Bass lessons built around what you actually want to play.
Live, one-on-one, over Zoom, with a teacher who has over fifty years of professional playing. Every lesson is built around where you are now and where you want to get on the bass.
What this is
Live, one-on-one bass lessons over Zoom
I teach live bass guitar lessons over Zoom, one student at a time. Whether you're just starting out or you're a working player who wants to sharpen specific skills, I can help you get better. Students all over the world have studied with me this way, and the format has been refined over years of teaching.
Who it's for
Every age, every level, every style
I teach all ages and every level, from kids to retirees, first-timers to working professionals and lifelong hobbyists. Electric bass, 4- to 6-string, every style and technique: rock, funk, jazz, blues, gospel; fingerstyle, slap, tap, and the rest. I play and teach it all.
Wherever you’re starting from, lessons meet you there and move at your pace. Come with a song you want to play or no idea where to begin; either way, you’ll leave with a plan and something to work on.
Your online bass teacher
Fifty years on the bass. Forty of them teaching
Russ Rodgers is a veteran bassist and educator with over five decades of professional performance and instructional experience. Throughout his career, Russ has studied under some of the world's foremost bass virtuosos and educators, including John Patitucci, Oteil Burbridge, Jimi Haslip, Janek Gwizdala, Anthony Wellington, Mike Pope, Trip Wamsley, Herman Burney, Corey Christiansen, Kevin Bales, and Ted Howe.
His performance credits include an extensive domestic and international touring history, a seven-year residency at Atlanta's Ritz-Carlton with jazz vocalist Theresa Hightower, and years on the Washington, D.C. circuit. Based in Boynton Beach, Florida, Russ performs live throughout South Florida and provides private, one-on-one online bass instruction to students across the globe.
Russell is a an amazing bass instructor! I'd recommend him to anybody. Incredible person too!!!
What you'd learn
Five foundations, shaped by what you want to play
Lessons cover the five foundations every student touches. How much of each, and exactly what we work through inside each one, is shaped by what you want to play.
- Technique & application
- Right- and left-hand technique, bass line construction, soloing, and groove and time-feel.
- Note mapping
- Arpeggios and scales, organized by what each note does over the chord you’re playing.
- Styles
- Rock, pop, R&B, funk, blues, jazz, gospel, country, reggae, and Latin.
- Ear development
- Built mostly on transcription, training your ear so you can play what you hear.
- Reading
- Note names on the neck, rhythmic notation, and real professional bass charts.
How a lesson works
An hour on Zoom, recorded, built around your song
We meet in Zoom for a 1-hour or 2-hour session. I share play-along tracks, walk through technique with the camera on my hands when it helps, and we work in real time on whatever you're focused on right now. Every lesson is recorded and you'll keep the recording, so you can go back and study anytime.
What you need
A computer with solid internet, headphones, a mic, and a small audio interface or mixer to get your bass into the call. The budget setup is the one I recommend to start. What to buy and how it all hooks up is in the Zoom setup guide.
Why a live teacher
Why a live teacher instead of a subscription
There are a lot of very good video lessons out there, and I have made more than 130 of them myself (opens in new tab). I have also signed up for the big subscription sites over the years, Scott's Bass Lessons, TalkingBass and TrueFire among them, so I know first-hand what a video can and cannot do for you. A video cannot hear what you are doing or see where your hands are going wrong, and if you send in a question to one of those sites you are waiting in line with everybody else who pays for it. In a live lesson I am watching and listening to you play for the whole hour, so when something is not working we stop and fix it right there, whether it is a fingering that is fighting you, a song you cannot get through, or a question that a video never quite answered for you. I think that is the whole difference, and after forty years of teaching this way I can tell you it really works. If you want to weigh the two paths in more detail, I wrote about it in self-taught vs. bass lessons.
Price and scheduling
Fifty-five an hour. Fifty when you buy four or more
Lessons are 1 or 2 hours. I work with students worldwide by Zoom.
- Hourly Rate
$55/ hour
Best if you want a one-time lesson on something specific, or you take a lesson now and then when you need one.
- Prepaid Rate
$50/ hour· Save $5/hr
Best if you are taking lessons regularly. Buy four or more hours up front and every hour is $50.
Payment methods
- Venmo
- Zelle
- PayPal
A 2-hour lesson is billed as 2 hours. The prepaid rate kicks in once you buy 4 or more hours up front — for example, four 1-hour lessons or two 2-hour lessons.
Curious how these rates compare to the broader market? See how much bass lessons cost for typical ranges across private teachers, online platforms, and video subscriptions.
Three ways to schedule
- Weekly
- One or two hour lesson every week.
- Biweekly
- One or two hour lesson every 2 weeks.
- Floater
- Schedule lessons as needed; get in touch when you are ready.
Cancellations, make-ups and payment
Read the lesson policies
Cancellations and reschedules
Please get in touch as soon as you can before the scheduled lesson to cancel or reschedule:
- Phone - 404-386-0983 (voice or text)
- Email - russrodgers@gmail.com
Make-up window
If you take lessons on a regular repeating schedule, each lesson must be paid for on or by the day it was originally scheduled. Lessons cannot be skipped or pushed back. Any missed lesson can be made up, but it must be made up within 4 weeks of the original scheduled lesson.
Refund policy
There is a no-refund policy for all paid lessons. The 4-week make-up window above is the recovery path: any missed lesson can be rescheduled and made up within that window.
Late arrival
If you arrive late to a lesson, it will still end at its original scheduled time unless my schedule allows me to continue longer. Standard payment will be the same either way.
Payment timing
Payment is due on or by the day of the original scheduled lesson.
Tell me what you want to play
One call or email and we pick a time. The first hour starts on whatever you want to play.
Student voices
Hear from real students
I’ve been taking lessons from Russ for about a year and a half. He has an excellent system, well organized, and suitable from beginner to advanced — you always feel like you’re moving in a logical progression. I’ve had a number of teachers, but I’ll be sticking with Russ.
Russ is the real deal when it comes to both playing and teaching. I took lessons from him back in the late ’90s, and what he taught me still impacts my playing daily.
Thank you for all you’ve taught me this past year and a half. Your lessons and methods have reconditioned my playing for the better — I know I’ll have plenty to practice for years.
Before you book
Questions people ask before they book
How much do online bass lessons cost?
$55/hour, or $50/hour when you buy 4 or more hours in advance. Full details are in Price and scheduling above. For context on how this compares to other private teachers and online platforms, see how much bass lessons cost.
What does my setup need to be?
You'll need a computer with solid internet, headphones, a mic, and a small audio interface or mixer to get your bass into the call. A headset can stand in for the mic and headphones, but the interface or mixer is not optional. The Zoom setup page walks through what to buy and how it all hooks up.
How often do lessons happen?
Weekly, biweekly, or as-needed. Three ways to schedule are above.
Can I take a single lesson before committing?
Yes. The hourly rate is per-lesson, so there's no package required. Book one, see how it goes, and decide from there. Details are in Price and scheduling above.
What if I'm a complete beginner?
Beginners are welcome. It's a great place to start. We build from the fundamentals: how to hold the bass, right-hand and left-hand technique, reading the fingerboard, and playing in time with simple grooves. See what I teach for how the foundations fit together.
What if I'm already pretty advanced?
Advanced players are welcome too. I work with a lot of gigging and working pros on improvisation, jazz vocabulary, harmony, reading, and whatever specific area they want to push. Over fifty years of professional playing and over forty teaching means I have material at every level.
How long until I see progress?
It depends on your goals and how much you practice between lessons. Most students who put in consistent time notice real improvement within a few weeks. I'm not going to promise you'll be gigging in a month, but steady work pays off.
Do you teach kids?
Yes. I teach kids who are old enough to handle a bass and stay focused for a full lesson. If you're a parent and you're not sure whether your child is ready, give me a call and we can talk it through.
When he's not teaching
Russ, the player
Russ has been playing bass professionally for over fifty years, in studios, house bands, and touring groups, and these days he is out most weeks around South Florida. If you want to hear what all that teaching is built on, come to a show.
Your first lesson is one call away
Call or email, tell me where you are with the bass, and we pick a time. You leave the first hour with the recording, the tracks we used, and a plan.