Soloing Concepts for Bass — by Rufus Philpot
Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 Bundle
Welcome to the new video course!
Around 100 minutes in total length of intensive tuition material, and NO Music Notation reading required.
Please note:
I have split the new course into Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, and EACH of those volumes has two videos to download. This means the file sizes are more manageable to download.
Vol. 1: Part 1 & 2
Vol. 2: Parts 3 and 4
Plus you get the full 5-page worksheet (also available as a separate download) — and another PDF which details the topics contained in each volume — these are specific to the videos.
So in this bundle you will get a grand TOTAL of 4 video files and TWO PDFs!
Lots to woodshed. Around 100 minutes of intensive video tutorial material!!
Vol. 1
In Volume 1 I discuss analyzing a chord progression — such as the one found in Autumn Leaves — and then give you a breakdown of the various scales or modes I recommend trying over the chords presented here. The vocabulary I show you is exactly what great players like Mike Stern, Cannonball Adderley, and Jaco Pastorius used on the many classic recordings they have made.
Jaco — on Donna Lee for instance — used a great deal of half-whole diminished ideas over the V7 chords there… yet far too few bassists make use of this incredible sounding scale in their solos…
I also take you through WHY the HW Diminished scale is a better choice than say only using Mixolydian…
You’ll find discussions on choice modes from Harmonic Minor, Harmonic Major (in particular the 2nd mode, the Dorian ♭5), and of course (!) the Melodic Minor. I show you where I use the Locrian ♯2 and Altered Scale in particular.
In Part 2 of Volume 1 you’ll find examples of running through specific modes on the ii chord into modes on V chords using ideas derived from melodic minor and diminished harmony, depending on whether the ii-V progression is major or minor in quality…
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You will see there is often MORE than one option for playing over each chord type.
Next is a more advanced exercise using the ii-V-I in G minor (as per the Autumn Leaves chord progression example) — which will help develop your ability to connect from one mode/scale into the nearest available note in the next chord and scale.
I demonstrate various fingering options for these too — BUT please experiment and find as many workable fingerings as you can — this is something I spent many hours doing as a student.
Also I share my own personal thoughts on TRANSCRIBING solos. You will find some incredible solo recommendations in the 5-page PDF worksheet too.
I would say these videos are Intermediate in level, so practice slowly and refer to my YouTube channel for more on basic melodic minor mode explanations and fingerings etc.
Vol. 2: Interval Studies — 4th Sequences, Pentatonic Based Lines and More…
In Volume 2 I hone in on some very specific building blocks.
To create some contrast from stepwise scalar lines, a great resource can be using larger intervals — and 4ths in particular have a wonderful modern sound — especially when combined with full range low-to-high or high-to-low practice concepts…
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In this Vol. 2 I take a specific interval — the 4th — and work this through Dorian and Lydian modes.
Analysis of a line I use in the video — that G minor lick…
Next we look at applying interval sequences to a minor pentatonic — using both 4ths and a major 3rd.
This gives you a perfect foundation for then playing the great little lick I use over the G minor I chord (such as in Autumn Leaves).
I explain WHY this works and then show you the note I ADD from a different mode (the Dorian) to give this lick its VERY distinctive sound!
I demonstrate the 4th sequence idea also from root to root of the mode, but next up is a full range example — more challenging and specifically geared towards strengthening your knowledge of the fingerboard from the lowest to highest available note.
I also reveal my thought process on how and why I am shifting at specific points on the neck, and the concept behind this.
I also go through this with the Lydian mode — using 4ths…
Check out Stanley Clarke’s brilliant use of 4ths (and the Lydian mode) during his solo on his composition “Song to John Part 2” from his iconic Journey to Love record. Note: I actually break down a couple of ideas in his solo on my YouTube channel — give it a watch too!
I also look at interval sequences (using 4ths) over Dorian and Lydian.
Another variation — in the video — try moving from D minor into E♭ minor keeping those ascending or descending 4th sequences moving continuously…
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Bonus D minor Dorian based lick. Another very cool line for you to practice.
In Part 4 I also look at full range exercises using a specific mode and also a bonus lick — a D minor based sequential line using sequences of 4ths and a major 3rd — borrowing from both pentatonic and Dorian.
I play these at fast and slow tempos — so you can practice these by playing along with me.
This is around 100 minutes of video tutorial.
You will get the following files:
MP4 (2 GB)
MP4 (3 GB)
MP4 (2 GB)
MP4 (2 GB)
PDF (897 KB)
PDF (84 KB)

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