Decode Your Fretboard Learning Pathway
Elevate your creativity by mastering your fretboard.
Intermediate bassists
If you know some scales & grooves but aren’t sure how everything connects, this class will give you a clear system to tie it all together.
3 months
Alex will guide you through 6 grades of step-by-step instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.
Fretboard freedom
You'll leave this pathway with the skills to create grooves that flow effortlessly from your ears to your fingers.
Take the next step
Once you've mastered your fretboard, keep progressing with advanced lessons and guided pathways.
What you'll learn
Move beyond basic shapes and start grooving with intention. This class will help you unlock the fretboard one note at a time.
- Take a systematic approach to fretboard freedom
- Unlock every key by learning to think in intervals
- Master triads, arpeggios, and advanced patterns
Curriculum
Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.
Your guided learning pathway
In this 3-month Learning Pathway, Alex Polydoroff will guide you through a tried-and-true system to fretboard mastery. From simple one‑note grooves to advanced scale vocabulary, this class will equip you with a foundation you can use to master the art of bass playing in any style.
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Intro to the 1-8 Note System
We’ll kick off this class by putting a magnifying glass on your fretboard.
Using the 1‑8 note system, you’ll start with the absolute fundamentals (simple one‑note grooves) and gradually build up to advanced eight‑note scales.
Over seven gradually-paced lessons, you’ll break the fretboard into clear, functional shapes while sharpening your technique and tone to develop your own voice as a bassist.
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Arpeggios, Pentatonics, and Hexatonics
Next, you’ll keep building fretboard mastery by moving into arpeggios and full scales.
In each lesson, Alex will have you apply new concepts over professionally produced tracks so you’re making music, not just practicing exercises.
Along the way, you’ll add techniques like legato and approach notes to make your playing smoother and more expressive.
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The Major Scale and Beyond
This grade is where the rubber hits the road. After some essential work with the major and natural minor scales, you'll get a taste of advanced jazz vocabulary via the bebop scale.
Along the way, you’ll pick up essential theory for navigating the fretboard and writing your own basslines. Plus, you'll dive into slap bass to bring some serious funk to your playing.
Grades 4 & 5. Intervallic Approaches
With your 1-8 note system foundation in place, it’s time to move beyond shapes and focus on your ear. In these grades, you’ll explore every interval from half steps to 7ths.
Alex will guide you through exercises and jams that'll have you training your ear, exploring advanced vocabulary, and learning how each interval adds its own flavor. By the end of these grades, you’ll have the tools to translate the sounds in your head straight to your bass.
Grade 6. Chords on Bass
To cap off the pathway, Alex will show you how to harmonize effectively with bass-friendly spread triad chords. You’ll also expand your chordal options with altered dominant chords and harmonized melodies.
Grade 1. Intro to the 1-8 Note System
Start decoding your fretboard by uncovering the patterns and shapes that run all across it. With the 1–8 note system, you’ll zoom in on individual notes and see how they connect, laying the foundation for true fretboard fluency. Along the way, you’ll lock in classic bass moves like root‑to‑5ths and triad arpeggios while sharpening your technique and tone.
Day 1. Root
Get comfortable playing the root note with solid rhythm and feel. We’ll take a page from Pino Palladino’s playbook as you focus on muting and controlling note length while locking in the sound of this essential note.
Day 2. Root and octave (Pino Palladino)
Add the octave to create momentum without complicating the harmony, all while sharpening your fretting hand to dial in your tone.
Day 3. 2 notes: Root & 5th (Country)
Learn to use root-5th patterns to drive the rhythm and support the harmony in any style. You’ll refine your articulation and play through a classic I-IV-V country progression.
Day 4. Root & 5th (Bossa nova and samba)
Apply root-5th bass techniques to classic Brazilian grooves. By exploring note length and phrasing, you’ll lock into the bossa feel and expand your rhythmic versatility.
Day 5. 3 notes: Major triads
Turn a simple root-5-octave shape into a masterful melodic tool by adding the major 3rd and exploring triad inversions.
Day 6. 3 notes: Minor
Flatten the 3rd to build minor triads and their inversions. You’ll explore different fingering options to make the shapes fit into any progression.
Day 7. Workout
Put everything together in a musical workout. This is your chance to reinforce what you’ve learned and make sure you're ready for the next grade.
Performance pieces
Choose a song to learn that takes what you worked on in Grade 1 and puts it in a musical context. Here, you'll get to jam with a live-recorded band of pro-LA musicians as your backing track.
Personalized feedback
Submit a video of yourself playing a performance piece from this grade for custom video feedback on your playing from our team of pro bassists.
Final quiz
Make sure you're ready to move on to Grade 2.
Grade 2. Arpeggios, Pentatonics, and Hexatonics
Learn how to keep the groove steady while adding harmonic depth with arpeggios and scales. In this grade, you’ll navigate the fretboard using 4‑note arpeggios and major/minor pentatonics, then push beyond the basics with hexatonic scales that open the door to richer, jazz‑inspired lines.
Day 1. 4 notes: Arpeggios
Build upon your triad shapes with major and minor arpeggios in multiple positions to smoothly navigate your fretboard. You’ll also work on following a 12-bar blues using dominant 7th arpeggios.
Day 2. Arpeggio applications
Spice up your arpeggios by surrounding your target notes with chromatic and diatonic approaches. We’ll use this technique to build more expressive lines over a 12-bar blues.
Day 3. 5 notes: Major pentatonic
Map out your entire fretboard with the major pentatonic shape. You’ll explore five connected positions that deepen your connection with the fretboard and set the foundation for everything from fills to composition.
Day 4. 5 notes: Minor pentatonic
Use the same shapes you learned for major pentatonic, but just shift the root to unlock the minor sound. Learn several patterns to apply the scale musically and train your ear to hear its darker tone.
Day 5. 6 notes: Hexatonic / triad pairs
Combine two triads to form a six-note hexatonic scale. The legato technique will help you make this three-notes-per-fret scale flow even more fluidly.
Day 6. The ii-V-I
Master the classic ii-V-I jazz progression by applying familiar hexatonic patterns to outline harmony and create tension. Alex will show you how to seamlessly connect chords and build melodic lines.
Day 7. Workout
Level up your fretboard fitness with a workout that combines arpeggios with pentatonics and key changes.
Performance pieces
Choose a song to learn that takes what you worked on in Grade 2 and puts it in a musical context. Here, you'll get to jam with a live-recorded band of pro-LA musicians as your backing track.
Personalized feedback
Submit a video of yourself playing a performance piece from this grade for custom video feedback on your playing from our team of pro bassists.
Grade 3. The Major Scale and Beyond
Cap off your 1–8 note system journey with advanced scales and sounds. You’ll dive into jazz essentials like the bebop scale, melodic minor, and the modes of the major scale, while leveling up your harmony skills. To top it off, you’ll keep refining your technique with the energy and precision of slap bass.
Day 1. 7 notes: Major scale
Kick off this grade with the most important scale of all: the major scale. Train your ear and unlock a range of harmonic tools like triads and 7th-chord arpeggios.
Day 2. 7 notes: Modes of the major scale
Modes might sound intimidating, but Alex breaks them down as simple variations of the major scale you already know. You’ll map out Dorian, Phrygian, and Aeolian across the fretboard while focusing on the unique flavor of each minor mode.
Day 3. 7 notes: Incorporating slap bass
Turn your bass into a drum kit with the funkiest of all techniques: slap. You’ll channel your inner Marcus Miller to shape your slap tone and hone your rhythm skills.
Day 4. 7 notes: Melodic minor scale
Add tension and color to your lines with the melodic minor scale. You’ll learn how jazz bassists use this unique scale to outline harmony and highlight chord tones.
Day 5. 8 notes: Bebop scale
Charles Mingus fans: We see you. Learn the sophisticated bebop scale to land your chord tones in the right places and swing with the best of ‘em.
Day 6. 8 notes: Symmetrical diminished scales
The half-whole diminished scale is a powerful improvisational tool that lets you outline chords in unexpected ways. Learn how to copy and paste this symmetrical sound to create colorful jazzy basslines.
Day 7. Workout
Finally, we'll cap off the grade with another musical workout that covers the major scale and modes, as well as slap bass octaves. These workouts are designed to be repeated and even used as daily warm-ups.
Performance pieces
Choose a song to learn that takes what you worked on in Grade 3 and puts it in a musical context. Here, you'll get to jam with a live-recorded band of pro-LA musicians as your backing track.
Personalized feedback
Submit a video of yourself playing a performance piece from this grade for custom video feedback on your playing from our team of pro bassists.
Final quiz
Make sure you're ready to move on to Grade 4.
Grades 4-6
Patterns and shapes are a great starting point for mapping the fretboard, but the real goal is to improvise and compose basslines using your ear and feel.
Grades 4 & 5 will get you thinking intervallically so you can play the sounds you hear in your head. Then, in Grade 6, you’ll tackle chords on bass with low-end‑friendly voicings that let you add depth to the harmony and harmonize melodies.
Grade 4. Intervallic Approaches (Part I.)
At their core, every scale and bassline is built from intervals: the building blocks of music. The best bassists train their ears to recognize these sounds so they can play freely, without relying on memorized shapes. In Grade 4, you’ll start thinking about your bass in a whole new way, using intervals to truly unlock the fretboard.
Day 1. Half steps
Start your intervallic journey with the smallest step: just one fret. Learn how invaluable half-steps are for chromatic shifts and enclosures with a pattern inspired by Hadrien Feraud and Herbie Hancock.
Day 2. Whole steps
Access sophisticated, Jaco Pastorius-like sounds with the whole tone scale. You’ll use melodic patterns and approach notes to turn the more abstract sounds of the whole tone scale into something musical.
Days 3 and 4. 3rds
Major and minor 3rd intervals are vital for outlining chords and creating expressive melodies. You’ll learn how to turn these simple intervals into complex musical ideas. Unlock the diminished arpeggio with minor 3rds and the augmented sound with major 3rds.
Day 5. Perfect 4ths
Your bass is tuned in 4ths, so this interval should sound very familiar. You’ll use this pleasant-sounding interval as an introduction to the Circle of 4ths and all of its practice and composition benefits.
Day 6. Tritones
Learn to harness the most important interval for creating tension and resolution. Chuck Rainey’s iconic double-stop lines will be our inspiration for tapping into the orchestral nature of the electric bass.
Day 7. Workout
Your bass coach Alex will help you tone up by reviewing the intervals you’ve learned so far.
Performance pieces
Choose a song to learn that takes what you worked on in Grade 4 and puts it in a musical context. Here, you'll get to jam with a live-recorded band of pro-LA musicians as your backing track.
Personalized feedback
Submit a video of yourself playing a performance piece from this grade for custom video feedback on your playing from our team of pro bassists.
Final quiz
Make sure you're ready to move on to Grade 5.
Grade 5. Intervallic Approaches (Part II.)
Complete your interval training by studying perfect 5ths through the dissonant yet dreamy major 7th interval. By the end of this grade, you’ll have trained your ear to recognize all the possible intervals within an octave, and you’ll have the skills to apply them to create your own basslines.
Day 1. Perfect 5ths
From power chords to root-5ths fills, the perfect 5th is the most important interval for supporting the rhythm without adding a ton of harmony. You’ll learn several ways to turn this go-to interval into a sophisticated sound with approach notes and whole-tone fills.
Days 3 and 4. 6ths
6ths are vital for defining the minor modes. The major 6th is what makes Dorian sound the way it does, and the minor 6th is helpful for highlighting the Aeolian and Phrygian modes. 6ths aren’t common intervals, but you’ll learn how important they are for voice leading and adding complexity to your basslines.
Days 4 and 5. 7ths
7ths are extremely important intervals in harmony for defining the much-loved 7th chord — whether it’s minor, major, or dominant. You’ll learn why the minor 7th plays a key role in blues and funk for creating soulful basslines. Though the major 7th has a tendency to sound rather dissonant, Alex will show you how to tame this expressive interval.
Day 6. Interval review
Now that you’ve filled your interval toolbox, it’s time to see how those shapes unlock musical freedom. Use symmetrical patterns and interval cells to explore outside-the-box grooves and creative phrasing. You now have the knowledge and interval awareness to be more intentional in the melodies and basslines you write.
Day 7. Workout
Get in some High Intensity Interval Training and review all the intervals you covered in this grade.
Performance pieces
Choose a song to learn that takes what you worked on in Grade 5 and puts it in a musical context. Here, you'll get to jam with a live-recorded band of pro-LA musicians as your backing track.
Personalized feedback
Submit a video of yourself playing a performance piece from this grade for custom video feedback on your playing from our team of pro bassists.
Final quiz
Make sure you're ready to move on to Grade 6.
Grade 6. Chords on Bass
As bassists, we see most chords as a forbidden fruit since playing too many notes at once can sound muddy and lead to frustrated band members. Fortunately, Alex is here with some bass-friendly chord voicings that will let us bring more to the harmony table and even harmonize melodies.
Days 1 and 2. Spread triads
Learn how to build clear-sounding chords on bass by spreading out triads across octaves using drop-2 voicings. Thanks to your intervallic knowledge, you’ll be ready to explore creating your own voicings and creating a bank of unique voicings.
Day 3. The integrity of the melody
Think chord melodies are only for guitarists and pianists? Think again! Alex will guide you through using top-down spread triads to harmonize melodies with chords.
Day 4. Roots of harmony
Guide tones are the secret to fluid chord transitions, especially in progressions like jazzy ii–V–I. You’ll explore how to subtly shift 7th chord shapes to voice lead and connect chords seamlessly.
Days 5 and 6. Chord voicings
You’ve reached a stage where you can play around with different melodies and chord voicings to find your unique sound. Alex will help you expand your chordal palette with some of his favorite major and minor chord voicings, as well as some dominant and more ambiguous chord voicings.
These lessons are meant to inspire you to use your new fretboard freedom to explore your creativity.
Day 7. Workout
For your final workout of the pathway, you’ll run through all the chords you learned and lock in their shapes.
Performance pieces
Choose a song to learn that takes what you worked on in Grade 6 and puts it in a musical context. Here, you'll get to jam with a live-recorded band of pro-LA musicians as your backing track.
Personalized feedback
Submit a video of yourself playing a performance piece from this grade for custom video feedback on your playing from our team of pro bassists.
Final quiz
Make sure you're ready to move on to new challenges.
FULL REFUND, NO QUESTIONS ASKED
If you don’t get better, we’ll give you your money back
We’re so confident that Pickup Music can help you make progress that we’re underwriting your membership with a 60-day satisfaction guarantee.
Your Instructor
Touring pro. Conservatory grad. Groove specialist. Alex will show you how to finally master your fretboard... one note at a time.
Explore LessonsWhat’s in every Pickup Music membership?
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1,000+ Lessons
All skill levels
Interactive TAB
Track your progress
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Limitless learning.
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Frequently Asked Questions
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⚡️ Getting started
Is Pickup Music right for me?
Are you a bass player who feels like you haven’t made progress in a few months… years… or even decades?
You’re probably stuck in what’s called the ‘intermediate plateau’. This is very common and can be very frustrating.
What’s the cause? Well, it’s pretty easy to learn the basics on bass.
But what then? Triads? Modes? Arpeggios? The phrygian scale?!
Without a clear plan and learning system you fall back to playing the same old lines over and over again. Or you bounce around free lessons online but nothing seems to stick. It’s a recipe for a lot of practice without much progress.
That’s where Pickup Music can help. We specialize in taking players stuck in a bass rut and turning them into advanced bassists.
We do this through Learning Pathways that take you on a step-by-step journey towards fretboard mastery. We give you a highly structured system that shows you exactly what to work on each week to make serious progress.
These Learning Pathways take the guesswork out of your practice routine. You are guided through a proven grade-by-grade system with daily lessons, play-along practice exercises and interactive workouts.
But it’s not all about theory. We apply everything you learn to real music. That’s why every grade of our Learning Pathways build up to performing a song with a live backing band. This simulates what it’s like to play a real gig, with real musicians. It’s the absolute best way to learn.
You also get 1:1 video feedback on your playing from our expert instructors and can attend weekly live lessons. This personal feedback makes Pickup Music the closest thing to taking in-person lessons, but at a fraction of the cost.
So does this method actually work? Will you see results in your playing?
The most common thing we hear from new members is that they’ve made more progress with Pickup Music in a few months than in years of teaching themselves. As one member recently told us, “I'm finally seeing progress for the first time in many years”.
Want to hear about other members’ experiences with us? Read our independent Trustpilot reviews.
Is Pickup Music worth the money?
Private bass lessons will cost you at least $50 per lesson or $2,600 a year.
Going to a music academy will cost you about $40,000 a year.
A Pickup Music membership will cost you just $180 for the whole year.
That works out to 50 cents a day!
But it’s not just about the money. It’s about not wasting your precious time. It’s about making actual progress on this beautiful instrument.
By following our proven Learning Pathway system, you can stop wasting your time and effort trying to guess what you should practice next. Our guided programs eliminate the guesswork so you know exactly what you need to focus on each day and week to make lasting progress with bass.
What makes Pickup Music better than other bass lesson sites?
Most online bass lesson sites are very good at teaching one-off styles and techniques. Or they get super famous bassists to record one-hour video lessons talking at length about their particular style and career.
The problem is that these approaches don't stick. They don’t help you to actually get better as a bassist. You can waste a lot of time bouncing around these types of unconnected, one-off lessons. It’s a recipe for a lot of practice without much progress.
Pickup Music takes a different approach. We give you a highly structured system that shows you exactly what to work on each week to make serious progress. We take you beyond the basics through a step-by-step journey towards fretboard mastery.
By following a Pickup Music Learning Pathway, you are getting the most guided way to learn bass. Over 6 grades, you are taken through daily lessons and practice exercises that carefully explain what’s going on behind the music.
Each grade then builds up to song performances that apply everything you’ve learned with a live backing band. These challenges - where we simulate what it’s like to play a real gig, with real musicians - is the absolute best way to learn.
The Learning Pathway method takes the guesswork out of your practice routine. Most bassists start to see a rapid acceleration in their progress in a matter of weeks.
You can also get 1:1 video feedback on your playing and weekly live lessons. This personal feedback makes Pickup Music the closest thing to taking in-person lessons, but at a fraction of the cost.
Want to hear about other members’ experiences with us? Read our independent Trustpilot reviews.
What exactly do I get from a Pickup Music membership?
When you become a Pickup Music member you get unlimited access to our huge library of lessons across both guitar and bass.
You get to enjoy amazing features that create a premium learning experience:
- day-by-day lessons
- 1:1 video feedback on your playing
- weekly live lessons
- progress tracking
- interactive TAB
- multiple HD camera angles
- play-along practice exercises
- downloadable course notes and diagrams
- quizzes to test your understanding
- jam tracks with the Pickup Music Live Band
- exclusive members-only forum, contests and giveaways.
How do the Learning Pathways work?
Learning Pathways are kind of our special sauce here at Pickup Music. They take all the guesswork out of what to practice.
You get day-by-day lessons, play along practice exercises with your instructor, interactive jams with the Pickup Music live band and you can submit videos of your playing for feedback from the Pickup Music team.
We designed this system so that you will know exactly what to practice every time you pick up the bass. This means that even if you only have time to practice with us once a week, you will still make great progress by following a Learning Pathways.
How often do I need to practice to see results?
Ideally you would practice about three times a week for 30 minutes at a time. But we know that life gets in the way sometimes! So here’s the good news: deliberate practice matters so much more than how often you practice.
After working with thousands of bassists, we’ve found that the most important thing is to know exactly what you’re going to practice before you pick up the bass. Even if you can only use Pickup Music a few times a month, you will still make really good progress if you stick to the step-by-step structure of our Learning Pathways.
Can I take the lessons at my own pace?
Everything on Pickup Music is designed to be taken at your own pace. There are no deadlines, so you can work at your own speed. You can stay on a topic until you really understand it before you move on.
While we divide our Learning Pathways into ‘days’ - this is a suggestion only. Some learners might take a few days in one sitting, while others will spend a few sessions on a single day. You can go at the pace that feels most comfortable to you.
How does the 1:1 video feedback work?
We want our members to get the closest thing possible to in-person lessons but at a fraction of the cost. That's why you can now get individual video feedback on your bass playing from our team of expert instructors.
Here's how it works:
- Choose a performance piece to learn at the end of each grade of a Learning Pathway.
- Upload a video of yourself playing the performance piece.
- An expert instructor from our team will review your playing and send you back a detailed video on what you're doing well and what you need to work on.
- Repeat for each grade of the Learning Pathway.
I'm brand new to bass. Is Pickup Music the right choice for me?
Absolutely! We make learning the bass fun and simple – the way it should be.
Too many people get frustrated with bass because they develop bad habits and poor technique. Avoid these costly and time-consuming mistakes by taking Pickup Music's structured and step-by-step approach to learning bass.
You'll start with Pickup Music's introductory program Beginner Learning Pathway. Over a few weeks, we break down everything from simple chords and melodies to rhythm and lead playing. By the end of the program, you'll be able to play any simple pop or rock song (and even write your own).
Most importantly, we make sure you don't get stuck in the beginner's plateau - a common pitfall for bassists who are just starting out. You'll keep making progress through Pickup Music's guided Learning Pathways. These programs are designed to quickly take you from a beginner player to an intermediate one who feels comfortable across the whole fretboard.
Is Pickup Music good for intermediate and advanced bassists?
Pickup Music is the best platform available for intermediate and advanced bassists. Our courses take you beyond the basics to advanced concepts like triads, arpeggios, modes and improvisation.
The biggest trap for intermediate players is bouncing around from lesson to lesson without a plan or structure to get to that next level. We are known for taking intermediate and advanced players who have hit a ceiling and busting through until they reach the next level.
Am I too old for bass lessons?
Many of Pickup Music’s members are in their 60s and 70s and have seen amazing success with our programs. Our platform is designed to be user-friendly for all ages and skill levels. And our supportive community is made up of bass learners of all ages, cheering each other on.
Do I get access to the guitar lessons as well?
Yes. You get unlimited access to all of our guitar and bass lessons under the one membership.
💳 Pricing and plans
How does the 14-day free trial work?
When you first sign up to a Pickup Music membership, you enter your credit card but it will not be charged for 14 days. That means that if you decide to cancel within 14 days of signing up, you won't pay anything.
And we send you a reminder before your trial is about to end so you don’t forget about it.
If you decide to cancel after that, you won't be charged at your next billing cycle. That means: if you’re a monthly member, you won’t be charged for the next month. If you’re an annual member, you won’t be charged for the next year.
How does the 60-day money back guarantee work?
In addition to the 14-day free trial, we offer a 60-day money back guarantee. If you’re not satisfied with your progress in the first 60 days of your membership, we will give you your money back - no questions asked.
Please note: The 60-day money-back guarantee does not apply to app purchases made via Apple.
Is it easy to cancel?
Canceling is easy. It’s just one click of a button on your account page.
You won't be charged anything if you cancel during your 14-day free trial. We also send you a reminder before your trial ends so you don’t accidentally forget about it.
If you cancel after your 14-day trial, you won't be billed again at your next billing cycle. Your membership will remain active until it expires on the day it was originally set to renew.
What’s the difference between the annual and monthly plan?
The only difference is the price. The monthly membership is $29.99 charged monthly and the annual membership is $179.99 charged once a year.
That means that if you select the annual plan you will pay 50% less and save $180 over a year compared to the monthly plan.
We'll also send you reminders before we bill you each year so that you don't accidentally forget about it.
We give such a big discount for annual members because it aligns with our long-term vision to inspire and support lifelong bass learning.
Can I buy lessons individually?
We don’t sell lessons individually. But the good news is you get access to every single lesson on Pickup Music through the one membership. If you’re only interested in one lesson, you could purchase a monthly membership and cancel when you’ve finished it – we have a hunch you’ll want to stick around though :)
How do I restart my membership?
It’s easy to rejoin Pickup Music and we’d be thrilled to have you back! We even saved all of your lessons for you while you were gone on your My Classes page.
To restart your membership, log in with the email address you used to sign up the first time around and then select the plan of your choice.
