Bass Lines by Jaime Vazquez – Adventurous Bass Playing Part II…

Hello BMM FOLLOWERS! We’re going to continue with the adventure! We all know that there are basic patterns for playing different musical styles, and that’s the point of these articles, to create a new perspective when experimenting with the grooves. Below, I show you a few examples in the traditional way, and of course, the same examples with an adventurous playing. Open your mind to new possibilities. Don’t be afraid to be creative, that’s the idea of the musical expression. Express yourself!

Fig. 1a – Here we have a bass pattern that applies to salsa. This is a bass tumbao in 2:3 Clave. In this case, you will be playing the root and the fifth, something very common in tropical music.

Fig. 2a – This is the basic pattern of a bossa nova. Again, you will be playing with the root and the fifth.

Fig. 1b & Fig. 2b – Now you will be tapping the basic bass patterns with your left hand. At the same time, you will be tapping the double stops with your right hand. Let ring the exercises and listen to the harmony movement.