3 Exercises Every Bass Player Should Try

[@gregmoore2875]

Janek love you brotha!

[@RDog4484]

Janek, thank you so much. These exercises look to be very useful, and I can’t wait to incorporate them.

[@richardkrainak2106]

This is one of my favorites of your tips. I can see (and feel) how this strengthens each finger in the process of making it smooth, and how it would convert to music. Thanks.

[@stevep6428]

And I must say, your video quality / production has leveled up. Spot friggin on....

[@JFS1215]

Fantastic tips! I love it when you share your practice routine

[@bass.1006]

I’ve used the #1 exercise for my students. But love seen Masters and the way they apply them to their practice routine. I’ve know the main chords for a while but I just started in trying to apply to a practice routine. Thanks for suggesting adding the inversions.

[@neildamato1]

Very new to your teaching and vids. Very inspiring Janek. Thank you for what you do

[@JuanoBass79]

Compared with all brands the Janek used in the past I have to admit the tone of that FBass is superb!!! The most perfect warm sound feel like it was extracted directly from a tree. Precise intonation and that B string is so fat!! Love it!. Great pick!.

[@edunogues23]

Man this is THE BEST bass channel, love every vid! :)

[@IDontTalkToCops]

Very helpful. Thank you 🙏

[@thepartimemusician65]

Inspired as always

[@TenTearsOld]

Thank You!

[@tommullarkey7372]

Great clip. I suggest more short-ish clips that reference exercises in your books (especially the less popular ones) - it’s a great way to spark interest. Looking forward to the Giants Steps book - please don’t start off too difficult so us mid-level players can get a foothold.

[@janekgwizdala]

The Giant Steps book literally starts out with just one note per chord, and focusses on walking. The whole concept of the book is to make sure everyone has access to the amazing resource that is Giant Steps, and that we take the stigma away from it being this pinnacle of accomplishment in jazz to be able to play it. Coltrane wrote it as an exercise, and that's how I'm presenting it in the book. Lots of context, lots of ability ranges catered for, and no one left behind!

[@gerrylocke3050]

Nice! Thank you

[@wallace_nelson]

Love it! I have some new concepts to master. Thanks

[@uruguaysub]

Thank You Janek

[@aidanriess4946]

Great video Janek!

[@ctodd122]

Thanks again for the valuable lesson. I especially like the bite-size lesson on chords with the music/tabs. It was also nice to see at the end of the third lesson ending on a chord from the second (if I'm not mistaken).

[@MrPrincebass99]

This is great. Thanks, Janek. Having to relearn technique as some rehab after CTR surgery on my right wrist. That was 1 1/2 yrs ago and my hands are not working fluidly enough. Kind of a struggle.

[@janekgwizdala]

Sorry to hear that. Always tough coming back from any kind of injury or surgery. Good luck with it!

[@Ryan_TheBold]

I’m just getting over a wrist injury on my fretting hand and these are gonna BURN after not playing much for a few weeks. Gotta get back in fighting shape one way or the other! Thanks, Janek!

[@Sakezaf]

I feel like the most underrated piece of equipement when practising is a camera (alongside the audio recording) :D Recording your hand like this is a huge help (for me at least).

[@crisbass7974]

this is great, thanks Janek!

[@glennhm8142]

I love these short lessons, exercise 2 is a new one for me and I can see how valuable it can be in my practice. Glad you mentioned thumb position is it is something I neglect as it ends near the side of the neck and not in the center.

[@Bassgroover]

I enjoy these quick videos…. A lot of bang for the buck!

[@stevep6428]

Fantastic as always.

[@halcleggz_6015]

Really helpful man. My left hand is feeling smoother already!

[@joannalewis5279]

Great ideas

[@yannecc]

these look really interesting!

[@gregpantelides1355]

Thank you so much!

[@zakbaskin5271]

Nice job as always

[@BestBassTabs]

Thank you for this lesson!!❤

[@timothylarson3583]

Thanks. I will start working this into my practice routine.

[@janekgwizdala]

👊

[@slowrest6041]

nice

[@jaroffiles]

Agreed. We are our own worst critic. Recording and listening to ones self on a regular basis allows the mind to understand what technical changes made on the instrument sound like on the other side, as a listener. Just as our voices sound drastically different to us recorded than they do through our own hearing, so do the sounds we produce on our instruments. Listening in the 3rd person and positively critiquing what we produce is, Imo, one of the best resources for attaining the sound we wish to achieve.

[@pearl1985]

Dzięki Janek! Nie myślałem nigdy by tak ćwiczyć jak pokazałeś. Zawsze używałem pierwszego i trzeciego palca. U Ciebie widzę, że robisz wszystko grupami, dzięki czemu ręka jest bardziej wyćwiczona a co za tym idzie, zdobywasz o wiele swobodniejszy i bardziej kontrolowany ruch palcami.

[@Dax_Smith]

Thanks Janek, great exercises. Do you think it would be helpful to have the tonal center playing in the background during some of the exercises so you can hear how they fit within the key? Example: playing a C chord into a freeze pedal and then do the chord inversion exercises?

[@JMYBASS]

Hi, Janek. When will you come to Argentina? I'm so exited.

[@janekgwizdala]

In the first week of August. I'll be announcing the dates and concerts very soon!

[@davidcontreras8810]

por fin subtitulado!!! gracias .

[@janekgwizdala]

Estoy trabajando en los subtítulos en español...

[@kristiangonzalezmusic]

Well I got more homework! I'll be trying out the maj 7 arpeggios and descending on dim

[@sebastianchristiansen8850]

Hi janek. I am a helix stomp user and is using the virtual amps on there. But I got to admit that I can’t cuite get the sound I want off them. Do you use the amps on there and if so do you have any tips on good clean settings :)

[@ajadrew]

Have been doing these plus countless variations forever - The last one was from Chuck Raineys 1st book.

[@janekgwizdala]

Never knew Chuck had written books. I have to check them out!

[@ajadrew]

@@janekgwizdala He wrote 5 books & I'm genuinely surprised you didn't know? The 1st covers the major scale & is worthe it's weight in gold!

[@Luc4Ferrari]

Hi Janek, great video and I really appreciate the massive improvement on vid production. I don't quite get why is the second chord in the last exercise a V chord: we are playing a D dim descending arpeggio..is this a tritone sub or something like this? Or I'm missing something? Thank you

[@janekgwizdala]

I would encourage you to listen first, and then think about the theory behind it. Don't try and make sense of the music from an analytical standpoint. Music happens in real time, and the sharpest tool in your collection should be the ear's ability to recognize harmony and be able to react to it in real time. The reason you're hearing a D diminished over the V chord, is because you can use all-four notes in the diminished arpeggio to outline the harmony of a dominant chord. In the case of G7 in the context of C major, when you play those notes you get D, F, Ab, and B. The 5th, the flat 7, the flat 9 and the third. All notes commonly found in a dominant chord. It's important to note that this isn't really D diminished. It's a diminished arpeggio that could take its classification from any of the notes in the arpeggio. You could technically call it Ab dim, F dim, D dim, or B dim. It's being used to create the sound of a dominant b9 sound, and lead back to the one chord. Again, use your ears first. They won't lie to you. You know, if you've ever listened to music before, that if you hear G in the context of C, your ear wants it to resolve to the root for the most part. This exercise, and these simple harmonic extensions, just gives that sound a little more color.

[@phil76414]

For the 3rd exercise is the Maj arpeggio a M7 as well as the Dim being a Dim7 Arpeggio? Janek is going a bit too fast for me to work it out.

[@phil76414]

Worked out. Just the triad for the Major. I really like this exercise, I love the idea of practice technique and ear training at the same time. Much better to make it musical. Need to find more of this kind.

[@auto1nfanticid3]

I'm trying to understand how the 4th exercise works. I don't really understand jazz theory, though I've tried, but it feels like if I figure this out it might help. I think my confusion boils down to this: many of the notes in the G# diminished scale (if that's what it is) arent contained within the major scale. furthermore, the G# isnt the 5th scale degree in Cmaj; so im wondering how/why this works.

[@BennyEatsCheese]

Have been doing #1 forever. Been having some issues with my rear thumb lately. TY Janek! Do you have any tips for playing lower notes more comfortably? IE: the F (1st fret) on the E string.

[@janekgwizdala]

It's kind of like anything on the instrument, the more you do it, the easier it will become. I would suggest working on your playing position more than anything if the lower register of the instrument is giving you issues. I know it's not for everyone, but I've been playing seated and with the bass on my left left for a very long time now. It took care of any issues I was having technically with reaching the lower register.

[@BennyEatsCheese]

@@janekgwizdala Thank you :)

[@johnfollis2357]

@@BennyEatsCheese I tend to do what is called microshifts. So when I am on the first fret of the E string with my first finger, I can easily hit the second fret with my second finger. But then when it comes time to hit the third fret with third finger, I slide my hand just a bit. At that point, my first and second fingers are in between the first and second fret. So they are not exactly positioned per fret. but it allows my third and fourth fingers to hit the third and fourth frets a bit easier. What I rec amend you do is try a first to fourth finger only on just any string, and go up the neck. The frets do get smaller the more you go up the neck. And at some point, you may find that switching to first and third finger is better in the higher register.

[@dufensmrc]

How can I best start with the third exercise?

[@janekgwizdala]

I’m not sure I understand the question. The method is literally laid out from start to finish in the video…

[@izethewise]

I have a question related to practicing shapes and ideas. I notice a lot of exercises are written out chromatically. E.g. Oliver Nelson's patterns for jazz. I get that for piano and horn players, chromatic movement of a shape is actually quite tough but for us bassists, it's pretty easy. Shouldn't bassists be more focused on diatonic practice as for us, it's more difficult? I'd appreciate your perspective on this.

[@janekgwizdala]

I think there's merit to all forms of moving vocabulary around the instrument. I work in half steps, whole steps, minor thirds, cycle of fourths, circle of fifths, and a ton of other ways. You want to make sure curiosity is fueling your practice routine, and then no stone will be left unturned.

[@noyd4172]

Are there any necessary modifications on these exercises for four-string bass?

[@janekgwizdala]

None at all. It's all completely transferable. I was just adding a little more range with the C-String, but this is all applicable no matter how your bass is strung.

[@homskizl03]

I believe on Janek's 5-string, his lowest open string is an E like a 4-string. His highest open string is a C, not a G. If you're practicing on a 4-string & using his finger position as reference, just omit his high string & you're essentially observing him playing a 4-string like yours. I'm happy to be corrected if I misunderstood! 😄

[@FvdWSeatbelt]

no low B or only high C on your 5 string? by the way i'm a big fan of you 🍀👌

[@janekgwizdala]

This bass is strung E-C. 👍

[@shawncotton1052]

I'm missing what's happening in the 3rd exercise, if anyone can tell me what he's outlining for chords please?

[@janekgwizdala]

The chords are I-V-I. A major chord (C), its dominant (G7), and back to the root again.

[@DIDHEJUST]

For the spread triads, are you using thumb, index, middle for all the RH plucking?

[@janekgwizdala]

No. I use the ring finger on my picking hand for the top note of the chord with spread triads.

[@petej710]

@@janekgwizdala not using your thumb for that? 🤯 hello ring finger, welcome to the shed.

[@vinngadd]

Hello, Janek! I’m currently working on Chordal Harmony Vol 1, Exercise 5. How can I build finger strength for barring, without injuring my hand? Im trying to take the exercise slow enough to play in time, but the slower I go, the longer I have to hold the chords, and after a while it gets painful.

[@janekgwizdala]

There is unfortunately only one answer, and that's just more time with the instrument. I find that if something is that taxing, I try and break it way down to something much simpler than the thing that causing me issues. If it's barring for instance, just spending 5 minutes a day with a bar chord, and playing it in slow staccato 8th notes, will start to build the strength you need for the larger exercise. It just all takes time, and there's simply no way around that.

[@timothylarson3583]

Try squeezing a tennis ball with your finger tips, use all the fingers and thumb. In time your fingers will get stronger. Don’t go past starting to get tired., otherwise the weak fingers stop contributing and don’t get stronger. If you get to pain, you’ve gone well past getting tired. Do the ball exercise more often (more sets). Easy to do during commercial breaks watching tv. Oh, if your hands are too small for a tennis ball, use a racket ball.

[@vinngadd]

@@janekgwizdala Thanks so much for the reply. I have no problem with spending more time with it. I’ll add your exercise to my routine. Thanks again!

[@vinngadd]

@@timothylarson3583 Thanks for this as well! I keep a tennis ball under my chair in our living room.

[@samba1412]

Is it just me or is the tab on the minor spread voicing a different fingering to the one you demonstrated?

[@janekgwizdala]

Yep, you're totally right. It slipped through the cracks and I only noticed once the video was live. It is actually a totally valid fingering of that chord though, and is generally my cutoff point on the neck for when I switch to what you see in the video only. From C minor and above on the 8th fret, I can use either fingering.

[@Mcsixstrings]

I can only confirm that these hanon kind of exercises gives you much in return of dexterity

[@janekgwizdala]

I owe my speedy transition from classical guitar to bass, almost entirely to the two years straight I dedicated to the Hanon. And I still use it almost every day now.

[@PastorFunK]

🏆🏆🏆

[@CivillianUnrest]

Tabs if this lesson sir

[@fubaja]

janek ...ein iuniversum für uns bassisten oder?

[@BachospatiArnabChakraborty]

Thank you Janek