Theory
Congratulations. Today is graduation day. Think back to your very first day four weeks ago — even sounding one open string cleanly was a stretch. And now you make a sound with two-finger technique, hush the noise with muting, lay the root onto the drum's kick, and on top of that add the fifth and the octave. Isn't it amazing that all of this came into your hands in just four weeks? The goal isn't to play well, it's to keep going to the end without stopping.
Today's finished song is an R–5–8 bassline. The progression is E–C–G–D, cycling one chord per bar, and the pattern is root→fifth→octave→fifth every bar, bouncing the octave box. This progression is the same as the beginner electric graduation song, so you can jam with your guitar-playing friend right away. Just memorize the order the chords cycle in, and your hand already knows the rest.
The last mission is recording. Record the finished song once from start to finish, and play today's you to the you of four weeks ago. It doesn't have to be perfect — if you went all the way through without stopping, that's already a fine graduation piece. Listen again a few months from now and you'll see how precious today's recording is.
Don't rush — connect the four bars as one flow at BPM 80. The fingering is identical on a 4- or 5-string, and on a 5-string you keep the low B asleep with your thumb. Your hand has probably grown so much that the four bars will feel short. So, shall we put four weeks of growth into one song?
See it
Before you head into the finished song, slowly rehearse the octave box at the four chord spots. Fret the root and octave half a bar each per chord to settle the trickiest part, the string-skip, into your hand first. Each example is laid out in both a 4-string and a 5-string version.
Rehearsal — the octave box at four spots. The root and octave of E→C→G→D, half a bar each per chord. Take the changing forms slowly, and land on the final green D octave.
▶ BPM 70, 4-string. Root→octave of the four chords, half a bar each. Slow until the string-skip is smooth, landing on the final green D octave.
▶ BPM 70, 5-string. The fingering is identical to the 4-string. Cover the low B with your thumb to keep it asleep.
Now here's this month's finished song. Every bar, root→fifth→octave→fifth, rolling E–C–G–D from start to finish with a bounce.
▶ BPM 80, 4-string. Every bar, root→fifth→octave→fifth (octave-box bounce). E→C→G→D. When you skip a string, keep the unplayed string asleep for zero smear.
▶ BPM 80, 5-string. The notes and positions are identical to the 4-string. There's also an option (optional) to sound the D root an octave lower with the low B (5th string, 3rd fret) for extra weight.
Today's practice
0–7 min · Warm-up Loosen up the last three weeks' root, muting, and kick-locking, plus yesterday's four-chord navigation, at BPM 60–70. Check whether your hand remembers the four spots.
7–17 min · Today's skill Repeat the rehearsal (the octave box at four spots) at BPM 70. Watch whether the string-skip is smooth across the four chords and whether the octave is clear.
17–27 min · Applying it (this month's finished song) Play the R–5–8 finished song from start to finish at BPM 70 → when the four bars connect unbroken, raise it to the target BPM 80 and run the whole thing. Both 4- and 5-string, as one flow.
27–30 min · Check Record the whole finished song once at the target BPM. With the feeling of playing it to the you of your first day four weeks ago.
Done when: you can play the R–5–8 bassline song (E–C–G–D) two-finger from start to finish without stopping, and record it at BPM 80 on both a 4- and 5-string. (1-month graduation piece!)
- Beat lag at the change. Hesitate as the bar changes and the song breaks. Settle the changing spots into your hand in advance with the rehearsal.
- Chasing perfection first. Today the goal isn't a flawless take. Going all the way through without stopping is already a graduation piece.
- Skipping the recording. Recording isn't embarrassing, it's proof of growth. Leave just one behind and it becomes a big gift later.
- Getting careless with the low B (5-string). Keep the B covered with your thumb throughout the song. Focus on the song and drop the B, and the low end leaks.
## Graduation — four weeks of growth, and the next journey
Looking back, you've gained a lot in four weeks. The table below lays out this track's target BPMs. Write the BPM you actually reached in the next column, and when the next track ends you'll get to measure your growth once more.
| Week | Finished piece | Target BPM | My BPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | First sound — two-hand E·A root pulse | 65 | |
| Week 2 | Muted two-note root line (E-G-A-E) | 70 | |
| Week 3 | 8-beat root line (2 chords) | 75 | |
| Week 4 | R-5-8 finished song (E-C-G-D) | 80 |
Where to next? Today's finished song isn't the end, it's the start. Three paths await you.
- If you liked a bouncier rhythm → the Shuffle & Bounce track. Add spring to your line with the lilting rhythm of swing.
- If the groove at your fingertips thrilled you → the Slap/Funk track. Build a groove that moves your body on its own with thumb slaps and pops.
- If you want to connect more notes → the Walking Bass track. Learn the lines of jazz, walking from root to root through connecting notes.
Whichever path, it starts from this hand today. Wonderful work over these four weeks — you are a person who plays bass now.