Fall 2009

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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Syllabus - University of Southern California - Fall 2010
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009

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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California
Fall 2009
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 101
The Electric Bass Guitar Synopsis - University of Southern California