The Bass Workout
For twenty years, bassists came to Jim’s studio in Candia, New Hampshire for intensive weekends of practice and play. Players of every level came from across the U.S., from Canada, and from as far away as Japan.
The Bass Workout was “an intensely focused learning environment of serious study, and some fun.” Jim also took it on the road to Austria, California, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. Army, Navy and Marine Corps bands. This page keeps the program’s story, as it was on bassworkout.com.
Forty-five minutes on, fifteen off
Every hour changed topics. The whole group played together, then split into two rooms. Coffee and donuts started each day, amps were provided, and rides to and from local hotels were part of the deal.
Friday
- 9:00 Coffee and donuts
- 10:00 Labs and ensembles
- 12:00 Transcription seminar
- 1:00 Lunch (provided)
- 2:00 Labs and ensembles
- 4:00 Master class
- 6:00 Faculty concert, open to the public
Saturday
- 9:00 Coffee and donuts
- 10:00 Labs and ensembles
- 1:00 Lunch
- 2:00 Labs and ensembles
- 4:00 Master class
- 6:00 Performances
Sunday
- 9:00 Coffee and donuts
- 10:00 Labs
- 12:00 Practice techniques seminar
- 1:00 End
Weekends and one-day sessions
Most weekends ran Friday to Sunday at Stinnett Studios. Electric bass and double bass were both welcome, and level one didn’t require reading music.
Bass Workout
“Get the new year kicked off the right way! Set some goals. Start practicing.”
Technique, walking lines, slap bass, tapping, reading, improvisation, practice techniques and transcription.
Jazz Bass Workout
Jazz concept and execution: developing walking lines and soloing over chord changes. No prior jazz experience needed.
Six tunes to prepare in advance: Lady Bird, Blue Bossa, Autumn Leaves, All The Things You Are, Gentle Rain and I Got Rhythm.
Motown–R&B Workout
James Jamerson and the music of the Motown era: “a fun and grooving session learning how to get that Motown feel and sound.”
Songs to learn: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Keep Me Hanging On, Bernadette and For Once In My Life.
Summer Bass Workout
A summer weekend of labs, ensembles and practice in Candia.
Faculty in its last years included Jim Stinnett and Rob Gourlay.
Double Bass Workout
“Designed to get you practicing the right stuff.” Correct hand position, bow technique, scales and arpeggio fingerings, and basic jazz walking lines.
Left hand technique, arco, fingerings, the logic of shifting, sound production, reading and transcription.
Reading Program
Twelve monthly Saturday sessions for electric bass, upright bass and guitar.
Left hand posture, fingering, shifting, reading ahead, transposition, reading across the fingerboard, style, dynamics and ensemble reading.
One-day sessions
- Walking DayClassic walking lines, blues, rhythm changes, ii–V–I
- Reading DayThe three levels of reading, posture, styles and transposition
- Arco DayA full day of bowing technique for double bassists
- Double Bass DayArco, left hand, tone and vibrato
- Motown DayJamerson licks, rhythm cells, pitch sets and fills
- Funk Bass Day“From Jaco to Rocco to Marcus to Larry”
- Slap & Tap DayFunky slap with Grant and Jim Stinnett
- Jaco DayJaco’s language, sound and groove
- Marcus DayMarcus Miller’s lines and solos, with Sunder Panatella
- Paul Chambers DayPC’s walking lines, bebop solos and time
- Solo Bass DayLearning to play solo bass
- Jazz Solo DaySoloing on electric bass
From the Workouts
Every session, 2001–2005
These are Jim’s original photo pages from jimstinnett.com, rescued from the Internet Archive with his captions. The photos are small because that’s how the early web kept them. The archive didn’t save the gallery photos from 2006 on.
What students said
“I learned how to get the most out of my limited practice time… I can now spend an hour and accomplish what would have taken me three or more hours in the past.”Lenny
“As a high school student, studying with Jim Stinnett was more than just bass lessons. Jim taught me things about life… Over time, I began to refer to Jim, not just as my teacher, but as my mentor.”Mike Gordon (Phish), 2003
“It was intimidating to send in the check and commit, but was a really wise thing to do. The class became a fantastically supportive place to work… What I saw and heard made it clear that this is doable.”Eric, New Hampshire
“A wonderful educational experience for bass players of all levels… Practice sessions and performances along with Jim’s highly regarded Bass Method books keep students pumped up and productive during the three day workout.”David Howard, Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music
“We practiced from morning to evening everyday, it was much fun… If you can’t speak English, you could communicate with music!!”Masahiro Sawada, Osaka, Japan
“It really was a relief to find a workshop that is so focused and compressed and where I had the chance to play in a combo with some really great players.”Adrian, Ontario, Canada
Who taught
Where it went
- 2001–09Workouts in Candia, NH every season, plus “Fishin’ For Grips” with TJ
- 2008Workout with Michael Manring
- 2010Bass Workout Austria (January and September) and Bass Workout California
- 2011Riverside, CA; Santos, Brazil; the UK; the U.S. Army; and the Army, Navy and Marine Corps
- 2012Double Bass Workout, Grant Stinnett BWO, and Jazz Workouts for double and electric bass
- 2015–17One-day sessions and the monthly Reading Program
- 2020The last calendar: January, Motown–R&B in April, Summer in June and Jazz in October
Practice the way the Workout taught
Jim’s books and free video lessons carry the same approach: focused practice, honest evaluation and a clear next step.
Were you at a Bass Workout?
We’d love to hear your stories and see your photos. They help us keep this page and Jim’s teaching alive.
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