While I still practice with a metronome every day, I like to mix it up, especially when practicing jazz independence and sticking exercises. Lately I’ve been using Meet the Bass Player by Allan Cox. It’s a staple of my practice routine.
This playalong is simple, just bass and rhythm guitar that doesn’t get in the way.
There are a good range of tempos from slow to fast that make it usable whether I’m working on something for the first time or trying to push myself.
I’m currently working a lot on feathering the bass drum (with a strong hi-hat on 2 & 4 and a standard cymbal beat). Meet the Bass Player has been invaluable.
I end each practice session by focusing on my feathering technique with the bass tracks at 180bpm, 220bpm, 260bpm and 300bpm. Just two weeks ago my max was 260bpm, so I’m encouraged.
Here’s a detail of the tracks and tempos:
![Meet the Bass Player by Allan Cox](https://i0.wp.com/www.practicingdrummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/meet-bass-back.png?resize=427%2C394&ssl=1)
The other thing this jazz bassline playalong is great for is when working on brush patterns. Having a clean bass line to focus on really helps to hear the brush rhythms and highlights any weaknesses that may need to be worked on.
This is very easy to recommend and a great value at around $10.