My Approach to Bluegrass Bass is an online course presented by the 15x Grammy award-winning bassist, Barry Bales.
This course is designed to teach you how to play bluegrass on the upright bass! It comprises 33 lessons over more than 2 hours and covers a wide range of topics on bluegrass bass playing.
Barry Bales in the Studio
This course features eight classic bluegrass songs performed with a mandolin (or banjo) and guitar accompaniment. We have also recorded play-along tracks of each song with three mixes:
- Full band
- Mandolin or banjo and guitar
- Solo upright bass
Detailed transcriptions of Barry Bales’ bluegrass bass lines are included in the course (sheet music with standard notation). There are 36 pages of sheet music, so you will have everything you need to practice at home.
This course is available to stream online, exclusively at Discover Double Bass.
Artist
Barry Bales has been a member of Alison Krauss and Union Station for over 30 years, as well as appearing on countless albums with artists such as Dolly Parton, Dwight Yoakam, Merle Haggard, Reba McEntire, Vince Gill, Willie Nelson and soundtracks including "Oh Brother, Where Art Thou". As a world-renowned bassist, Barry is the winner of 15 Grammy awards, 23 International Bluegrass Music Association awards, a Country Music Association Award and two Academy of Country Music awards.
This course is perfect for those who want to learn Barry Bales' personal approach to bluegrass bass!
What will I learn?
The 33 video lessons cover a wide range of topics on bluegrass and country bass playing. These include:
- Walk-ups
- Runs and licks
- Bass lines
- Playing at fast tempos
- Playing with a band
- Intonation
- Playing waltz-time songs and ballads
- Basic upright bass techniques
- ...and much more!
Many of the topics are demonstrated using eight classic bluegrass songs Bill Cheatham, Banks of the Ohio, Red River Valley, In the Pines, Billy in the Low Ground, Wild Bill Jones and Train 45 and Bluegrass Blues.
Barry Bales is known in Nashville and beyond as the first-call bassist in country and bluegrass music. Renowned for his huge, warm sound as well as his tasteful bass lines. If you want to learn bluegrass and upright bass skills from a seasoned pro, you won't find a better fit!
Contents
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Start01. Course Introduction (0:55)
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Start02. Embrace Simple (3:04)
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Start03. Basic Upright Bass Technique (6:00)
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Start04. Seated Posture (2:48)
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Start05. Endurance and Fast Tempos (3:45)
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Preview06. Gut Strings and the Point of Contact (2:38)
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Start07. Dampening and the Two Feel (4:08)
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Start08. Deep Listening (4:34)
Want to check out a free preview lesson? Click here.
Transcriptions
Detailed transcriptions of Barry Bales' bass lines are included in standard notation. These PDFs are displayed on the lesson pages and can be downloaded if required.
Here's what's being said about Barry Bales:
"Barry has played bass on some of my best records."
- Dolly Parton, country music legend
"Whether you are just starting on your musical journey or have been around for a while, this course taught by one of the great bluegrass players of our time is totally worth your time."
- Bruce Swartz
"The beauty and simplicity of the Bluegrass Bass course is presented by studio pro Barry Bales, a master of roots/bluegrass music. I like the diversity of the bass instruction styles offered through DDB. Everything from jazz to orchestra styles (thanks Geoff) and the Bluegrass course. Learning a collage of music styles on the bass is an adventure!"
- Mike S.
"Very enjoyable! When I started playing double bass in the mid seventies, a local bluegrass group was the first band I joined. After the first rehearsal I went out and bought the fantastic triple LP 'Will the Circle be Unbroken' and learnt pretty much every track on it. A wonderful introduction and a crash course at the same time. My love for bluegrass is undiminished to this day. Barry Bales' course was a great reminder of how incredibly important timing and economy is in that kind of music."
- Kjell Lund Madsen
"I enjoyed the course. It was well done and easy to follow."
- Verl Dasher
"I am a 69 year old amateur bass player from Italy (Cormòns City - Friuli Venezia Giulia) and I have been playing bluegrass for two years. When I started playing this type of music, I thought it was very simple. In reality it is not like that at all. Thanks to Berry for enlightening me. His course is very interesting and has opened the way for me to know, appreciate and above all play this music correctly. Thanks and compliments to Barry and Discover Double Bass."
- Marco Blasig
Play-Along Tracks:
We also provide play-along tracks performed by Barry's band, so you can practice with the full group, mandolin or banjo and guitar only, or solo upright bass. The band comprises three of Nashville's first-call musicians, Justin Moses on banjo and mandolin, Jeff White on guitar and of course, Barry Bales on bass!
These play-along audio tracks can be played from the lesson's pages or be downloaded.
- Jeff White & Justin Moses
Start Learning!
Frequently Asked Questions
Our courses are only available on DiscoverDoubleBass.com and include a 30 day, no questions asked, full refund policy.
Have questions or need help? Contact us.