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Paul Chambers Lesson – Trane’s Blues by Rajoe {Video}

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walking bass line by Paul Chambers

Paul Chambers Lesson – Trane’s Blues by Rajoe {Video}…

So I am starting a 4-5 episode walking bass transcription & analysis series because I think that transcribing those lines is essential in order to become a good walking bassist – of course lines can be created by following some basic rules, but the mastery comes from listening to the guys who have laid these rules. When you transcribe these guys, you’ll notice that sometimes these rules are bent to make the music more exciting – sometimes becasuse they wanted to play something new, sometimes because they were interacting with the other musicians – and that’s what gives it the flavour. So by listening and analysing these notes, we can become better at our walking bass craft.

This lesson assumes that you are familiar with a few basic rules of walking bass, however, here is a very basic, short and brief 101 introduction.

– walking bass line names come from the quarter note beat that “walks” from one harmony to the other. That way the line outlines chord, provides harmonic and rhytmic foundation. You’ll probably know this style from blues,jazz, swing types of music.

– walking bass quarter notes should be long, even and round notes without adding that constant 2 and 4 beat accent to the notes – that accent comes the hihat and the ride.

– when it comes to creating lines, we talk about chord tones and passing tones (~about target notes and approach notes), we talk about strong beats and weak beats

– Chord tones are notes that outline a harmony. Talking about walking bass, we can talk about a chord’s root,  3rd,  5th and  7th. For example, the F7 chord’s root is F, its 3rd A, 5th is C 7th is Eb, and accordingly a Bb7 chord would have Bb – D – F – Ab.

– 1 and 3 are considered the strong beats, 2 and 4 the weak ones. Target notes are usually the chord tones, and these are the ones which usually should be played on strong beats since these notes are important in relation to harmony and time. Passing notes/approach are usual played on weak beats, and they are used the approach target notes 🙂 These notes can make the line move smoothly by “walking” or moving from one harmony to another (I guess that strange terminology). These passing tones can either be diatonic (within the suggested scale of the given harmony), chromatic (half-step away from the preceding/following note) or non-harmonic (no apparent harmonic relation to the given harmony/chord).

– so if you are following these rules, two bars of walking bass would look like this:

?f7basic

So after just completing walking bass 101, here is what we have today 🙂

The tune I have chosen is Trane’s Blues by the Miles Davis Quintet and I have transcribed 4 rounds (beginning right after the end of the theme, at around 0.21). In my earlier lessons, i did not really talk in the video, but this time i do again so you can go to the video for details! I basically mention a few things about why learning walking bass is beneficial and why it is a good place to start for transcribing. I also give a short analysis and a guide on how to practise this (about singing it first) but i have to stress that you should also practise with the record to get that swing feel and once you feel that you are good, you can also play it with only a metronome and record yourself to hear how your feel is. (You can set the metronome to single quarter notes without any accents, and then use the 2-4 swung feel to practise – that means that the clicks of the metronome represent beats 2 and 4 – and then you have to begin the walking line on the one – which the metronome does not play 🙂

The video does not intend to violate any laws or copyrights, it is to be used for educational purposes (fair use). Check out the original tune on Workin’ by the Miles Davis Quintet!

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Bass Edu

Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice’s Bassist Lewis Bridges – From the Album, Grotesque

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Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice's Bassist Lewis Bridges - From the Album, Grotesque

Premiere! Bass Playthrough With Foetal Juice’s Bassist Lewis Bridges – From the Album, Grotesque

Bassist Lewis Bridges Shares…

“Gruesome’s sparse intro marks a stark contrast from the intensity of the rest of the album.  The original intention was to keep the bass simple but colourful, however as I worked on it, the lines grew more expressive and the more striking flourishes began to emerge.  The intensity builds into a harmonic minor passage that takes us into the drop — a signature death grind cacophony.  This is where Foetal Juice thrives.  You’re getting a full-on right-hand barrage to in the face to take you into a groove-laden mulch-fest.

I owe my throbbing bass tone to the Darkglass Alpha Omega pedal borrowed from our sound engineer, Chris Fielding (ex-Conan), mixed with the clarity of the tried and true Ampeg SVT CL.

As mentioned earlier, colourful basslines are important, especially in a one-guitar band. Chucking some funny intervals and odd flourishes here and there brings life into the brutality. There’s no point sounding brutal if it’s not gonna be fucking evil too!

Recording this playthrough was hard work. This was not the fault of James Goodwin (Necronautical), who was kindly filming and is ace to work with, but because in true Foetal fashion, we had stinking hangovers — and that jam room was hot!”

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Bass Edu

Bass Lines: The Circle

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jaime Vazquez

Bass Lines: The Circle…

Hello bass players and fans of bass! This month we’re going to study “The Circle.”

The Circle of Fourths can also be called “The Circle of Fifths or just The Circle.

Practicing the scales, chords, and ideas in general via the circle has been a common practice routine for jazz musicians and highly recommended.

It is a disciplined way of working through all twelve keys.

Plus, many bass root movements to jazz and pop songs move through sections of the circle.

Fig. 1 – “The Circle”

See you next month for more full bass attack!

#bassmusicianmag, #basslines, #bmmbasslines, #groovemaniac, #thecircle, #thecircleoffourths, #thecircleoffifths,#scales & #chords.

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Bass Edu

Approach Notes – Part 5

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James Rosocha

Continuing our lesson of Approach Notes, Part 5…

In continuing with the concept of approach notes being applied to chord tones, this lesson approaches the root, third, fifth, and seventh degree of each arpeggio inversion by incorporating a double chromatic approach from above, and a single chromatic approach from below. 

The first examples approach the root of a G major 7th arpeggio as a double chromatic from above and a single chromatic approach from below -before continuing to the third, fifth, seventh, double chromatic from above/ single from below to the root, continue to the third, fifth, and come back down.

The next example approaches the first inversion of G major 7th arpeggio.

A double chromatic from above/ single from below approaches the third, continue to the fifth, seventh, root, double chromatic from above/ single below to the third, continue up to the fifth and seventh, and back down.

The third example approaches a second inversion of a G major arpeggio.

A double chromatic from above/ single from below approaches the fifth, continue to the 7th, root, 3rd, double chromatic from above/ single from below to the 5th, continue to the 7th, root, and back down. 

This final example approaches a third inversion of a G major 7th arpeggio.

A double chromatic from above and below approaches the 7th, continue to the root, 3rd, 5th, double chromatic from above and below to the 7th, continue to the root, 3rd, and back down.

Be sure to pace yourself with these lessons to avoid burning out.

Being overly ambitious with your practice schedule can lead to unrealistic expectations. Try learning one approach note concept and one chord type a week. Change your practice routine as necessary and tailor it to your needs as a musician. Good luck!

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Bass Edu

BASS LINES – The Blue Notes (Minor Blues Scale)

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jaime Vazquez

Hello bass players and bass fans! Happy New Year 2024!

In this issue, we are going to study the blue notes.

In blues, jazz, and rock, a blue note is a note that (for expressive purposes) is sung or played at a slightly different pitch from standard. Typically the alteration is between a quartertone and a semitone, but this varies depending on the musical context.

The blue notes are usually said to be the lowered third(b3), lowered fifth(b5) and lowered seventh(b7) scale degrees. The lowered fifth(b5) is also known as the raised fourth(#4). Though the blues scale has “an inherent minor tonality, it is commonly ‘forced’ over major-key chord changes, resulting in a distinctively dissonant conflict of tonalities”.

Blue notes are used in many blues songs, in jazz, rock and in conventional popular songs with a “blue” feeling.

Formula:

The A Minor Blues Scale

1 – b3 – 4 – (#4/b5) – 5 – b7

A – C – D – (D#/Eb) – E – Bb

The grades(blue notes):

b3, (#4/b5), b7

C, (D#/Eb), Bb

See you next month for more full bass attack!

#bassmusicianmag, #basslines, #bmmbasslines, #groovemaniac, #thebluenotes, #minorbluesscale & #bluesscale

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Bass Edu

BASS LINES: Staccato for Bass

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jaime David

Staccato for Bass…

Hello bass players and bass fans! In this issue, we are going to study the technique known as staccato.

When we talk about the staccato technique, we are referring to a form of musical articulation.

In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence.

* In 20th-century music, a dot placed above or below a note indicates that it should be played staccato.

* The opposite musical articulation of staccato is legato, signifying long and continuous notes.

Fig. 1 – An example of a normal notation.

Fig. 2 – Is the same example but now with the staccato articulation

Fig. 3 – A basic groove played and written in a normal notation.

Fig. 4 – The same basic groove using the staccato technique.

So, at the end of the day, you as a bassist will decide what type of technique you will use depending on the effect you want in your performance.

See you next year for more full bass attack!!! Happy Holidays & New Year 2024!!! Groove On!!!

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