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Become a Slap Bass Beast

Introducing the 16 week Slap Bass Accelerator with Scott Devine and Ian Martin Allison

"I think this course is just perfect! It breaks down the real issues…and it goes all the way to advance techniques."

Giuliano D - Slap Accelerator Student

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I used to be really embarrassed about my slap bass playing, then this happened…

‍

For most of my career, I felt self-conscious whenever I had to play a slap-bass line.

I was terrible at it.

And every time I had to fake my way through songs like Hair by Graham Central Station (best slap groove of all time in my opinion) or Never Too Much (trying to keep up with Marcus Miller tearing it up!), I was worried everyone in the crowd could tell I was a fraud.

I certainly felt like one, anyway.

And after I started teaching bass online, that feeling only got worse.

See, some of my slap-bass lessons have now been viewed by millions of bass players. (One of them has over three million views alone!)

Thumbnail of one of Scott's YouTube videos with 3.7million circled

And while the lessons I share in that video are helpful to this day, deep down I still felt like I was “faking it.”

Because getting good enough at a single slap bass riff or trick to play through a 10-minute lesson is one thing.

But mastering slap bass to the point that it becomes a natural extension of your musical identity is something else all together.

And I didn’t even come close.

Worse, I used to hide my embarrassment by saying things like...

“I don’t really do slap.”
“I’m just not a slap player.”

Chances are, you’ve probably heard some of your fellow bass players say these phrases too.

Maybe you’ve even said them yourself.

Scott sat holding a bass looking at the viewer in anticipation

But ask yourself, do you really believe anyone when they say stuff like this?

Or do you recognize these statements for the lame excuses they really are?

Because for the longest time, I thought I could get away with it.

I’m ashamed to admit it. But I was a 43-year-old professional bass player…teaching millions of bass players how to play slap bass online…

‍Yet I had NO plan to address the “Slap Bass Shame” I had around my own playing.

Until one day, I met someone who changed my bass playing forever.

That someone is Mr. Ian Allison.

Two things happened when I met Ian.

First, I knew we were going to be great friends.

Second, his slap bass playing blew. my. mind.

In fact, I was so inspired by Ian’s slap riffs, I started feebly trying to play more slap bass lines myself.

Plus I also started bombarding Ian with questions about his technique and approach.

With Ian’s help, I saw an instant and meteoric improvement in my slap-bass skills.

And that’s when I decided it was time to finally eradicate my “Slap Bass Shame” once and for all.

So in true Scott Devine fashion, I went ALL-IN.

Like a scientist in a lab, I started to study and dissect how I could master slap bass, faster than anyone ever thought possible.

By now, you probably know that I’m a huge fan of creating systems and frameworks to help make learning the bass faster, easier, and more efficient.

That’s kinda “my thing.” (And it’s also what we’ve come to be known for here at SBL.)

So it should be no surprise that it’s exactly what I did when I decided to go all-in and rebuild my slap bass technique from the ground up.

And after spending an entire year almost exclusively focused on my slap bass playing, I have some exciting news to share.

Not only was I finally able to eliminate my Slap Bass Shame for good…

But I also came up with a simple, step-by-step method anyone can use to turbocharge their slap bass playing in just a few weeks.

It’s called the A4 Method.

And it’s based on the simple fact that there’s one major problem that keeps most bass players from making rapid progress.

See, whenever people try to learn a new skill — whether it’s slap bass, cooking, or knitting — they tend to focus on too many things at once.

But that only leads to distractions. Which in turn slows their progress to a crawl. Until eventually, they get so frustrated with themselves that they quit.

So if that sounds familiar, don’t worry. You’re not alone.

And I designed the A4 Method to completely eliminate this problem when it comes to learning how to play slap bass.

My “A4 Method” is the key to unlocking your slap bass technique, in a matter of weeks (not years).

Here’s how it works…

Step 1: Assess how many core skills make up the technique you want to master.

I started by assessing the complex technique of “playing slap bass” and breaking it down into its fundamental building blocks.

I discovered there are actually only ten “core skills” you need to master to become a world-class slap bass player. I’ll show them all to you in a moment.

But before I do, let me finish walking through the steps in my A4 Method.

**Step 2: Acquire each core skill one-by-one (using a riff-based approach).**

Once I identified the 10 core skills for playing slap bass, I focused on acquiring each of them.

The magic of this step in the process is that you can then focus on ONE core skill at a time.

Which means instead of overloading yourself, you stay focused on what actually matters.

And instead of feeling like you’re staring up at Mount Everest, wondering how to get to the top, you will have a crystal-clear roadmap to reach the summit in record time.

But NOT with a bunch of boring, out-of-context exercises.

See, if you only play exercises, you often wind up falling flat on your face when the time comes to play actual music.

Which is why I followed a “riff-based approach” instead.

This way, you master each of the 10 core skills for playing slap bass while playing actual songs. And that allows you to seamlessly break out your new slap-bass skill at your next gig or rehearsal.

No more flopping and fumbling during the big show.

Which brings me to the next step in my A4 Method…

Step 3: Assemble each core skill into one seamless whole.

After I felt comfortable with the next core slap-bass skill on my list, I had to assemble it with the rest of the skills I had already mastered.

On top of using a riff-based approach, this is another way I made sure I could seamlessly use the new slap-bass skills I had at my disposal.

Think of it like building a house. Each core skill is a brick. And as you master each skill, you stack it on top of the previous bricks. Until you have an unshakeable wall of slap-bass mastery.

And that’s where the last step in my A4 Method comes in…

Step 4: Analyze the greats to expand your mind and increase your vocabulary.

As I mastered the core slap-bass skills, I wanted to make sure I didn’t get stuck in any ruts. So along the way, I took some time to expand my mind about all the amazing riffs and fills I could play using my newfound slap-bass skills.

And the best way to do that is to analyze legendary slap-bass players to inspire your own playing.

See, I believe we learn music the same way we learn language.

And just like you learned your first language by listening and absorbing the vocabulary of the people around you…

When it comes to playing slap bass, I believe the best way to inspire your own playing is to absorb the “slap bass vocabulary” from legends like Marcus Miller, Larry Graham, Flea, and Victor Wooten.

The results of my A4 Method exceeded my wildest dreams.

Not only did following the A4 Method eradicate my “Slap Bass Shame” and make me fall in love with slap bass all over again…

It took my slap-bass skills to a level I never thought possible.

And I’m not alone. Take a look at what some of your fellow bass players have said about their results after using the A4 Method…

“I could barely slap prior to starting it, but now I have much more confidence in embracing the technique!”

— Slap Accelerator Student

“I was surprised how easy it is if you learn it with the right method and pace!”

— Slap Accelerator Student

“This approach made it soo much easier to get an approach to slap, something that has eluded me for years”

— Slap Accelerator Student

Give yourself access to the A4 Method — so you too can finally play slap bass like a pro.

Closeup of bass strings being played with a thumb

INTRODUCING

Interactive Edition

The only course that uses my A4 Method to walk you step-by-step from the fundamentals of slap bass to advanced double-thumbing and ghost notes — faster than you ever thought possible.

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Before you go any further, here’s an outlandish promise…

I guarantee this is the GREATEST and most in-depth slap bass program ever created, in the history of bass courses.
If you enroll and disagree, I’ll give you all your money back. No questions asked.

That’s how proud I am of this program.

And the truth is, I could never have done it alone…

See, after Ian inspired me to fix my Slap Bass Shame, I knew I had to get him to join me as an instructor for this course.

Which is why, for the first time ever, this Accelerator course is co-hosted by myself and Ian.

Because if it were not for Ian, his incredible bass playing, and his guidance along my own slap-bass journey…this course wouldn’t even exist in the first place.

Claim your spot in Slap Accelerator before time runs out to join this exclusive Interactive Edition of the program.

Slap Accelerator Interactive gives you extra hands-on guidance and support during all 16 weeks of the course…without paying an extra penny.

You’ll enjoy admission to four livestream Q&A sessions with Scott and Ian. Plus you’ll also be able to join other Slap Accelerator Interactive students in an exclusive membership area for the course. We’ll even have members of the SBL team in there with you to help answer questions and provide additional guidance.

LIMITED TIME FREE BONUS

Don’t miss out on your 4 FREE Bonuses worth $97.00!

Because I want to do everything I can to ensure you reach the level of play you dream of, I’ve got something special for you today.

I’m granting you insider access to my cherished, rarely-seen interviews with these four musical luminaries:

Doug Wimbish

Elevate your music with the legendary bass player behind some of the biggest hip hop anthems of the '80s, who went on to work with music icons from Madonna to Living Colour and The Rolling Stones.

Jacob Umansky

Take your metal to the next level with Berklee graduate, bass player for Canadian progressive rock band Intervals, and producer of tutorials for Dingwall Guitars, Darkglass, Neural DSP, and SBL Mentors.

Cory Wong

Unleash your funk potential with secrets from this member of funk supergroups Vulfpeck and the Fearless Flyers, who launched a signature Stratocaster with Fender and has a prolific solo career with over 10 full-length albums.

Mohini Dey

Stretch your range from funk to Indian classical with this child prodigy who started gigging at 10 and has reached a level of bass guitar mastery few can match, performing alongside music icons like Dave Weckl, Jordan Rudess, and Steve Vai.

These rare interviews are normally valued at $97.00. But today I'm giving you the complete recordings for FREE as my gift to help accelerate your results.

But this free bonus expires very soon. When you decide to join Slap Accelerator next week you won’t get the bonus — grab yours now so you don’t miss out…

Claim Your Spot + Your $97.00 Bonus Now

LIMITED TIME FREE BONUS

Join The Waitlist

With Slap Accelerator you get…

A step-by-step roadmap to play slap bass like a pro, using the A4 Method I created to turbo charge my own slap-bass playing.

During my own slap-bass journey, I assessed that there are just 10 core skills you need to master to play slap bass like a pro.

Slap Accelerator gives you a simple, step-by-step roadmap for mastering each of these 10 core skills. That way, you can avoid distractions and focus on the skill that will allow you to make the most progress — in the fastest amount of time.

This course will give you an unshakeable slap bass foundation.

You get INSTANT access to this part when you enroll!

In order to get you playing some awesome slap bass lines, we’ll first show you how to get your gear dialled-in, with things like string height and tone settings.

This ensures you're set up for success and won’t struggle because of a simple gear issue, which could have been fixed in a few minutes had you known about it.

Develop solid technique through a steady, step-by-step progression

We’ll walk you step-by-step through the fundamentals of great slap technique.

Then we’ll get into all the cool advanced stuff that you probably want to play. Like fret-hand slapping, ghost notes, and crazy double-thumbing in the style of Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten.

Easy-to-follow riff-based lessons for all levels

Each and every lesson in Slap Accelerator is short, simple, and easy to digest. Plus we also give you access to the exact same riffs I used to “internalize” each of the 10 core skills using a riff-based approach.

That way, it’s easy (and fun!) to Acquire each of the 10 core skills and Assemble them into a natural extension of your playing.

On top of that, we also give you options to make the exercises in Slap Accelerator easier (or harder!) based on your skill level. That way, you’ll be able to choose the most appropriate exercise for your current ability.

Engaging song projects to fast-track your progress

Working on a bunch of out-of-context exercises can quickly get boring so we've given you some super-fun song projects to keep you excited, engaged, and help you make progress at warp-speed.

That way, you will be able to see and feel your progress through the course — because you’re actually playing music.

Play-along technique breakdowns for 4 slap bass icons

Finally, we’ve dedicated four weeks of the course to Analyzing the techniques for some of the world’s greatest slap-bass players — Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller, Larry Graham, and Flea.

We’ll highlight the closely guarded secrets to their amazing slap tone. And we’ll show you how you can begin to take inspiration from their genius to expand your own vocabulary.

12 printable lesson workbooks

Get access to printable PDF worksheets in both tab and standard notation, for every single exercise and musical example in the entire course.

That way, you can continue to work on the Slap Accelerator material, even if you’re away from your computer.

Includes Lifetime Access

Even though the Slap Accelerator course is 16 weeks, depending on your current skill level playing slap bass, you may want more time to work through each of the lessons. ‍

That’s why Slap Accelerator comes with lifetime access to the primary course video lessons and workbooks.

We will also give you access to the recordings from the four livestream sessions you get as part of Slap Accelerator Interactive. (But if you want to participate in real time, then you obviously need to attend them live).

That means you can sign up now and then take your time before you dive in. And you can also pause partway through the course if necessary, before picking up where you left off.

Watch this video to learn about Slap Accelerator in 3 mins

And the best part is, we cover it all in just 16 short weeks…

Here’s a sneak peek at the full curriculum for Slap Accelerator Interactive.

Intro

Instrument & Gear Fundamentals

Instant Access

When you join Slap Accelerator, you will get instant access to our instrument and equipment fundamentals video.

These lessons will walk you through everything you need to know to make sure your bass and gear are set up for you to have success in the rest of the course. (Including a lot of things that even more experienced players may miss — like the height of your strings!)

Week 01

Core Skill #1 — Thumbing

In week one, we’ll cover the most foundational technique for playing slap bass: your thumb. This is where it all starts!

We’ll walk you through exercises to improve your aim, timing, and how to progress from playing on two strings to using them all — and even skipping strings.

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Week 02

Core Skill #2 — Pops

Week two will cover the second core skill for playing slap bass — pops. We’ll show you which intervals are your best friends when playing pops. Plus we’ll also show you how to mix slaps and pops to start building out your slap style.

Week 03

Play-Along Technique Breakdown — Larry Graham

Week three will introduce our first play-along technique breakdown for a slap bass icon. This one focuses on the legendary Larry Graham — who is credited with being the person who invented the slap bass technique.

Week 04

Interactive Livestream

LIVE

Week four will be our first video livestream for the Interactive edition of this course. This is your chance to connect with your fellow Slap Accelerator students and ask the coaches your biggest questions.

Week 05

Core Skill #3 — Thumb Ghost Notes

Week five will bring us back to the 10 core slap-bass skills that are the backbone of this course. This time, we’ll cover thumb ghost notes — including both isolating this technique and then adding intervals across a variety of common chord progressions.

Week 06

Core Skill #4 — Hammers & Pulls

Week six will focus on the core slap-bass skill of using hammer-ons and pull-offs to add articulations to your playing. We’ll give you specific exercises for each one on its own, and then show you how to combine them to create even cooler slap grooves.

Week 07

Play-Along Technique Breakdown — Flea

Week seven is our second play-along technique breakdown for a slap bass icon. This time, we’ll show you the slap-bass secrets that Flea uses to create some of the most catchy and popular slap-bass lines of all time.

‍Total Guitar magazine called their cover of Higher Ground “the second greatest cover of all time” — thanks in large part to Flea’s iconic slap-bass parts. And Scott is going to walk you through three bass riffs in the Chili Pepper’s style during this week’s play-along technique breakdown.

Week 08

Interactive Livestream

LIVE

Week eight will be our next video livestream for the Interactive edition of this course. This is your chance to connect with your fellow Slap Accelerator students and ask the coaches your biggest questions.

Week 09

Core Skills #5 to #7— Slides, Stings & Fret Slaps

Week nine will cover three more of the core slap-bass skills. We’ll dive into three advanced articulation techniques: slides, stings, and fret-hand slaps. And we’ll show you exercises to dial-in each one — plus how to stack them together to expand your slap-bass vocabulary even more.

Week 10

Core Skill #8 — Open Hammer Pluck

Week 10 will focus on the open hammer pluck. This technique is super percussive — allowing you to create thundering slap-bass grooves that can lock in with the drums…or even replace them!

Week 11

Play-Along Technique Breakdown — Marcus Miller

Week 11 is our third play-along technique breakdown for a slap bass icon. This time, we’ll show you the slap-bass secrets of the great Marcus Miller. (Or as some of you know him: “The Thumbslinger”.)

Marcus Miller remains one of the most recognised bassists on the planet, thanks in large part to his jaw-dropping technical ability. And he’s performed with a “who’s-who” list of musical icons — including Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, David Sanborn, Wayne Shorter and Chaka Khan.

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Week 12

Interactive Livestream

LIVE

Week 12 will be our next video livestream for the Interactive edition of this course. This is your chance to connect with your fellow Slap Accelerator students and ask the coaches your biggest questions

Week 13

Core Skill #9 — Double Pops

Week 13 will cover the second-to-last core skill you need to become a killer slap-bass player. We’ll work through double pops starting using ghost notes. Then we will progress to double pops and double pop stops.

Week 14

Core Skill #10 — Double Thumbing

Week 14 will cover the last core skill you need to master playing slap bass. We’ll walk you through what many people consider the most challenging slap technique of all — double thumbing. And we’ll give you step-by-step exercises you can use to nail this tricky technique in no time.

Week 15

Play-Along Technique Breakdown — Victor Wooten

Week 15 is our final play-along technique breakdown for a slap bass icon. This time, we’ll show you the slap-bass secrets of the man who many consider to be the greatest slap-bass player — and innovator — of all time: Victor Wooten.

His polyrhythmic tapping and slapping parts have been making heads spin for more than three decades. And we’ll reveal how you can begin to replicate Vic’s slap style and technique in this play-along technique breakdown.

Week 16

Interactive Livestream

LIVE

Week 16 will be our final video livestream for the Interactive edition of this course. This is your chance to connect with your fellow Slap Accelerator students and ask the coaches your biggest questions.

Which means by the end of this course, you'll be able to...

Play powerful slap-bass grooves using thumb slaps, thumb ghost notes, and pops without breaking a sweat.

Add excitement and sophistication to your slap bass lines with advanced phrasing and articulation techniques.

Bring the audience to their feet with face-melting double pops and double thumbing slap riffs.

And much more!

“It has changed me. Like not just my slap but it’s improved all my playing skills. Also it’s resparked a fire in me to play more…SBL is literally the best thing to ever exist in my life. Seriously!”

Dereck N. (Slap Accelerator Student)

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Meet Your Instructors —
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Slap Accelerator is brought to you by an incredible team of world-class educators you won't find anywhere else...

And is the first ever course to be co-hosted by Scott Devine and Ian Martin Allison.

Scott Devine

SBL Founder

Scott has been a professional bassist and bass educator for over 20 years, and has spent the last decade teaching bass online. In that time, he’s helped an audience of more than one million bass players from around the world. So there’s no one better at teaching the bass online than he is.

He’s worked with artists such as George Fame, Dennis Rollins, Martin Simpson, Adrian Ingram, Gary Boyle and The Drifters.

Ian Martin Allison

SBL Tutor

Ian is a world-class session musician with a huge heart for education.

A former music college professor and an outstanding instructor in his own right, he's worked with artists such as Eric Hutchinson, Cory Wong, Scary Pockets, LANY, Ondara, Gavin Degraw, John Legend, Eric Paslay, Jeremy Messersmith and Soul Asylum.

The Slap Accelerator curriculum was designed alongside our Head of Educational Content, Eric Wills.

Eric has over a decade of experience creating music training programs, and has worked with everyone from Pearl Jam, to Billy Sheehan, to The Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Covering the same material with a private bass tutor would cost you at least $1,200.00

Slap Accelerator contains more than 24 hours of lessons with two of the best bass instructors on the planet.

Which means if you pay the common rate of $50.00 for a one-hour lesson with a private bass tutor…

You’d have to spend $1,200.00 to cover the same amount of material included in Slap Accelerator.

But don’t worry. You can join Slap Accelerator today for a fraction of that.

Just one easy payment of $197 gives you access to the entire Slap Accelerator course.

‍Plus you also get the extra support from this Interactive edition of the course for no additional cost.

**You can also try the first 30 days of the course totally risk-free.**

Slap Accelerator is backed by the world-renowned SBL 30-day, total-satisfaction guarantee.

So if you don’t love everything about the Slap Accelerator program, just let our friendly student success team know within 30 days of the start of the course. We’ll give you a fast and full refund for every cent you paid. No questions asked.

But Hurry! Time is running out to join this Interactive Edition of Slap Accelerator

And once the timer on this page reaches zero, the doors for this edition of the course will slam shut — forever.

Also, we won’t be opening another Interactive edition for this course until at least 2024. (And it might be even longer.)

Which means if you don’t act now, you may be forced to spend the next year — or more — living under the cloud of your “slap bass shame.”

And trust me, that’s not a fun place to be. (I know from experience!)

So don’t miss your one and only chance to join Slap Accelerator Interactive this year.

This course is now closed.

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Student Feedback

See what our students have to say about our other courses and scottsbasslessons.com

"WOW. Intense. Really enjoyed it. Very well presented. I am up for the challenge. You just explained something that I would say was always in the back of my mind and have made it so clear. It has all clicked…thanks"

Felix

Accelerator Student

"Truly brilliant course so far, I have learned loads since day one and kept building from there, a real game changer, looking forward to progressing - thanks to Scott and the team!"

Kevin

Accelerator Student

"I have taken several courses in the teachable series and I must say, this course is awesome! Scott is on point with the lessons, the graphics and workbooks are a terrific help. I feel this course will be a huge step in my bass playing development. I just wanted to say well done!"

Kenneth

Accelerator Student

"The biggest thing I did to improve my bass playing was join SBL. The value I get for my money is incredible! Scott is a fantastic teacher, along with the rest of the instructors."

Randy

SBL Student

"Scott's Bass Lessons is without question the very best online music school I have used. Very impressive."

Yorke

SBL Student

"I am kicking myself for waiting so long to sign up…This will truly change my bass playing and my life."

Jay

SBL Student

LIMITED TIME – ENROLLMENT CLOSING SOON

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Become a slap bass beast in just 16 short weeks with simple, easy-to-follow, and fun weekly lessons, artist breakdowns, interactive livestreams and more.

Slap Accelerator Course

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Frequently Asked Questions

When does the course start and finish?

When you join Slap Accelerator, you get instant access to the instrument and equipment fundamentals lessons. That way, you can make sure your gear is dialled in before the course begins.

The first official week of the course is 19 June, 2023. After that, you will receive a new set of lessons every week, and that means the final week of the course will be 02 October, 2023.

How long do I have access to the course?

You get lifetime access to the video lessons in Slap Accelerator, as well as the recordings from the video livestreams. But if you want to participate in the interactive livestreams, you need to attend those live. (We will release the exact dates and times for each livestream as they get closer.)

Are the lessons live?

The core lessons for Slap Accelerator are delivered as weekly video lessons. So they are not live, and you can work through the material whenever it is convenient for you.

However, there are also four livestream Q&A sessions included in this round of the course. So if you want to participate in those sessions, you do need to attend them live. We will release the exact dates and times for each livestream as they get closer.

What do I get every week if I join Slap Accelerator?

Every week, you get access to a new series of lessons and exercises. Most of them will walk you through one (or more) of the 10 core skills you need to become a great slap-bass player. But we’ve also included four play-along technique breakdowns of slap bass icons and four livestream video sessions where you can get answers to your biggest slap-bass questions.

How much time per week will the program take?

We’ve designed each lesson to be short and easy-to-digest. So you should be able to make massive progress while spending just 15-30 minutes per day, five days per week on the programme. That is at most two and a half hours per week — and as little as an hour and 15 minutes.

How long do I have to make my decision?

Enrollment to this Interactive edition of Slap Accelerator closes on Friday, 16 June, 2023.

What if I am unhappy with the program?

Slap Accelerator is backed by the 30-day, total-satisfaction guarantee from SBL. That means if you don’t love everything about the programme, just reach out to our friendly and responsive student success team. They will give you a prompt and courteous refund of the full purchase price — no questions asked.

This course is now closed.

Join The Waitlist to be the first to hear the next time we open it up

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