Bass Lines by Jaime Vazquez – Adventurous Bass Playing Part III

Hello Bass Players! Here it is, Part III of Adventurous Bass Playing. This month, we will be focus on playing the bass like a guitar. Yes! We will be performing several guitar techniques adapted for the bass guitar.

When I’m playing with my solo project, I like to experiment with the bass, exploring new ground. It’s the right moment to push the limits. So, I will share with you some excerpts of my adventurous bass lines integrating the guitar concepts and techniques.

Fig. 1 – Here’s an example where I’m playing double stops using the root and the fifth like power chords, something commonly used by guitarists. Notice the use of the staccato and the tied notes, they give you a great sense of mooring in the rhythm section. In the end, we have an ascending pentatonic bass fill to close the bass riff.

Fig. 2 – This is an arpeggio lick where I’m using the classical guitar technique of the right-hand fingering:

p = thumb

i = index finger

m = middle finger

Let ring the notes to create an ambience, a kind of a ghostly sound. Try to use a chorus effect for better results.

Fig. 3 – An example of a flamenco strumming pattern adapted to the bass guitar. Also, I’m including several left-hand muting notes for a more percussive sound. At the end of the second bar, there’s an easy bass fill where I’m slapping and popping some notes with hammer-ons, pull-offs and muted notes. The challenge of this groove is to play accurately the syncopation.