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Walking Bass-Lines Introduction A bass-line is a melody line played in the bass (by a low-pitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc.). And walking bass-lines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat (4 notes per bar in 4/4 time).
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Walking Bass-lines The goal of a walking bass-line is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting melodic line that provides a counter-melody (as above). In Jazz, bass-lines should generally not be too repetitive (unless you’re intentionally playing a vamp – like in Blues or Boogie-woogie). Walking bass-lines make wide use of: Stepwise movement Walking up or down a diatonic scale Walking up or down the chromatic scale Arpeggios Chromatic approach notes (notes one semitone above or below your target note) & other passing notes Octave jumps
5th jumps Repeated notes (playing the same note twice)
Interval skips generally following some kind of pattern
Walking bass-lines must outline and support the chord progression by targeting the root or 5th (and occasionally 3rd) of the chord. In a sense, this is the opposite of improvisation, where the 3rd and 7th (Guide Tones (http://www.thejazzpianosite.com/jazz-piano-lessons/jazz-improvisation/guidetones/)) are the most important notes. In walking bass-lines, the root and 5th are the most important notes as these really emphasise the tonality of each chord. And the most harmonically important beats for the bass-line are beats 1 and 3 (in 4/4 time) as this is when the chords generally change. You want to target the root or the 5th of the chord on beats 1 or 3 of the bar, especially when the chord changes. This is interesting because Jazz generally has a backbeat (i.e. accenting beats 2 & 4). Some general walking bass-line tips are: The most important notes for a bass-line are the root & 5th, while the chord above the bass note (Upper Structure (http://www.thejazzpianosite.com/jazz-piano-lessons/jazzchord-voicings/upper-structures/)) emphasises the 3rd & 7th (Guide Tones). Target the root note on beat 1 of each bar (at least to begin with, as this will create a strong sounding bass-line which clearly outlines the chord progression. The bass-line implies the chords when you do this. You can then get more adventurous.) Use leading-notes on beat 4 before moving to the next chord. Say we wanted to target the root note of CMaj7, then we could use the following leading-notes: Chromatic (D♭ to C) Diatonic (D to C) 5th/Dominant (G to C) Encircle the note (D♭ to B to C) Keep it movin’ and mix it up. Make sure you change directions (up and down), change patterns (steps and skips – so it doesn’t just sound like a scale or an arpeggio), diatonic and chromatic – all the while keeping a strong ‘four feel’.
To add some interest and variety, you can also: Play staccato or legato Play in swung eighth notes (rather than quarter notes)
Add ornamentals like lls and grace notes
Play multiple notes at once (double stops) Use Pedal Point (see below)
For example, let’s take a II-V-I in C and create a walking bass-line: Chords
Dm7
G7
CMaj7
Pedal Point
D, D, D, D
G, G, G, G
C, C, C, C
Arpeggio (hopping)
D, F, A, C
G, B, D, F
C, E, G, B
Arpeggio (walking)
D, F, A, F
G, B, D, B
C, E, G, B
Diatonic
D, E, F, A
G, A, B, D
C, E, G, E
Chromatic
D, F, A♭, F#
G, A♭, A, D
C, E, G, D♭
Double with chromatic approach
D, D, A♭, A♭
G, G, D♭, D♭
C, G, A, D♭
Music Lessons Online - Professional Touring Musician Experienced teacher and professional touring musician. jordanmorita.com
Part I
Jazz Piano Tutorial - Walking Basslines (Part I)
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Part II
Jazz Piano Tutorial - Walking Basslines (Part II)
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