In November, I faced a significant hurdle: major surgery. Anyone who has been through a long recovery knows that the physical healing is only half of the battle; the mental challenge of “getting back to yourself” is just as demanding.
As I navigated those weeks of convalescence, I found an unlikely partner in my recovery: a four-string bass guitar and an online course called Beginner to Badass from BassBuzz.
How learning bass fueled my recovery.
What began as just a hobby turned out to be really important for my recovery. And being someone who works in learning and development, I couldn’t help but notice something interesting – this thing that was helping me heal was also teaching me a lot about how people actually learn.
I joined the online course (learning as and when it suited me), and got stuck in.
From lesson one, we were playing real songs. I felt like I could crack the bass once and for all. But I still had 13 weeks of lessons to go… an hour a day, twice a week.
How consistency beats intensity.
The secret sauce of the course is its refusal to allow “binge-learning.” My tutor’s mantra is that practicing for hours on end is unsustainable. This approach, breaking learning into manageable chunks, is something I’ve been pushing for years in my professional life.
It’s the same philosophy we built into BentoBot. We know that for learning to actually stick, it needs to be delivered in bite-sized, spaced intervals.
Seeing this principle work on my own muscle memory, taking a complex physical skill and breaking it into sustainable “nudges”, reinforced everything I believe about learning design and spaced repetition.
Whether it’s a bass riff or a new leadership skill, the brain learns best when it has time to breathe and consolidate between sessions.
The paradox is simple: you learn more by NOT practicing endlessly. Learn, rest, consolidate, then move forward.
The “Billie Jean” benchmark.
Midway through the course, the tutor, Josh Fossgreen, throws a curveball: Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean. It is a relentless, fast, and notoriously difficult bass line. At that stage, it felt impossible. I was awful.
But here’s the genius: Josh doesn’t want you to master it then. He uses it as a Benchmark Lesson. The instruction is to try it, appreciate how tough it is, and then walk away. No marathon practice sessions, no banging your head against the wall.
When I revisited that same track at the end of the 13 weeks, I nailed it. That “little win” was an incredible dopamine hit. It served as a powerful reminder that progress is often happening in the background, even when we don’t feel it day-to-day.
Autonomy and just-in-time learning.
Coming back from surgery, I had to be careful with my energy. The course’s “Slow/Medium/Fast” scaffolding gave me total autonomy. I could choose the “slow” lane when I was tired or push myself when I felt a surge of energy.
This wasn’t “Just-in-Case” theory; it was Just-in-Time learning; learning the technique at the exact moment I needed it to play a song I loved.
There is a specific joy in playing a real song from day one. Rather than front-loading weeks of dry music theory, the theory is “baked into” the practice.
You learn a scale because you need it for the song right now. You learn walk-ups as a specific song uses them. It all makes sense. This immediate application didn’t just build my skills; it built my dopamine levels when I needed them most.
As a side note, you only need to complete the course at medium speed to “pass.” This design respects the mastery-motivated learner. You can revisit and attempt higher speeds later. I’ve already looped back several times to tackle the trickier lessons.
13 weeks later.
I first picked up a bass guitar when I was 16. At that time it felt like a pipe dream to be able to actually play anything. With no lessons, no encouragement (and no sense that it would ever get easier), I gave up within a couple of months.
I bought my new bass just four months ago. A nice new “toy”.
Today, with the right support and structured training, I’m playing with a level of confidence I never expected at 55!
Sure, since returning to the day job, my Mac has seen plenty of work, but the most productive hours have been those spent with the bass in my hands.
I strongly believe that the right learning architecture can help you overcome almost any obstacle.
The “Beginner to Badass” journey taught me that great learning design isn’t just about transferring knowledge; it’s about meeting the learner where they are, respecting their limits, and celebrating small wins along the way.
What’s your “Billie Jean”?
We all have those “impossible” tasks that feel overwhelming when we first encounter them. Whether you’re designing a new training programme or recovering from a setback, remember that consistency and pacing beats intensity every time.
I’d love to hear from you; have you ever used a hobby to “test” a learning theory? And what is the one skill you’ve revisited later, only to realise how far you’ve come?
Because that’s where real learning happens. Not in the moment of struggle, but in the quiet recognition of progress made.
