Congratulations on completing the course @krt1!
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Wellā¦ I just finished the course after starting a year ago. Probably worth explaining the completion time first. This is not a fault of the course. Itās just how it is. I have a hectic job, six kids at home, and I struggle at times with motivation. i.e. A lot of times after a long day, I just want to vegetate and play computer games. Lockdown has just made home life even more crazy (hence my absence from the forums lately), which hasnāt helped either.
One very important thing though is that this is the only online course I have ever completed. And I have started a LOT of online courses on various topics over the years. I usually just lose interest or get distracted by some other shiny thing. I am just a type of person that struggles to see things through to completion, which drives those around me bonkers. The fact that I actually completed the course really is a massive endorsement in itself. Iām very proud of myself for actually finishing something.
Some relevant history about me is that I originally learned some piano when I was a kid. Over the years Iāve dabbled in violin, bassoon, flute, bass, and guitar. But as mentioned above, I never really stuck to any. In fact, I played bass for a couple years 20 years ago then gave it up for other endeavours. Itās only because a family friend heard I played bass a long time ago and asked me to jam with a group they were making about a year ago (hence me starting the course), that I got back into it. I was jamming with them every couple of weeks (until lockdown), which was reinforcing my learning and motivating me to keep learning. I will be playing regularly with them again once lockdown is eased. I know a bit of basic music theory and note reading, but not really that much.
Pros
Josh Josh Josh. He is such an amazing teacher. It is hard to pinpoint why this is, but his style is the closest thing Iāve experienced to actually being in a room with a teacher. His enthusiasm is infectious. His sense of humor is great and I pick up on the little things like what shirts he wears for different lessons. Canāt praise him enough as a teacher.
The course layout and production are great. I like that there is some theory and then some follow along practice to reinforce the theory. Itās a solid combination. If you learn something but donāt utilize it, you will simply forget it.
I got a lot out of reading the comments from other students under the video of each lesson. Many times they had the same questions that were in my head and that gave me a feeling that I wasnāt alone. Also, Josh is great at answering these questions and answered any questions I posted there within 24 hours.
The forum is also great for combining with the course. It is such a great bunch of helpful and friendly people. Most musician forums Iāve visited have a sense of elitism, but there is none of that here. And of course, Josh pops around the forums as well, which is always great to see.
Possible Improvements
Instead of recording tracks in videos to play along to, I think it would be cool to have videos of other musicians to play along to. e.g. Instead of a drum + guitar audio track, to actually see the drummer and guitarist playing with you. I think this would add a layer of it being a jam instead of just a practice session.
While the tracking on the tab playthroughs (the bar that moves across the tab) is fine overall, sometimes it is off slightly from Joshās playing. This can be annoying at times, but is not a big deal.
Some of the Course Extras is a bit clunky. As an online course, Iād like to be able to play backing tracks and such online as well. Itās great to be able to download them, but having the option to play them online would be wonderful as well (with loop and playback speed, even better).
In the early lessons, I felt like there could be more information about left hand placement. Not as in on the frets, but angles of fingers, where to put your thumb on the neck, etc. Iāve been told by a professional bassist that my fingers are too angled close to the nut, but Iām just doing what is comfortable to me. Would have been great to hear Josh discuss this as it bugs me.
It would be nice if you could have it on full screen and go to the next lesson automatically or by pressing a button instead of having to take the lesson off full screen, hit Next, then put it back on full screen.
My Next Steps
Iām going to continue to jam with my ābandā when we can. Iāve also got Ariane Capās theory book that Iām going to work through. Iām also going to do some sheet music reading apps/websites more. Then I plan on re-doing the course from Module 5 or so and ONLY looking at the sheet music instead of relying on the tab.
Conclusion
Itās been an amazing and hugely valuable experience going through the course. I canāt recommend it enough to any aspiring bassist or those that just want to refine their techniques a bit more. Iāll continue to be part of the community as I think itās the best one around for bassists.
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I have literally finished the course 5 minutes ago,here are my thoughts:
Like a few posters above,I had some prior experience playing bass and guitar. Both self thought in the dark ages,before the internet and with having to sometimes go months or more before meeting someone who could tell me:" dude, you are doing that backwards.here,look how it is done"
Itās safe to say that I have picked up all the bad habits I could and worked myself tightly into a dead end when it came to playing.
Sure, i understood how tabs work,could find notes on the strings and I even had some (extremely)rudimentary knowledge of theory,but it felt like i was going nowhere.
Back to the course:
I worried at the start ,like a few of you, that it was too basicā¦but,again like many on here, i stuck with it and diligently did the workouts until the modules became more challenging.
In that process i identified enough bad habits to already feel the benefits of this approach.
The pacing is spot on, the theory becomes interesting rather than boring and the direct application to playing is very rewarding.
I have also developed a hunger to learn more when it comes to theory and that is really something for me.
Josh keeps talk at exactly the right ratio to playing and his personality comes across as genuineā¦it really feels good playing along and learning and at no point did feel like:" look at how good I am"
The format works really well, the extras are good and the whole thing just works.
The price is really fair for what youāre getting and I would not hesitate to sign up to the next course.
Hope this helps, I had a blast and I finally know how to progress.
Thanks @JoshFossgreen, you knocked it out of the park!
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Youāre probably reading this review because you want to learn to play the bass guitar and trying to decide if this course is worth the cash. I get it. Let me tell you my story to help you with your decision:
Long before I stumbled upon Bass Buzz, I was a struggling guitar beginner and I was asked by a friend to play bass in a fledgling five-piece garage band where the drummer was solid and the lead guitar player was the only guy experienced with playing and gigging out. It was an alright experience since I had figured out the concept of playing the root notes and could keep (barely) passable time. Past that, I was lost out in the deep, dark ocean so to say, and it often felt that way. The guitarist one night, in a helpful tone, said to me, āwhy donāt you sprinkle some sevenths over (this certain) part Iām playingā. I gave him a deer in the headlights look.
That was the last night we practiced before the pandemic and we havenāt gotten together since then. After the initial freak out about the virus (and the mad rush for TP) had passed and it became obvious it was here for a while, I resolved to figure out what he was talking about before we got together again, however long that might be.
I submersed myself into reading about music theory, trying hard to grasp what seemed like an alien technical manual that used English words with different definitions and nonsensical symbols. I tried to bulldoze my understanding by using tabs to learn songs with an illustration of a fretboard in front of me. I tried several YouTubers that said they could teach me how to play the bass, only to seemingly demonstrate that they knew how to play the bass and not much more.
Then one day I clicked on a Bass Buzz video. I was skeptical at first thinking Josh was just another guy that wanted to play the bass on camera, but he was different. He was funny. I liked his characters (Bass-bot was my favorite). I liked how he didnāt give me a twenty-minute monologue about his philosophy on bass playing or whatever and got right to business. I liked how he broke things down into ābite-size chunksā (with the shark hand motion).
After enough of his videos telling me āfor more great stuff like this take my courseā I finally coughed up the dough for the B2B course (not because of the price, but because Iām notorious for paying for something like this and not using it), and off I went, with my only real expectation being that I would hopefully become better at playing the bass.
This course far exceeded that expectation. It grabbed and kept my attention. Josh was terrific as the instructor. All the things I liked about him in his āfreeā content were turned up to eleven. His warmth and encouragement exuded out of the screen. Every day I looked forward to my lessons and I finished the course in about a month and a half. I just devoured the content because it is so good and I immediately started seeing improvement in my playing.
By the end of the course, Iām easily ten times better than where I started, if not more. I have some depth to my understanding of music theory, instead of the shallow puddle I was wallowing in (I can now āsprinkle some seventhsā on my guitaristās musical machinations when they ask me to, or even when they donāt). Iāve been provided with so many tricks and techniques to use and to continue to practice and improve upon from this course. I truly feel like I know what Iām doing now and Iām confident in my ability to do it at a jam session. In short, mission accomplished: Iām a badass*! (*with the bass)
If you want to learn to play the bass or get better at playing the bass and you are trying to figure out if this is the course that will teach you: it is. Give him your money. Josh will show you the way.
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Great review, congrats on finishing the course! I canāt wait to hear about your band mates reactions the first time you get to play with them again and they see how much you have leveled up your game.
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I absolutely loved this course!!! Thank you soooo much to everyone who was involved in creating this, it has given me so much joy. It has even made my girlfriend happy since I have been in such a good mood since starting this course. Iām a bass addict for life now! Highly recommended!
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I started this course right around the beginning of the pandemic. So itās taken me about a year to complete. Despite some unforeseen turbulence and set-backs in my life over the past year, this course was something i was always eager to get back to and gave me a thread to hang onto through the craziness of the last year. I was able to play music with others outside a little last summer, but once the cold weather hit this course was my focus through the winter. I loved how you were able to take some of the mystery out of music by breaking it down into its elements and then showing us how to put it all together in a systematic way. At first i thought things were moving a little slow but i trusted that you knew where you were going and that there was method to your madness. I always trusted you had the big picture in mind as we learned the fundamentals. And i was reassured of this as the course went on. As everyone has noted, your teaching style was very approachable and supportive and i loved the format. I was a little surprised that a significant chunk of time was given to slapping but not to walking. If there was anything i hoped to get out of this course but didnāt it would be learning more about the fundamentals of constructing walking bass lines. I know there are other resources for this so this will be part of my own future learning goals. Im looking forward to exploring the course extras and reviewing some of the theory stuff. Thanks for everything. Keep up the good way of life!
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Stop messing around with random you tube clips. Just sign up for this course. Josh is a great teacher and has a sense of humour to boot. You are playing along with music and songs from day 1 and the way the course is structured keeps you engaged and builds on your skills. The workouts mean you donāt get stuck when things get more challenging. You donāt need to read music if you donāt want too. There is a 50 song play along in the course extras There is great community on the forum. I wish this course was around in the 70ās
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I agree @alexmorrison14 , i would have loved to know of something like this around in the 70ās as well 
Cheers Brian
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Best thing I found and Josh created that has pushed me forward in playing.
I have all praises for you @JoshFossgreen and BassBuzz team.
Looking forward for Badass to Ultra-Badass !
<3 ya
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I got involved with music over 60 years ago and have played 6 string since 1972.
4 1/2 years ago I got involved with the ukulele and have started several jam groups since.
Why the uke you may ask
1 - Size
2 - The Baritone uke has the same tuning as the highest 4 strings on a guitar (DGBE) so same chords I already know, with two less strings and fingers to worry about.
These were the main draws.
Not sure how it happened but around Christmas of 2020 I discovered that the Bass, in standard tuning, is tuned the same as the lowest 4 strings on a regular guitar, only one octave lower ie. EADG.
Then I stumbled upon the BassBuzz website.
I joined the the forum and decided to get a Bass and amp.
I ordered a Bass and Bass amp.
When I received my Bass and amp I signed up for the Beginner to Badass course.
After a week or so I decided that it was too primary for me.
I did not need to know about the parts of the Bass, learn the fretboard or learn basic theory as these I already knew this from all my years with a six string.
I felt bad about it but contacted Josh and explained my situation to him and he agreed that B2B was not really for me and he refunded all my money.
I will take his next level course when/if it becomes available.
Now this is one thing I do not see mentioned enough about B2B.
Josh has a money back guarantee and I know he honors it quickly.
So anybody sitting on the fence wondering if B2B is for them I say get off the fence because you have nothing to lose and you will not find anything better.
**B2B is the ONLY course for new Bass players that have no knowledge of music that I have ever seen that has O bad reviews, and there is NO better online teacher, or in person for that matter, for Bass than Josh.**IMHO
With all of the knowledge I already have in music it amazes me how much I have learned from the Forum that pertains exclusively to the Bass. For instance who would have thought you should not use a regular guitar amp for Bass and that some pedals used on a six string may not work that well for Bass, primarily because of the lower frequencies involved.
My headstock tuner is an example and so I purchased an inline.
Again The BassBuzz website and B2B course are the ONLY site and course that I have NEVER seen a negative review on and that says something.
In summary, if you are new to Bass, join the BassBuzz website (Itās free) and get involved on the Forum and if you have a Bass get the Beginner to Badass (B2B) course.
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Very well said @Celticstar,
Agree with everything you said about B2B , itās a great course and has a great community 
Cheers Brian
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