On the right you can preorder the book and get discounts, perks and goodies.
Pick your Perk!
Hi, I'm Ari
I'm a busy and versatile bassist, passionate educator, and bass blogger.
Teaching music is my passion. When I am not playing the bass myself, you will no doubt find me working with my students, leading my bass practice groups, blogging about bass topics, or creating bass courses for my own platform and many other awesome ones - such as Scott's Bass Lessons, TrueFire and notreble.com.
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I am also an author - my first book, Music Theory for the Bass Player - a Comprehensive Guide to Playing with More Confidence and Freedom - is a frequent bestseller on Amazon in its category. It continues to sell thousands of copies each year, has a 5-star rating, and hundreds of awesome reviews.
My first book was a huge success because it flowed from observing my students' asks very closely.
Screenshot from March 2021
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I observe my students very closely and come up with creative ways to help them reach the music inside of themselves. I have developed several programs over the years and they get consistent results.
I am no fan of gimmicks or mindless practice
Short-cuts or quick fixes sound tempting but they likely won't get you very far.
On the other hand, spending hours and hours playing boring scales or reading down pages and pages of arpeggios likely gives your fingers a bit of a payoff but you probably won't feel none the wiser afterward.
A better way...
My solid, proven methods are engaging because you create your own grooves. You improvise. You are deeply involved creating rather than just re-creating. And that's why it clicks. And sticks! And then it's yours and there is no more satisfying feeling in the world!
My first book was about Music Theory for the Bass Player. You explore the patterns of music and what they look like (and feel like and sound like!) on the bass.
My New Book
My first book was all about Music Theory for the Bass Player. It explored the patterns of music and what they look like (and feel like and sound like!) on the fretboard.
The Pattern System for the Bass Player - Sharpen Your Musical Mind through Fretboard Proficiency, Improvisation, and Mental Practice.
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My second book takes this pattern-based approach several steps further. I wrote it along with my partner and teacher Wolfgang Wein. It teaches a solid method of learning the fretboard by going through all the major scales, diatonic triads. pentatonics, common chord progressions...
And we go far beyond that
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I worked for five years on this book. It uses time-tested methods combined with innovative learning techniques. It puts the student in the driver's seat.
It's a rigorous program - and one I have gone through with hobbyists and pros alike. You’ll get what you put in, but I can promise you that even if you put in a little bit, you’ll get a lot out of it.
Educators and academics will appreciate the well-thought-out layout and flow of the program and pacing, as well as the quiz-able Blueprints and the Test Questions.
Five years to write - 20+ years to validate and fine-tune
I know this method works, because I’ve seen it first hand with my students.
This method has helped both me and Wolf on our paths (we kept testing out of university classes all the time!) and we developed it further with great care.
My blog readers and subscribers constantly ask about it and when it will be available!
Readers, bass friends, and associates have come out of the woodwork to support us through this process. It has buoyed us whenever the nights were long (too many to count) or the computer crashed (even machines get tired!).
A Team (The A-Team!)
I have had an incredible team alongside me on this journey without whose help this book would not have been possible:
- A hugely experienced book designer
- An amazing cover designer
- Two tireless editors
- A designer with an amazing sense of humor
- Videographers and video editors
- Consulting, legal, and accounting awesomeness (they are all musicians as well, too!)
We also had incredible bassists and reviewers read through the text and check the diagrams to help us out. This kind of support (and belief in the book) is invaluable!
Your Super Hero Sidekick
Because this is a big book I felt you needed a partner on your path to becoming a fretboard hero. Enter is Skippy, a vintage metronome with a bit of an attitude:
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At times light-hearted, ee is also full of wisdom:
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And he keeps it real...
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What are we Funding?
1 - Funding The Team
Funding the A-Team above for their invaluable contributions
2 - Spiral-bound Prints
This book is well over 300 pages. You will want to work with it on your music stand. Spiral binding allows the book to lay flat!
As a perk for supporters, we are selling the first 500 books as spiral-bound copies.
We have a printer with a fulfillment center right next to it! Lucky are we, as we know what a beautiful job they did with our first book!
3 - Additional Study Materials
After my first book came out I received many emails from readers requesting encores on the topics of this book. So Wolf and I created associated courses, a wall chart, and now also Practice Groups. For this new book we are also creating additional - and optional - study guides. All of which do not come without a (significant) cost.
4 - The Videos
This book comes with 111 videos that demonstrate the exercises described. We needed editors, videographers, a video consultant (also a musician!), and lots of hard drive space!
5 - The Wall Chart
If you get the book, likely you will also want the beautiful wall chart! It is optional - but a great addition to your practice room wall! It is beautifully designed and much larger than our first wall chart! And it contains all the sequences and patterns you need for this method. Always a great refresher at-a-glance!
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6 - Practice Groups
Practice Groups on the Pattern System are already up and running. We filled the first group straight away!
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The Impact
Many books have been written on fretboard harmony, but just like with my first book, I wrote it because I saw nothing with the same concept on the market.
My theory book was unique in that it teaches theory on the bass fretboard through diagrams (diagrams and understanding first, reading later!).
This method is unique in that it combines tried-and-tested fretboard harmony drills with mental practice, improvisation, and deep student engagement. It is practical and applicable while stimulating your creativity and understanding of music!
Risks & Challenges
Just like my first book, I gave it my all. I didn't spare a penny or cut a corner. It was a big risk then, and an even bigger risk now.
But this is no longer my first book! I can now confidently say that I am an experienced self-publisher - so I know the commitment, the challenges, the responsibility. And the many many hours of marketing and distribution work that awaits us here.
I have done my homework and I feel ready and confident that this book will be well received and that the campaign will be fully funded.
And then there are many blog readers and fans who have written to me asking when - o when - they can finally order. It's been a long wait. Now the wait is over!
Other Ways You Can Help
I understand that not everyone is in a position to contribute right now, but there are other meaningful ways to lend your support:
- Know any bass players? Tell 'em!
- Any bass educators in your life? Share our campaign with them!
The Indiegogo share tools make this very easy and we are very grateful for your support!
Perks
All the books you will get through this campaign will be spiral-bound. Copies available on Amazon will only be perfect bound.
From Skippy T-Shirt swag to book/course/wallchart packages, signed copies, and other goodies, you have lots of options and levels of support.
And we will have some fun, too! We will do polls and give-aways and I will tell you the story about the beautiful basses on the covers!
Please join us!
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