Awaken the Riffian
Most bass courses aren't built for people who want to play heavy music.
Awaken the Riffian is a 4-week live course for beginners who picked up a bass because of heavy music and want to play it from day one.
Next cohort starts March 17th, 2025
@ 5PM Central
$297 · 15 spots · Starts March 17
Every beginner bass resource starts the same way.
Scales. Theory. Songs you don't care about.
If you've tried to learn and felt like nothing you were studying sounded like the music that made you want to play, that's not a you problem. That's a curriculum problem.
Most courses are built for a generic beginner. They assume you want a foundation first and the music you love later.
If heavy music is the reason you picked up a bass, later never comes.
Is this course for you?
This is for you if:
You have 0–6 months of experience on bass or returning after a long break
Heavy music is the reason you picked up the instrument
Every beginner resource you've found teaches music you don't care about
This is not for you if:
You're already making steady progress with a routine that works
You want theory, genre history, or general musicianship training
You need a fully self-paced course ,this is live, with set weekly sessions
Awaken the Riffian is a 4-week live group course.
Each week centers on one technique (slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, string muting), taught through a real riff built around that technique.
By week four, you'll be able to sit down and play a full song that sounds like you belong in a band.
That's the scope.
That's the course.
How the Four Weeks Work
Each week follows the same structure.
You receive a riff built around one technique.
The live session walks you through it in full, using that riff as the vehicle. You practice during the week. You come back to the next session having played it.
By working through the four riffs you're building toward a complete piece of music.
At the end of week four, those four riffs connect into one full song.
The live format matters because some questions can't be Googled.
If something isn't clicking, you ask in the session and get a real answer,
not another tab to open.
What’s Inside the Program
4 Weekly
Zoom Sessions
Live calls with coaching, drills, and Q&A (with replays)
Weekly Progress
Reviews
Submit short clips each week for personalized feedback
Lifetime Access to Replays + Materials
Rewatch every session, replay every riff, and revisit all materials anytime — at your pace, forever.
Riffian
Workbook
PDF workbook with riffs,
warmups, and practice logs
Private
Community
Connect with fellow Riffians without the noise of social media
The “Riffian Ritual” 5-min Warmup
A fast, repeatable warmup to lock in groove, wake up your hands, and drop you into a heavy playing mindset.
What You’ll Be Able to Do
After four weeks, you can play a full song.
Not a fragment. Not an exercise. A complete piece of music built from slides, hammer-ons, pull-offs, and string muting, the techniques that make heavy bass sound like heavy bass.
You'll know what each technique is, how to execute it cleanly, and how it functions inside a real riff.
What happens when you enroll
The course runs for four weeks and starts March 17.
Cart is open from March 5 to March 15.
The cohort is capped at 15 students. That's the number that allows for individual attention in a live format.
When it's full, enrollment closes.
If this is what you've been looking for, the enrollment page is below.
If you're unsure, re-read the fit section above. It's written to help you decide, not to push you toward yes.
Enrollment Options
Bonuses to Back You Up
You get access to powerful resources that make practice easier, more consistent, and way less frustrating.
Practicing Heavy Riffs Checklist
Use this guide to tighten up your riffs and make every minute on your bass actually count.
Riff Keeper
Practice Guide
Stay consistent. Play heavy.
Pick vs Fingers
Cheat Sheet
Get clear on how each technique sounds and feels in heavy music — and try both with riff examples.
FAQ
This course is built for 0–6 months of experience. You don't need theory, band experience, or a finished course behind you. You need a bass and a reason to learn. If heavy music is that reason, the course starts where you are.
Every session is recorded. If you can't attend live, you won't lose the material. The reason the course is live is practical: beginners hit specific walls that generic content can't address. A live session means the question you can't find answered anywhere else gets answered before it becomes a reason to stop.
The cost of the wrong curriculum isn't just money. It's the time spent studying music you don't care about, building habits around genres that aren't yours, and eventually setting the bass down because nothing sounds like the reason you picked it up. This course is four weeks. It's specific. It ends with a result you can hear.
No worries! You’ll have lifetime access to the materials and can always catch up. Plus, you’ll stay in the community for ongoing support even after the 6 weeks end.
Expect to spend 3-5 hours per week attending/watching lessons, practicing, and submitting playing clips for feedback. You’ll get a structured practice routine to follow, so even short, focused sessions will bring results.
Nope! You just need a bass, amp (or DI), and a way to record clips (your phone works fine).
You’ll submit short video clips of your playing, and I’ll personally review them, giving you specific tips to improve your tone, technique, and groove. No guessing what to fix—I’ll tell you exactly what to work on.
This course is built for fans of doom, sludge, stoner, post-metal, and heavy bass styles that groove. We use a riff-based approach to learning the music that you love, no matter which flavor of heaviness you prefer.
Click the JOIN NOW button on this page, choose your payment option, and you’re in! As soon as you sign up, you’ll get an email with next steps and access details.
Who Created This Course
Beholden to the Riff was created by pro bassist and educator Jered Johnson to fix what most heavy music lessons get wrong: too much theory, not enough riff.
After years of teaching, performing, and seeing beginners burn out on random tabs or dry instruction, Jered built the system he wished he had.
This system focuses on real progress, real tone, and riffs that actually feel good to play.
What started as a YouTube channel is now a full-blown online school for heavy bass and guitar, with structured courses, community support, and a mission to help you go from total beginner to stage-ready player.
Are You Ready to
Awaken the Riffian?
The next Heavy Bass Bootcamp kicks off soon!
Don't miss out - join the waitlist to be the first to know when the next one begins.