Bass Edu
Two Octave Walking Lines For The Win
The quarter-note occupies a deceptively modest place in the pecking order of musical rhythms.
You might even think that since you are getting along rather well rhythmically that you could probably play walking bass lines in your sleep, right?
Well, that was how you thought in the innocent days of yore.
Nowadays if you listen to great walking bass players and then hear your own garage band attempts it is truly amazing how lifeless quarter notes can sound. And I know you know what I mean!
One thing that can be said for sure: it is very easy to kill a quarter note groove if the subtle multi-tasking that is needed for playing walking lines doesn’t become a completely natural state of mind for the bass player.
Every bassist needs to become familiar with both the insistence needed to render the quarter notes and the flexibility needed to listen and respond to the drummer so that the swinging feel of the rhythm section becomes a closely guarded treasure.
The purpose of the lesson today is to give bass players a helpful start to the process of adding range to their walking bass lines through studying and playing two octave bass lines and to also develop skills for quicker, more accurate position changes and ease of execution on their instruments.
Let’s define “range” as how high and how low the musician is playing. When you learn to add range to your playing you will naturally learn to change positions with ease. That in itself will help solve a pervasive problem developing bass players face: having to spend so much concentration for simply getting around on their instruments that bass line development goes down the tubes.
The materials in the video lesson today consist of three two-octave quarter note lines: a minor line, a dominant line, and a major line. In other words they are the iim7 sound, the V7 sound and the I Major sound.
The lines are simple in that they are linear, they generally move in one direction, and they repeat in the second octave and return in a circular way back to the starting point.
In the accompanying pdf chart the lines are written out in standard notation and also in tab. Each line also comes with a variation that should be easy to implement.
The lines are intended to be academic lines for study and memorization. To start out, simply play each line slowly, identify the note names, and then sing the line along with your instrument.
Identifying note names and singing bass lines is a magic potion for training your ear and learning musical materials.
Once the line is taken apart, sung repeatedly and played often enough then memorization will follow easily. At that point, the lines should be practiced with the accompanying play-along mp3 audio. Since each line also has a variation written out in the pdf chart then there is a built-in head start on learning to expand bass line vocabulary.
In the lesson, I suggest that if you can practice the lines sufficiently every day for approximately 20 or 30 minutes and learn to take them through the cycle then your walking bass skills will take a great leap forward.
Click to download the lesson materials – any questions, please visit me online at basslessonswithkevin.com
Learning to play effective quarter note lines is a very important part of modern bass playing and it is also an incredibly satisfying skill to have.
I hope all of you can deepen your playing skills to include walking bass lines and that you truly enjoy the long process of developing yourself as a musician.
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Thanks for stopping in.
-Kevin
Remember… if you have any questions, you can always contact me online at basslessonswithkevin.com | View more of my Bass Musician Magazine Lessons | And check out my Try Before You Buy
Bass Edu
BASS LINES: Triads & Inversions Part I
Triads & Inversions Part I…
Hello bass players and bass fans! In this issue, we are going to study the triads and their inversions.
It is very important for all bassists to understand and master the triads, but it is even more important to understand their different inversions.
In Part I, we are going to learn what the triad is in fundamental position.
The Formula consists of root, third and fifth.
Degrees of the Triad
Major Triad: 1 – 3 – 5
Minor Triad: 1 – b3 – 5
Diminished Triad: 1 – b3 – b5
Augmented Triad: 1 – 3 – #5
Fig.1 – The C, Cm, Cdim & Caug triads
(Fundamental Position)
Bass Edu
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!”
Follow Online
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IG @foetaljuice
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Foetaljuice.bandcamp.com
Bass Edu
Bass Lines: The Circle
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.
Bass Edu
Approach Notes – Part 5
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!
Bass Edu
BASS LINES – The Blue Notes (Minor Blues Scale)
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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