The 12 Best Websites for Online Bass Lessons!

Last updated on April 11th, 2021 at 07:36 pm

While you could certainly learn to play the bass all on your own, it’s way better to learn from someone who has years of experience in the craft.

Sure, you could go to regular lessons with a teacher, and while I think that in-person lessons are probably the best way of learning, online bass lessons are definitely growing in popularity.

In this post I’m going to list the 12 best websites where you can access online bass lessons either for free, by paying for individual courses, or via a monthly/yearly subscription, as well as give you my opinion on why online lessons are so great.

Let’s get straight into it!

The best websites to learn to play the Bass are:

Talking Bass (Free up to $130)

The creator of this site, and teacher as well, is Mark J Smith, who is a professional Bass player from the UK who has been working all over the world as a bassist over the past 25 years.

He runs one of the most successful Bass-related YouTube channels, where you will have access to free lessons about chords, techniques, how to play certain songs, and more.

Aside from his YouTube channel, he also offers quite the number of free lessons on his website, covering all the basics that a beginner could need, as well as lessons about music theory, the slap technique, walking basslines, improv, rhythm, ear training, and much more.

Additionally, you can sign up for the free membership which will give you access to a couple different short courses, such as; The Essential Bass Riffs, Essential Slap Riffs, R.A.I.S.E. Your Bass Game, as well as free e-books, and more.

However, there are still some premium courses available for purchase that you will have to buy individually, since there is no monthly membership available that gives you access to all of them.

As far as the price goes, these courses go from $24.99 up to $130.

Lastly, Talking Bass is mostly aimed at beginners; If you are an advanced player looking to improve specific skills, I don’t think that you will get that much out of the courses.

However, he teaches some pretty complicated songs on his YouTube channel, like Tommy the Cat by Primus.

So, even if you don’t feel that the courses can teach you something, his YouTube channel probably will.

Website: Talking Bass.

Scott’s Bass Lessons (Free up to $124)

Created by Scott Devine, Scott’s Bass Lessons is a website that not only caters to beginners, like most sites do, but to intermediate- and advanced players as well.

Scott also runs a hugely popular YouTube channel where you’ll have access to free lessons and free information related to the bass guitar.

Now, as far as free lessons go, there are a couple you can get by signing up to his email newsletter, and you will learn about how to play walking bass lines, how to play the different modes, and more.

However, it’s in the premium courses where this website really offers a lot of value, since there are many available for beginners, intermediates, and even advanced players.

In order to access these courses you will have to sign up to the free trial, which you can find here.

As far as pricing goes, you can sign up to the monthly membership which costs $29/mo., or to the yearly membership which costs $124 per year.

Additionally, with the membership you will also gain access to various seminars hosted by different instructors, and these seminars are held once a week.

All in all, a great online resource!

Website: Scott’s Bass Lessons.

Fender Play ($9.99 and $89.99)

Of course, we all know Fender, but what you may not know in that they also offer lessons for Guitar, Bass, and Ukulele on their website.

Not only that, but they have apps both for iOS and Android devices, meaning that you can access all these lessons no matter where you are, and they even give you a 14-day free trial, which you can find here.

Now, the information on Fender Play about learning to play the Bass is definitely geared towards absolute beginners, since they cover all the basics, as well as some theory, riffs, and provide you with a couple exercises to practice.

You will learn to play well-known songs like “I Feel Good” by James Brown, and you can even play along to some included backing tracks.

Now, if you’re an intermediate-, or even advanced player, then I would recommend you join some other program, like the next one on this list.

But if you’re a beginner, then definitely give it a shot, especially considering that you can sign up for the 14-day free trial and complete most of the courses in that time.

They do have a YouTube channel with some videos related to the bass guitar; however, most of them are guitar related.

As far as pricing goes, the monthly membership will set you back $9.99/mo., and the yearly plan will cost $89.99.

And last but not least, signing up to Fender Play will give you a 10% discount on Guitars, Basses, Amps, and other gear.

Website: Fender Play.

JamPlay ($19.95 up to $159.95)

I already mentioned JamPlay in another post I wrote about the best websites that teach you how to play guitar (link to that post), since it’s an excellent resource for that.

However, not only can you learn to play the guitar at JamPlay, but also bass, and you will be able to learn from extremely well-known bass players such as Billy Sheehan from Mr. Big, David Ellefson from Megadeth, and more.

As far as the lessons themselves go, they are structured in such a way that makes learning easy, starting with the absolute basics and then moving on to more complex concepts, culminating in some artist exclusive lessons where they will teach you their own techniques and styles.

These lessons are filmed in a very professional way, providing many different angles for you to see what is going on, making them easier to follow.

Additionally, tabs and standard notation sheets for every lesson are also included, and you can even adjust the playback speed of the video to better suit your needs.

As far as pricing goes, you can sign up to the monthly membership for $19.95, the quarterly membership for $49.95, or the yearly membership for $159.95.

Now, you can get a 14-day free trial when signing up to the Guitar Subscription, and this is something I wasn’t able to find for the Bass courses; However, if you sign up to the guitar trial, you can email them and they will add the Bass courses to your trial.

All of the courses can be accessed through the Mobile App as well, but once the trial is over you will require separate subscriptions for the Guitar and Bass courses.

Once you sign up, in addition to the lessons you will also gain access to a huge catalog of backing tracks that you can use to jam along, as well as chord- and scale libraries, and even some educational tools and games.

Lastly, JamPlay also has a YouTube channel that you can use to get access to some additional free resources; however, it’s mostly aimed at guitar, but there is still quite a lot of information available regarding the bass guitar.

Website: JamPlay.

Study Bass (Free up to $12)

Study Bass is probably the best online resource for learning to play the bass, at least as far as free lessons go.

Most of the content on this site is completely free, and even if you want to gain access to some of the premium Study Packs, these are still extremely affordable, ranging from $5 to $12.

However, you can also sign up to the monthly membership for $10/mo. and gain access to all these packs and more!

The way the lessons are laid out is very methodical and based on the countless years of experience Andrew Pouska, the teacher and owner of this site, has, since he found out from teaching thousands of students that structure and order play a hugely important role in how you improve.

“When” you learn something is just as important as “what” you’re learning, and this is why he created a plan and isn’t just teaching you random concepts whenever he wants.

As far as free lessons go, there are over 150 of them, which is way more than any other site offers!

On this site you will also find valuable information mostly aimed at beginners, such as How to tune the bass, changing the strings, which bass to buy, and more.

Not only that, but there are even some free tools available, like a metronome, a fretboard printer, and more.

Additionally, Andrew Pouska also runs the Study Bass YouTube Channel which, at the time of writing this post, features 198 videos all about different techniques and other lessons that you might find useful.

I have to say, Study Bass is a pretty damn good website, especially if you need free lessons!

Website: Study Bass.

Bass Lessons (Free up to $65)

BassLessons.tv, just like the previous website on this list, offers bass lessons for free, since all the resources provided here are completely free of charge.

Here you will find lessons about almost anything bass related, such as beginners guides that cover “how to lock in with a drummer”, “Chromatic scales”, “Cycles of Major- and Minor 3rds”, etc.

Additionally, there are free lessons about the electric bass, the fretless bass, improvisation, scales, songs, how to record the bass, music theory, general music production information, and much more.

Now, one con that has to be addressed about this site is that once you click on any of these lessons, you actually need to scroll down quite a bit to get to the actual lesson since at the top of each page you are prompted to join the mailing list to get a free download.

But other than that, it’s a pretty good site, especially for beginners.

Now, you can request a one-on-one lesson over Skype with Joseph Patrick Moore, the teacher on this site, which will cost you $40 for 30 min and $65 for an hour.

Lastly, you can also learn a couple basic things from the YouTube channel, which you can find here.

Website: Bass Lessons.

ArtistWorks ($105 up to $279)

I mention ArtistWorks in many of my other posts about learning how to play musical instruments for the simple fact that you can learn an astounding amount of them there;

From Guitar, Bass, Piano, etc., all the way to the Saxophone, Harmonica, Mandolin, and more.

Here you will be able to access separate courses taught by various well-known bassists such as; Nathan East, who played with Eric Clapton, John Patitucci and Missy Raines.

Each of these instructors teaches a different style of music, so keep that in mind when choosing the course.

Note: All of the courses provided on this site are for all levels of playing; so, no matter if you’re a beginner, intermediate, or advanced, you’ll probably have something new to learn from every course they offer.

Now, as far as the price goes, you can pay for the three-month access, which costs $105, the six-month access, which costs $179, or the one-year access for $279.

Sadly, one would assume that this subscription would give you access to all the courses available on the site, like the piano courses, for example, but no… You purchase course-specific subscriptions.

However, there’s one feature that sets ArtistWorks apart from most other online music teaching sites, which is being able to submit videos to the teacher to get personalized feedback.

This means that even if it’s an online course, you’ll still get that one-on-one interaction with the teacher.

Lastly, ArtistWorks also has a YouTube channel where you’ll have access to a couple free lessons.

Website: ArtistWorks.

Udemy ($19.99 up to $49.99)

Udemy isn’t just a great website to learn to play the Bass, but actually to learn anything you want, such as; other musical instruments, marketing, programming, and more.

The difference between Udemy and the other sites on this list is that it features different courses made by different people who upload them to Udemy, which means that you’ll have a ton of variety to choose from, both in the teachers and the style of music.

What this means for you is that no matter what level you’re at, you’ll probably find a course that fits your needs, since there are dozens for beginners, intermediates, and advanced players.

Sadly, you have to purchase individual courses instead of paying for a monthly membership that gives you full access to all the lessons, but they are quite affordable and you can even preview them to see what they are all about.

Here are some of the top courses:

• The Professional Bass Masterclass (All Levels)
• Bass Lessons for Beginners
• Pentatonic Crash Course for Bass Guitar (Intermediate)

All of these courses vary in length and price, and I recommend that you read through all of the available ones to really find the one that suits your needs.

Lastly, if you end up not finding the course that you enroll in useful, you can always take advantage of the 30-day money back guarantee.

BassBuzz (Free up to $247)

Founded by Josh Fossgreen, who is also one of the teachers on the site, BassBuzz caters mostly to beginners who want to learn how to properly get started in the world of bass guitar.

On this website you will be able to find one of the best courses for beginners called “Beginner to Badass”, that covers everything a beginner should know, like the proper technique, rhythm training, music theory, improv & jamming, and more.

Not only that, but you will learn to play the bass by learning actual songs that you know and love, making the whole process very enjoyable.

The lessons are short and to the point and are taught in such a way that you can play along with your teacher in order to avoid developing bad habits.

Now, as far as pricing goes, you can get the Online- or DVD versions, and these have different price tags;

The online version of the course will set you back $39.97/mo., but you will only need to pay for five months and then you’ll have unlimited access, or you can opt to pay $197 once.

The DVD version will cost you $49.97/mo., again, just for five months and then you will have full access forever, or $247 once.

As far as free content goes, BassBuzz also features a couple lessons that anyone can access, such as; Beginners Bass Basics, lessons about power chords, blues grooves, and proper right hand technique.

However, if you want more free content then make sure to check out BassBuzz’s YouTube channel, which covers everything from proper fingering, technique, etc., to why certain artists are so good, and more.

Website: BassBuzz.

Online Bass Courses (Free)

Online Bass Courses was created by Dan Hawkins, who is a full-time bass player that decided to create this site to provide free resources to aspiring bassists all over the world.

Here you will find quite the number of free lessons that cover everything a that beginner who is just starting out should know, like; Technique, Theory, Bass Lines, Reading, Fretboard Knowledge, Groove & Timing, and the Mindset that you should have.

There are also some gear recommendations and tips, which should help you decide what bass, pedals, etc. to get, since there are definitely too many to choose from.

Additionally, there are a couple more free lessons about the different modes and how to use them, chord theory, etc.

Now, you can sign up to his email campaign and get a 7-day course plus an e-book for free, and after that you will receive additional emails with more free resources over time.

In the “Free Tools” section you will find; all the free courses as well as backing tracks, song transcriptions, lessons about arpeggios, intervals, scales, and a lot more.

Lastly, Dan Hawkins also runs a YouTube channel where he provides valuable bass-related information, like how to write basslines, improvising with the different modes, and more… So, check it out!

Even though all the information on this site is available for free, you can donate a small amount of money to help him with providing all this information for free without needing to charge anything.

Online Bass Courses is definitely a great free resource for beginners and I absolutely recommend it.

Website: Online Bass Courses.

Daric Bennet’s Bass Lessons (Free up to $99)

What I like about Daric Bennet’s site is that the free lessons are actually labeled between “Beginner”, “Intermediate”, and “Advanced”, making it a bit easier to find what you’re looking for, especially because the list is quite long.

Here you will have access to information about the basics of the fretboard, the minor pentatonic, arpeggios, diatonic intervals, right hand technique, and more, and all of these lessons are in video format, which is a good thing!

For more lessons, you can always join his email campaign and receive more free content that way.

Daric Bennet also runs a YouTube channel, where he uploads many free lessons regarding exercises, licks of different music styles, and more.

Now, he also offers premium access to all the courses on his site, since in most of the free lessons you only get half the information that the lesson is actually about.

In addition to this, there are “premium only” lessons, and he releases one of them at least once a week.

A couple other benefits of signing up to the membership is that you are able to comment on the lessons to ask questions, etc. and he can give you feedback, and you get access to the forum and also to a messaging system.

As far as pricing goes, you can pay monthly, every three- or six months, or yearly, and each of those memberships will cost you $9.99/mo., $28.99, $54.99 and $99.99 respectively.

Lastly, no matter what plan you choose, you’ll have access to a 3-day trial.

Website: Daric Bennet.

LessonFace ($30 up to $100)

LessonFace is completely different from all the sites I listed so far because it’s not just one teacher offering courses or memberships, but rather a service where you can book one-on-one lessons with the teacher of your choice.

The price on these lessons varies depending on the teacher and the length of the lesson itself, but they range from $30 to $60 for every 30 minutes.

The great thing about this method is that, since there are so many different teachers-, not only will you find lessons suitable to your level, but also the style of music that you want to learn.

Additionally, sometimes there are online group classes/workshops available that you can attend as well.

Lastly, depending on how many lessons you book, a 5% or 10% discount will be applied.

If you’re looking for a more regular one-on-one lesson style, then LessonFace will surely fit your needs.

Website: LessonFace.

Why Learn Bass Online?

Traditionally, music-, or any instrument for that matter, has always been taught by private instructors or in music schools.

However, thanks to the internet we can now learn from the comfort of our own home without the need of getting into the car and driving an hour to a class.

This is one of the benefits of online lessons, but the major pro I can think of about joining an online course, or signing up for a membership on a site like JamPlay, is the price:

Most private lessons cost more per lessons than one month with any of these online services, and this is something that can’t be ignored.

Plus, you can always re-visit a particular lesson if one of the concepts didn’t sink in, and if you’re really looking for that one-on-one interaction with the teacher, some of these sites even offer these kinds of lessons over skype.

Which one should you go for?

Well, this will depend on your level and on your budget:

As far as free lessons go, I’d recommend Online Bass Courses and Study Bass.

If you’re an Intermediate or Advanced player then you should probably go with JamPlay and ArtistWorks.

If you’re a beginner who is jut starting out, then any of these sites will fit your needs!

Conclusion

I love Online courses, I joined the GuitarTricks site a while back and also completed many courses on Coursera and Udemy, and I have to say that the online teaching methodology is something I really enjoy, mostly because I can move at my own pace.

If you are also interested in music production, then definitely check out this other post I wrote about the best online music production courses.

Have a wonderful day!