Are YOU a Bass Player?...
...StudyBass
What is StudyBass?
- FREE bass lessons, tools and resources.
- Lessons are based on my tens of thousands of hours teaching hundreds of students over 20 years.
- Start from zero and learn step-by-step. Lessons are highly-organized so you don't get lost.
The StudyBass Approach
StudyBass is for bass creators—bassists who want to use the bass in a creative, original way.
Anyone can learn to play other peoples' basslines and bass solos. Does learning to recite a poem make you a poet? No! And, that's where StudyBass is different...
The goal of StudyBass is to educate you on how music works and how to create your own basslines and solos, not just to parrot those of others.
Bass—The Misunderstood Instrument
Bass is a unique instrument. Unfortunately, it is often taught the same way as other instruments causing lots of needless confusion for the student.
Don't waste years of precious practice time learning the wrong things.
Organized Learning
Even good lessons are ineffective when presented to the student in the wrong order or at the wrong point in his or her development.
On StudyBass I've organized and paced my bass lessons based on seeing hundreds of students learn to play the bass.
What Does StudyBass Cover?
Technique, Harmony, Rhythm, Music Reading, All Styles, Fretboard Note Names, and there's lots more on the way.
Your Teacher:
Andrew Pouska
I've been teaching private bass lessons since 1993.
I've taught tens of thousands of lessons to well over 2000 students.
In 2003, I started developing StudyBass—my dream of the best bass lessons on the net.
Everything you see on StudyBass was created by me. I think you'll see my passion and commitment to help you become a great musician and bassist.
I love music. I love the bass. And, I love teaching it to you.
Getting Started
First, read over the using the site page. That will help you understand how the site's features work and how I expect you to use it.
Next, go to the bass lesson study guide and get started with the lessons. Even if you feel like you know the contents of a lesson already, go through it anyway. Most of the lessons build on prior lessons. If you skip ahead, you may end up lost.
The Latest StudyBass News
Happy Birthday, StudyBass!
StudyBass is now 14 years old. Thank you StudyBassers for the support and for learning and putting more music out into the world.
Fretboard Printer Updates
I plan on rewriting the entire fretboard printer app, but I went ahead and tweaked some things I've received feedback about. Here's what's new:
- Dropped most of the drop shadows
- Slimmed the frets
- Added a dropdown with different web-safe font selections (Diagram Tab)
- Added a font size option (Diagram Tab)
Swapping Teacher/Webmaster Hats
You may have noticed I jump between adding instructional content and adding features/fixing technical issues with the site. Sometimes what comes next in the lessons is held up by something technical on the site.
I'm almost done with my current round of website updates which means I'll be putting my (preferred) teacher hat back on very soon. Thanks for staying with me.
Recent Server Upgrades
I've been tuning the server, and I've fixed some memory issues which have been plaguing the site. Hopefully you're finding the site running much faster and smoother.
New Bass Lesson Videos
I've started adding videos to the StudyBass lessons. There are many to do, and I'm starting with the ones which need the visual component the most. Then I'll go back and fill in videos for most lessons.
Check the sidebar for new videos. Or, subscribe to the StudyBass YouTube Channel!
Upgrades to StudyBass Lesson Features
Thanks to user support, I've been upgrading a lot of StudyBass features. I need to do this so I don't create more data conversion headaches from old lesson feature formats. So far I've improved the lesson exercises, lesson quizzes, user lesson history, and the mark lesson complete block.
I still have several of these updates to work on, but these were the most important and were getting in the way of adding new lessons. New lessons are nearly here! Thanks for your support and patience!
StudyBass is All HTTPS Now
I've made StudyBass use SSL encryption on all pages. Your ISP will no longer know how many times you forget the difference between a Major 7th and a Dominant 7th!
Keep Up-to-Date with StudyBass
Get updates about what's new with StudyBass. Subscribe to the (sporadic) email newsletter in your user settings. Follow StudyBass on Twitter, Facebook or YouTube.
I Appreciate Your Support
I couldn't continue this project without user support. It's enough work for 10 people, but it's all just me. I, and many other bass players, truly appreciate your help keeping this alive.
Good luck with your musical pursuits,
Andrew Pouska
StudyBassers Are Saying:
Man since I have been studying your course it has made a huge impact on my playing. I have spent hundreds of dollars on bass guitar programs but I have never seen anything that can compare to the bass lessons that you have written.
Daniel C.
Excellent course, I'm only at lesson two and have learnt more from your site than five years of fumbling around with text books.
Chris J.
[StudyBass] united theory in a way I hadn't experienced, and it made light bulbs kind of explode in my brain! Talk about an epiphany!
John C.
In a nut shell you start out presuming I do not know a thing about the bass or music (true) and build a foundation from that perspective. Thank you.
James R.
I want to thank you for all your effort into this website. I think it's fantastic. I've learned a ton about music in the past couple months. From knowing next to nothing on the bass, I'm already in a band and getting better every week. Keep it up!
Dave P.
I played Tuba through HS and 3 years of under grad so I thought I understood the bass clef. In two weeks I have learned more from your site than 2 decades of "experience". Every new or experienced player should study with you.
Steven B.