The IIB Online Bass Courses

The International Institute of Bassists (IIB) is an online resource dedicated to the advancement of contemporary bass performance and the study of the bass tradition. Since its founding in 1997, the IIB has established a long-time presence on the internet and grown into one of the largest and most popular bass-related web sites found online. Today, the IIB is recognized as one of the leading online publications for bass players and the promotion of all things bass. The IIB keeps both electric and acoustic upright bassists of all levels of playing experience, from novice to professionals alike, returning every day for the latest updates and information in the bass community.

If you live in a remote area and are unable to attend one-on-one lessons with a private instructor on a regular basis or you maintain a hectic schedule due to work or family commitments, the courses offered at the IIB will take your knowledge to the next level and stimulate your pursuit of playing the bass with greater depth and new insight. By studying bass online through the IIB, you can learn at your own pace, on your own time, in the comfort of your own home, at a cost that is much cheaper than the price of most one-on-one private bass lessons from a local instructor, and you can easily archive the lesson material for future reference.

The IIB offers an expanding catalog of courses and live lessons in all areas of traditional and contemporary bass playing including technique, theory, sight reading, bass line construction, and soloing. These courses will enhance your understanding of techniques and theories that are crucial to your success as an independent musician. Through enrolling in the IIB's online bass courses, you can increase your performance opportunities, enhance your skills, and communicate with a network of like-minded bassists. Please review our course catalog to explore the different ways the IIB can assist in achieving your goals.

Sight Reading For Bass is a beginner to intermediate level course that explores all aspects of reading and writing music notation for bassists. The ability to not only read but also write music notation is essential for any bass player who prepares music to be performed by other musicians. Following a clear analytical approach that begins by connecting the notes on the fingerboard to the notes on the staff, you will be presented with the standard guidelines of music notation, common note and rest values, articulation markings, and intervals before moving onto more advanced rhythm studies. You will learn how to decipher key signatures, time signatures, and chord symbols as well as navigate lead sheets and chord charts. Utilizing a collection of complete transcriptions featuring classic and contemporary bass lines in rock, blues, jazz, motown, funk, latin & classical styles, you will become a proficient reader of standard notation through real musical application. Alternate versions of selected exercises also include tablature to help verify your work and track your progress. From learning to recognize basic notes and elemental rhythms to understanding sophisticated signs, symbols, and terms, this course will help establish the foundation you need to more effectively communicate with other musicians in all your future musical endeavors. Whether your principle goal is to become a professional session bassist, a member of a college jazz ensemble, bass chair of a symphony orchestra, perform in a school musical, play in church, jam with some friends in your garage, or to simply increase the productivity of your practice sessions, improving your sight reading ability will only expand your opportunities as a working bassist. Musicians of all playing levels who are required to read or notate music in bass clef will benefit from this comprehensive course. ... Read More & Enroll Today!

Music Theory For Bass is a beginner to intermediate level course that examines the essential elements of music. For beginners, this course will provide an introduction to the theory and practice of harmony as it pertains to bassists in contemporary music. More seasoned bassists will gain insight from this course as concepts already obtained from past musical experiences will be reinforced to expand the depth of their musical awareness. As you increase your understanding of music theory, you will be able to communicate more effectively with other musicians through the language of music. You will also become more efficient and productive in your own practice sessions. Utilizing a step-by-step approach, this course starts by outlining the fundamental building blocks of music including pitch and rhythm. In subsequent weeks, you will learn how to read and write standard music notation as well as how to decipher key signatures, time signatures, chord symbols, chord progressions, and song forms. You will also learn to play intervals, triads, seventh chords, and scales in every key across the entire range of the fingerboard. Other topics we will discuss include articulations, passing notes, approach notes, neighbor notes, tensions, cells, sequences, and ear training. Accompanying each weekly lesson will be self-assessment quizzes to evaluate your progress and strengthen the principles which are required to establish a solid musical foundation. By the end of this 12-week course, you will have acquired the tools necessary to read, write, and improvise bass lines and solos over any chord change, chord progression, or song form in any style of music. ... Read More & Enroll Today!

Ever since the introduction of the bass guitar and acoustic upright bass, a bassist's primary role has been to provide a supportive function as an accompanist within the setting of a rhythm section. Today, as a well-rounded bass player, you are also expected to produce lyrical solos with proficiency. Soloing Techniques is an intermediate to advanced level course that explores all of the fundamental elements required to improvise effective solos. Featuring classic bebop to modern era techniques, you will be presented with a wide array of improvisation concepts and learn how to create your own horn-like solos in the jazz idiom. Following a step-by-step analysis, this course begins by examining basic theoretical principles including the construction of intervals, triads, seventh chords, tensions, and scales. Over the span of 12 weeks, you will be introduced to various techniques and concepts such as passing notes, approach notes, neighbor notes, cells, sequences, voice leading, superimposition, phrasing, melodic interpretation, thematic development, and the assimilation of those components through practical application. Soloing Techniques will expose you to a collection of proven strategies which will help you implement these techniques in a musical fashion. Utilizing a compilation of popular standards from the jazz repertoire and an archive of signature solos recorded by some of the most innovative instrumentalists in the history of jazz music including John Patitucci, Jaco Pastorius, Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Stitt, and Wynton Marsalis, you will learn to connect your ears to the fingerboard, develop ideas, and expand the traditional role of the bassist through the vocabulary of the jazz language. Transcriptions of legendary solos and dozens of play-alongs will be employed to establish a database of documented statements and demonstrate the proper integration of phrasing considerations. Upon the completion of this course, you will have acquired the necessary tools to improvise solos in the styles of the premier bass soloists such as John Patitucci, Jaco Pastorius, Jeff Berlin, Michael Manring, Brian Bromberg, Alain Caron, Gary Willis, Ray Brown, Ron Carter, and Paul Chambers. Soloing Techniques is recommended for both aspiring and professional bassists alike who are seeking an indispensable resource for the contemporary study and analysis of soloing concepts on bass guitar and acoustic upright bass. ... Read More & Enroll Today!

Jazz Bass Lines is a beginner to intermediate level course that examines all of the fundamental components of walking bass line construction. During this comprehensive 12-week course, you will acquire a vast knowledge of improvisation techniques by studying the bass lines of the most prominent jazz bassists. Following a systematic and guided approach of analysis, Jazz Bass Lines reviews the key elements of walking bass line creation. This course begins by concentrating on the basic building blocks of bass parts including intervals, triads, seventh chords, and scales. As the course progresses, you will be introduced to concepts such as walking bass line cells, rhythmic embellishments, the two feel, and the utilization of those components in practical application. Students will analyze transcriptions of classic walking bass lines to assist in learning the proper integration of technique, sound, and feel. Special emphasis is placed on the 12-bar blues song form along with a collection of legendary bass tracks recorded by Ray Brown, Ron Carter, and Paul Chambers. By the end of this course, not only will you possess a deeper awareness of what makes a walking bass line great but you will also have expanded your fretboard familiarity, developed an incredible set of skills that will provide you with a greater understanding of how the bass functions within a band, and feel more confident in your ability to improvise effectively over jazz standards. From the basics of traditional walking bass line construction to more advanced contemporary principles, Jazz Bass Lines is designed to establish the crucial foundation and indispensable vocabulary that is necessary for bassists interested in the art of improvising bass lines. This course is a must for anyone passionate about becoming a proficient bass player and serious about furthering their knowledge of improvisation. ... Read More & Enroll Today!

Utilizing the latest video conferencing technology, we can conduct live, one-on-one video bass lessons from the most remote locations at an extremely affordable rate. Why waste transit time and money on gas while driving to and from private lessons when you can study bass online directly from the comfort of your own home?

Following a step-by-step methodology, you will acquire the essential skills and vocabulary which are necessary to connect your ears to the fingerboard, develop ideas, interact with other musicians on a deeper level, and expand the traditional role of the bassist. With these live video bass lessons, you will expand your fretboard familiarity and knowledge of chord/scale theory, improve your sight reading and ear training, and also increase your technical proficiency on the instrument. You will be presented with the fundamental tools that are required to improvise great bass lines and solos on any chord type, chord progression, or song form in any style of music.

These lessons are structured for bassists of all levels from beginner to advanced who are passionate about becoming a more proficient bass player and are seeking an indispensable resource for the contemporary study and analysis of techniques, theory, and principles on bass guitar. Many people who are current or former students of the IIB online bass courses enroll in live video bass lessons to help compliment and reinforce the concepts introduced in the courses. ... Read More & Enroll Today!