Today 10, 20 or 30 minutes

A plan for the step of the book you are on. Pick the step, pick how long you have, and play down the column. Every row links to the drill or lesson card it means. Keep the same plan for a week before you change it.

1 · Start here 2 · Neck and names 3 · Playing styles

How a session runs: wake the hands first, spend the most time on the one thing the step is about, and end on music. Metronome on throughout — the practice bar below keeps it. If the 10-minute column is all you have, it is enough; done every day it beats an hour on Sunday.
Sources: Hal Leonard Bass Method Book 1 (short daily sessions: warm-up, new material, review, a song) · Berklee practice guidance (one focus per session, metronome throughout).

1 · Start here

An even pulse, clean crossing, ghosts that stay dead, then a song. Most of the time goes on holding the line under a chart without stopping.

Block10 min20 min30 min
Wake-up · open eighthsstrict i–m on the root string233
String crossingE ↔ A, keep i–m through the jump234
Root + ghostspitched on the beat, dead on the &345
Strict alternationnever the same finger twice334
Play alongroots only, then root–fifth—58
Left-hand mutesilence on command—23
Closeoutone soft root, one bar of silence——3

Move on when you can hold root–fifth through a Play along chart without stopping, and every ghost stays dead.

2 · Neck and names

Positions, shapes and names. Say the root out loud as you land on it — every day this week.

Block10 min20 min30 min
Wake-up · chromaticfinger per fret from fret 5223
Position cagesPosition I, then V — one finger per fret344
Root–fifth tourfrets 0, 3, 5, 7 — say each root345
Major scaleone octave, name the notes234
Readingone line of bass TAB with its rhythm—45
R–5–8–5 through a chartthe chart from the options—35
Two octavesone shift, no stretch——4

Move on when you can name any note on the E and A strings to fret 12, and play R–5–8 under any root without looking.

3 · Playing styles

A style a session and the kick every day. Solo lab is for when a style lab feels easy.

Block10 min20 min30 min
Wake-up · ghosts or gallopor one guided session223
One style labPocket, Walking, Gallop, Lead, Slap or Harmonics579
Kick lockroots only where the kick is344
Write a grooveone chart, your own line—45
Walking · approach notesland the root on beat 1—34
Solo labone path, one etude——5

When a style lab feels easy, give the long block to Solo lab.

The style labs

For step 3, or any day the hands want a change. Each lab has a practice ladder and a session checklist.

  • Grooves & pocket — kick lock, space, ghost-note grooves.
  • Walking bass — chord tones and approach notes, four to the bar.
  • Gallop — the click lab, root–fifth moves, stamina bursts.
  • Lead bass — phrases, double-stops, the groove/lead trade.
  • Slap & pop — thumb, pop, ghost slap, the coordination ladder.
  • Harmonics — node map, chime chain, pinch ladder.

A week of sessions

Once you are on step 3, rotate the long block so no motion goes stale and no muscle does two hard days in a row.