with the help of popular music. By analyzing and deconstructing songs from a chosen repertoire, the student will gather an understanding of how functional western harmony works and will be able to apply this method on their own, which in turn will speed up the process of learning how to play songs. Optionally, the student might choose to focus on improvisation, composition, chord-scale theory or a particular genre.

One-on-one lessons for bass guitar: a methodical approach to learn how to play the most popular styles such as jazz, pop, rock and funk. The course is structured in a way that lets the students choose what they want to learn, freeing them up to explore their potential while also preparing them for today's musical demands. The students will be coached on any of the following topics: >>> Groove & Rhythmic Study <<< Deconstructing famous grooves and analyzing why they work, rhythmic exploration including polyrhythms, groupings, odd timings... >>> Soloing <<< Talking about ideas concepts, patterns, chord-scale theory, transcribing and applying ideas from selected solos... >>> Walking Bass <<< Swing feel, harmonic considerations, transcriptions, micro-time feel, backing tracks, individual case study... >>> Music Theory & Ear Training <<< Learning how to read in bass (and optionally treble) clef, scales and chords, functional/modal harmony, worksheets and practical examples, dictations... >>> Technique <<< Sound, fingering-positioning, posture, fretboard knowledge, strength/speed/independence exercises... If possible the student should have his/her own bass and amplifier, but these are not a necessity.