Things to do · Arts and crafts
Learn the bass guitar
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
The bass guitar is the engine of a band, with a powerful, clear sound, and creating a bassline that suits a song is a creative job in itself. Adult evening classes teach you to read chord symbols, keep time and play with other musicians.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650MonthsIndoorsWith othersUK and US
What a bass class is like
Morley College in London runs bass guitar as 10-week evening courses. Its Bass Guitar 1B, for players with one term's experience, covers technique, reading and improvising from chord symbols, rhythm and tempo, and playing with other musicians in contemporary styles. You bring your own bass and a pencil; the college provides the amplifiers and strongly encourages ear plugs.
Chicago's Old Town School of Folk Music focuses its group classes on the fretted electric bass, from Bass Guitar 1 and 2 for beginners up to style classes such as Paul McCartney Bass Style, some of them online. Its music store has a bass guitar to rent for practice through the session. Berkshire Maestros, a UK music service, says many people have transferred to the bass guitar from the guitar or the double bass, and that learners also learn to set up the amplifier for different genres.
Ways in compared
| Where | Format | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Morley College, London | Bass Guitar 1B; ten Tuesday evenings, 8pm to 9.30pm, from 12 January 2027; bring your own bass | £185 (concession £140) |
| Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago | Bass Guitar 1, beginner group class; 80 minutes a week for 8 weeks | $272 ($252 for members) |
| Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago | Private lessons, 30 minutes a week for an 8-week session | $360 ($350 for members) |
| Old Town School of Folk Music (online) | More Bass Line Bass-ics, a single 120-minute beginner workshop | $40 ($35 for members) |
How to start
- Find an adult bass guitar class at an adult-education college or community music school, and check whether you need to bring your own bass.
- Get a bass guitar before the first session, or ask whether the school's shop rents one for the term.
- Take ear plugs to every lesson, as Morley College strongly encourages, because classes play together through amplifiers.
Where to go
- Morley College, London: Bass Guitar 1B UK
- Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago: adult bass classes US
We opened these links on 10 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Two ways to plan it.
Plan it yourself Free
The links you need to book it, get there, find somewhere to stay and eat, and see what else there is to do nearby. They are searches for you to run; nothing is saved.
Show the links
Plan it with dates
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
Do I need my own bass guitar for a bass class?
At Morley College, yes; students should own a bass guitar. Old Town School of Folk Music's store has a bass guitar to rent for practice during the session.
Do I need an amp for bass guitar lessons?
Not for Morley College's classes, where the college provides the amplifiers. It strongly encourages ear plugs.
Can I learn bass guitar online?
Yes. Old Town School of Folk Music runs some of its bass classes online, including a two-hour beginner workshop.
How much do bass guitar lessons cost?
As last listed, Morley College's 10-week Bass Guitar 1B is £185 (£140 concession), and Old Town School of Folk Music charges $272 for an 8-week beginner group class or $360 for eight 30-minute private lessons.
Where this comes from: Morley College, Bass Guitar 1B; Old Town School of Folk Music, Adult bass classes; Berkshire Maestros (Berks Music Trust), Bass guitar. Opened 10 November 2026.
Read next
From the Latest Music Bar to the hospital lab: Angi Mariani's first in biomedical science
How a Brighton music-bar owner and TV presenter took a part-time science degree alongside a hospital lab job, what national figures say about who keeps learning, and how to find a course or a way into laboratory work.
“Education has no expiration”: Virginia Ordaz and her mother finished their degrees in the same class
How a retired fire dispatcher from Stockton, California, finished the degree she started in 1989, and how her mother finished hers more than 40 years after her last class. How to find out what your own old credits are worth, in the US and the UK.
More like this
Moderate
Learn the guitar
Moderate
Learn to play the drums
Moderate
Join a community orchestra or band
Moderate
Pass a graded music exam
Moderate
Learn an instrument and play one piece for an audience
Moderate
Learn an endangered heritage craft