Learn Bass online with Ari

Dear Reader Let me walk you through week one of our cohorts. First, we start with a kickoff meeting. You’ll meet your coach, see how everything works, where to post your assignments, and how the cohort runs. Then you begin Unit 1. Rhythm Matrix — Week 1 You’ll start with the foundations of rhythm and learn Ari’s 16 Rhythm Matrix patterns - the building blocks of groove. You won’t count. You’ll use words like“weedwacker,” “butterfly,” “movie” instead of 1-e-and-a. Because words put rhythm in...

Notes to Self (and Bassists) Dear Reader The “Weird Stuff” In our courses, you’ll be asked to chant words, scat a solo, move your body, feel upbeats and downbeats in specific ways. You’ll practice without touching the bass.Visualize shapes. Hear lines internally. Feel subdivisions inside the click. Straight and shuffled. We’ll talk about emotions in ear training, from “love-song-stuff” to “murderer-about-to-come-round-the-corner”- sounds.We’ll make you drop your hand mid-phrase.We’ll name...

DearReader I just got back from a tour with Raj Ramayya and Akira Yamaoka. Eight shows in seven cities, literally from New York (Irving Plaza) to Los Angeles (The Belasco). Flights, vans, sold-out venues, photos with fans. The whole rock star treatment. One thing that surprised me was the audience. Several people told us it was their first concert ever. Fans of Cowboy Bebop, Silent Hill, and Ghost in the Shell hearing the soundtrack of their youth played live in front of them for the first...

Notes to Self (and Bassists) Dear Reader We had an ice storm recently and our area was hit hard with power outages. No heat or lights. Below zero Celsius outside. And on day 4 of this I had Live Practice w/ Ari on the calendar. So I did what any reasonable adult would do. I bundled up like I was going ice fishing, turned on my backup batteries, tethered my laptop to my phone, and taught the class from the kitchen table. It was ridiculous. And perfect. There is something clarifying about...

DearReader Tonight feels strange for a lot of people. There’s pressure to reset. To decide who you’re going to be next year. To promise yourself you’ll finally “do it right.” I don’t buy into that. What I do believe in is choosing better containers. Most players don’t struggle because they lack information. They struggle because everything is self-directed, optional, and easy to drift away from once life gets noisy. That’s exactly why we run cohorts. Same courses. Same material. But inside a...

Notes to Self (and Bassists) Dear Reader Happy Thanksgiving! If you're in the U.S., it's Thanksgiving today - one of the biggest holidays of the year here.As an Austrian, I didn’t grow up with this tradition. No turkey, no pumpkin pie, no annual food coma. But over time, it found its way into my life. Or maybe it came with my American passport. In any event, I have to say: celebrating gratitude and family? That’s absolutely worth pausing for. (And let’s be honest... the pies are simply...

Notes to Self (and Bassists) Dear Reader After I shared the story of my mother’s passing, I was so moved by the many heartfelt messages, shared stories, and kind words you sent in return. Thank you. Your support and openness made me feel less alone/crazed in this moment of loss. Many of you shared your own journeys through grief, memories, wisdom - and I appreciated every message. Thank you! I know how fortunate I was to have her for so very long. She had me late in life, and I still had her...