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“Avoid Notes” Aren’t Forbidden — They Just Need Careful Handling

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he answers a question he gets constantly: what’s the deal with “avoid notes”?

One question I get asked a lot in lessons is about avoid notes.

For example, in a C major scale, you can use:

C D E F G A B C

Of these, the note F is the avoid note.

Wait — isn’t an avoid note supposed to be a note you’re not allowed to use?

But if F is part of the C major scale in the first place, can you use it or not? That’s exactly the part that confuses people.

Strictly speaking, the right way to think about it is:

You’re not forbidden from using it — you just need to be a little careful about how you use it.

An avoid note, fundamentally, is a note that makes it harder for the listener to feel the chord’s harmony.

A C chord has its own distinct “C chord” sound — but if you emphasize the avoid note too much, that C-chord sound gets harder to convey.

That said, using F as a decorative tone or a passing tone is completely fine. Here are some concrete examples.

A Good Way to Use an Avoid Note in a Walking Bass Line

Say you’re over a C chord, playing four quarter notes in the bar:

C E F G

Used this way, as a passing tone, it works fine.

F used as a passing tone in a walking bass line over a C chord, without being emphasized

The F here isn’t being emphasized.

A Less Good Way to Use an Avoid Note in a Walking Bass Line

Now say you’re over the same C chord, playing four quarter notes:

C F F F

Like this — with almost no chord tones present and the F note emphasized heavily — the harmony becomes hard to read.

F overused and emphasized in a walking bass line over a C chord, making the harmony unclear

So this is exactly what people mean by “it’s not forbidden, it just needs careful handling.”

Understanding the theory behind avoid notes is one thing — actually hearing when you’re overusing one in your own lines is exactly the kind of thing a teacher catches immediately.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

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Why the GO:MIXER Is a Great Cheap Audio Interface for Bass Play-Through Videos

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he reviews a cheap, simple audio interface that’s especially handy for bassists filming “play-through” videos.

Why the GO:MIXER is worth using for “play-through” videos — and why it’s especially good for bassists. This is a hands-on review based on my own experience.

If either of these sounds like you, this one’s worth a look:

  • Playing bass through an amp at home gets you in trouble with people around you
  • You want a simple mixer but don’t want to spend much

What Is the GO:MIXER?

The GO:MIXER is an audio mixer built specifically for smartphones.

The GO:MIXER smartphone audio interface

The setup here is:

iPhone → GO:MIXER → Bass

Connect it this way, switch your iPhone to video recording mode, and it automatically captures a clean line-in recording alongside your video — it’s a genuinely great little tool.

GO:MIXER Q&A

Does it need batteries?

No batteries or adapter needed. It just works as-is.

Does it need a dedicated app?

No app required. It just works as-is.

Is there any audio/video sync lag?

I personally haven’t noticed any.

Can it record in stereo?

Yes — connect it and you can record your performance in stereo right away. With multiple inputs, the GO:MIXER can mix and record mics, instruments, and media players together.

Does it work with Android?

For the most part, yes, though some Android devices have had compatibility issues. Check the manufacturer’s support page for details.

Can multiple people play through it at once?

Yes. It has plenty of input jacks, so you can plug in multiple instruments and play together.

Other Advantages of the GO:MIXER

Extremely Lightweight

It weighs about 100 grams — genuinely light.

No Amp Needed

Playing through an amp at home gets you in trouble with whoever you live with. But a headphone amp alone means you can’t make a “play-through” video.

That’s exactly the gap this fills:

iPhone → GO:MIXER → Bass

Connect headphones or earphones to the GO:MIXER, and you get to practice with amp-like sound, with no amp required.

Downsides of the GO:MIXER

No Power Supply, Since It Runs Off Your Phone’s Jack

Because it draws power through your phone’s port while you’re filming, your battery drains steadily the whole time. Long recording sessions might be tough if your phone’s battery is already low.

Why I Recommend It Specifically for Bassists

If you record straight from your amp into your phone’s built-in mic, ambient noise and muddiness are common problems — even if you’ve dialed in a great amp tone, the phone’s mic often just doesn’t capture it well. Bass tends to get buried more easily than other instruments to begin with.

That’s where the GO:MIXER comes in — plug into the jack, and it automatically produces a clean line-recorded video. Highly recommended for bassists.

You can find it here: https://amzn.asia/d/6G6CC3D

Good gear takes care of your sound — what’s harder to fix on your own is everything happening with your hands before the signal even reaches the mixer.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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A Simple Practice Trick for Playing Fast Phrases Cleanly

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he shares a simple practice trick for playing fast phrases more cleanly.

“My fingers tangle up once a phrase gets fast” or “I hit a wall past a certain tempo” — a lot of players run into this. Here’s a practice method that can help.

Step 1: Pluck With Just the Fingertip, More Than Usual

The priority here is feeling the string “catch” on your fingertip. Plucking from the very tip of your finger means your volume drops, but a big part of why players can’t keep up with fast phrases is actually that they haven’t found this catching sensation yet.

Step 2: Once You’re Comfortable, Dig In Deeper

Once you’re comfortable controlling the note with just your fingertip, gradually bring your finger in deeper against the string, the way you normally would. As you get a feel for it, keep deepening the contact bit by bit until you can produce a strong, stable tone.

This method works equally well for both upright and electric bass. If you only ever practice by cranking the tempo up, you’ll eventually hit a wall at some point no matter what. If you’re working on a fast phrase right now, give this a try.

Fixing a finger-tangling habit like this is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to self-diagnose — a teacher watching your hand can usually spot the root cause immediately.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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What Does “Optimal Form” Actually Mean?

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he shares his take on what “optimal form” actually means.

What people usually mean by “optimal form” is the standard form shown in method books or taught by teachers. These have been refined over years by countless players through trial and error, and have stuck around because they’re “easy to play for most people” — so they’re absolutely worth trying first.

That said, in lessons I often hear things like:

“The standard form just doesn’t feel comfortable for me.”
“I can’t get a good sound out of it.”
“It doesn’t feel like it fits my body.”

My own take is: optimal form = whatever form is comfortable for you and produces a good sound.

As an extreme example, on upright bass it’s standard to use the index, middle, and ring fingers of the left hand.

A standard left-hand fingering position on upright bass

But some well-known international bassists use the pinky even in low positions, taking a fingering approach closer to electric bass. That’s not the standard form — but if it lets that particular player play stably and the music holds up, I think that’s perfectly fine.

There is one important caveat, though: if a beginner decides on their own to adopt a non-standard form without real guidance, what they end up with usually isn’t “a form suited to them” — it’s much more likely to just be an incorrect form.

And once a flawed form like that sets in, it can take a very long time to correct later.

That’s why it’s worth:

– Learning the standard form first
– Actually trying it out
– Adjusting it if it doesn’t fit
– And ideally, having a professional check that judgment rather than deciding entirely on your own

Form issues especially are the kind of thing where, if you’re self-taught, a lot of time can pass without you ever realizing something’s off.

That’s exactly why, in my own lessons, I personally review students’ form and playing every day and give detailed feedback.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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When the First Note of a Bar Shouldn’t Be the Root

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he explains when it makes sense to skip the root on the first beat of a bar — and when it doesn’t.

A lot of players want to try skipping the root on the first note of a walking bass bar — it’s a sound a lot of people are drawn to. Here’s an example: in bar 2 below, the chord is C, but the circled first note of that bar isn’t the root.

A bass line in which the first note of bar 2, over a C chord, is not the root

Generally speaking, the first note of a chord should be the root. With that as your baseline, being able to casually pull off a non-root first note can make your line sound stylish and more melodic, depending on how you build it. The 3rd in particular tends to blend in naturally with the backing harmony when you skip the root this way.

There’s one important caveat, though: when you’re playing the melody — the “theme” — keeping the root on beat 1 is usually the better call.

That’s because melodies are usually written with the chord’s root already in mind.

Melodies Are Usually Built Around the Chord’s Root

Take a look at this:

The chord progression for Fly Me to the Moon

This is the chord progression for “Fly Me to the Moon.” In this tune, the melody’s 3rd often lands right on the first beat of the bar.

If you then think “let’s skip the root!” and also make the bass line’s first note the 3rd in those same spots, you can end up with two 3rds clashing against each other, which often doesn’t harmonize well and can sound off rather than cool.

Example 1: First Note of Every Bar Played as the 3rd

This is a bass line where every bar’s first note is the 3rd. It’s not exactly wrong, but if you’re going this route, the approach below tends to fit better.

Example 2: First Note of Every Bar Played as the Root

Here I simply played the root straight on the first note. Compared to Example 1, doesn’t this one feel like it fits more naturally?

Conclusion

Keep the root on beat 1 during the melody, and save root-skipping approaches for when you’re improvising, depending on how the music is flowing.

Of course, there are plenty of exceptions to this. But hopefully this gives you a useful way to think about root-skipping approaches on the first beat of a bar.

Knowing exactly when to bend a rule like this one is hard to judge entirely on your own — it’s the kind of nuance a teacher can flag immediately by listening to your playing.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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Six Affordable Bass Practice Accessories Worth Trying

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he recommends six affordable practice accessories worth trying.

Here are six recommended practice items you can buy on Amazon for around $10 or so. If your practice motivation is dragging, try a few of these out — they can genuinely help boost both motivation and efficiency.

6 Affordable Bass Practice Accessories Worth Trying

① Music Stand Tray

A small tray that clips onto a music stand for holding a phone or pen

A tray that clips onto your music stand in one click, giving you a spot for your phone, a pen, or other small items.

Setting your phone directly on a music stand makes it easy to slide off — this keeps it stable and takes one source of practice stress off the table.

https://amzn.asia/d/0bsKCtOR

② Tabletop Music Stand

A small foldable music stand for using on a desk

Great if you’re someone whose method book or sheet music keeps snapping shut when you lay it flat on a table.

It holds the page open, so it’s handy if you want to check theory or sheet music while holding your instrument. Folds down compact when you’re done.

https://amzn.asia/d/0i3ZpBRx

③ Fret Wraps

A fret wrap that mutes string sustain on the neck of a bass

An item that shortens string sustain and gives you a stronger sense of mute.

Especially good if you like the sound of walking bass or an upright bass. Comes in plenty of color options too.

https://amzn.asia/d/0b97xyRX

④ String Winder

A hand-crank string winder tool for changing bass strings

A hand-crank tool for winding strings.

It’s dramatically faster than winding by hand, saving time and sparing your fingers. Worth having if you find changing strings to be a hassle.

https://amzn.asia/d/0fWZK5BJ

⑤ Footrest

An adjustable footrest for use while sitting and playing bass

Raising one foot slightly while playing seated helps the instrument sit against your body more naturally, which stabilizes your form.

The height is fully adjustable, which makes it easy to find the posture that works best for you.

https://amzn.asia/d/04qpCLd8

⑥ String Life (String Cleaner/Conditioner)

A string conditioner that helps prevent rust and extend string life

Just wipe this onto your strings after practice to help prevent rust and extend their life.

Since it slows down tonal degradation, it ends up reducing how often you need to change strings, too.

https://amzn.asia/d/0dXb09H2

Every one of these is affordable, but each can meaningfully improve your practice environment and overall playing comfort. If you want to boost your practice motivation or just enjoy playing a bit more, give a few of these a try.

Good gear removes friction — but a teacher catching what’s actually limiting your playing is what moves the needle the most.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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Five Things I Do Differently When Carrying My Upright Bass on the Train in Tokyo

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he shares the habits he relies on for carrying an upright bass around a big city by train.

A question came up recently in my online community from someone living outside of a major city:

“How do you actually move a double bass around when you’re getting around a big city?”

I live in Tokyo and mostly get around by train, and thinking about it, there’s actually quite a bit I pay attention to. Here are the five things I consider most important.

5 Things I Do When Moving Around the City With an Upright Bass

1. A Dedicated Wheel Cart Is Non-Negotiable

Carrying an upright bass on just the case strap alone is brutal. I use a dedicated wheel attachment, sometimes called a “bass buggy.”

A wheeled cart attachment for carrying an upright bass case

It’s a bit of an investment, but the wheels are very sturdy — if you’re doing a lot of walking, this is essential.

2. Always Take the Elevator

Carrying an upright bass up and down stairs is genuinely rough, so I always use the elevator at any station that has one.

An elevator at a Tokyo train station

3. Pick the Wider Ticket Gate

If the gate is narrow, the wheels can clip the edges, so I always go through the wider gate.

A narrow ticket gate at a train station that is easy to clip with a wheeled case

4. Stand in the Corner Near the Doors

On the train, I aim for the corner spot next to the seats near the doors. Even if the train isn’t crowded, I generally stay standing rather than sitting.

Standing in the corner near the train doors with an upright bass case

5. Avoid Crowds and Rush Hour

I try to travel at times when it’s not too crowded whenever I can.

Navigating a train platform with an upright bass case, avoiding rush hour crowds

Hauling an upright bass through a city is hard enough on its own — having a teacher who can see your actual playing despite the logistics is exactly where Line on Bass comes in.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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A Jazz Standard That Will Seriously Strengthen Your Off-Beat Feel (Monk’s “Evidence”)

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he recommends a jazz standard that’s secretly one of the best off-beat workouts around.

When people think of off-beat practice, they usually picture dry metronome drills or monotonous repetition. And honestly, that kind of practice is hard to stick with long-term.

So instead, here’s a way to train your off-beat feel using a real tune. First, take a look at this performance starting at 2:35:

The tune here is “Evidence,” a jazz standard written by Thelonious Monk.

The melody is very distinctive — full of phrases that start on the off-beat, along with long rests like dotted-quarter rests and half rests. To lock in with the timing here, you need to feel the “and” of the beat just as strongly as the beat itself, or you’ll end up out of sync.

Just getting comfortable playing along with this tune will naturally train your sense of the off-beat, your control over rests, and the overall stability of your phrasing. If standard metronome drills aren’t your thing, try training with a real tune like this instead.

Off-beat feel like this is notoriously hard to judge in your own playing — a teacher listening from the outside can usually pinpoint exactly where you’re drifting.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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The Bassist Whose Phrasing I Keep Coming Back To: Jay Leonhart

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he recommends a bassist whose phrasing he keeps coming back to.

A band that’s come up a lot recently in my online community, the “Bebop Practice Group,” is the Eddie Higgins Trio.

It’s a jazz piano trio, but it’s genuinely easy to listen to. A lot of the repertoire is standards, which also makes it a great recommendation for anyone who’s just starting to get into jazz.

I listened to this group a lot myself when I first got into jazz, and coming back to it again recently because of the community discussion, I’m reminded all over again how good it is.

What really stands out to me is the playing of bassist Jay Leonhart.

His phrasing sounds simple and singable on first listen — but underneath that, there are tricky little movements, a wide range of ghost notes, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and accents woven in throughout. The more you listen, the more you notice. He’s a genuinely cool bassist to study.

If you’re thinking “I want to get into jazz but don’t know where to start,” this trio is a great first pick.

Here’s a recording of the trio playing “Like Someone in Love” — a standard that comes up constantly at jam sessions, so it’s well worth getting familiar with.

Like Someone in Love

Studying a bass line like Jay Leonhart’s by ear is one thing — actually working those ghost notes and accents into your own playing is another, and that’s exactly the kind of detail a teacher can help you nail down.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →

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What a Saxophone Solo Can Teach You About Phrasing Like a Jazz Player

This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he breaks down three phrasing tricks borrowed from a classic saxophone solo.

The tune featured here is the jazz classic “Cool Strutin’.” The melody performance starts at 2:09 in the clip below:

You can find the original recording here — well worth checking out.

Studying phrases from other instruments — not just bass, but horns and everything else — is a great way to expand your sense of rhythm and phrasing. Here are the three things that make this particular line sound so good:

1. Starting Phrases on the Off-Beat

One of the biggest ingredients in sounding genuinely “jazz” is starting a phrase on the off-beat. You don’t always have to start there, but coming in off the beat creates a natural sense of swing and feel.

A phrase that starts on the off-beat across four measures

In fact, the original melody of this tune is full of phrases anchored on off-beats — that’s a big part of what gives it such a distinctive jazz feel.

2. Using Eighth-Note Triplets

An eighth-note triplet on a single beat gives a phrase tightness and bounce. Land it with good timing, and that fine-grained rhythmic detail tightens up the whole sound.

A phrase using an eighth-note triplet on a single beat

Working this in deliberately throughout a solo keeps things from sounding monotonous and pushes the line further into jazz-specific phrasing.

3. Working in a Blue Note

For a blues tune in F like this one, the most effective blue note to reach for is the note B.

A phrase that adds the note B as a blue note over an F blues

This tune’s melody is mostly built from the F minor pentatonic scale — F, A♭, B♭, C, E♭ — but adding that B note on top instantly gives it a much bluesier sound.

This “pentatonic plus blue note” feel is something you really have to play and feel for yourself rather than just understand intellectually — go try landing that B note and feel how bluesy it sounds.

Borrowing phrasing like this from another instrument is a great habit — but knowing exactly how to adapt it onto your own bass lines is exactly the kind of thing a teacher can speed up dramatically.

Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?

This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.

At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.

Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.

Check Out the Lesson Service →