Pete Griffin
Presents

Rock Learning Pathway

Dive deep into the rhythms of rock.

Trailer
Sample
share
Try free for 14 days
Cancel anytime
Who it's for

Late beginner bassists

If you’re comfortable with simple grooves and the major scale, you’re ready to take this class.

Time

3 months

Pete will guide you through 6 grades of step-by-step instruction with daily practice plans and assessments.

Outcome

Rock-solid groove

This class will help you build driving basslines, lock down your timing, and play like rock icons across classic and modern styles.

Keep Going

Take the next step

Once you've mastered rock bass, keep progressing with advanced challenges and guided pathways.

What you'll learn

In this class, Pete breaks down the sound and feel behind iconic rock bass playing. You’ll learn how to drive any rock song with tasteful basslines and melodic playing across a range of styles.

  • Learn essential rock vocabulary
  • Strengthen your timing and feel
  • Dial in your tone
  • Decode the style of rock legends

Curriculum

Stay focused with this step-by-step learning program designed by our expert team of music educators.

How it works

Your guided learning pathway

In this 3-month Learning Pathway, Pete Griffin will guide you through building rock bass skills from the ground up. You’ll start by developing the sound and feel of classic rock, then learn how to create advanced basslines that add more rhythmic complexity to each song. From there, you’ll study iconic players, explore different corners of the genre, and finish with modern tools for even heavier songs.

Build Your Rock Foundation

In Grade 1, you’ll build the core skills that every rock bassist worth their salt needs in their back pocket.

You’ll focus on getting the right sound, holding down a steady pulse, and outlining the harmony. Plus, you'll learn how to use a pick to bring more edge to your playing.

Different Ways to Rock

Next, you’ll make your basslines feel more aggressive by learning how to use movement and tension to propel a song.

In this grade, you'll build connected lines to add movement to your playing, lock in with the guitar, and explore a grab bag of expressive techniques to expand your rock skillset.

Study the Greats

In Grade 3, you’ll step into rock history and study the bassists who defined the genre.

You’ll learn how legendary players built parts that served the song while still leaving a clear musical fingerprint.

From Paul McCartney to Cliff Burton, you’ll develop a much deeper understanding of rock bass history and the techniques behind these iconic players.

Grade 4. Next-Level Rock Techniques

Next, you’ll add more personality to your rock playing with expressive techniques. From slap and bending to 10th chords and pick galloping, these concepts will help you build heavier and more dynamic basslines without losing the groove.

Grade 5. Rock Subgenres

In Grade 5, you’ll explore how the bass role changes across different rock styles. You’ll learn how to adjust your sound and feel so you can support laid-back southern grooves, guitar-driven bands, and heavier songs with the right approach.

Grade 6. Modern Rock Toolkit

Finally, you’ll complete your rock journey with more advanced musical concepts to sound like a seasoned pro. You’ll learn how to handle shifting feels, unfamiliar meters, and alternate tunings while still making the song feel locked in.

3-Month Plan

Grade 1. Build Your Rock Foundation

In this opening grade, you’ll start your rock journey by learning how to nail the sound and feel of the genre. You’ll build the foundation every rock bassist needs: a strong tone, a reliable pulse, and the ability to support the band without overplaying.

‍Day 1. Let’s rock

Learn how to dial in a bright bass tone and shape your sound using just your plucking-hand attack.

Day 2. Learn the pulse of rock

Pete will show you how to drive the song with a steady 8th-note feel and hear how small rhythmic choices can change the energy of a groove.

Day 3. The 5th: a bassist’s best friend

Learn how to add more power to your basslines by using the 5th to support the chord without making things too harmonically muddy.

Day 4. Blues: the original rock form

Join Pete to trace rock back to its blues roots and learn how to play through a 12-bar form using a blues shuffle feel.

Day 5. The rock box and hammer-ons

In this lesson, you’ll learn the most useful movable shape to build rock basslines anywhere on the fretboard, then add hammer-ons to make your lines flow more naturally.

Day 6. Rad triads

You’ll learn how to outline the harmony by adding the 3rd to your root and 5th. You’ll learn two versatile ways to play triads over a track inspired by Queen’s Crazy Little Thing Called Love.

Day 7. Pick basics

Now, you’ll give those plucking fingers a break and reshape your tone using a pick. You’ll learn how to use alternate picking to play faster and more consistent lines.

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 professional L.A. 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. Different Ways to Rock

With your foundation built, it’s time to make your basslines feel and sound more like the rock records you love. You’ll learn how to slide into notes with purpose, propel chord changes with walking motion, and lock in with the guitar on riffs that make the band sound bigger.

Day 1. Rock grouping

To start off Grade 2, you’ll learn how to break out of plain quarter notes by using subdivision patterns that add more rhythmic complexity to your rock basslines.

Day 2. Expressive slides

You’ll learn how to make your basslines feel more vocal by sliding into notes with control.

Day 3. Minor pentatonic and blues scale

In this lesson, you’ll learn rock’s most familiar scale sound to start building lines that feel natural over guitar-driven songs.

Day 4. Rock walking

Pete will show you how to keep the groove and add more momentum to basslines with walking motion.

Day 5. 3/4

Now, you’ll get comfortable in a new time signature: 3/4. You’ll learn how this common time signature sounds different in a rock context.

Day 6. Unison riffs

You’ll learn how to lock in with the guitarist on key riffs to make the whole band sound tighter and heavier.

Day 7. Palm-muted picking

Pete will guide you through taming the tone of your pick by using palm muting. Learn the technique behind this awesome tone-shaping technique.

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 L.A. 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 3.

Grade 3. Study the Greats

With your essential rock skills dialed in, you’re ready to take a tour through the halls of the Rock Museum to learn from the most iconic rock bassists of all time. From Paul McCartney’s memorable melodies to Cliff Burton’s searing metal tone, you’ll learn the techniques and concepts behind the rock bass greats.

Day 1. Paul McCartney

You’ll learn how this Beatle held down the groove and outlined the harmony – all while laying down memorable, melodic basslines.

Day 2. John Paul Jones

In this lesson, you’ll learn how Jones created more sophisticated basslines that acted like lead parts. You’ll leave this lesson with a better understanding of how to subvert expectations and add more depth to a band’s sound.

Day 3. Geddy Lee

You’ll learn how to make bass the lead instrument by studying Geddy Lee’s fast lines and harmonically rich chordal arrangements.

Day 4. Sting

Now, you’ll add some reggae rhythm to your rock basslines with Sting. You’ll also learn how to switch between halftime and double time within a song to add movement and contrast.

Day 5. Flea

Pete will introduce you to the funkiest of all rock bassists: Flea. You’ll learn how to add more aggression to your plucking to match the grooving rhythm of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Day 6. Mike Dirnt

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to hold down the groove without simply doubling the guitar. You’ll create melodic basslines that add another layer to the song.

Day 7. Cliff Burton

Get into some iconic metal bass playing with Metallica's Cliff Burton. Pete will show you a sinister-sounding open E-string riff in the style of For Whom the Bell Tolls.

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 L.A. 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

These final grades are where your rock playing starts to open up. You’ll add techniques that give your basslines more attitude, learn how to fit different kinds of rock bands, and finish with modern concepts that prepare you for more complex songs.

Grade 4. Next-level Rock Techniques

Now that you’ve learned from the greats, it’s time to make your own parts sound more like you. In this grade, you’ll add the kind of detail that makes a bassline feel more alive: percussive attack, vocal-like expression, bigger harmony, and stronger dynamic shape.

Day 1. Slap

To kick off Grade 4, you’ll learn how to add even more percussion to your basslines by using slap technique. 

Day 2. Bends/vibrato

Take a page from the guitarist playbook by incorporating bends and vibrato into your lines to make notes feel more vocal and alive.

Day 3. Power chords on bass

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to tastefully use power chords in your playing to reinforce the harmony and support a rhythm guitarist.

Day 4. Riffing with the open string

Pete will show you how open strings can act as a rhythmic home base under your melodic lines. By combining this concept with hammer-ons and pull-offs, you can create faster, more melodic lines.

Day 5. Dynamics

Now, you’ll learn how to make your basslines more like great conversations by altering your volume and intensity to match the vibes of a song or section.

Day 6. 10th chords (double stop)

You’ll learn how to outline chords like a pro using this simple two-note shape. Pete will show you how to form chords on bass that leave sonic space for the rest of the band.

Day 7. Picking gallop

Finally, you’ll learn about a rhythmic technique using your pick that mimics the sound of a horse galloping. It’s common throughout rock and metal as a way to add momentum to a song and support guitar riffs.

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 L.A. 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. Rock Subgenres

In this grade, you’ll expand your rock vocab by exploring the many awesome subgenres of rock. From southern rock and funk to punk and metal, you’ll become a well-rounded bassist who can sit in with any rock band.

Day 1. Southern rock

In the first lesson of the grade, you’ll learn how to support the twangy guitar sound of southern rock by keeping the relaxed yet powerful groove grounded.

Day 2. Funk rock

Pete will guide you through locking in with the drums to combine the deep rhythmic focus of funk with the energy of rock.

Day 3. Hard rock

In this lesson, you’ll use driving 8th notes to support the huge guitar riffs common throughout hard rock.

Day 4. Grunge/alternative

Now, you’ll learn how ‘90s rock bassists used gritty tones and an aggressive playing style to create a moody musical atmosphere.

Day 5. Punk rock (pick)

Pete will help you build the stamina to power through simple yet energetic punk basslines. You’ll make the band sound even bigger using a unison line with the guitar.

Day 6. Rock ballad

In this lesson, you’ll tap into your more emotional rock side and learn how to use simplicity to guide the progression and story arc of the song.

Day 7. Classical metal

You’ll learn how to shape your tone to cut through the sound of a full metal band. Pete will show you how metal bassists follow the guitar closely to make the band sound bigger.

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 L.A. 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. Modern Rock Toolkit

In this final grade, you’ll inject some modern techniques and concepts into your rock playing. Whether you’re playing the classics or learning modern rock tunes, these techniques will help you become a rock master.

Day 1. Modes (Dorian, Mixolydian)

To start off Grade 6, you’ll outline common rock chords with more sophistication by learning the Mixolydian and Dorian modes.

Day 2. Metric modulation

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to stay consistent even when the feel of a song changes. You’ll lock in with the drummer’s subdivisions to guide the rest of the band through metric modulations.

Day 3. Syncopation

Now it’s your turn to alter the feel of the song by using different subdivision groupings in your basslines.

Day 4. 5/4

Pete will introduce you to your second odd meter of the class: 5/4. You'll immediately apply it musically with a track inspired by Led Zeppelin’s Four Sticks.

Day 5. Melodic basslines

In this lesson, you’ll step out into the spotlight and learn how to alternate seamlessly between rhythmic and melodic lines.

Day 6. 7/4

Time for your final odd meter: 7/4. After this lesson, you’ll be familiar with the most common odd time signatures. This will help you become a more adaptable bassist who can play even more classic rock and prog rock songs.  

Day 7. Alternate tunings (drop D)

You thought rock bass couldn't get more metal? Think again. By dropping your E string down to D, you unleash a new world of heavy melodic lines.

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 L.A. 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.

️ Hear from real students

People*really* like Pickup Music

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.

What’s in every Pickup Music membership?

Try free for 14 days

1,000+ Lessons

All skill levels

Interactive TAB

Track your progress

Daily practice plans

Live lessons every week

Frequently Asked Questions

Got a different question? Message us in the chat pop-up.

⚡️ 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.