Course Building Template Block List [NEW]

The Creative Process

Creative Process Task

Review Process

Start gathering and hunting out song ideas. You must start to develop at least one and be able to explain what your intention for the song is. It does not need to have any real shape: this is just a very rough outline!

Try to capture all and any source material that might be relevant so that you can talk through your process.

This week your assignment is to record a short video. Start by introducing your idea, explaining your intention, your sources, and then finish by performing what you have so far created. It need not be finished or complete; think of it as just idea at the moment.

Creative intention

Thinking about the listener

Creative decision making

A sense of style

The Creative Process

Generating Song Ideas

Where Does the Creative Process Begin?

It already has, with your decision to join us on this course! More specifically, it starts with your intention to express something in a song. There is nothing more intimidating in your songwriting life than that blank sheet of paper in front of you. So, let’s fill it up.

The Creative Process

Unlocking Your Creativity

Course Learning Outcomes

Tips for learning a new Instrument

Learning to play a new instrument is an incredibly rewarding creative challenge – but it can be a long and frustrating journey.

That’s why it’s important to be patient with yourself, especially in the first few weeks. Stay curious, even when things feel overwhelming, and make sure you always find a way to keep it fun. Because like all good things, learning the bass gets better and easier with time, and will be well worth the effort.

Be Patient (and kind to yourself)

Stay Curious (even if it may seem overwhelming)

Have Fun (and find the fun in all stages of learning a new instrument)

How To Practice

To practise is to rehearse something repeatedly in order to progress and improve our skills.

Some educators will tell you that you need to practise for several hours a day in order to be successful – but ultimately, it’s the quality of your practice that determines how you move forward. 7 hours of distracted, disorganised practise may be less useful than 30 minutes of concentrated, focused time spent with your bass.

Through regular good practice, it’s guaranteed that your abilities will start to improve. But remember – the goal isn’t perfection, but exploration. Your knowledge and skills will continue to expand long after this course has ended, so try to stay relaxed and accept that not everything will come to you immediately. Here are a few tips to get the most out of every practice session.

Set short and long-term goals to help you stay motivated and inspired
Warm up with 1-2 technical exercises at the start of each session
As your main exercise, try to push yourself with more challenging tasks, like learning a new song or doing some notation reading
Finish your session by playing a familiar song you love, where you can focus on expressing yourself through the music
Be persistent – if something doesn’t go well today, try it again tomorrow
Have patience and remember the most rewarding things don’t happen straight away
Take risks and experiment; it’s about progression, not perfection

Writing Task

Write Down your Musical Inspiritaiton

Make a list of 5 songs you’d love to learn to play on the bass. These can be short or long-term goals, and we’ll look back on them throughout the course as a reminder of what you’re working towards.

The ‘electric’ bass can be played acoustically for personal practise, and the vibrating strings should be audible enough in quiet surroundings. The instrument is, however, designed for use with an amplifier or loudspeakers to increase the level of sound when performing with others or to an audience.

Bass: The Basics

Instrument & History

The Instrument

You already know you love the unique sound of the bass guitar. But how exactly is it made?

When you touch a bass guitar string, it starts to vibrate, which creates a sound – or ‘note’
The thickness, length, tension and design of the string affects how high or low the note sounds – this is called the ‘pitch’
Electric bass guitars also feature a ‘pickup’ sitting between the bridge and neck – this takes the vibrations made by the strings, converts them into electrical signals, and sends them on to the amplifier

The Fender Siblings

These are the various parts of your bass guitar. You’ll get to know more about each part and its function as we progress through the course.

P-Bass

Although there are many makes and models of bass guitar, none are more popular than the Fender Precision (P-Bass) and the Fender Jazz The P-Bass has one pickup and features a thick fretted neck, which helps it to create a more accurate pitch and a deep, powerful sound. It’s your classic bass.

J-Bass

The J-Bass – also known as the ‘Jazz Bass’ – has a slimmer neck and two pickups, making it better suited for fast, complex changes. It’s great for playing funk and blues music.

PJ-Bass

There’s also the super-versatile PJ bass, which features a Precision pickup and a Jazz bridge pickup, allowing you to easily mix and match different styles and sounds.

History

Using an 'Electronic Tuner'

It’s always a good idea to have an electronic tuner on hand, even when you’re able to tune by ear. Here’s how to use it.

First, remind yourself of the note that each string should play using the guide above
Play each string in turn, paying attention to the note that the electronic tuner records
If the string is flat (below or to the left of the center on the meter), turn the relevant machine head to tighten the string
If the string is flat (below or to the left of the center on the meter), turn the relevant machine head to tighten the string
If the string is sharp (above or to the right of centre), reduce the tension.
Remember to turn the machine heads very slowly and smoothly - some are quite sensitive and will vary the tuning wildly if adjusted too quickly

Checking your tuning without a tuner

Even if you have no tuner to hand, the bass can still be tuned to itself – so that whatever you play unaccompanied will still sound in tune.

To do this, you’ll take one of the strings and tune the others to it, usually starting with the top (G) string. Many D.A.W.s come with a built-in tuner as well.

Most bass amps work in roughly the same way

First, the bass strings produce audio vibrations. These vibrations are then converted to electrical signals by the pickups Those signals are processed through the amplifier (“amp”) The signals are then sent out through the speaker cabinet (“cab”) Sometimes the amp and cabinet are combined to make a “combo” unit The sound is then further modified through the gain control, which adjusts distortion, equalisation and tone controls such as bass, mids and treble.

Increasing the bass will produce a heavier low-end sound, increasing the mids will provide more depth and increasing treble will improve the clarity.

Set short and long-term goals to help you stay motivated and inspired
Warm up with 1-2 technical exercises at the start of each session
As your main exercise, try to push yourself with more challenging tasks, like learning a new song or doing some notation reading
Finish your session by playing a familiar song you love, where you can focus on expressing yourself through the music
Be persistent – if something doesn’t go well today, try it again tomorrow
Have patience and remember the most rewarding things don’t happen straight away
Take risks and experiment; it’s about progression, not perfection