1. Course curriculum of Bass Guitar for Nepal Music School
Introduction: This is a two-year vocational programme which offers a comprehensive study of bass
guitar and covers different aspects of music from basic orientation to as a professional carrier.
The purpose of this course is to develop the musicality with academic/institutionalised perspective.
Under prescribed assessment, each strategy accordingly deliberates proficiency of particular area of
music regarding bass guitar in term of academic/institutionalised discourse.
And those strategies are objectified in following statement and each strategy has six-month course
period:
1. Orientation to bass playing method and practice
a. This orientation is about visual recognition of finger board and finger placement into a musical
pattern regarding scale position.
b. And, those musical patterns are organised into rhythmic motif for playing method.
c. Methodological approaches are practiced in different performing context.
Learning outcome: this applied strategy has following outcome.
a. Learner display literacy of significant terminology of musical vocabulary.
b. Learner can perform certain musical elements under prescribed performing context.
Assessment: the assessment criteria are:
a. Learner submits a written assignment as prescribed by instructor.
b. Learner performs specific element of music as prescribed by instructor.
Syllabus: weekly task/topic
Month1:
Week1: Introduction to bass guitar and fret board
Week2: Scale construction and exercise
Week3: Relative scale exercise
Week4: Basic building block
Month2:
Week1: Triad and inversion
Week2: Rhythm
Week3: Articulation of rhythm
Week4: Composing rhythmic motif
Month3:
Week1: Ghost note
Week2: Staccato
Week3: String raking
Week4: Connecting notes

2. Month4:
Week1: Scale harmony
Week2: Arpeggio
Week3: 2,5 and 1 progression
Week4: 1,4 and 5 progression
Month5:
Week1: 12bar blues
Week2: 12bar shuffle
Week3: 12bar walking bass line
Week4: 12bar turnaround and quick change
Month6:
Week1: Preparation of written assignment
Week2: Submission of written assignment
Week3: Preparation of performance
Week4: Evaluation of performance
2. Creative approach to bass groove
a. Relating ideas into musical elements is fundamental strategy of this creative approach.
b. Musical ideas are more elaborated in support of respective approach.
c. Perceiving rhythmic motif in relation to pitch continuum is core concept of bass groove.
Learning Outcome:
a. Learner can compose and perform within specific style of music.
b. Learner display literacy of certain musical passages.
Assessment:
a. Learner composes and performs 3 to 5 minute repertoire.
b. Learner submits written transcription of composed repertoire.
Syllabus:
Month1:
Week1: Seventh chords
Week2: Inversion
Week3: Melodic series
Week4: Harmonic series
Month2:
Week1: Slap and pop
Week2: Muted slap and pop
Week3: Slide and Hammer on

3. Week4: Vibrato and Pull off
Month3:
Week1: Simple interval
Week2: Harmonic interval
Week3: Compound interval I
Week4: Compound interval II
Month4:
Week1: Repertoire I
Week2: Repertoire II
Week3: Literature review I
Week4: Literature review II
Month5:
Week1: Concept of composition
Week2: Structure of composition
Week3: Style of composition
Week4: Improvised composition
Month6:
Week1: Preparation of performance
Week2: Evaluation of performance
Week3: Transcribing performed repertoire
Week4: Submission of transcription
3. Melodic organization
a. This strategy develops the concept of bass melody pertaining to series of pitch continuum.
b. Organization of melodic series has been governed by inner groove.
Learning Outcome:
a. Learner becomes able to articulate extensive scale variation.
b. Learner can execute basic improvisation technique of bass line.
Assessment: The learner attempts the recorded audio of 3 to 5 minute composition as prescribed by
instructor.
Syllabus:
Month1:
Week1: Introduction to pentatonic
Week2: Pentatonic mode I
Week3: Pentatonic mode II
Week4: Dominant pentatonic

4. Month2:
Week1: Extended Pentatonic I
Week2: Extended Pentatonic II
Week3: Cromaticism I
Week4: Cromaticism II
Month3:
Week1: Repertoire I
Week2: Repertoire II
Week3: Repertoire III
Week4: Repertoire IV
Month4:
Week1: Ionian
Week2: Dorian
Week3: Phrygian
Week4: Lydian
Month5:
Week1: Mixolydian
Week2: Aeolian
Week3: Locrian
Week4: Summarising modal approach
Month6:
Week1: Orientation to studio session
Week2: Compositional strategy for studio session
Week3: Studio preparation
Week4: Studio session
4. Harmonic progression
a. This strategy anticipates the most sophisticated form of musical expression in bass guitar
featuring shared harmony.
b. This strategy deliberates the concept of multi-layered and multidimensional arrangement of
melodic organization.
Learning outcome:
a. Learner can advocate the elementary idea of musicality.
b. Learner can display the conceptual level of musical performance and practicing context.
Assessment:
a. Learner composes and performs 3 to 5 minute repertoire.
b. Learner submits analytical paper on self composed repertoire.

5. Syllabus:
Month1:
Week1: Two bar motif
Week2: Meter
Week3: Odd meter
Week4: Polyrhythm
Month2:
Week1: Harmonic progression
Week2: The relationship of chords
Week3: Circular progression
Week4: Harmonic rhythm
Month3:
Week1: Leading-tone seventh chords
Week2: Resolution of triton and seventh factor
Week3: Secondary dominant
Week4: Secondary leading tone chords
Month4:
Week1: Modulation
Week2: Chromatic modulation
Week3: Phrase modulation
Week4: Parallel change
Month5:
Week1: Repertoire I
Week2: Repertoire II
Week3: Literature review I
Week4: Literature review II
Month6:
Week1: Performance preparation
Week2: Performance
Week3: Assignment preparation
Week4: Assignment submission