Intermediate Bass — 8 Weeks to Grooves, Walking Lines and the Whole Neck

This path is for bassists who already play root-fifth, octave and triad patterns in time with a metronome at 80-100 BPM, know the notes on the E and A strings and can read bass tab. If that is not you yet, start with the 30-day beginner path. Plan five sessions per week of 30 to 45 minutes. Each week has three core sessions plus a check; use the remaining two days to repeat whichever session felt hardest.

At the end you will play eighth- and sixteenth-note grooves with ghost notes, outline any triad or seventh chord, play scales and modes in several positions, build your own lines over common progressions, walk a bass line through a blues and a ii–V–I, read simple lines in bass clef, and know the basics of slap technique and the 5-string bass.

What you need: your bass, the metronome, the progression player, the scale explorer, the note trainer, and printouts of bass tab paper, bass staff paper and a blank bass fretboard. If any note on the D and G strings still takes more than two seconds to find, spend 5 minutes a day in the fretboard trainer alongside this path.

Week 1 — Eighth-note grooves and ghost notes

A groove is notes plus rhythm plus note length. This week you make simple eighth-note lines feel good before adding anything new.

Session 1 — Playing in the pocket

• Read the groove and rhythm lesson. Set the metronome to 70 BPM and play straight eighth notes on the root A (string 4, fret 5) for 2 minutes, alternating fingers strictly.
• Same exercise with the click on beats 2 and 4 only (set the metronome to 35 BPM and hear each click as 2 and 4). Goal: 16 bars without drifting.
• Record 1 minute and listen back: every note should start exactly on the grid and have the same volume.

Session 2 — Ghost notes

• A ghost note is a pitchless, percussive "thud": the fretting hand touches the string without pressing it down while the plucking hand plays normally. In tab it is shown as x.
• Play the groove below at 70 BPM, one symbol per eighth note, 4 minutes. Keep the ghost notes quieter than the real notes.

• Move the same groove to D (string 3, fret 5, octave on string 1, fret 7) and E (string 4, open, octave on string 2, fret 2). Goal: 8 clean bars in each key at 80 BPM.

Session 3 — Note length and rests

• Do the eighth-note groove exercise at 70 BPM, then at 85 BPM.
• Play each groove twice: first with full-length notes, then with short notes (release the fretting pressure on the "&" after each note). Decide which sounds better for each groove.
• Loop C – G – Am – F in the progression player at 80 BPM and play one eighth-note groove on the roots, adding one ghost note per bar.

Week 1 check

• Play the ghost-note groove in A, D and E for 8 bars each at 90 BPM without stopping.
• 16 bars of eighth notes with the click on 2 and 4 at 80 BPM. Goal: still on the click at bar 16.

Week 2 — Sixteenth-note grooves and syncopation

Sixteenth notes are the language of funk, soul and modern pop bass. The secret is a steady subdivision in your head, even when you play only a few notes.

Session 1 — Counting sixteenths

• Count "1 e & a 2 e & a" aloud and play four sixteenth notes per click on open E at 60 BPM for 2 minutes, then at 70 BPM. Goal: even spacing and volume.
• Play only the "1" and the "a" of each beat, resting on the "e" and "&", for 16 bars at 70 BPM. Keep the subdivision going in your head.
• Do rhythm exercise 3 as a reminder of syncopated counting.

Session 2 — Sixteenth grooves

• Do the sixteenth-note groove exercise at 60 BPM, one pattern at a time. Raise the tempo by 5 BPM only after 4 clean repetitions.
• Add ghost notes on the "e" and "a" between real notes in the first pattern. Goal: the ghost notes are audible but clearly quieter.
• Use the octave and the minor seventh (A, A an octave higher on string 2 fret 7, G on string 2 fret 5) to build a one-bar sixteenth-note groove of your own. Write it on bass tab paper.

Session 3 — Locking with the kick drum

• Imagine a kick drum on 1, the "a" of 2 and 3: play the root only on those three spots at 80 BPM for 16 bars.
• Loop Am – D in the progression player at 85 BPM and play your session-2 groove on both chords (D on string 3, fret 5).
• Play the same groove with 30% fewer notes. Record both versions and keep the one that grooves harder.

Week 2 check

• Play two patterns from the sixteenth-note groove exercise at 80 BPM, 8 bars each, without stopping.
• Your own one-bar groove, looped for 2 minutes at 85 BPM over Am – D, with no rushed or dragged notes on the recording.

Week 3 — Arpeggios and seventh chords

Chord tones are a bassist's safest and strongest notes. This week you learn to outline any triad and the four main seventh chords from any root.

Session 1 — Triads across the neck

• Read the bass arpeggios lesson and review the triads lesson.
• Play the major and minor shapes from the bass arpeggios exercise from roots on string 4 and string 3 at 70 BPM, one note per beat (1-3-5-8-5-3).
• Arpeggiate the diatonic triads of C major in order — C, Dm, Em, F, G, Am, Bdim — one bar each at 70 BPM. For B diminished, remember the flat fifth (B D F).

Session 2 — Seventh arpeggios

• Read the seventh chords lesson. Learn the maj7, 7, m7 and m7b5 shapes in the seventh arpeggios exercise at 60 BPM.
• Play Cmaj7 (C E G B), C7 (C E G Bb), Cm7 (C Eb G Bb) and Cm7b5 (C Eb Gb Bb) from C on string 3, fret 3. Say the chord tones aloud.
• Draw the four shapes on a blank bass fretboard from memory.

Session 3 — Arpeggios over changes

• Loop Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 in the progression player at 70 BPM and play 1-3-5-7 for each chord, one bar each.

• Play the same line descending (7-5-3-1) and then mixed (up on one chord, down on the next). Goal: no shift larger than 3 frets between chords.
• Do sevenths worksheet 1. Goal: 90% correct.

Week 3 check

• Play the seven diatonic seventh arpeggios of C major (Cmaj7, Dm7, Em7, Fmaj7, G7, Am7, Bm7b5) up and down at 80 BPM, one note per beat.
• Name and play the 3rd and 7th of 10 random seventh chords from the chord builder, each within 5 seconds. Goal: 8 out of 10.

Week 4 — Scales, modes and positions

Knowing a scale in one shape is not enough: this week you play the major scale, its modes and the pentatonic in several positions and connect them.

Session 1 — Major scale positions

• Read the bass scales and modes lesson. Play G major from string 4, fret 3, one finger per fret, at 70 BPM, saying the degrees aloud.
• Learn the other fingerings from the major scale positions exercise, about 5 minutes per position. Check the notes in the scale explorer set to bass.
• Play G major over two octaves, from G on string 4, fret 3 to G on string 1, fret 12, shifting position on string 3 or string 2. Goal: no stops at the shifts at 60 BPM.

Session 2 — Pentatonic on bass

• Do the bass pentatonic exercise in A minor pentatonic at 70 BPM, then in C major pentatonic — the same five notes with a different root.
• Play 3 bars of root groove plus a 1-bar pentatonic fill over a looped Am – G – F – G at 80 BPM, 8 times. Every fill must land on the next root on beat 1.
• Move the pentatonic shape to E minor (string 4, open or fret 12) and D minor (string 3, fret 5).

Session 3 — Modes over vamps

• Over a looped Am7 – D7 vamp, play G major notes starting from A: this is A dorian. Lean on the F# (string 4, fret 2 or string 2, fret 4), its characteristic note.
• Over a G7 – F vamp, play G mixolydian and lean on the F natural.
• Compare A dorian and A natural minor in the scale explorer and name the single note that differs.

Week 4 check

• G major in three positions up and down at 80 BPM, one note per beat, no mistakes.
• Play A minor pentatonic in two places on the neck and A dorian in one, each within 10 seconds of starting the metronome.

Week 5 — Bass lines over progressions

Now you combine rhythm, chord tones and scales into real bass lines. The goal is a line that supports the chords and moves smoothly from one to the next.

Session 1 — From roots to lines

• Read the bass lines over progressions lesson and the chord progressions lesson.
• Over I – V – vi – IV in C (C – G – Am – F) at 80 BPM, play four versions, 4 loops each: roots in eighth notes, root-fifth-octave, arpeggios, and the generated line below.

• Find the closest root for each chord so your hand stays within frets 1-5. Goal: no shift longer than 3 frets.

Session 2 — Approach notes

• Do the approach notes exercise at 70 BPM. Learn three approaches into the next root on beat 4: a half step below, a half step above, and the fifth of the target chord.
• Over C – Am – Dm – G, use each approach type for 8 bars. Into Am, for example: G# (below), Bb (above) or E (its fifth).
• Combine: groove on beats 1-3, approach on beat 4, at 85 BPM for 16 bars.

Session 3 — Minor keys and descending lines

• Play the Andalusian progression Am – G – F – E in A minor with the roots descending A – G – F – E on string 4 (frets 5-3-1-0), one bar each at 80 BPM.
• Make the last chord stronger with its major third: play E – G# – B – D (string 4 open, string 4 fret 4, string 3 fret 2, string 3 fret 5) over the E chord.
• Write an 8-bar line over a progression of your choice on bass tab paper, using at least one groove, one arpeggio bar and three approach notes. Check the key with the key finder.

Week 5 check

• Play your 8-bar line at 90 BPM over the progression player, twice without stopping.
• Transpose it to two other keys with the transposer and play both versions at 80 BPM.

Week 6 — Walking bass

A walking line plays one note per beat and connects the chords on its own. It is the sound of jazz and swing, and it trains your harmony like nothing else.

Session 1 — The walking recipe

• Read the walking bass lesson. The basic recipe per bar: beat 1 root, beats 2 and 3 chord or scale tones, beat 4 an approach note into the next root.
• Do the walking ii–V–I exercise at 70 BPM with a swing feel, metronome on 2 and 4.
• Write two different 4-bar lines over Dm7 – G7 – Cmaj7 – Cmaj7 and play each 4 times.

Session 2 — The walking blues

• Learn the 12-bar blues in F: F7 (4 bars), Bb7 (2), F7 (2), C7 (1), Bb7 (1), F7 (1), C7 (1). Roots: F on string 4, fret 1 or string 3, fret 8; Bb on string 3, fret 1 or string 4, fret 6; C on string 3, fret 3 or string 4, fret 8.
• Do the walking blues exercise at 70 BPM. Hear a generated line first:

• Walk one chorus using only roots, fifths and chromatic approaches. Goal: no stops.

Session 3 — Making it musical

• Walk the blues using the 1-3-5-6 of each dominant chord and scale steps (F mixolydian over F7). Avoid landing on the 4th on beat 1.
• Vary direction: walk up for one bar, down for the next. Use the circle of fifths to practise the ii–V–I in F, Bb and Eb.
• Record 3 choruses at 100 BPM and mark every bar where beat 1 is not a chord tone.

Week 6 check

• Two choruses of walking blues in F at 110 BPM, all beat-1 notes on the root or another chord tone.
• ii–V–I walking in C, F and Bb, 2 loops each at 90 BPM.

Week 7 — Reading bass clef and 5-string basics

Reading turns you into a bassist who can play from any chart. The 5-string bass extends the range down to low B, which also lives on ledger lines.

Session 1 — Bass clef refresher

• Read the reading bass clef lesson. Bass is written an octave higher than it sounds: open E is written on the first ledger line below the bass staff, open A in the bottom space of the staff, open D on the middle line, open G in the top space.
• Do bass clef reading 1 and bass clef reading 2. Goal: 90% correct.
• 5 minutes in the note trainer set to bass clef. Then play every note you read on the bass.

Session 2 — Reading rhythms and lines

• Do bass clef reading 3 and rhythm exercise 2.
• Write the 8-bar line from week 5 in standard notation on bass staff paper, then play it from the notation only.
• Sight-read: write 4 random bars for a friend (or for yourself next week), then play them at 60 BPM on first sight.

Session 3 — The 5-string bass

• Read the 5-string bass lesson. Standard tuning is B E A D G (low to high); the low B is a perfect fourth below E, so fret 5 on the B string is the same E as the open E string.
• On a 5-string: play the C major scale from C on the B string, fret 1, and a D root-fifth groove from D on the B string, fret 3. Mute the low B with the plucking thumb when you play higher strings.
• No 5-string? Find the same notes on a 4-string and notice which ones are missing (everything below E). Low B is written just below the second ledger line under the bass staff.

Week 7 check

• Note trainer on bass clef, 20 notes in a row, 90% correct, each within 3 seconds.
• Play your week-5 line from your own notation at 80 BPM without looking at the tab.

Week 8 — Slap basics and final project

Slap is a percussive technique made of a thumb stroke and a finger pop. Start slowly: the sound comes from accuracy, not force.

Session 1 — Thumb and pop

• Read the slap bass lesson. Thumb (T): bounce the side of the thumb off the string near the end of the neck. Pop (P): hook the index or middle finger under a higher string and let it snap back against the frets.
• Thumb only on open E, quarter notes at 60 BPM, 2 minutes. Then pop only on string 2, fret 2 (the E an octave higher), 2 minutes.
• Combine them in the octave pattern below at 60 BPM, then 70 BPM.

Session 2 — Slap grooves

• Do the slap basics exercise at 60-70 BPM. Add left-hand mutes (ghost notes) between thumb strokes.
• Build a one-bar slap groove in E with thumb on E and G, pop on the octave E, and two ghost notes. Loop it for 2 minutes at 70 BPM.
• Play it over a looped E – G – A in the progression player by moving the octave shape.

Session 3 — Final project

• Write a 16-bar bass line in a key of your choice: 8 bars of finger groove with ghost notes and approach notes, 4 bars of walking, 4 bars of arpeggios — or slap for the last 4 bars.
• Notate it on bass staff paper or bass tab paper and record it with the metronome or the progression player.

Week 8 check

• Self-test, each on request: an eighth-note groove with ghost notes at 90 BPM, a sixteenth groove at 80 BPM, any seventh arpeggio from C, F or G, G major in two positions, one chorus of walking blues in F at 100 BPM, and the slap octave pattern at 80 BPM.
• Compare your final recording with your recording from week 1.

After this path

You now have the toolkit of a working bassist: groove, chord tones, positions, walking lines and reading. Next steps:

• Deepen the harmony behind your lines with 12 weeks of music theory, especially diatonic harmony and modes.
• Train your ears with the 8-week ear training path so you can find the root of any chord by ear.
• Walk the ii–V–I and the walking blues in all twelve keys, following the circle of fifths.
• Explore new colours for fills and lines, such as harmonic minor, melodic minor and the bebop dominant scale, in the scale explorer.