Pick Your Next Step On The GBS Blues Roadmap
Supplementing The Blues CoursesÂ
Your online blues bass coach — from first 12‑bar to confident jam night player.Â
If you love the sound of blues bass but don’t know where to start, the GBS Blues Roadmap gives you a clear path. From your first 12‑bar to confidently walking into a real jam night, I’ll show you every step – with free YouTube lessons and three focused GBS courses that guide you the whole way.
Step 1 – Master the 12‑Bar Blues
You start by really understanding the 12‑bar: the 1-4-5 sequence, 12/8 and shuffle feels, and how to build solid grooves that always work. Â
Use my free lessons like “Five Simple Shuffle Blues Bass Riffs”, “Breaking Down the 12‑Bar Blues Progression for Novice Bass”, and “Build a 12‑Bar Blues Bass Line From ONE Riff” to get your foundations in place. Â
When you’re ready to go deeper, Step 1 of the roadmap is my Walk The Blues course – a complete program that takes you from basic 12‑bar to authentic, hard‑hitting walking and shuffle lines you can plug into any blues tune. Â
Suggested supporting lessons on YouTube (click title to access the video):
Step 2 – Build Your Blues Vocabulary
Next, you expand your language: boogie patterns, blues scales, walk‑ups and walk‑downs, 8‑bar progressions, and slow 12/8 feels. Â
Free lessons like “Five Classic Boogie Blues Bass Riff”, “How To Play Blues Walk Ups On The Bass Guitar”, and “Bass Players, Do You Know 8‑Bar Blues Progressions?” give you a ton of reusable riffs and forms to play with. Â
Walk The Blues sits at the heart of this stage – it shows you how to turn all of these ideas into full choruses, variations, and complete bass lines you can use at real jam nights. Â
Suggested supporting lessons on YouTube (click title to access the video):
Step 3 – Sound Like The British Blues Greats
Once you’ve got the basics down, it’s time to develop your voice by studying the British blues era – Cream, Rolling Stones, John Mayall, early Clapton and beyond.     Â
In my videos and in The Birth Of British Blues course, I break down iconic lines, tones and song forms so you can capture that classic late‑60s British sound on bass.   Â
Birth Of British Blues is Step 2 of the GBS Blues Roadmap – it’s where you go from “I can play blues” to “I can improvise and play more like the virtuosic blues bassists”, using real‑world examples and backing tracks.   Â
Suggested supporting lessons on YouTube (click title to access the video):
Step 4 – Survive (And Enjoy) Real Blues Jam Nights
Finally, you put it all into practice at real jam nights: recognising forms quickly, handling curveballs, reading cues from the band, and playing musically under pressure. Â
My “How To Survive Your First Blues Jam On Bass || Five Top Tips” video and related lessons give you the practical advice no one tells you – what to learn, what to listen for, and how to prepare set‑lists and cheat sheets. Â
The Blues Jam Night Survival Guide course is the final step of the roadmap – it takes everything you’ve learned and shows you exactly how to use it in real venues with real musicians. Â
Suggested supporting lessons on YouTube (click title to access the video):
Bluesman
"Hosted a garage jam session recently and they say I can play the BLUES! Couldn't do it without dedicated educators like you who help pave a path for people like myself chasing a dream. The blues found me in 2010 and it is beyond awesome to finally learn to play it on bass beginning officially March 2023. Thank you!"
Ross
"Really enjoyed the Walk The Blues course this year. I achieved a goal of performing in front of a live audience last week, including writing and performing my own bass solo for Sweet Home Chicago. Have recently been approached to join another band."
Dave Rennie
"I signed up to Walk The Blues in response to your claim that I’d be able to jam at the Blues Club - your claim is correct! I would recommend this programme to any bass player who is keen to get into the Blues vibe, regardless of their previous experience, and I mean from absolute beginner up to experienced player."
