Jazz Bass Vol. 1: Building Up
A collection of exercises, etudes, and techniques from one of the world's greatest jazz bassists.
Enrol in Course'Jazz Bass Vol. 1: Building Up' is an online course with 45 lessons and 4 hours of video.
The course covers John Goldsby's most effective materials, learnt from studying with and transcribing the music of our jazz bass heroes. As a teacher, John has selected the lessons which made the biggest impact on his students. It's all of the good stuff which has transformed their playing, and it can do the same for you too!
The course is perfect for intermediate to advanced jazz bassists who want to solidify their technique and learn new approaches.
Many of the lessons feature piano and drums accompaniment. There are also backing tracks of the exercises, both with and without the bass.
The course includes detailed transcriptions of John’s exercises, etudes and solos. There are 82 pages, so you will have everything you need to get the most from your practice time!
Optional subtitles in English are provided for each video.
This course is available to stream online, exclusively at Discover Double Bass.
Your Tutor
John Goldsby is a member of the WDR big band, a renowned bassist, educator, author and featured columnist for BassMagazine.com and Bass Player Magazine for three decades. His hugely popular 'The Jazz Bass Book' has become required reading for any serious student of jazz bass.
This is course is perfect for intermediate to advanced bassists who want to solidify their technique and learn new approaches to jazz.
What will I learn?
The 45 video lessons cover a wide range of topics on jazz bass. These include:
- Improvising walking bass lines
- Scales
- Ear training
- Soloing
- ...and much more
Many of the concepts are demonstrated using chord progressions to commonly played jazz standards such as 'Summertime', 'Blue Bossa', 'Out of Nowhere', 'Killer Joe' and more. In addition, John has included analysis and performance of three of his full-length compositions.
Who's this course for?
Intermediate to advanced jazz bassists who want to learn new approaches to walking bass line creation, soloing and technique.
Lesson Index
-
Start01. Course Introduction (0:31)
-
Start02. 'Walk the Dog' — Etude (6:49)
-
Start03. Get a Good Sound — Open String Exercises (4:57)
-
Start04. Practice Slow Scales (5:40)
-
Start05. Long Tone Exercises — Bowing Exercise (4:42)
-
Start06. Long Tone Exercises — Half Step Shifts (4:08)
-
Start07. Major Scale Fingerings in F, G, and Bb (5:15)
-
Start08. Major Scale Fingerings in C, Db, and D (3:44)
-
Start09. Major Scale Fingerings in E, A, and Eb (3:23)
-
Start10. Major Scale Fingerings in Ab, B, and Gb (3:55)
-
Start11. 'All of Me' — Walking Bass Etude (6:51)
-
Start12. Major Scale Fingerings to the 9th (8:03)
-
Start13. Introduction to Triads (7:35)
-
Start14. Blues Etude Using Only Triads (2:46)
-
Start15. Introduction to Tetrachords (6:45)
-
Start16. 'Ladybird' Etude Using Tetrachords (3:47)
-
Start17. Blues Etude with M3 and m3 Intervals (5:33)
-
Start18. Intervals — P5, P4 and Tritone (3:39)
-
Start19. The Zen of Intervals — Practice Ideas (6:34)
-
Preview20. 'Killer Joe' — Walking Bass Etude (9:54)
-
Start21. Major Scale Exercise #1 (2:06)
-
Start22. Major Scale Exercise #2 (1:27)
-
Start23. Major Scale Exercise #3 & #4 (2:07)
-
Start24. Train Your Ear — Sing and Play Major Scales (3:27)
-
Start25. Scales in 3rds (7:47)
-
Start26. Scale Patterns (6:37)
-
Start27. Oh! Oye! — ii-V7 Patterns (5:01)
-
Start28. More ii-V-I Patterns; The Complete Approach (6:36)
-
Start29. Oscar Pettiford: Altered ii-V-I Patterns (4:59)
-
Start30. 'Summertime' — Etude (7:39)
-
Start31. 'Fall Calls' by John Goldsby — Analysis and Performance (10:27)
-
Start32. Rakes, Drops & Dead Notes! (6:28)
-
Start33. Nail it Down — The Importance of Rhythm (4:50)
-
Start34. Got Funk? — Subdividing Rhythms (3:33)
-
Start35. Rhythmus Magicus (5:04)
-
Start36. Two-Finger Technique — String Crossing (5:34)
-
Start37. 'Blue Bossa' and the Classic Intro (2:16)
-
Start38. Latin-ish Bass Lines on 'Blue Bossa' (4:54)
-
Start39. 'Blue Bossa' — Solo Etude (6:04)
-
Start40. 'Things That Go Bump' by John Goldsby — Analysis and Performance (10:20)
-
Start41. All the Notes — The Chromatic Scale (3:59)
-
Start42. Don't Pass This Up! — Etude with Passing Chords (3:23)
-
Start43. 'Take the A Train' — Etude (2:30)
-
Start44. 'In the Hills' by John Goldsby — Analysis and Performance (6:37)
-
Start45. 'Here and Now' — 'Out of Nowhere' Etude (4:15)
-
Start46. Blues in All Twelve Keys (4:22)
Want to check out a free preview lesson? Click here.
Transcriptions
Detailed transcriptions of the exercises are included (82 pages of sheet music). These PDFs are displayed on the lesson pages and can be downloaded if required.
Play-Along Tracks:
We have provided downloadable play-along tracks performed by John's trio, so you can practice with the full group, or just the piano and drums.
- John Goldsby, Caroline Boaden & Jamil Sherif.
Here's what are people saying about the course:
"First of all, I must say how proud I am of John Goldsby's achievements in becoming a world-class double bassist, an exceptional educator, and a very articulate and concise communicator, as well. Each of these attributes are exemplified in his Discover Double Bass course.
I am very impressed with the clarity of this video course. There is no doubt in my mind that if the viewer/student wants to become a better bassist, he/she will certainly develop sound skills to become a competitive bassist. When one studies John Goldsby's video, they are getting all of this information from years of "real" life experience as a global professional."
- Rufus Reid, world renowned bassist, composer and author of 'The Evolving Bassist'.
"John Goldsby’s bass course is truly a marvel : it’s organized and yet flexible, it’s scholarly and yet swinging, it’s basic but also has material even advanced players can learn from. The PDFs and the trio recordings that accompany the lessons just add to the overall depth of the package. A bargain, I say. How did he do that? ... that’s player/teacher extraordinaire John Goldsby !! Highest recommendations ... and now I’m off to practice ... !"
- Steve Rodby, bassist with the Pat Metheny Group, producer and educator.
"Great course by John Goldsby. Insightful and thoughtful, it covers a wide range of material for bassists wanting to dig deeper into jazz playing."
- Bruno Migliari
"I have found John Goldsby's course immensely practical. Virtually all of the lessons can be applied immediately in a performance context."
- Tim Davidson
"I got a lot from 'Building Up', and have now moved on to its successor - 'Stretching Out'. John Goldsby has been a wonderful bass educator for a very long time and presents well-structured courses clearly. The facility to re-visit Discover Double Bass courses, and to download and print lots of the music is very handy."
- Chris Hartgroves
This material is very practical, with easy to understand concepts that you can apply directly on the band stand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start Learning!
Are you also interested in Jazz Bass Vol. 2: Stretching Out by John Goldsby?
Check out the bundle to get both courses and save $30.
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.