Walking bass line construction pdf

Beginning walking bass lines a basic introduction talkingbass. Lady bird up tempo swing tadd dameron made with ireal pro. The notes above are all natural however any of this notes can be raised or lowered a half. A walking bass line is a steady quarter note movement of a bass line. The two dots on the right of the bass clef symbol surround the line on which f pitch is written. Often its best to keep mostly to the chord notes and add some extra melodic spice just when it makes sense for supporting the harmonic movement. Exercise 1 demonstrates this with several examples. A twobeat and walking bass line on the changes of the tune beautiful love 2. Steps two, three, and four are the basics of bass line construction. A walking bass line can in principle contain arbitrary chromatic runs, but obviously its not a good idea to do that all the time. Incorporating the 3rd of the chord will also give your bass line a stronger harmonic foundation. Lets take a look at some of the fundamentals in bass line construction. Youll receive a pdf of all the lines played in the lesson, an arpeggio reference sheet and the backing tracks in c major and f major. Apr 26, 2017 our basic method for bass line construction is pretty straightforward.

For the first few years of playing i never understood how jazz players could effortlessly improvise a melodic walking bass line through a chord progression. A typical walking bass line consists of a string of quarter notes in 44 time. A dozen additional walking bass techniques, once the basics have been mastered. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of. A walking bass line is a more creative form of bass playing than the other swing styles because you choose new notes each time you play the same song. This is a a way of playing that i use really a lot in situations where theres no bass player, so mostly duo settings with a guitar player, singer or horn player. Book ii in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series rhythm changes in 12 keys provides various insights into how the rhythm changes song form may be approached by the. Try outlining the tonic triad, or maybe even using a bass arpeggio. When there are two chords per bar, we can construct a walking line by simply using the chromatic approach method to fill the spaces between target notes, as follows. Rhythm changes like the blues is an essential part of the jazz musicians vocabulary. Finally, create your own bass lines by mixing up the root patterns. The bass lines are good and one simple addition to know is that just about any chord walking bass line, you can always use a leading tone that is, 12 step below to whatever is the next chord. A jazz bassist must learn how to walk a line based on the chords of a tune.

Rufus has a very methodical approach to line construction. The pdf file will help you visualize thatwriting it down on paper will also be helpful to more understand the difference between these chord types. This is an important concept to remember, the walking bass line is. Bass learning methods like the ones by ron carter 2, ray brown 3. Walking bass lines the blues in 12 keys upright bass and electric bass method pdf created date 10272016 9. Youll see the annotation when that comes up in the video. It is possible to add rhythmic variations, but in general, a walking bassline drives the song forward step by step. Youll find, though, to keep things interesting frequent. Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial. Piano players and guitarists will generally create chords by playing all the chord tones together. In the end, practice is key, and as with any technique, constructing a walking bass line takes practice. A walking bass line simply walks through the appropriate scale of each chord, one note per beat, hitting every beat of each measure. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook.

The blues in 12 keys upright bass and electric bass method pdf. The pdf file will help you visualize thatwriting it down on paper will also be. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards.

Unlike many other patterns, a walking bass line does not have to be linear, but it should follow a melody. An example of four common chord progressions found in jazz, including a blues, minor blues, modal song form and rhythm changes. Standard lines, book iii in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series for the double bassist and electric bassist is a comprehensive guide demonstrating the devices used to construct walking jazz bass lines in the jazz standard tradition. This is the first step in developing walking bass lines. Dec 25, 2014 future installments will cover various topics including an ongoing series of videos on walking bass line construction, thumb position basics, tune learning strategy, melodic soloing, and more. The function of a bass player in the jazz combo is to work with the piano player and drummer to provide both a harmonic and rhythmic stability for the tune. As bass players we can create strong sounding walking bass lines by playing them one by one. This is very useful in weaving a walking bass line through a chord progression while holding one position. Our basic method for bass line construction is pretty straightforward.

Notice how you approach the change from above this time. Very easy to learn and play for the beginning bass player. Filling in the gaps a bass line constructed purely of chord tones can be quite effective, but in order to achieve variety, nonchord tones should be incorporated as well. It has given me valuable insights into construction walking bass lines. Description of the book building walking bass lines. T 1 2 a t 3 by chris fitzgerald a 4 t 1 a 2 t 3 a 4 walking bass line theory basics.

Constructing walking jazz bass lines book ii walking bass. When creating walking bass lines, its important to outline the root and 5th of the chord. This first example demonstrates a very simple walking bass line, using chord tones 57 over a cmin7 chord. S7 e7 bass bass a7 10fr d7 5 a7 d7 bass bass e7 a7 9 e7 a7 bass bass 10fr d7 10fr d7 g7 d7 d7 g7 bass bass 8fr c. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and great american songbook jazz standards.

Here is the basic bass pattern you will play over the e7 chord. Looking for a structured way to increase your current skill level. Easy walking bass lines pdf constructing walking jazz. Now that you know what it is, you might be curious as how to build one. Begin with a quarter note walking bass line utilizing primarily the 1st and 3rd fingers. Chords and walking bass part 1 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. I really liked all of the lines that you guys wrote and hope you enjoy playing through this line as well. Looking forward to hearing your walking bass lines over autumn leaves.

A jazz blues progression written in all twelve keys. S7 e7 all of me example bass line john marley 3 3 3 5 2 2 4. Bass lessons beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tab standard string tuning g,d,a,e recommended 1. If youre amazingly extra awesome, youll be able to sing the melody and make a bass line at the same time.

Its function is to outline the chords of the progression and provide a smooth transition from one chord to another. For a complete guide to walking bass lines be sure to check out the. A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing, but it is also used in rock music, blue. Mar 25, 2019 as bass players we can create strong sounding walking bass lines by playing them one by one. The term walking is used lescribe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. Walking bass line theory basics pdf file chris fitzgerald. Ed provides a stepwise, logical approach to getting started on construction of walki. The possibilities are endless as to what your walking bass line consists of. Walking bass lines are the foundation of the jazz bass but do appear elsewhere and are a great learning tool. The line constructed by using this method is not only perfectly. So what walking bass line the complete bass player.

A simple next step can be creating a walking bass line. The walking bass line was developed by upright bassists like ray brown, milt hinton, paul chambers, and ron carter, but now its also commonly played on the bass guitar. Here the bass moves from root to the 3rd and 5th, before walking chromatically into the change. Some additional materials you may want to consider. I have included your bass lines in here so see if you can find your line as you play through these. The first level will be to develop bass lines using triad chord tones only and resolve to the next chord root in the most economical way i. A basic approach is that you would be starting each chord on a chord tone easiest to start with the root of the chord, then playing up or down the scale toward the next chord. If you know how to create a walking bass line, you can be more creative in your jazz playing. Below is the bass tablature for the basic blues in e bass line. Here is an example of walking a line by switching between 1231 and 53. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. Ray brown bass study book string emporiumray browns bass method ray browns bass method book is another must get, classic in that its one of the first jazz upright bass technique books written if not the. Here is a bass line constructed using ascending chord tones in.

To illustrate that, in our first two patterns, play the root of the chord for first. When starting out with walking bass lines, i would recommend that you always target the root when changing chords. Walking bass line piano tutorial walking bass jazz piano. This lesson for electric bass covers an easy walking style blues bass line in the key of e. Also mike richmonds modern walking bass is an advanced library of examples of beautifully constructed lines inspired by ray brown, jimmy garrison, paul chambers and of course, mike richmond.

Is one walking line an arpeggio line, and the other a scale line. Book ii in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series rhythm changes in 12 keys provides various insights into how the rhythm changes song form may be approached by the jazz bassist. A walking bass line generally consists of notes of equal duration and intensity typically 14 notes that create a feeling of forward motion. Here is a bass line constructed using ascending chord tones in the first 3 bars and descending in the 4th. Oct 07, 2010 now with mp3 playalong backing tracks of rhythm changes in 12 keys outlining the chord substitutions used in the book. A bassline also known as a bass line or bass part is the term used in many styles of music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic, traditional music, or classical music for the lowpitched instrumental part or line played in jazz and some forms of popular music by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, cello, tuba or keyboard piano, hammond organ. The majority of the presentation will focus on walking bass lines in a 44. The symbol of the bass clef is derived from the old german way of writing f. The following is an example of a common bass line construction when the harmonic rhythm is moving at the rate of two chords per bar target notes are designated with t, and approach notes are designated with a. The rhythm is basic, using quarter notes and the tones of a major scale. The possible noterange of a walking bass can reach from subcontra a to middle c. You can do this same exercise with any of the patterns. The term walking is used to describe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. Are you trying to find a way in to playing jazz bass.

Nothing too difficult, just make sure you are stamping your foot two times per second and that you are counting from 1 to 4 in time with your foot beat. Easy walking bass lines pdf constructing walking jazz bass lines. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. Its made up of the root, 3rd, 5th and 6th degrees of an e major scale for all of you music theory buffs out there. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. The blues in 12 keys, book i in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series new 2hr mp3 playalong free download featuring all chord progressions in 12 keys from part ii of the book available from website. A walking bass line walks through the chord progression, one note per beat.

Future installments will cover various topics including an ongoing series of videos on walking bass line construction, thumb position basics, tune. The conference brought middle and high school teachers from all over idaho to the college of southern idaho for three days of seminars and workshops. The following is an example of a common bass line construction when the harmonic rhythm is moving at the rate of two chords per bar target notes are. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. Jazz blues on the other hand is made up mainly of dominant chords but on its.