Learn Ghost Notes in 7 Days
Bring your basslines to life.
Late beginner bassists
If you’re comfortable with basic grooves and want to step up your rhythm skills, this class is for you.
7 days
Patrick Phinney Taylor will guide you through 7 days of instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.
Groove with confidence
By the end of this challenge, you’ll have a pro-level toolkit of dynamic rhythm techniques to support the groove and keep the band locked in.
Take the next step
Once you've mastered this Challenge, keep learning with more challenges and guided Learning Pathways.
What you'll learn
This challenge will help you tighten up your timing, strengthen your fretting hand, and make your bass lines groove harder. Each day, Patrick will break down a key ghost note concept and show you how to apply it through guided exercises and playalong jams.
- Unlock the percussive side of bass
- Build finger strength and dexterity
- Learn to stay locked into the pocket
Curriculum
Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.
Your guided challenge
In this 7-day challenge, Patrick will teach you how to drive the groove using percussive ghost notes. You’ll leave this class with a sharper sense of timing and a deeper relationship to the drums.
What is a ghost note?
We’ll kick off the challenge by breaking down the technique behind ghost notes.
Patrick will introduce the concept of subdividing the beat and show you how to get ghost notes under your fingers. To get you making music right away, you’ll start applying fundamental technique over a modern pop groove.
The grid and the drums
Over the next two days, you’ll explore how to place your ghost notes with intention to accentuate the groove.
You’ll also work on thinking like a drummer by locking your notes in with different parts of the drum kit: hi-hats, snare, bass drum. This will help you keep the rest of the band feeling the rhythm of the song without losing the harmony.
Funk and Motown
In these lessons, you’ll learn how old-school and modern funk bassists use ghost notes to create syncopated basslines. You’ll apply ghost notes over two tracks inspired by Tower of Power and Vulfpeck.
Patrick will then show you how Motown bassists like James Jamerson weaved together ghost notes and melodies to craft some of the most iconic and memorable basslines of all time.
Ghost-note workout
We’ll close out the class with a workout that will challenge your stamina and timing. You’ll keep a steady, 16th-note beat going with ghost notes as you land each full note on the downbeat.
Performances
After your last lesson, you'll have a choice of three performance pieces where you can groove with a live-recorded band to apply what you learned in a purely musical context.
Day 1. What is a ghost note?
Get started with the fundamentals of ghost note technique to bring out the percussive side of your bass.
To kick off the class, Patrick will walk you through the mechanics of forming ghost notes to get a tight, punchy sound that exists between your fretted notes. You’ll also start adding syncopation to your basslines by subdividing the beat, either in your head or body.
Days 2-3. The grid and the drums
Now that you know how to create ghost notes, you’ll learn how to place them on and around the beat to fill out harmony with syncopated rhythms. These lessons will help you strengthen the sacred relationship between bass and drums.
Day 2. Lining up with the grid
The first step to learning where to place your ghost notes is visualizing time. That’s where the grid comes in handy.
We’ll take inspiration from the DAWs that producers use to create drumbeats, where time is broken up into small sections that align with the different parts of a drum kit. You’ll learn to think about time in the same way to land on the offbeats with your ghost notes.
Day 3. Playing with placement
With your newfound grid knowledge, you can start thinking like a drummer. Patrick will guide you through lining your ghost notes up with hi-hats, the kick, and the snare drum.
This technique will emphasize the groove and leave space for other instruments to take center stage while you and the drummer hold down the rhythm.
Days 4-6.
In these lessons, we’ll study how great bassists use ghost notes to create memorable basslines that bridge harmony, melody, and rhythm. You’ll leave with fresh inspiration for how to weave percussion into your lines in various genres.
Day 4. Old-school funk grooves
The original funk bassists used ghost notes to prove that funk lives between the notes. Bassists like Larry Graham, Bootsy Collins, and Rocco Prestia will be our guiding light as we craft tight, syncopated basslines that drive the groove and keep the band locked in time together.
Day 5. Modern funk feel
From Thundercat and MonoNeon to Pino Palladino, modern funk bassists continue to push the envelope for what the bass is capable of. There’s no better example of modern funk than Vulfpeck’s Joe Dart, who prioritizes the groove over flashy lines.
Using a track inspired by Vulfpeck’s “It Gets Funkier II,” you’ll apply all of the skills we’ve worked on in this class so far to bring funk into the modern age.
Day 6. Motown melodies
Travel back to the early days of electric bass when Motown Records was shaping the sound of R&B and soul. Part of the magic of Motown was the melodic basslines crafted by legends like Bob Babbitt and Carol Kaye.
Our inspiration for today comes from perhaps the most influential bassist of all time: James Jamerson, who masterfully balanced melody and rhythm using ghost notes to support groups like the Jackson 5.
Day 7. Ghost-note workout
You’ve already put in the hard work learning how and where to place ghost notes in a number of groovy genres. You’ll put it all together in a fun and engaging workout that will test your rhythm skills.
Day 7.
You’ve made it to the final day of the class. It’s time to hit the Tone Gym and put your skills to the test. You’ll maintain a steady 16th-note beat and land a full note on each downbeat. This workout will turn you into a rhythm master.
Performances
With your ghost-note toolkit filled, you’ll apply all your new skills over three soulful and funkalicious original tracks. We’ll return to our tracks inspired by the Jackson 5 and Tower of Power, as well as a Patrick Phinney Taylor original inspired by Jeff Buckley’s “Everybody Here Wants You.”
You’ll work on lining up with the drums and adding articulations like hammer-ons and slides to your lines.
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
Patrick is a versatile session and touring bassist who’s here to help you improve your groove and lock into the pocket.
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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.
