Don’t worry, you get plenty of practice when you get to disco octaves in module 12.
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Oh man I like disco but I have a feeling I might not after that 
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I can feel myself getting better at playing with a pick, but I still don’t know what the “correct” way to hold it is.
I know the answer is that there isn’t a correct way, and that different bassists find success in different ways. But I feel like the way I’ve settled on isn’t efficient.
Maybe I’ll make a video to articulate it better. I started with the pick between my thumb and a curled up index finger, like Josh teaches in the masterclass module, but I find the angle it creates means I’m scraping the strings rather than striking them. I have to angle my picking arm to get the pick parallel with the strings, which is ok sitting down but impossible standing.
So instread I’m holding the pick between my thumb and the tips of my index and middle fingers. This gives me more control of the angle, but it feels like it doesn’t hold the pick firmly enough to give the force that’s needed for the bass. I can play with more precision and light picks, but if I want to play something heavy, it doesn’t seem right.
I guess I just need to keep experimenting with different grips to find what works best.
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Right now, I’m working on increasing my ability to span more frets without having to micro shift in order to have a more legato now transition, and on the right hand improving speed and timing, eighth and sixteenth notes evenly spaced at speed, along with rapid note length changes, e.g., quarter, eighth, 2xsixteenth. For example, in Wish you were here, bar 68 in particular.
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After playing guitar with a pick for many decades, I’ve learned that I don’t have to position my arm to affect my pick angle.
Efficiency of motion is key to playing any instrument. With that in mind, consider that you can change the angle at which your pick face contacts a string by sliding your thumb up or down relative to your index finger.
Since the surface of your index finger pad is essentially a curved surface, sliding your thumb up to apply pressure to the top of the pick will change the angle of the pick so its top edge contacts a string more prominently. Slide your thumb downward relative to your index finger and the bottom of the pick face will strike the string more prominently.
The point is: How you position your finger and thumb to hold a pick should not be a static death grip. Instead, try using micro shifts of your thumb, up or down, to influence how your pick face’s angle addresses a string.
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Does anyone get cramps on the outside (below the pinky) of your fretting hand when trying to increase your reach?
Yeah. It’s so tough to know the line between expected discomfort and something that’s concerning, but I think some light cramping with that is probably to be expected
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I seem to have a form of fret dyslexia. Whenever I start a new lesson, I have to stop the video when @JoshFossgreen introduces a new exercise in order to run through the fretting a few times before continuing with the lesson. Even after working it out I still get confused until I’ve done it enough times. Then I’m good for up to the mid-speed workout at least.
I narrowed it down to when I’m going up on the fret board but going down in pitch (playing on the next lower string). It seems counterintuitive in my brain at first until I register that even though I’m fretting up, I’m also switching to a lower string.
Has anyone else experienced this? How do you resolve this besides just practicing more (looking for techniques or brain/finger training).
Johnas
Until beginners gain familiarity with how a bass works to produce pitches on different strings, it will naturally seem weird.
The way to resolve this is to do this:
Just accept that you’re learning a foreign “language,” and practice its fundamentals, over and over. It simply takes time and patience to internalize how things work on a stringed instrument. Just relax. You got this. 
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I very much had this issue. Still do at times - especially when learning something new that’s sitting right around the top of my skill level or just beyond. My brain wants to say “higher fret number should be higher note”.
I don’t have any technique or training advice beyond “experience”. As @MikeC said, getting over comes as part of learning how the instrument works.
just started module 5 and really struggled with lesson three with the fast string jumping from e to d. can so tell I have never played a musical instrument before.
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Good news! This all comes with time and practice…
Bad news! This all comes with time and practice…
things like this disappear into the ether as you keep up practice. Just remember, it’s not going to be right at first, slow it down, way down, use a metronome or drum machine.
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Ok im really struggling with stretching. Im quiet good at micro shifting but really struggle sometimes on the simplest stretch.
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Recording… and facing imperfect playing in the replay 
I’d love to upload a cover here to get some feedback from you guys but I struggle with recording myself (hi body image issues) and I’m not very keen to upload anything on youtube 
at the first glance it looks like vimeo has to be paid and peertube slightly complicated with the decentral solutions. Does anyone know simple alternatives ?
I’ve seen Josh comment that you can make a YouTube video unlisted but still have a link to share.
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Yeah, if you upload to youtube you can select the visibility as “unlisted”. That means that only people with the link can view it. So you could post it here and we could see it, but random schmoe surfing on YT wouldn’t ever see it.
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Micro shift away then. No shame in that game. If you want to work on stretching (there is almost zero need to ever try and do a 5 fret stretch btw), look for some exercises that incorporate some light stretchs and spend 5-10 minutes a day on it. Really no need to stress out over it. You’ll probably naturally get better anyway the longer you play.
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Thank you . I can’t even really do 3 frets comfortably. But other than that I surprised how far I have come.
The “coordination builder” in Module 6 really kicked my butt. I was feeling kinda down after.
So I taught myself the main riff from “Black Coffee in Bed” by Squeeze to make myself feel better. Slowed down quite a bit. It worked! That’s really fun to play.
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