Exercises

Longer workouts — but every block shows the notes in TAB and has a Play example. Warm up with Drills if your hands are cold.

TAB is G D A E (top→bottom). x = ghost. Press Play, match it, then continue for the suggested minutes.
Ready

1 · Warm-up set (~5 minutes)

A · Open-string i–m (all strings)

Your job: Play eighths up E→A→D→G and back down. Strict i–m. Mute idle strings.

G|----------------0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0--|----------------|
D|--------0-0-0-0------------------|-0-0-0-0--------|
A|-0-0-0-0-------------------------|---------0-0-0-0|
E|---------------------------------|----------------|  (Play loops a full cycle)

B · Chromatic 1–2–3–4 on E and A

Your job: Finger-per-fret on E frets 1–4, then A frets 1–4, then reverse. Mute the other strings.

G|--------------------------------|
D|--------------------------------|
A|----------------1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1-|
E|-1-2-3-4-4-3-2-1----------------|

C · Quiet whole-note root

Your job: Soft open E for one bar, full mute silence for one bar. Breathe. Then start the main workout.

G|----------|----------|
D|----------|----------|
A|----------|----------|
E|-0~~~~~~~~|-(mute)---|

2 · Shape-tour workout (~30 minutes)

Step 1 · Position I then V chromatics (~5 min)

Your job: Play Pos I with the track for ~2–3 min, then switch to Pos V Play. Even i–m. Finger 1 owns the cage start.

Pos I (frets 1–4)              Pos V (frets 5–8)
G|-1-2-3-4-…                   G|-5-6-7-8-…
D|---------1-2-3-4-…           D|---------5-6-7-8-…
(Play walks all four strings)

Step 2 · Am pent boxes 1 → 2 → 3 (~8 min)

Your job: One clean ascent + descent per box. Do not raise BPM for vanity. Press each Play in order.

Box 1 (start E fret 5)
G|----------5-7-8-|-8-7-5-----------|
D|------5-7-------|-------7-5-------|
A|--5-7-----------|-----------7-5---|
E|-5--------------|--------------8-5|

Step 3 · G major doors (~7 min)

Your job: Ascend/descend door A, then door B. Then connect A→B once each direction with the Connect Play.

Door A · G major (root E fret 3)
G|--------------0-2-|-2-0--------------|
D|----------0-2-----|-----2-0----------|
A|------0-2-3-------|-------3-2-0------|
E|-3----------------|-------------3----|

Step 4 · Root–fifth under a 4-chord loop (~5 min)

Your job: Chart G · Em · C · D — one bar each. Play only wholes: root on beat 1 of each bar (hold). No fancy rhythm yet.

G|----------|----------|----------|----------|
D|----------|----------|----------|----------|
A|----------|----------|-3~~~~~~~~|-5~~~~~~~~|
E|-3~~~~~~~~|-0~~~~~~~~|----------|----------|
   G          Em         C          D

Step 5 · Artifact (~5 min)

Your job: Record yourself: one Am pent box pass + one pass of the G–Em–C–D wholes. Keep the take even — not fast.

Use Play box 1 and Play chart above as reference, then Click-only from the Practice gym if you want a click with no bass.

3 · Position workout (~20 minutes)

A · Position V chromatic 8ths (~4 min)

Your job: Stay in frets 5–8. Match the walk. Cage does not slide.

B · Only Am pent notes inside Position V (~4 min)

Your job: In frets 5–8, play only notes that belong to A minor pent (same as box 1 neighbourhood). Play hears the legal notes as a walk — match that set.

Legal in this cage (A minor pent): E5 E8 · A5 A7 · D5 D7 · G5 G7 G8
G|-5-7-8-----------------8-7-5-|
D|-----5-7-----------7-5-------|
A|---------5-7---7-5-----------|
E|-------------5-8-------------|

C · Shift V ↔ VII (~4 min)

Your job: Two bars on E fret 5 (quarters), shift, two bars on E fret 7, back. Mute during the shift — no open-string squeal.

G|----------------|-----------------|
D|----------------|-----------------|
A|----------------|-----------------|
E|-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5|-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7-|  then back to 5

D · 2-bar phrase in Position V (~4 min)

Your job: Learn this seed phrase (stays in 5–8). Then invent your own 2-bar phrase that never leaves the cage.

G|----------5-7-|
D|------5-7-----|
A|--5-7---------|
E|-5------------|  ×2 then mute a bar

E · Cool-down wholes + silence (~4 min)

Your job: Soft root, then silence. Same as warm-up close.

4 · Gallop workout (~25 minutes)

Detail lab: Gallop. Climb BPM only when every short note is clean.

A · Clap + open-E cells (~5 min)

Your job: First clap long-short-short with Clicks only. Then Play open-E and match on the bass.

G|---------------------|
D|---------------------|
A|---------------------|
E|-0-00-0-00-0-00-0-00-|  long · short · short each beat

B · Fretted roots + mute (~5 min)

Your job: Same gallop cell on E fret 3 (G). Mute hard between cells so shorts stay short.

G|---------------------|
D|---------------------|
A|---------------------|
E|-3-33-3-33-3-33-3-33-|

C · Drone on / drone off (~5 min)

Your job: Bars 1–2: gallop on E3. Bars 3–4: only click (you rest / mute). Feel the restart without rushing.

Gallop                 Rest (mute — clicks only)
E|-3-33-3-33-3-33-3-33-|-(silence 2 bars)-|

D · Root–fifth call / response (~5 min)

Your job: This is a conversation. Call = gallop on the root (E string fret 3). Response = two quarter-note fifths (A string fret 5). Play the whole thing with the track: call bar, answer bar, repeat. Do not play fifths during the call.

CALL (you + track)              RESPONSE (you + track)
G|--------------------|         G|----------------|
D|--------------------|         D|----------------|
A|--------------------|         A|-5-------5------|
E|-3-33-3-33-3-33-3-33-|         E|----------------|
   gallop on G root               fifth · fifth

E · Stamina rounds (~5 min)

Your job: 4 bars open-E gallop, 1 bar silence, repeat. Quality over heroics — stop if form collapses.

E|-0-00-…| ×4 bars  then 1 bar mute  then again

5 · Lead workout (~25 minutes)

Lab: Lead bass.

A · Am pent sequences (~5 min)

Your job: Ascend/descend box 1. Land on A. Even fingering.

B · Phrase writing (~5 min)

Your job: Sing a 2-bar rhythm first. Then play this seed and replace it with your sung rhythm using only Am pent notes.

G|----------5---|
D|------5-7-----|
A|--5-7---------|
E|-5------------|

C · Double-stop rolls (~5 min)

Your job: Roll root→fifth on G shape (E3 then A5) as even 8ths. Mute everything else.

G|----------------|
D|----------------|
A|---5---5---5---5|
E|-3---3---3---3--|

D · Harmonics + answers (~5 min)

Your job: Track plays guide pitches at frets 12 / 7 / 5. On your bass use harmonic touch. Answer each with a fretted A (E5).

Guide harmonic     Your answer
E|-12------|       E|-5--------|
E|-7-------|       E|-5--------|
E|-5-------|       E|-5--------|

E · Record an 8-bar etude (~5 min)

Your job: 4 bars pocket root–fifth on G + 4 bars Am pent fill. Play hears a model — then record your own.

Groove (×4)              Fill (×4)
A|-5-5-5-5-|             G|------5-7-|
E|-3-3-3-3-|             …box 1 fragment

6 · Core extras (pick into any day)

String-crossing E–A

Your job: Open E ↔ A eighths. Keep i–m through the jump.

G|----------------|
D|----------------|
A|---0---0---0---0|
E|-0---0---0---0--|

Slap seed @ ~80

Your job: Bar 1 slap quarters on open E. Bar 2: slap on 1, ghosts, pop on open A (guide). Real technique: Slap.

A|----------------|    A|--------------0-|
E|-0---0---0---0--|    E|-0-x-x-x-x-x----|

Groove → lead fill → groove (8 bars)

Your job: 2 bars R–5 on G, 1 bar Am fill, 2 bars R–5, etc. Match the model.

Weekly rotation

  • Mon — warm-up + mute/ghost from Drills
  • Tue — shape-tour or position workout (this page)
  • Wed — gallop workout
  • Thu — Play along / Write grooves
  • Fri — lead workout
  • Sat — slap + walking or repertoire
  • Sun — light review or rest

40-minute template

  1. 5 min warm-up (section 1 Plays).
  2. 25 min one main workout (gallop or lead — not both).
  3. 5 min opposite cool-down (soft roots or harmonics).
  4. 5 min write/record the artifact.

Hard stop

  • Sharp pain → end the session.
  • Ugly takes filling the clock do not count — bank clean reps only.
  • End with one soft root + commanded silence.

Next

Dictionary · Drills · Practice gym · Shapes · Play along

Text twin: exercises.md