From Beginner to Bandstand

Learn the fundamentals of jazz double bass and all you need to know to get performing.

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Do you want help to get started with jazz bass?

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From Beginner to Bandstand is an online course with 23 lessons and 3+ hours of video.

The course comprises Katie Thiroux's favourite lessons, tips and concepts to help you to become a jazz bassist. Katie covers creating walking bass lines, learning and memorising songs, improvising, finding your sound and much more. This course is perfect for beginner bassists who want to learn the skills they need to start playing jazz gigs.

Many of the lessons feature piano and drums accompaniment. There are also play-along backing tracks of the exercises.

The course includes detailed transcriptions of Katie’s exercises, walking bass lines and solos. There are 62 pages, so you will have everything you need to get the most from your practice time!

Closed captions in English are provided for each video.

This course is available to stream online, exclusively at Discover Double Bass.

Artist


Katie Thiroux
Katie Thiroux

L.A based Katie Thiroux continues the hard-swinging bass tradition of bassists such as Ray Brown or John Clayton. Katie's most recent album, “Off Beat,” was awarded a “Best Album Of 2018” by Downbeat Magazine as well as "Rising Star" 2018. She is dedicated to jazz education conducting masterclasses, workshops and runs a jazz camp in Maui. In addition, Katie is the director of "Women in Jazz" for the Monterey Jazz Festival.


 

The lessons that I'm sharing with you are things I've learnt throughout my whole life, and it all comes from my love of this beautiful instrument, the bass.

What will I learn?

The 23 video lessons cover a wide range of topics on jazz bass. These include:

  • Improvising walking bass lines
  • Finding your own sound
  • Ear training
  • Interacting with a band
  • ...and much more

Many of the concepts are demonstrated using chord progressions to commonly played jazz standards such as 'All the Things You Are', 'Take the A Train', 'C Jam Blues' and more.

Who's this course for?

Beginner double bassists who want to learn the fundamentals of jazz.

Contents


  Start Here
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  Chapter 1: Getting Started
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  Chapter 2: Practicing with Scales
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  Chapter 3: Walking Bass Line Masterclass
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  Chapter 4: Learning and Transposing Songs
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  Chapter 5: Lessons with the Band
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  Chapter 6: Essential Skills for the Jazz Bassist
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  Course Conclusion
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  Bonus Content
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Want to check out a free preview lesson? Click here.

 
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Transcriptions

Detailed transcriptions of the exercises are included (62 pages of sheet music). These PDFs are displayed on the lesson pages and can be downloaded if required.

Play-Along Tracks

We have provided play-along tracks performed by members of Katie Thiroux's trio, pianist Sam Watts and drummer Matt Witek.

- Sam Watts, Katie Thiroux & Matt Witek.

Here's what's being said about the course:

"What a super course. Katie Thiroux starts with the simplest of elements, a major scale, and continues through a 12-bar blues, chord substitutions, improvisation, playing with a band, and ear training. The exercises will continue to be useful in improving my playing. Thank you DDB for providing an excellent, well thought out course!"

- Elizabeth Curtis

"Solid course. Fun, fast and informative. Katie rocks!"

- Jim Faris

Start Learning!



Frequently Asked Questions


When does the course start and finish?
It is a completely self-paced online course, you decide when you start and finish.
How long do I have access to the course?
After enrolling, you have unlimited access to this course for as long as you like, across any and all devices you own.
Will the course work on a tablet?
Yes, all of our courses can be viewed via an internet browser on any device. However, please note an up-to-date operating system and/or browser may be required for video playback.
Can I download the videos?
No, they are only available to view online. However, PDFs transcriptions and MP3 play-along tracks are available to download.
Can I ask Katie Thiroux questions?
Katie isn't available to answer questions, but we do include membership to the 'Study Group'. A private Facebook group in which you can ask Geoff Chalmers and our community of double bassists questions.
Is this course suitable for complete beginners?
This course is suitable for beginner level bassists who want to learn how to play jazz. If you have never played the double bass before we would recommend you consider our course 'Beginner's Double Bass' by Geoff Chalmers which is more focused on technique.

Our courses are only available on DiscoverDoubleBass.com and include a 30-day, full refund policy.

Have questions about the course or need help? Contact us.