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 shapes things like “Big Box/Little Box”, "Little Box/Big Box" or “The Boot”.

None of this looks like practice. Yet it is. And very powerful practice at that.

What most think practice means​
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Most players think practice means fingers on strings, playing songs. Repetition. Time served.

But when someone gets “really good,” what actually happened?

• They built internal maps of the fretboard.
• They hear before they play.
• They feel time and groove without chasing it or leaning on anyone else.
• They intuit theory and how harmony moves.
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Some heroes love to state that “they never studied theory” or “they never used a metronome.”

Yet they built such incredible skills!
Is it all just talent? Or is theory and the metronome somehow the problem?
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​No.
It’s not magic.
Not talent.
And not a free pass to skip theory class.
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It’s a specific kind of practice. Usually the kind that started very early in life, often with guidance and lots of exposure. That way they built skills so deep and effortless that they became unconscious.
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That’s why it feels like they “just picked it up.” Without ever using a metronome or an eartraining app or studying theory formally.

So what if you didn’t have that at age six?

Is it too late?
No!
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​That’s where the “weird drills” come in.
​They bridge the gap between complex musical skills and the kind of unconscious fluency those players developed early. And they accelerate the process.​
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If this sounds abstract, here are a few concrete examples:

• Complex rhythm? Say weedwhacker. (The Rhythm Matrix).
• Major pentatonic scale? “Little Box Big Box Shape”.
• Thirds and their inversions, the sixths? Love song stuff.
• Key of the song? That “coming home” feeling at the end.
• Groove? Erase the click through claps and hear the subdivision internally.
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Practicing like this speeds everything up. Especially if you didn’t start at age six.

And it works.

There’s only one catch: you have to actually do it.

It's easy to want to skip it because it feels awkward. Or pointless. Or not like “real practice.”

The Take Away

Do the weird stuff. It works.
A few focused minutes go a long way.

I’ll send a Practice Spark soon that gives you a small taste.

Meanwhile: 🎸 Note to self: do the weird stuff!

With groove,
Ari

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FAQ

Q: Why is practicing with a drum machine not the same as practicing with a click?

Both have their place. They just train different things.

What they both do well:​
• They build your ability to think ahead, which makes finding notes more relaxed and deepens your pocket.
• They expose timing habits like dragging or pushing.
• They help you feel subdivision and get the groove into your body.
• They make sure "feel" is motivated by musical reasons, not note searching in disguise.

Where drum machines shine (we actually prefer custom composed tracks, Wolf puts a lot of feel into them):
• Practicing different styles and feels is more relatable.
• Creative drills are more fun.
• You can zoom in on elements of the groove, like the kick, and double it so precisely that it disappears.
• They help with hearing straight vs. shuffled feel.
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​Where drum machines can backfire:​
Swing, shuffle, jazz styles in particular can feel mechanical. Some tools are notorious for stiffening your feel if overused.

Where the metronome shines:​
• You learn to hold the subdivision without leaning.
• You can practice 8ths, triplets, 16ths over the same beat.
• You can move accents or shift where the click lands.
• You can program it to disappear and re-appear - can you keep track? (Killer drill!).
• You train deep listening. Which makes playing with a drummer much tighter.

Use both with intention.
Just know what each one is training.
Sometimes you use neither depending on where your focus is.
(On more on how to use the metronome for thinking ahead, check out the sections on metronome use in the Pattern System Book!)

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What's Happening

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A new cohort round is coming up. Including our first Reading Cohort.
We start April 16th • 12 weeks • 5 units of a course!
Deadlines • Accountability • Coaches • Live practice!
Topics you can join are:
• Bass Evolution (beginner friendly)
• Theory
• Reading
• Rhythm Matrix

If you’re ready to do the seemingly weird but really not so weird stuff with support: go here​

With groove,
Ari

Next Guided Cohorts (limited start dates)

Guided Cohorts are small groups that move through a course together on a clear schedule, with personal support from Ari and accountability coaches along the way.

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Starting April 16, 2026:

🎼 Music Theory for the Bass Player​
​🚀 Beginner Evolution​
​🔴 Rhythm Matrix​
​📖 Reading System

→ See Cohort Details​

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