Upright Bass | Online Personalized Lessons

In this course, you will develop your skills on the Bass and learn to play any style of music. We will work together to solidify all the fundamental tools of performing as a bass player. These include solid rhythm and groove, relaxed left-hand technique, rapid right-hand technique, slapping, vibrato, tone, dynamics. We will also work to create a foundation of musical knowledge (musicianship) which means understanding basic harmony (triads, seventh chords, chord progressions) Melody (scales, modes, arpeggios) and also learn to read music. Sascha will create custom etudes to challenge and engage you and to improve your ear, improvisation, rhythm, and harmonic understanding. You will get to explore in-depth the Overtone Series and how it applies to the Double Bass, and how to achieve infinite variations of color with the bow and also the many varied Pizzicato (finger plucking) techniques that are possible on the upright bass. We will also work on how to achieve perfection in Arco playing and all aspects of playing with the bow (French or German grip).

About the Instructor: Sascha Jacobsen heirs from a long line of musicians dating as far back as his great, great, great, great-grandfather, a famous Russian Violinist who served as a bassist for the Moscow Opera. Some of Jacobsen’s mentors have included exponents such as Michael and James Finley, Nico Abondolo, John Brecher, Wolfgang Guttler, Shinji Eshima, and Dennis Trembly. Jacobsen achieved his Masters Degree at the University of Southern California. Afterward, Jacobsen founded Musical Art Quintet, a group that performs Jacobsen’s original works. Jacobsen serves the musical community as a performer, composer, and arranger with commissions from the San Francisco Arts Council, San Jose Chamber Orchestra, Berkeley Youth Symphony, and SF Friends of Chamber Music. An experienced educator, Jacobsen has served as faculty at Humboldt State University, Laney College, Sequoia Chamber Music Festival, Golden Gate Bass Camp, and the California Jazz Conservatory. Jacobsen continues to teach by offering online music lessons to aspiring musicians across the globe.