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.
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
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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⚡️ 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.
