Bass Books
Bass Gym – 101 Chords & Harmonic Accompaniments
Bass Gym – 101 Chords & Harmonic Accompaniments…
We all know that the bass guitar is primarily a melodic and rhythmic instrument. We can
play fat huge bass notes on it with any finger technique, slapping, picking or tapping. In
most cases, however, we will play single notes that build on each other to form a bass line.
The guitarist or keyboardist is in charge of playing the chords, right? So there’s no point in
playing chords on the bass, because we’ll just be wasting our time.
Wrong! Playing chords gives us a tremendous amount of insight. We learn to hear and also ‘see’ chords. In many cases we will have to adjust our fingering and voicing (the way the chords can be interpreted).
On the bass, we very often play double stops (two notes at once) and power chords (either as a double stops with a root and a fifth or as a triple stops with a root, a fifth and an octave). These are the simplest chords that we can incorporate into our bass lines right away.
For example, Lemmy Kilmister was a master at playing power chords! And the likes of Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Victor Wooten and Justin Chancellor of Tool have many grooves or riffs built around playing double or triple stops.
Purely from the point of view of music theory, a chord is a chord if it consists of at least three notes – a root, a fifth and a third. It is a constellation of the simplest major and minor chords. If we proceed further in the chord hierarchy, all chords with a number seven in their name consist of four notes (the three notes mentioned above plus a major or minor seventh), ninth chords of five notes (we add the so-called ninth note, which is a second played an octave higher), eleventh chords of six notes, and finally thirteenth chords of seven notes. So suddenly you realise that you are actually using all the notes of a scale that consists of exactly seven notes (not including the octave).
Yes, the composition of chords and their whole system is closely related to intervals and scales. It is such a great building block for any playful musician.
So, let’s summarize why it’s good to master playing chords on the bass:
1) Understanding the connection between intervals, scales, and chords
2) Improving the visualization of the fingerboard
3) Expanding the register with new techniques for playing
4) Challenging left hand finger coordination
5) Understanding chord formation and note hierarchy aka voicing
6) Insight into the mindset of guitarists or pianists
7) Understanding the harmonic aspects and structure of a given piece of music
As in all the books in the Bass Gym 101 series, we have a total of 101 exercises
targeting all important aspects of the topic. In our case, chord playing and harmonic
accompaniments. Each exercise is briefly described in the title and consists of a notation and tablature that shows you where and how best to play the exercise.
I recommend being particularly consistent in the way you play the exercises. Begin with small sections – one bar at a time, slowing down and looping. Gradually add more bars and also increase the tempo.
I was especially careful to write each exercise in a practical, musical way. These are not just boring etudes or purely mechanical practice. You can take the exercises and use them straightway in a song or jam session with a drummer or other musician. Or use them in your own original composition. There are no limits to your imagination and creativity.
The main focus is on musicality, challenging progressions, fingerings and combinations which will enhace your playing skills while keeping it real and practical. Often exercises are written as passages in songs – a verse, a bridge or a chorus.
I hope this musical approach will motivate you even more to incorporate chordal playing into your bass lines. Personally, I always immediately think of a new song when playing chords and often end up playing it with the band. You never know, maybe chord playing will inspire you enough to become a songwriter and bring not just grooves or bass lines to the table, but also complete songs and arrangements.
Exercise methodology:
1-10 – practicing double stops
11-20 – practicing double stops and open strings
21-29 – tenth chords
30-39 – chords with three notes – triple stops
40-49 – grooves with double stops and chords
50-60 – seventh chords
61-65 – ninth chords
66-70 – sus4 chords
71-75 – chords using all four strings
76-80 – flamenco style chords
81-90 – voice leading
91-101 – etudes and grooves in different musical styles
Bass Gym – 101 Chords & Harmonic Accompaniments is available online at Amazon.com
All exercises are available as mp3 downloads at basslinepublishing.com/free-stuff
So You’ve Decided to Play Bass at Church: A Practical Guide for Serving on a Worship Team is a short ebook written by Eric Richardson specifically for musicians who are playing, or preparing to play, bass in contemporary worship settings.
Rather than functioning as a traditional lesson book, the guide serves as a practical field guide for church bassists. It focuses on the real situations that arise when serving on a worship team, including rehearsals, Sunday morning services, changing arrangements, and adapting when musicians or plans change.
The book intentionally avoids music theory instruction, bass exercises, chord charts, and scale diagrams. Instead, it explores practical ways bass players can approach their role within a worship band, both musically and relationally.
Drawing from firsthand experience in contemporary worship environments, the guide offers insights about supporting the band, communicating with other musicians, and adjusting in the moment depending on the needs of the group.
At 43 pages, the ebook is designed to be concise, practical, and accessible for volunteer musicians and church teams. DRM has been intentionally disabled so the resource can easily be shared among worship teams.
So You’ve Decided to Play Bass at Church: A Practical Guide for Serving on a Worship Team is available now on Amazon.
New Ebook Helps Volunteer Worship Bass Players Move Beyond Root-Only Playing, Without Overplaying…
Practical, song-first guide offers tasteful bass movement for church and worship settings
Your First Steps Beyond Roots: Contemporary Worship Bass Made Easy! addresses a common, but often unspoken, pattern in church music: volunteer worship bass players relying almost entirely on root notes, even after years of playing.
Written by a seasoned worship bassist, the short, practical ebook is designed specifically for church musicians who are not professionals but faithfully serve their congregations week after week. Many of these players have been making music for years, may play other instruments, and are comfortable on the bass, yet choose to stay on roots when playing in church.
This often comes from a desire to stay out of the way, avoid overplaying, or uncertainty about what is musically appropriate in a worship setting. The book speaks directly to that reality.
Rather than focusing on advanced technique or formal music theory, the guide offers straightforward, usable ideas for adding simple bass movement that fits modern worship music and real church environments. The emphasis is on supporting the song, maintaining clarity, and staying appropriate for congregational worship.
“I’ve played in worship settings for years and noticed that many volunteer bass players—people who simply attend church and serve on the team, tend to default to roots, even if they’ve been playing music for a long time or play other instruments,” says the author. “This book shows practical ways to add movement while still keeping the bass part supportive and appropriate.”
Intentionally concise and worship-focused, the ebook is accessible to volunteer musicians, church bassists, and players without formal training. DRM is disabled, allowing easy sharing among worship teams, churches, and reviewers.
Your First Steps Beyond Roots: Contemporary Worship Bass Made Easy! is available now on Amazon >>> VIEW
The bass guitar is a truly unique instrument and its role in modern popular music is well-defined. About 400 years ago, the first basslines were born, and the evolution of instruments producing mesmerising bass frequencies began. We’ve come a long way since then, and we now live in an age where the bass guitar plays a major role not only in music, but also in the online world of social media.
Available online at Amazon https://geni.us/I0Evl
In this book you will find thirty transcriptions of original compositions designed primarily for solo playing, with the aim of attracting attention on social media. However, there are no self-serving technical pieces or even circus stunts here. These compositions can be played solo, but all of the ideas and concepts are fully usable in wider musical contexts.
The pieces in this book are built around three techniques: fingerstyle, slap bass, and playing with the plectrum. The length of the pieces is usually between 45-90 seconds, which is longer than a simple exercise, but shorter than a standard song structure. This makes them ideal for players who want plenty of inspiration, but don’t want to learn whole songs or long etudes. Stylistically, the compositions are a mix of funk and alternative rock with occasional excursions into jazz or blues styles.
Each piece is notated in standard notation and TAB and is accompanied by some brief performance notes. The book contains links to video performances of all of the pieces and the accompanying audio files are available to download from the Bassline Publishing website.
This book contains the following pieces:
Funky Saturday (Muted by Sponge)
Super Slap Wednesday
B-String Beaten
(P)Funky Sh**t
These Licks are Fire
Neighbours Must Love Me
How to Break a Pick
Two G-Strings
Groovin’ at Grandma’s House
DJ’s are the New Rock Stars
INSomnia
Slappada Bass
Blues with Too Many Notes
Sonata in Drop C
Gentle Slap in F# Minor
Acid for the Children
Music Store Funk
Bend It in Drop D
Electro Vibes
Infinity
Flamenco Meets Thumb
Wheels on the Funk
You’ll Never Be As Cool As George
Chromatic Love
Lazy Afternoon
Shuffle for the Drivers
Half Tone, Whole Tone
Percussive Study in A Minor
Just Groove
Hammer-Ons Out of Control
Available online at Amazon https://geni.us/I0Evl
All jazz bassists recognize the pivotal role that the Bill Evans Trio played in creating a new model for the bass’ function in jazz. In this book, Bass Foundations, Chuck Israels (one of Bill’s long-time bassists) has created a masterpiece of explaining what that revolution consists of. Among other crucial concepts, he shows how the bass can both lay down the pulse and have a dialogue with the other musicians at the same time.
Backing up this analysis are 63 pages of Chuck’s improvised bass lines from his time with Bill Evans. With Bill’s chord changes included, this affords you the opportunity to play-along with the recordings, just like you were a member of his trio. Serious fun!
- Part I — Chuck’s insightful wisdom on the importance of rhythmic interaction with the soloist, the value of keeping the melody of the song in mind as you play, insights on playing in 2, rules for note choices in creating walking bass lines, and much more.
- Part II — Note-for-note transcriptions of Chuck’s bass playing on 18 songs he recorded with Bill Evans from “Moonbeams,” “How My Heart Sings,” “Trio ’65” and other classic recordings. (Generally just improvised choruses are included since the heads are particular to Bill’s recordings. Chuck’s improvised choruses are more useful as general role models.)
- Part III — Transcriptions of Chuck’s bass playing with his own groups. Again, chord changes are written out so you can play along with these great jazz compositions.
YouTube URLs are provided for each song, making it easy to listen, watch the bass lines go by, and then play along with the recordings.
Chuck Israels – Bass Foundations: Principles of Jazz Bass Construction available online at Amazon.com
Press Release
Welcome to the eleventh book in the Bass Gym 101 series, a collection of books for bassists who want to push their playing to the next level. We’ve reached the magic number of 1111 exercises, covering all of the important aspects of bass playing: warm-ups using the finger-per-fret system, arpeggios, pentatonics, all types of scales, odd time signatures, slap bass, plectrum technique and chord playing. This book is a continuation of the book for absolute beginners.
From the author… In writing this book, my intention was to write fun, practical and, above all, inspiring exercises that will guide the student through the various positions on the fretboard. The bass guitar’s fretboard is divided into four zones (or positions, if you prefer): from the open strings to the third fret (1st position), from the third to the sixth fret (2nd position), through the sixth to the ninth fret (3rd position) and finally from the ninth to the twelfth fret (4th position). In the second half of the book you will learn how to combine positions, and by the time you have completed all 101 exercises you should have a very detailed and effective knowledge of the fretboard from the open strings to the twelfth fret – this is the area in which the vast majority of the basslines you know so well from popular songs or musical styles take place.
Inside you will find 101 exercises that will take you through all the positions on the bass in a structured, logical sequence. These exercises will also get you playing in different musical styles, using the most common melodic and rhythmic patterns of popular basslines. Each exercise is written in both standard notation and TAB, and audio files can be downloaded from the Bassline Publishing website.
As the book is primarily aimed at beginner and intermediate players, you won’t find any of the more demanding techniques such as hammer ons, pull offs, trills etc. However, each exercise has been written for a specific playing situation and is immediately applicable to music practice. I’ve paid close attention to melody, clear phrasing and of course playability. Each of these exercises will challenge your attention and memory as you repeat them.
You’ll find basslines in many styles of music in this book: walking bass, hip hop, pop, rock, punk, ska, metal, progressive styles, various Afro-Cuban grooves, funk, indie, reggae, country and bluegrass, EDM styles, blues, soul and folk.
Bass Gym – 101 Position Exercises for Beginner and Intermediate Players available in the US at Amazon.com and in the UK at basslinepublishing.com
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