An 8 week online program with one of the most influencial bassists of our time.
Enrollment Now Closed
Enrollment Now Closed
Many know
Gary Willis
the PLAYER,
Founder of Tribal Tech.
Played with Allan Holdsworth, Scott Henderson, Wayne Shorter.
One of the driving forces behind modern fusion music, not to mention modern bass playing.
But few
have the privilege
of knowing Gary Willis
the TEACHER.
I remember what it felt like to be an "ok" bassist.
Heck, I was already playing gigs with good players. But honestly, I’d listen to complex music and think "I don’t even know how to approach that. I don’t even know where to start!"
It felt miles away from where I was currently at. I’m sure you’ve been in (or likely are in) the same boat.
You end up asking yourself things such as:
Does my technique need to be better before I even attempt that stuff?
Don’t my solos need to be better? I don’t even feel like I can improvise!
Don’t my walking lines need to be less… errrm, boring?
Well, you’re not alone – that’s exactly how I felt too.
Until I studied with Gary Willis.
How I found
Gary Willis.
Stay with me, I promise i’m going to wind this around to your bass playing.
So my name's Scott.
I’m the guy behind ScottsBassLessons.com
I’m a dad, husband, and yes, a bass geek like you.
I’ve lectured at music schools around the world, played with some of the best musicians on the planet, and founded a world-renowned online bass school, but it did NOT start out like that.
I was 18 years old and desperate to become a professional bass player. I’d just tried-and-failed to get into my local music school, Leeds College of Music (long story short, my high school grades weren’t good enough).
I had two options left.
1. Quit trying to be a professional musician
2. Dig in and figure out how to do this music thing on my own.
I asked myself, if music school was going to give me access to great bass teachers… was there any reason I couldn’t search out great teachers myself? Obviously, the answer was no.
So the search was on. And I’ll be totally honest, I was really upset that I was rejected by the music school… and in a “ha, I can do even better” moment I thought…
“what the hell… I’ll email Gary Willis and ask him if he’ll teach me.”
There was NO WAY in the world I even expected a response.
To my complete surprise, he said “yes!”
(I know, mind blown!)
So began a year of my commuting monthly from England to Spain (where Gary was living) for monthly lessons.
I recorded everything meticulously on a Dictaphone (yep, those old tiny cassette tapes, lol)
I transcribed everything when I got home
I was trying to learn as-fast-as-possible (it wasn't cheap flying to Spain each month!)
We'll come back to the dictaphone...
But first, here’s what I realized:
Sure - Gary’s one of the most famous bass players of the last 30 years. But that’s not what makes his teaching special. What makes him special is his unique way of teaching. It’s that which allows him to break down seemingly-complex subjects, so that practically anyone (except a total beginner) can learn and understand them.
Over that year, I realized nobody is thinking of the bass like this.
GARY IS LIKE THE “YODA OF BASS”
Now, fast-forward umpteen years, and yeah, I’ve had a pretty successful career. But I trace a lot of the bass player I’ve become back to that single year with Gary.
I was a different player after that year.
...and I did it without any Whiplash-style “hard-knocks”
...and without my hands bleeding;)
But here’s the deal.
Why should only I be able to experience that?
Recently, I was speaking with a team member about the impact studying with Gary had on my playing.
“I wish I could package-that-up and offer it to other people,” I was saying.
“Why can’t you?” my team member shot back. So you know where this leads. We asked Gary, and he agreed.
An 8 week online program with one of the most influencial bassists of our time.
This is the most comprehensive course Gary’s ever created, including 10 hours of footage, 8 weeks, and 3 live seminars.
I needed to spend a year of my life and more than $10,000 to have this experience, but you get to have it in the comfort of your own home!
Gary Willis was one of the first individuals in the bass community to leave me utterly gobsmacked.
His phrasing and use of articulation had me completely spellbound growing up. He also taught me the most valuable academic lesson I ever learned. A true Jedi of low-end”
Phil Mann
What's inside
the Masterclass
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01.
Week 1 / Module 01
Formulas for Mastering Your Fretboard
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Lesson (47:14)
In this module you’re going to learn Gary’s very specific systems and formulas to learning and navigating around the bass fingerboard.
Using systems and formulas to organise your fretboard is absolutely key to the development of your bass playing. Using these is by far the easiest way to start ‘seeing’ all of your available options, wherever you are on the neck. Whether you’re playing a heavy groove, or going for a killer bass fill or solo, your fingerboard begins to look like a map and not a mystery.
Remember when you learned your first pattern on the fingerboard and you felt that lightbulb moment as you found you could move it around the neck and use it in different areas of the fingerboard without changing the pattern. Well, imagine that, but on steroids.
Module Bonuses:
— An in-depth Interview with the man himself, Gary Willis (66:45)
— Exclusive Performance of “Everything’s Cool” featuring Gary Willis & Gergo Borlai (4:43)LIVE Online Seminar with Gary Willis
Tuesday September 29 – 1pm ET / 10am PT / 6pm BST -
02.
Week 2 / Module 02
Bass Soloing Deep Dive
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Lesson (75:36)
Let’s be honest. When it comes to bass soloing, Gary Willis is “the godfather”, and is simply one of the best soloists on the bass to have ever walked the planet.
In this module you’re going to learn Gary secret’s of soloing. Everything from what he’s specifically thinking about when soloing, how (and why) he links his solo phrases and the scales he uses (or doesn’t as the case may be), right through to building intensity within a solo, how to shape your solo’s and everything in-between.
This is your chance to learn from the best there’s ever been, and then take these specific approaches and use them to push your development as a bass player to that next level.
Module Bonus:
— Gary’s Solo Performance of “Have You Met Miss Jones" (2:40)
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03.
Week 3 / Module 03
Pentatonic Applications & Substitutions
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Lesson (33:55)
OK, so I know you ‘think’ you know your pentatonic scales. You know the good old “blues scale”. But let me put this out there, you probably don’t. I know this, because I thought I knew my pentatonic scales too, and then I went to study with Gary and found out the truth!
“Pentatonics” are Gary’s secret weapon, he uses them like no other bass player I’ve ever heard. In this module you’re going to learn exactly how Gary uses pentatonics and more importantly you’re going to learn how to use them in the same way. But here’s the best bit. Because you’re NOT going to be learning a mind boggling amount of new patterns… you’re going to learn how to take just a handful of patterns and shapes, and start moving them around the fingerboard in a way that gets you all those of those “sexy notes” without having to do any brain gymnastic.
Module Bonus:
– The Giant Steps Workshop
(21:41) -
04.
Week 4 / Module 04
The Ultimate Plucking Hand Technique
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Lesson (78:12)
One of the most commonly ignored parts of a bass players technique is their plucking hand, and this is a big mistake! Your plucking hand is your engine. It’s where your tone comes from, it’s how your speed is controlled, it’s where your dynamic range comes from, and much more. It’s essential.
The great news is that Gary has one of the most highly developed plucking hand techniques of any bassist on the planet, and in this module he’s going to break his technique down piece by piece and teach you the all of the inner moving parts so you can turbo charge your own technique with same concepts and exercises. Linear lines, grooves with octave jumps, ghost notes, dynamics and articulations - it’s all in this jam packed module.
Module Bonuses:
— Exclusive Performance of “Ancient Promise” featuring Gary Willis & Gergo Borlai (4:29)
— Live Q&A (81:08)LIVE Online Seminar with Gary Willis
Tuesday October 20 – 1pm ET / 10am PT / 6pm BST -
05.
Week 5 / Module 05
Structuring Your Practice Time
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Lesson (57:27)
Gary has never practiced more than 3 hours in any one day. Now, that is a crazy statement baring in mind that he’s one of the heaviest bassists to have ever existed. I’m sure you’ve heard of all the giants of bass that spent 8 hours a day (and many times even longer) hauled up in a tiny room shedding away honing their chops. Well, not Gary. In the interview you’ll receive within Module 1 you’re going hear how he could never focus for more than 3 hours, and further more, had other hobbies and a life he wanted to live.
In this module you’re going to learn about the specific practice techniques Gary used to compress time and focus in on what was most important, giving him the ability to increase his ability on the bass without having to spend each and every waking hour with his instrument in his hands. If you’ve got limited practice time, other commitments in your life, or simply want to maximise the practice time you have so you get more done in less hours, this module is for you.
Module Bonus:
— Gary’s Exclusive Performance Video of Norwegian Wood (4:57)
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06.
Week 6 / Module 06
Gary’s Gear Theories and Tips
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Lesson (52:40)
As you’ll have probably realised by now, Gary is “the Yoda” of bass. But playing the bass is only half of Gary’s talents, he’s also a visionary when it comes to the instrument itself. Ever seen a bass player play with a “ramp” underneath the strings? Gary invented that concept, and it’s now being used by thousands of bass players around the world. Ever seen the cool “sure grip” machine heads on an Ibanez bass? Yep, Gary invented those too. I’m sure you’re starting to get the picture.
In this module you’re going to learn about bass construction, body woods, neck woods, fingerboard materials, amps, strings, and everything in-between. If you’re into all things ‘bass gear’… then you’re going to love this module.
Module Bonus:
— Gary’s Bass Set-Up Tips and Tricks (24:48)
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07.
Week 7 / Module 07
Interaction within the Rhythm Section
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Lesson (37:01)
Being able to play and interact within a rhythm section is of vital importance to any bass player. That’s why we knew that to make this masterclass a truly amazing educational experience, we needed to enlist the talents of a world class drummer… and that’s where the phenomenal Gergo Borlia comes in.
In this module Gary and Gergo are going to teach you how to lock in, how to interact within a groove, and how your bass line or groove is directly related to what’s happening on the drums at each specific moment in time, and how that can change as the bass line or drum groove develops.
This module alone is worth the investment of the entire 8 week Masterclass!
Module Bonuses:
— Gary’s Exclusive Performance Video of Bowlegged (3:45)
— Live Q&A (85:27)LIVE Online Seminar with Gary Willis
Tuesday November 10 – 1pm ET / 10am PT / 6pm GMT -
08.
Week 8 / Module 08
Bass Line & Groove Construction
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Lesson (44:17)
We saved the best till last. In this module Gary is going to show you how bass lines and grooves are created, and then go on to demonstrate how that works within the rhythm section in conjunction with the amazing Gergo Borlai.
You’re going to learn about locking in and playing with the bass drum, how to play in the gaps, replicating rhythms on the bass that come directly from the drums, what to do specifically when the drummer moves to the ride cymbal and much more. For anyone wanting to be a fantastic all round bass player, and someone who cares about locking in within the rhythm section and really making a band groove, this module is for you.
Module Bonus:
— Gary takes us out on a groove (1:59)
— Program Wrap-up (00:45)
