Play Like James Jamerson in 10 Days
Channel the grooves of Motown’s most iconic bassist.
Intermediate bassists
If you’ve got the basics down and want to take your playing to the next level with groove-driven basslines, this class is for you.
7 days
Corbin will guide you through 7 days of step-by-step instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.
Fuel your style with Motown flair
This challenge will sharpen your groove, strengthen your phrasing, and give you the tools to make your basslines sing.
Take the next step
Once you've mastered this Challenge, keep learning with guided Learning Pathways.
What you'll learn
In this challenge, your mentor Corbin breaks down what made Jamerson’s playing so iconic. Each day, you’ll dive into one of his signature moves and learn how to make it your own.
- Build melodic basslines from scratch
- Develop effortless 16th-note groove
- Adapt Jamerson's techniques to fuel your sound
Curriculum
Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.
Your guided learning experience
In this 10-day Challenge, Corbin will teach you how to play and think like a Motown icon. You’ll leave this class with sharper rhythm and Motown-inspired techniques to fuel your unique playing style.
Who is James Jamerson?
We’ll kick off the class by breaking down the signature elements that made James Jamerson the heartbeat of Motown.
You’ll learn how palm muting shaped his unmistakable tone, then put it into practice with a groove inspired by Jackie Wilson’s “Higher and Higher.”
Pentatonics and chromaticism
Over the next few days, you’ll explore how Jamerson used the pentatonic scale to fuel his basslines and bring out chord qualities.
Once you have the pentatonics down, you'll learn how to walk chromatically between notes to add depth and movement to your lines.
Arpeggios and 16th notes
Next up, you’ll dive into Jamerson‑style arpeggios, learning how to transform simple shapes into melodic, expressive bass lines.
Then it’s off to the rhythm gym, where you’ll master smooth 16th‑note grooves: a Jamerson trademark that Corbin will help you make your own.
Final applications
In these final lessons, you’ll apply your Jamerson toolkit to different chord progressions.
First, you’ll learn to build melodic bass lines over a I chord in major. Then, you'll take the same approach into minor while refining techniques like raking and 16th‑note embellishments. Finally, you’ll tackle a classic I‑vi‑ii‑V progression, bringing all your skills together over a moving sequence.
To wrap it up, you’ll put everything into practice on three Motown‑inspired tracks, locking in chromaticism, arpeggios, raking, and pentatonic scales while channeling the Jamerson sound.
Day 1. Who is James Jamerson?
Meet the man behind the legend and learn how he got his signature sound.
To truly appreciate the Motown bass sound, you have to first learn about the man behind it.
Corbin will introduce you to James Jamerson and show you why he's considered one of the most important bassists of all time. You’ll also learn how to use palm-muting to achieve Jamerson’s go-to thumpy bass sound.
Days 2-4. Pentatonics and chromaticism
Before Jamerson came around, bass players didn’t often step out creatively. They would often opt for a simple two-note bassline that highlighted the chord.
In these lessons, you’ll learn how Jamerson changed the bass game by using all the notes available in the pentatonic scale, as well as those outside of it, to add ornamentation and melody to the rhythm section.
Day 2. Jamerson pentatonics - major
This lesson will show you how Jamerson used the major pentatonic to create his signature sound.
While most bassists back in the day might stick to a simple root-5th bassline, Jamerson was bringing in some serious melody by using the other notes available in the major pentatonic scale.
To see this concept in action, you’ll apply your familiar box shape to a Temptations-inspired track.
Day 3. Jamerson pentatonics - minor
Remember those bland bassists we talked about in Day 2? What do you think they did when a minor chord came around?
If you guessed that they stuck with the same ol’ root-5th bassline and didn’t acknowledge the minor-ness of the chord, you’re right.
In this lesson, you’ll follow in Jamerson’s footsteps by acknowledging the minor chord using the minor pentatonic scale.
Day 4. Chromaticism
Jamerson was originally a jazz bassist, so it’s only natural that he brought walking basslines into his playing. This lesson will have you walking the bassline by approaching the root note from two or more frets away.
This lesson is also a great opportunity to work on your dexterity and ability to keep the notes thumpy while you move up or down a string.
Days 5-7. Arpeggios and 16th notes
These lessons will seriously test your ability to play quickly and with precision. You’ll learn how to add momentum to chord progressions using arpeggios. You’ll also learn how to speed things up with 16th-note raking.
Day 5. Major arpeggios
Arpeggios are chords played one note at a time. You’re probably already familiar with these, but Jamerson added his spin on this by playing them quickly over each chord to outline the progression.
This lesson will have you skipping strings and moving around the fretboard over a Stevie Wonder-inspired track.
Day 6. Minor arpeggios
Continuing the arpeggio deep-dive, you’ll get some real-time experience with Jamerson’s use of minor arpeggios over a track inspired by Marvin Gaye.
Rather than simply move up and down the arpeggios, you’ll create momentum and melody with them by mixing up the rhythm.
Day 7. Jamerson 16th notes
Get your plucking-hand index finger ready for some raking. If you’re new to this technique, you’ll use just your index finger to descend all the strings. This will help you play faster and more smoothly.
Corbin will also show you another iconic Jamerson trick of using semi-muted 16th notes to add ornamentation to a bassline with straight quarter or 8th notes.
Days 8-10. Addressing chords + final performances
You’ve put in a ton of hard work mastering the many techniques that Jamerson used throughout his career. Now, it’s time to put them into practice by creating your own basslines over chords and progressions.
Day 8. Play like Jamerson: I chord major
In Day 8, Corbin will take you step-by-step through the process of crafting a bass part over a I chord in a major key. You’ll take the ideas covered in previous days and figure out how to use them in different musical situations.
Day 9. Play Like Jamerson: I chord minor
As with Day 8, you’ll apply all your new Jamerson-isms to a one-chord track, but this time in minor. If you still need to work on techniques like raking and adding 16th-note embellishments, you’ll get plenty of chances to hone your technique in this lesson.
Day 10. Play like Jamerson: I-vi-ii-V progression
To cap off this class, you’re going to get a chance to bring everything together and really challenge yourself to play over a moving progression. After this, you’ll be ready to tackle tons of progression using any and all of your Jamerson skills.
Performances
Now that you have your Jamerson toolkit filled up, it’s time to put it into practice over three tasty, Motown-inspired tracks. You’ll work on chromaticism and arpeggios, as well as raking and pentatonic scales.
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Your Instructor
Embark on a journey to low-end mastery by learning fundamental skills from one of the hardest working bassists in the biz.
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