Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Fall Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Week One: Orientation; Syllabus; Equipment Needed; Books; Entrance Exam Review Positional Playing and Supportive Fingering for Diatonic Fingering Patterns; Leo Fender, Monk Montgomery, Sightreading
Week Two: Music Notation & Fundamentals of Sound; Twelve Tone System Chromatic Scales; Fingerboard Zones; Alternative Picking & Raking with Eighth Note Studies Sightreading; Transcriptions: Gospel Music; Andrew Gouche (James Cleveland
Week Three: Alternative Picking and Advanced Eighth Note Patterns; Sightreading Transcriptions: Gospel Music; Fisk Jubilee Singers, Joel Smith (Kim Burrell)
The Electric Bass Guitar Syllabus - University of Southern California - Fall 2010 Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Fall Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Week Four: Half Steps/Whole Steps/Major Keys; Major Scales with Positional Fingering; Tetrachords; Exam Review Barring and 4th’s Sightreading; Rural Folk Music (Native American)
Week Five: Intervals (Harmonic & Melodic) Major & Minor 2nd and 3rd Intervals syncopated intervals; Sightreading Rural Folk Music
Week Six: Intervals (Harmonic & Melodic) Perfect 4th and 5th; Shifting & Sliding to transition; syncopated interval combinations; Sightreading Transcriptions; Country & Western; Jimmy Rodgers and the Carter Family
Week Seven: Intervals (Harmonic & Melodic) 6th, 7th, 8th intervals; syncopated interval combinations; Mid-Term Exam Review
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Fall Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Week Eight: MID-TERM EXAMS
Week Nine: Modes of the Major Scale: Dorian Mode and it’s Related Triads in all keys; Using all Zones, Transcriptions, Rural Blues Music
Week Ten: Modes of the Major Scale: Phrygian Mode and it’s Related Triads in all keys; Using all Zones Transcriptions, Rural Blues Music
Week Eleven: Modes of the Major Scale: Lydian Mode and it’s Related Triads in all keys; Using all Zones Transcriptions, Rhythm & Blues Music; Willie Weeks (Eric Clapton)
Week Twelve: Modes of the Major Scale: Mixolydian Mode and it’s Related Triads in all keys; Using all Zones Transcriptions: Blues Music; Johnny B. Gayden (Albert Collins)
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Fall Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Week Thirteen: Modes of the Major Scale: Aeolian Mode and it’s Related Triads in all keys; Using all Zones Exam Review; Transcriptions Tommy Shannon (Johnny Winter)
Week Fourteen: Modes of the Major Scale: Locrian Mode and it’s Related Triads in all keys; Using all Zones Transcriptions: Donald “Duck” Dunn (Booker T. & The MG’s) Final Exam Review
Week Fifteen: Final Exams & Juries
December 17th - January 10th Winter Break
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Spring Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Open Registration Th-F January 7-8
Week One: Minor Scales, Diatonic Triads & Seventh Chord Arpeggios Harmonic Minor Scale; Parallel Minor Scale in all keys and zones Transcriptions: Master Blaster by Stevie Wonder
Week Two: Minor Scales, Diatonic Triads & Seventh Chord Arpeggios Melodic Minor Scale; Chord Inversions; In all zones and all keys Transcriptions: Tin-Pan Alley Music Johnny Mercer; Hoagy Carmichael
Week Three: Minor Scales, Diatonic Triads & Seventh Chord Arpeggios Jazz Minor Scale; Chord Inversions; In all zones and all keys Transcriptions: George Gershwin; Ira Gershwin
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Spring Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Week Four: Major and Minor Sixth & Seventh Chord Arpeggios (maj 6; min6; maj7; dom7; min7b5) Inversions of Sixth and Seventh Chords; Seventh Chords and Related Modes: Transcriptions: Early Rock & Roll Music (Bill Black)
Week Five: Major and Minor Sixth & Seventh Chord Arpeggios The Harmonized Major Scale Transcriptions: Rock & Roll Music (John Paul Jones)
Week Six: Harmonic Movement; The Circle of Fifths & Fourths; Progressions Tension and Release II V I Progression; I VI II V Progression; Locating Key Centers Exam Review Transcriptions: British Rock & Roll Music (Chris Squire)
Week Seven: Extended Chord Arpeggios Ninth Chords; Eleventh Chords Thirteenth Chords; Transcriptions Motown (James Jamerson)
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Spring Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Week Eight: Altered Chords; Altered Chord Arpeggios; Approach Chords Approach Chord Arpeggios Transcriptions: Motown (James Jamerson); Exam Review
Week Nine: MID-TERM EXAMS
March 14th - 20th Spring Break
Week Ten: Tritones and Tritone Substitutions Reharmonization / Embellishing Chords; Fill-in Chords; Backcycling Chord Substitution; Transcriptions: (Jaco Pastorius)
Week Eleven: The Harmonic Minor Modes Harmonic Minor Scale and it’s Related Modes; Harmonized Harmonic Minor Scale; II V I Progression in Minor; Transcriptions: (Alphonso Johnson)
Week Twelve: The Jazz Minor Modes Jazz Minor Scale and it’s Related Modes; min/maj7; min7b5 maj7#5; min7; dom7; maj7; dim Transcriptions: (Victor Wooten)
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Spring Semester - Year One
Date Topic
Week Thirteen: The Jazz Minor Modes Modes of the Jazz Minor Scale Played from the Same Root; Creating Modes from any Root Tone; Parallel Minor Scale
Week Fourteen: Final Exam & Jury Preparation Quiz
Week Fifteen: Final Exams & Juries
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Fall Semester - Year Two
Date Topic
Week One: Orientation; Syllabus; Equipment Needed; Books; Sightreading; Latin Bass Styles; Cachao; The Clave and it’s Relationship To The Bass
Week Two: Afro-Cuban (Danzon, Bolero and Son Montuno); Sightreading; Cuban Tumbaos; Cachao Bass Solo Transcription
Week Three: Afro-Cuban (Montuno, Bolero, Cha- Cha-Cha and Guajira); Sightreading; Cuban Tumbaos
Week Four: Afro-Cuban (Mambo, Bolero, Rumba; Guaracha) Sightreading; Andy Gonzalez Bass Solo Transcription
Week Five: Afro-Cuban (Mozambique) Sightreading; Cuban Tumbaos; Bass Solo Transcription
Week Six: Afro-Cuban (6/8 and Songo); Sightreading; Cuban Tumbaos; Bass Solo Transcription
Week Seven: Mid-Term Exams
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California Fall 2009 The Electric Bass Guitar 101
2010 - 2011 Academic Calendar
Fall Semester - Year Two
Week Eight: Brazilian (Samba, Partido Alto and Bossa Nova); Sightreading; Bass Solo Transcription
Week Nine: Brazilian (Chorinho, Afoxe and Baiao); Sightreading; Bass Solo Transcription
Week Ten: Caribbean (Calypso and Soca); Sightreading; Bass Solo Transcrip tion
Week Eleven: Caribbean (Reggae); Sightreading Sly & Robbie; Bass Solo Transcrip tion
Week Twelve: South (Venezuela) America (Joropo, Merengue and Gaita); Sightreading Bass Solo Transcription
Week Thirteen: South (Argentina) America (Zamba, Chacarera); South (Peru) America (Lando, Festejo) Sightreading
Week Fourteen: Latin Jazz: Sightreading Bass Solo Transcription
Week Fifteen: Final Exam & Jury Preparation Quiz
Week Sixteen: Final Exams & Juries
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California