.ee== =-=L====€
Wl'.et-.LeoNARD.
Thbleof Contenti Preface. . . Goal Statement Acknowledgements. Using the Recording.
TopPriority.......... ReadingMusic Basicsof ReadingMusic Basicsof ChordConstructiotr
Part One OveNiew .
1.1
WalkingtheBlues:FromtheBottomUp.
13 t4 15
M o r eP r a c t i c e w R ith o o t s. . . . . . . . . . . Adding the Fifth . M o r eP r a c r i c e w F i rihf t h s. . . . . . . . . . . T \ v oN e w K e y sf o r t h e8 1 u e s . . . . . . . . . Approach Notes/ChromaticApproach Lineswilh Chromatic Approach. . .. . More PEciica with Chromatic Approach DoubleChromaticApproach.. . . . . . . .
16 1.7 18 19 20
DominantApproach Lineswith DominantApproach N e wK e y sl " o D r o m i n a nAl p p f o a c h. . . . . . . . Lifleswith ChromaticandDominantApproach New Keys for Chromatic arld Dominant Approach
23 ............2 ....25
ScaleApproach. More Practicewith ScaleApproach. Combini[g the Approaches. . . . . .
CombinirgtheApproaches_withAnalysis RhythmChanges-sample Line.. .. . . RhythmChanges.
27 .
28 ... ...29
. ...30 . . . . . . . . . . 3 1 32
Part Tlvo Overview Scales YouShouldKnow. ScalewiseMotion UsingScalewiseMotion
34 36
U n e s w i tS h c a l e w i s e M o t.i.o. .n. . . . MorePracticewith ScalewiseMotion TheNextStep. ScaleMotion on RhythmChanges A4reggiation. MoreArpeggiation. . A WordaboutChordprogressions: TheII_V_I ArpeggiationoDRhythmChanges. . . . Advanc€dApprcach Techniques. U s i n gI o d i r e cRte s o l u t i .o.D ......... Using ChromaticMotion. . . . . . . . . . . .. ChlomaticMotion oo RhythmChanges. A Closing Word
...........39 '..............40 4l
42 43 44
45 47 48
.............50
53
Appendix r../srrgrfle)randardChordprogressions.
StandardProgressiotr #1 StandardProgression #2 . . . . . . . . .. StaqdardProgrcssion#3 S f a n d a r d P r o g r e s#s4i o. n ..........
StandardProgression #5 S t a n d a r d P r o g r# e6 s s. .i.o. n ........ S t a n d a rPdr o g e s s i o#nj . . . . . . . . . . . .
StandardProgression #g StandardProgression #9 Standard Progression #10
54 55 56
57 58 59 ............60 ot
62 63
Preface A v/alking bassline is the most
rr#rlffi#l*,r':H*i1i::fr ji :L'*F,lffi ;il$:*
:.y#11';-,Tnli*",,:"jil1::.J.fll1i,,Tlil,TT;";illI.l
nnin;r;: *i;,ff d"df,f*ffi,?j31]j::,if#fu':.iT;'*
misses. with thisitr mioo,r r,op"yoo"'rlr1|"oi:""i;rff;T""i
*'sist" asopposed to a bassist iha;hi; ;;
GoalStatement The specificgoal of this methodis to fam'iarize you
with the techniquesusedto build walkins bass
llt;:*lli,l',lii'"11",ffi ;ilffi,""x"'; ;:Hjtt4it;;:,ili:i#*xT##g "k, book you wilj havethe iDformationy
rffi?1d:t',1t,*:.J; *:_Ttr ::;*#ffi*'"T;l;'J:j+^1:lti,ij:',,T.fif ;;;,*;U;:#*#i"i i{.:iet1r"l"3'#;*::tlti{i,1
rohearandfeelhowtO"O"* ,r"" ;rillllt"into
action.It is crucialtoyouruna"rrtunonjtf,"tyou-_"uifJ
Acknowledgments SpecialthaDksto Dr. Linda Ostrander, Tom Hamilton,membersof the BassDepartmentat Berklee college of Music, sonia Friedland.*eEller Friedland, D";iia/-,;;" Rae Friedland, sheny Roth, Michael Merrill, Larry Fishman, and everyone over at Fishman Transduca,.. Thanks to all my students ravehelped
n'r""ir*,lJl;l;ffiho
melearnthe"', "i ,;;i;.
i;;;;
About theAuthor bassplayerandteacher,Heis a _ EdFriedlandis a Boston-area graduate of fheHighSchoolof Musicand.qri in N"w yort Citv anJ a^former facultymemberof theBassDeparhnent " nJi""iif """ of Music.Hehasbeena fearured cotumni"n air" pti) u"'ilii". His performance credirsincludeLarryCoryell,Vl.f,i""f Ui8""i"t, Robben Ford,-Mike Merheny, LindaHoikiu..j"f.iry aO"r., n"U."lri
LocKwood. Barreoce Whilfield& the Savages, Marthaand the Vandellas,The Drifters,Brook Benton,the Boston & Tokvo produclionsof lirde Sllop of Horrors, rtreOperaCornpuny oi eo-s-iJni Ed_has a M.Ed.from Cambridge Coitege.CamUriOge. ff.ia.fO uri, GHSstringsandFishmanTransiducers.
to autheg."",hJpi*i"o;i
Usin the Reco
A recordingis includedto giv€ you the hands-on learningexpedencethat is crucial to this style o bassplaying.Manyof thegeat walkingbassists neverleamedtl* " Uoot,,o"y;urt *"nt or,t"od l...rl on thebaldstandBecause theseopportunities arenowfew andhardto fi,'d, thetapewill provide youwit a supportive andcomfortable accompamment to yourleamingprocess.
*::Otig usesa split stereomix wirh piano and drumson the right channel,andbassan ,-..* In:. orumson theleft channel.This configuration will allowyou ,o ,urr,,t " basstrackoff andplay with th aswellasgivingyou
ir'#J#ljlr-
ctearaccess to thebasso""t fo. f""roing,f,enesbyear,and b
The examplesin the book with an icon ($) next to them have a numberthat co[esponds to th€ numberon the recording.Eachexamplei" n..t.iai"a ltne noiil;;;;;, ther counted offwith a click The click is a two-barcountoff, two half notes, andthreequarte,,*ii""".g o*, f"ur blank. Ex. 1...2.. |,2,3,...(play).
Thereare many opportunitiesi[ the book qeate to your own lines.,lhere are examples with chord symbolsandslashesTum off the basstrack, andplay youriwn tn". iii, i, *n", you win be askedto do in the real worrd, you might as well sta now! you can do this with all of the examplesin the book. These exampleshaverecordedbassliles th!
exampre orthe "on""p, inu",ion.-r;.j;:,,::';:'jHil,:::'?:liJ[:fiJTH"1l"',i'" -.'i'i*',,il"'"nir.n il""ffiii *.u",r'"'o a"*",l"i, isa
il:ilil::Tffill:T11,|t"";.,;;"utr
powe 0,."""s very
The last section of the book is fie Appendix, It includes ten commonly playedjazz stat\dad progressions, Thereare no written basslines,but thereare.""ora"a on"r. i pfuyedtheselines as I would pt:l them
withourthinkinsabout"r,.n,,"ti" "ppro""i"r, ,;;l;;,,"r, l:]iitty effort etc.However,I madea conscious to avoidtoomuchrhvthmicembelrishmeit at trrfup.hfri"rgn,n*e is some,Theselines will giveyou an ideaof whatcomesout when all ttr" io"u, pr"r"n'i"Jio ,i], ooot t uu" been assimilate Theywill arsochallengeyour earmuchmore thananything"tr" t" *"'0"*. so whenyou feel ready definitelyleamtheselinesby ear,andtranscribe themif youin.
-tlt eljoy playingwith theothermusicians asmuchasI do.BradHarfieldon pianoand ,,^_.1,:1Oj l,* Jrmuwrn on drumsaretwo of Boslon'sgreatest musicians. I havethepreasure of workingwith thesetwo fine,upstaldingcitizensregularly, andnowsocanvoul
To Pri Top priodty for a bassolaver in_any sryle of music is keepingtiqe. Without this esseltial skil
tospare :ll$::,':lJi:T;[T:'i";;l;',:'11'l;":i '; ';;; "d;i;;.h ,'m,ryins you
ooti-g"ta-'""'",.il;ffi ,i*fif:'fi:1"fiU'i1?:T::;X'.""..1
canplay,how good you look, how nrcoyour equrpmetrt is, etc.,becauseth style of musichas to havea groove
ffiil:::'1'"Tl'iTilllH the bass prayer "no o-.."ir,oouilni:j:ll-Jdry;:J;"i;H;
here. reeping ,n",,*"i"'",o*""0".1e#iffi,i'r"#ig'lTJiJJ'll;)IlT,r" "id cooperation.
Fornow,let,sfo"u. :l*"8.:h yourtimeis ametrono.".rry"" i.rt r,_" oninAilriau"i-rir"rrrn'in"' thingyouneedto develo one^rready, bu!onel__"arr!lrl, *.0 "::jiTffil:;tn:;:;J:'*n*ve morefun to playwith, ""n lull you;::lll:
soodtimewithout oneYoumavsubstitute themetrono "1to* click for practicingtim"' a d.um -;il",;;;;
pr"y.i r,,i,i""L, ii;;#lj:;"i,;:"ff;T:.;T:1;."i1l'"1j,".r,]i,,1i*. rope!Todevelop
yourtimeandyourwalkingfeefpractice witili" ."i."""." "rr"*ingonbeats aJazzdrumfeer'beats 2 & 4.In 2 & 4 a'eolavea withtheiootp*a .i,i" tr i"i"*bal. usirg themetronome waywill giveyouthemostimporiant this partof ,r,";"r, fi"i" *oJ;;;;- .'. Hereis a simplewayto find 2 & 4 with the metrolome: 1) Thrn on metronometo a medium tempo. 2) S-lapyour kneewith your hand in time with the click 3) Whenyour handis in the air about to "o_" aoronuguin,,tarf counting. I is in the air, 2 is on your knee,3 is in the air, 4 is on your U""". f""nif,rr,onl* a while to get usedto it. By usingthe metronomethis \,!
jtilHllril: fi,T#T::i'[ ;"T:li:,:l*ii];iff ;: ;1i:l:iff#:i :::,:::tT:
rnls clockrunson a rechargeabre batreryLike all rech-t*ot" i"i"rt"r, *nen you usethemfor thefirst trme'you mustleavethemin thecharger for u rongti-"- dn""lour tri"*it""u o "o "nd runqing,it will requre regularmainrenaDce to keeDit fully "rru,g"a.No o"Jt ;;;;;", ..goodenough.,, batteryis charged, when the andrherhythmsectionhoot, up]rf,"." i" no no". ii"U* lrr ,n" *orrd.
ReadineMusic Readingmusic is an importantskill for any musicianto develop.How far into readingyou go dependson what your musical goals are. If you are interestedin becominga professionalmusician,I highly rccommetrdthat you make rcading a priority. Even if you don't seeyourself .'eeding to read music to carry out your musicalgoals,being able to rcad will enhanceyour understandingof music, and make you a better musician.Readingmusic gives you a visual representationof the notes you are playing. Playingthe notesgivesyou an arral understanding, aswell asphysicalor kinestheticknowledgeof where the notesare on the bass.when you combineall three,you havea very completeunderstanding of what you areplaying. As a bass player, you will spend a large part of the time reading chord changesiNtead of actual notes,This book will help you interpret changes.By learning to walk over chord changes,you are discovedngwhat notgsyou have availableto you on a given chord.In order to get the most out of this book, you will haveto readthe examples.You will be able to hearthe examplesplayedon the play-along tapethat accompanies this book, so using your ear to learnthe wdtten examplesis fine. If you combine usingyour earsand your eyes,you will havea betterunderctanding of the material,althoughit is possible to learnthe exampleseitherway. on the next few pagesis a basicreferenceguideto readingmusic.It is intendedas a supplement to help you find the noteson the neck.It is not necessarily the definitivemethodfor sight reading,just a tool to help you get the informationyou needfrom this book. Due to the natureof walking basslines,the ody rhythmicvalueyou will seein this book is a quarternote.In 4/4 time thereare four quarternotesin a bar, itr3/4, therc are three. For further rhythmic hainitrg, I highly rccommend the book, Modern Readins Tett in 414,by l-p.ui,eBellson and Gil Breines(Belwin Mills publishing).
Basicsof R
M usic
il:mllfi:iJ;l,:T.l#{ :ffi1'':fi: ::t:'ilLT:"J1ff i:f,'t:ffi,:j,J;:",}T D
A
D
G
BassCtef
I
Not€s orr the Spaces
andnoteson thelines.,. E
A
D
G
Noteson the Line6
llHl:*il,;:ffi :Hj#jr,tr3jr{{f:, tr$";Ji;:,ffi E
A
D
C
cl/Dt
,.:":*H$"iiffi ilT+*:**ft*,t:,*'{*ffifi u-}s{":ff ilil:* """*ul"i:l Y,ffiff;fl::il:l;i:*"
inabarofmusis ir appries rothewhore measurc unress ir is
Basicsof Chord Construction firct stepin the walkingprocessis to be ableto readthe chordchaflges..lhe ..The chordsymboltells you all the specific information about the chord structure. It is up to you to decode the information and createa bassline thatwill saysomethingaboutthe chord. chords are madefrom scaletonesstackedon top of eachother.Triads(three-lote chords)contain the root,3rd and5th. Four-partchordscontainthe root,3rd, 5th and 7th. C major scale
Hereis a listingof themostcommonry usedchordstructurcs andwhattheycontain.To makethings easier, all theexample chordswin be builtoff therootc. Referto thenumbered scaleaboveif youneedto. Noteswith a [t] signarerowered a half stepfromtheoriginar""aretone,notes*ith a [r] signareraiseda halfstep, Triads (1)
(2) Cm
(3) Cdim
(4)
,3 R
,3 R
3 R
c+
Chord List _ TFiads (1) C majorrriad_ (R, 3, 5) (2) C minortriad, (R,!3,5) (3) C diminishedtdad _ (R, 13,L5) (4) C augmented triad _ (R, 3, ,5)
.
The nextfive chordsare four-notestructurescalled"seventhchords." They add a seventhfiom the root to an existirg triad. The seventhwill eitherbe major(7), minor (r7) or dimid;hed (rt7). Four-Part Chords - SeventhChords (1) (2) CrnajT
(3)
(.4) cm7t5
(s) Cdim?
7 l R
3 R
5 ,3 R
,3 R
ts
b3 R
Chord List'- Tbiads (1) C majo*seventh - (& 3, 5, 7) (2) C domtuantsevenrh_(R,3,5, ,7) (3) C minor seventh- (R, ,3, 5, ,7) (4) C mitrorseventh L5-(R,13,15,17) (5) C diminished - (R, "3,15.,b7) seveutb
Frcm the chord symbolwe y:l *ht"l rotes we can use to bring out the quality of that cho obviousry,the rcot is the mostimDortantnote; it is the bottomof the chori. The 5th of a chord combit with theroot to form a framewotkfor quality' Thatis why theyareimportant notesto know:thr will work otranychora,"g*at"., ot ffird
Triadswith a natunl 3 aremaior,andoneswith t3 a aremhor. A seventhchordwill be determin by what combinationof triad and seventhyoo ,,r". fo, ""*ft",l .q", o,* *r* a natural7 will be maJorseventhchord A majortriadwith a-17win be a domiuant.""""ti"i*u. ' oo "hords with I ,5 0r + symboldo not ptay the natural 5, play the 5 that the chord sy.U"ir"r"
I
PAFIT ONE Overview In Partone of this method,you'll be introducadto threenotesthat wilr be lifelorg companions: the Root, Fifth, and Octave.Thesethree notes are includedin virtually every chord type. The root is the futrdamental,the ground floor that all chords are built off of. The fifth is the fifth note up the major scare from the root. The fifth is the dominantnote. In simple terms, this meansthat the lifth has an over powedng needto go back to the root.
Findingthe Fifth c7 (iirih)
The octaveis the root except- it is eightnotesup the majorscalefrom the root.
FindingtheOctave c7
The R,5, and 8 are the frameworkthat a chord is built on. The R,5, and g do not give you any specificinformationaboutthe chordquality. That meansthey dont tell you if a chordis major or minor, major seventhor minor seventh,etc. Thereforethat thesethree notes are your best choiceswhen first starting to walk through chord changesbecausethey will work on every chord type. Thereare,of course,somespecialcaseswherea chord will havea flatted titlh, suchas a 7t5, or a diminishedchord,and somecaseswherea chordwill havea sharyedfifth, such as an augmentedchord. However,the chord symbolwill let you know that thesefifths will haveto be altercdup or down.In any case'you will not seethesetypesof chordsin part one of this method,you will not haveto thinl about them for now.
11
!
simpre warkins rines. once '"".'".1ii:,3:,;"iiiJJ,Jilffij:::: jl" l lt ","9.' ha vou 3 create
"r,,o-u,i""pp,ou"r;!iflil:i|;.i:ff1r.5:',:;i"T,: 1pp-i:.h:,u,", you will haveexpedenc€d thesetechqiqueswith blues
progressions in thJi
,H;Tffi:l,i,:r:A.ilji:'lt"l"'t
because it is'oni or'r'"t*i""o'.",,ryprayed prcsessj "u"oon"'*ough
its usein rock'blues,coultry andcountless stylesof music.I,, additiotr,o ,0" o,t oth "II-v' prcgrcssions 'l"j:,11"t"-u1: 8 included for eachconce Theseprogrcssionshavemore"no.o .bar usuallytwo changes per bar' They ar" i""tua"o getusedto playinga"riu" prog."r.iorrJotron' to hetp yi
At theendof thesectionvou will be.inhoduced to.,RhythmChanges,,, ,,I,veGc theprogression Rhythm"is basedon Manyjazz tunes usethisprogrc*t"",--'r"*Jr* i ir, to buildnewprogressio Nextto fheblues,it is themostimportant progression to leamin iazz.
An ImportantNotice
Because thisbookat"-Oo a:.:11:,,l,an organized, chronological way,you will beintroduced colceptsoneat a time.The examples t( thatwill be given"r" g""r"J,i*"r0" helpingyou understand th€
ii""Jtti"'*", ,"",,*'ndaritre ;fftJ'*:lffiii:$:*i#;J,'l '' *'' """ip'oau"" unna
Because desilned thisbook too.i,o""*i"^,"i0,*;fi,:"JflJtt-;:'l'JtJ"S:::l;iir mind. is witlemphasize otre concept toth"e exclusion "r o,r"^.a, y.i'J;;;il:#il:T:lffTf*? discoverthat the
exampleswill usemore than one approach aIId stafi to souqdmorc natural.orce you urdemtand walkirg, y* "unptufuio'ou "nythingand makeit work.
72
Walkin the Blues:From the Bottom U Hereis an F bluesprogression usingonly the rootsof the chordsin the half noterhythm.The rootis the most importantnote of a chord.For a bassplayer,it is the first note you needto be able to find. your firstjob is to outlinethe rcot motionof a progression.
b7
,
I
F7
Playinghalfnotesfor the bassrineis calleda "two" feel. It is commonlyusedfor the head of a tune, or i[lrdiieland, countryor latin music.ln jazz, the bassistwill mosrlikely switch to playing ,,4,,, in using quarternotesfor the solos. Here is the F bluesagain,this time in a ,.four,,feel. We are still usingonly roots,but by usingthe oclavewe cangivethelinea liltle motion.
B'7
B''7
I
I
I H
Gm7
c7
F7
13
D1
Ltm /
More PracticeWith=Roots
root motion isvery j comm ;-" *IiliilJ l'J,11"::ilJ:i*Jil: *",.-"::Ji#ih,ffi",l'fj_:f
asense ormovement, so,even th *",t"J*riT:]Tf:Ti"TTi';',"1" ne situations u r"v o"-o"ril" ","#ffi1l""rffiJ$,f,1*#: progression.
Am7
DtmajT
Glrnaj?
tr "oo,Oerprogressiontha!usescycle of fifrhs root motion. Play through *O o",*i:: this usingody roots
Moving 0n .rhe fircrchordtonewewill inr
ff:l[',"H'*TfiT#ilh1iy,,ffiiil1fiT;fr:1ff,11'""i:'l ,ook.at
crro_rds withr;;;;;il#,.:Jtj*'i,l,T'j::.":,ffid#f'r:1',,1:,1::*';: un tne next page
usethe R,5 and8.
are somelinesthat
14
Adding the Fifth
w7
,
5
D7
R
R
R
R
R
R
The previousline is a classicexampleof a "two" feel. The useof R and5 in half notesis commonto rnanystylesof bassplaying. The nextexampleusesroots,fifths andoctavesin a "four" feel,
Yt
E'l
R
I
R
5
um/
5
l
Bt?
R
8
s
E
8
R
R
5
F
5
5
c't
R F7
5
8
|
R
s D7
8
5
R
'
s
R
5
8
Gm7
R
This line hasa very foundationalfeel to it. Noticehow the motiongetssmootherin the last two bars of theblues. l5
MorePracricfiiih Fmhs Here is another progrcssion that uses the cycle of
fifths root
motion. Notice how the fifth of or t" '0" rootorthenextchorauvuwtrot"stf. n'i' 0"i"" *1ii n*rs occurwithrhistype ;:";:"::',:::"'
FlmT
"nrthstvpe prosression. rakenote orwh ,0",",")""ilfi"f"".iT:Xf" rtjn::*,?"11;",Jtlj*fl:t"
DmajT
L6
Tlvo New Ke s for the Blues
Here is the bluesprogressionin the keysof Bt andE,. Fird the rootsandplay throughthemin half notes' Thenaddthe octavesandplay throughthechangesin quaiter notes. Add the fifth of eachchordatrd play throughthe changesin half notes. Nextpraythrough with quarternotesusingroots,fifths andoctaves You will find that somechords show up in all three keys. Even ii the chord type is different, the R, 5, andg will be thesame.
lrok for the notesitr more thanoneplaceon the finqerboard. This will keepyou from gettingstuck in the lowerparrof theneck. Explorerhepossibjliries!
o An
17
So far, we have used only roots, fifths,
and octavesin
our lines. This will help you to hear *" progression. By addingapprcach notes,thebasslinelan become smoother, ffir"jffi_:, andm Remember:walking basslirte .
A line usingapproach nores .o"";r "r*;;; f:;fi'JiT"obJecr Sood hasa feelingof forwardmotion .
:il1"i:'*:';:,'ff# ;:1,nT:JiiTJi:i,'" r:::::?"ryi;.!?.-e !:.:'":l;,
upperand lowerchromaticapproach,upp* ""a u*", a"_ir"i"opr*"i
and scalewiseapproach.
ChromaticA roach Chromatic approachnotes resolve to.a,target
note from a half step (olle iiet) above analysis or below. Tl symbolsfor theseapDroaches areU/"m ri, "pp* "ir".# "oi'riL Aa* "bove)andL/clr I from betow).Thesear" ,r,i'"pp*'"ro r.*"ir"i.manc approaches *";;*pffifoach to theR, F7
Here are the R, 5 and g for the.chords in the F blues. On the bass,tind the upper and lowe chromaticapproaches for each[ote, I_ookto seeif ttresenotei JaJ" i""* ," rn"r" ,hanone placeon th
Onceyou havelocatedthe notes.on the neck,write them in next to their target notes.Remembe thatthe approachnotecomesbeforethe targetnote,so wdte it to the left of the rarcet.
18
Lineswith ChromaticApproachto R,5 and g
F7
D'7
t
F7
I
Gm7
c7
D7
Gm7
c7
Uc[I
Below is the Bl bluesagain. Find the upperand lower chrcmaticapproaches to the R,5 and g of eachchord. You may want to write them out like with the F blues. writing thingsout will help solidify themin your mind.
19
racncewit
Here is an exampleof how chromaticapproachworks through the cycle of fifths. Notice hor smooththe motion is betweenchordswith this apDroach.
DmajT
R
Em7
U/ch A7
R U/ctu
R
Dm7
UclI
R
U/clr
G7
R Uln'
U/clr
R
Vchr
rt
*oy ot playing this progressionwith chromaticapproach. These busy chord progressionsare . easierfo play throughthan they rook.with the rcot on rhe first beatof eachchod, all you really needto find is the approachnote.
Btmaj7
E'mujT
20
DoubleChromaticA roach Hereis a way to addmorepossibilitiesto chromaticapproach.Double chromaticapproachcreatesa very smoothline with a strorg pull into the target.
8
U/cbr U/chr
R
Try this techniqueon the BL blues.
U/chr U/cbr
The next approachmethodwe will look at is dominant approaclr. The fifth of a chord is calle the dominant.Thatmeans,a dominantapproach is a resolut]onto a target from the fifth of thr target. Dominant approachescan be either upperor lower.
.r
t"il,1irj;j].dt
To find the upper dominantapproachto
ttartonthetargetandcouniupthescalerotrrefirtrr,tie
Below are the upper and lower dominantapproachesfor the root and fifth of F7. To makerhingssimpler, octaveswill nowbe analyzedasrootr. To find the lower dominanr approach,we go a fourth below the target. You will find that this is the sameDoteas the fifth abovelhe taroer or y it is an octavelower.
samewayyoufindthefift
*Finding the lower dominant approach G C
U/don
This showshow ,G',is lhe upperandlowerdominanl approach
l1;*T':fl tffi '#::l'#;3,i"'Iorupperdomina
Vdolr
R
Vdon
5
Now find andwdte in thedominantapproaches for the
U/don
5
l./don
5
u/don
5
R, 5 andg of Br?,Gm7,C7andD7.
Lineswith Dominant Here is an exampleof dominant apprcach.With this approachwe are introducing a new note choice. The u/Ldom of the flfth is also scale degree2. The dominant approach to the root is the fifth, a noteyou are alreadyusing. The fifth now has a dual function and will be analyzedwifh two layem of symbols. The top layer will be the primary function, the bottom layer, the secondaryfuflction. Notes that have more than one function make the line stronser.
rt
E7
U/.lom
5 U/don Vdon R
F'7
R
5
w7 -i--++-t
R
Vdon
R
_____l_ s
I
|
5 vdod
R
U/don
Vdon5
R
U/doitr
5 /
F7 '
Udod d
R o
5 n
5
U/don
5 udom
F7
D7
R
U/dom R U/doE n R 3 R
R
,
s udon
R
c7
5 R
U
Udon d
o
R
Bt1
U/dom
I
J
v7
L'ln I
R
-
U
:--t:1-
U/dom 5 U/don
I
Gm7 ,'l
5
I
R
-
I
I
c7
,
F7
D,I
Write in analysisfor the secold chorus.Payattentionto dual functions.
(im/
R
U/dolr R
New Keysfor DominantApproach
Becausewe are only working with R, 5 and 8, the dominant approachesfor Br7, F7, Cm7 and G7 are thesameasthe chordsfrom the F blueswith thesameroots.
Playthroughtheprogrcssion in differentplaceson theneckto getacquainted with youroptions.
In the key of C, you will again find the R, 5 and 8 to be the sameas on many chords from the other keyscoveredso far. This, of course,meansthat the domimlt approachnoteswill be the same.
It may not be necessary to wdte out all the notesandapproaches at this point. Although if you feel thatit helpsyou, by all means,do it,
Dm7
24
Lines with Chromatic and Dominant
roach
This example combineschromatic and dominant approachesto the R, 5 and g. To make thinss less complicated,the analysisfor theseapproaches w l be shorteledto chr for upperor rowerchromaric,and dom for upper or lower dominant.
By combining two apprcachmethodswe will multiply our choicesand come up with a morc [atural soundingline. A good bassline usesrnany approaches to achievea well_balanced sound.As you leam additionalapproaches, your own lineswill sta to soundmorc natural.
R
D,I
5
R
dom
R
c
I
l
um,
n-n R
,
i
_
R
c
h
l
R
d
o
E
5
c
t
r
R
d
o m 3
R
clr 3
Wereyou pble to hearthe differencaill this line? It is sta ing to soundmore like the real thing,On thenextpageis the bluesin BLandC. Try to combinethe chrcmaticand dominantapproaches to R. 5 andg in thesekeys.
zIKtADNi UilELEcKA sKotA. HradecKr6lov6. ,130
Ha0rmanova !01.+taxr040/9533480 (6)
-
NewK s for Chromatic and Domi
roach
Combine chromatic and dominant apprcach notes in these two keys. First play thrcugh the key thetl do the following exercise.
On a sepante piece of nusic paper,tmnsposethe line in F ftom the prevrous page to thesetwo key _ Thenplay throughthe bluesin B! andC aeain.
...thebluesin C.
Whatwasdifferclt aboutplayingafterthetransposing exercise?
ScaleA roach
The next methodof approachwe will look at is scaleapproach.,.Scaleapproach,,means approachinga target note with the scaletone next to it from above or below. sometimes the scale approachnote is also a chrcmatic approach.For example,going from an F7 to a Btmaj?, the lower scaleapproachwould be an 'A". This is chromaticand scaleapproach.Scaleapproaches will be analyzed with thesymbolsc. It shouldbe obviousby nowwhichnotesareupperor lowerapproaches
Sometimes a scalaapproachfrom belowdoesnot soundas smoothas othertypesof approach Whenusingthis approach, keepyourearopen;if it soundsstrange, try anotherapproach.
Also notice that there are dual functioning notes.some notes are chord tonesantl scale approachnotes.Thesewill be analyzedin two laye6, the top layer being the primaryfunction,the secondlayerbeingthesecondary function.
o
F7
B'1
s
c
R
s
c
t
F7
R
s
R
s
c
R
R
s
c 5
R
R
s
c 3
um/
c7
5
B'7
I
F7
,
_++_____+_ R (,In'
c?
s
c
5
s
c
D7
R
5 5
R
l
We can seea definite patternshowingup with this technique.When the root motior betweentwo chordsis dominant,the fifth of the first chord actsas an upperscaleapproachto the n e x t c h o r d * . T h i s p a t t e r ni s i m p o r t a n tt o recognizebecauseit will help you formulate your conceptof how lines fit together,
c
R 5
s
c
R
*
s 5
c
R
F7
R r c 5
r3
Btj
s
c
R
s 5
c
R
-
Fitrd thescaleapprcaches to R,
!"i,1 i:ilxl"#;:'lfj :tiffHff;:il"5"i n:-*:ru;a:*:ft *t ,'l*ii'ii; . .
*-^^_-""t.,"t*n1t:"
to anypatternsthat seemfamiliar, repeated chordsfr
bethe.same buthappen ondiff"r"nt sr,ings. .t;;ffi;J,i"nlJlrl"rjT"liil;i,Xl fi??,t;"*11#t#
Remember to do all theprelimimrystepsroger tamiliarwith thekeyof G.
28
Combiningthe Approaches Up to this point we have used chromatic, dominant and scale approaches to R, 5 and g. By combinitrgthesetechniques,we will multiply our choicesand have lines with a more naturalsoundto them.A goodbassline hasa varietyof ideasbehindit.
The line belowusesall threeapproachtechniques. I[ additionto playing the example,try to analyze . it usingthe symbolswe haveworkedwith. see if you canfind the dual functionnotes.The co'ect anarysis is givenon the next page,
o F 7
to
Comb
roaches- With Anal
theA
Here is the combinationline with the amlysis symbols.Compareyou answgrsto seehow closeyou were. The rcal value of this exerciseis not so much how matry you got dght, but that you did it, To do this exercise,you had to ask you$elf: ,'What is the functionof this note?Is it an approach,a target,or both? Why doesthis line work? How canI usethis in my own playingin otherstyles?,,
This is the thought processwe are after. Being curious w l make you searchfor th9 answers.when you find them, you will unde$tandthem better becausethey have been processedby you. When you understand thingsftom this standpoitrtthey becomevery usable.That is the point of this method:to make theconceptsof walkingbasslinesusableto you.
F7
Bt?
I
--l+ sc
I chr
chr
R
chl
R
dom
I
8"7
R
chr
5
don 5
R
sc
5
chr 3
I
F7 )
R
dolr
R
dom
R
Gm7 t
'
t R
t
?
sc
r
Gm7
don
q
c
s
R
"bI
h
R
sc
5
z
ctr
{
5
sc
R
D7
cb,
5
!c 3
cl
Gm7
"-hr
R
,3.
R
R
'
don
-R
sc
R
7
5e
F1
R
ctu
3
chr
I
5
dom
F7
Btl
dom
R
^
B'1
R
5
cl
rt
R
ctu
chr
R
dom
c7
R
F7
chr
5
chr3
,
5
don
s don
R
R
I
li,
s
R
s
c
5
R
D7
c7
Gm7
b, c h r c s h r c l r R R 5 c h r R c h r R
30
s
c 5
R
c
h
r
R
c
l
f
Rhythm Changes- SampleLine This standardprcgrcssion is known as the song ,.I've Got Rhythm,, progression. It is one of the most common progressionsin jazz. The form is AABA. with two changesper ba!, the rcot motiotr qeates a senseof movement.when you add the approachtechniquesthe line becomesmore interesting. Tbkethe time to analyzethis line. Notice how the line works through the bridge where the changesoccur lessoften.
o
E
BrnajT
Cnit
Dm7
Cm7 ---t-.
im,
B'1
E rnaj7
F7
f---
ElmT
Dm7
Crrf
F7
F7
Dm7
C,niT
F7
-+ E
w(r.i1
Fm7
um/
M
ErmajT
D7 -A!-{-------+
-
r.r n
Cm7
Erm,
I
rt
B}ma37
G7
,
I
B7
EhnajT
LIn'
3l
F7
Btmajj
G7)
Now practiceplayingRhythmChangesby jusf lookingat the chords. Startout simply,then, you as get comfortablewith it, adddifferentapproaches. The root riotio, in ,r," a t choices already,
sofioa*uy" ro*oo"", theroots.TheB sectr",,"o
,., .,."11i""T:l;;J;:ljo
Wtll,aj1
ELmajT
BlnajT
EvrnajT
B}.maj7
G7
ElmT
Cm7
t*t
PAFIT TWO Overview
In Pa Otre of this method,you saw how it is possibleto play through chord chalges using only the bare bones of R, 5, and 8. With the addition of approachnotes, we were able to createsome more interestinglines and add somevarietyto our notechoicas.In the secondpa of this method,we will start to usemore specific iDformation from the chordswe are playing through.
The t rid tells us if a chordis major or minor Up to this point, the lines we haveplayedhavenot reflectedthe major or minor quality of the chords.usilg the third makesthe bassline soundmore ,'in,, with the chordchanges.We arenow gettingmorcspecificwith the basstine.
c1
Cm7
Thesevent,is anothernotethattellsyou aboutthequalityof a chord.somechordshavea major seventh,which is the seventhfrom the major scale(onehalf stepbelow the octave).other chordshavea minoror flat seventh(onewholestepbelowtheoctave). CmajT
c7
3
5
r
7
Minor Seventh
Of course,along with thesenew note choiceswill be all the approachnotes that came before, upper and lower chromatic, upper and lower dominant, and upper and lower scale. This means *e ooro hive every scalenote, and every chromatic note availableto us. Looking at buildilg our lines this way would be a little cotrfusing,at this point, so it is better to sta seeingoul basslines in the larger t ermsof motion ard shape. This is wherc the lines start to develop a flowing feel. we will still be using the approach{aryet concept'but it will be usedaspart of a developingbiggerpictureof the shapethe bassline will take. The types of motion we will look at arc scolewise,q.rpeggiation,a\d chlomatic motion. ln additionto these,we will alsoget into targetingothernotesbesidesthe root for the first beatof a bar.This will help to ftee up our lines and make them more melodic and varied. we will also leam other ways to view the II-v structure to help break away ftom the root-approachrnethod.As a part of the explorationof chromatic motion, advancedapproach techniquess\ch as indirect resolutian will be shown to brcaden your options at the point of chord chatrge.By the end of paft Two, you will have been exposedto enough ideasto developinteresting,functionalandmusicalbasslinesoverstandardchordprogressions.
ScalesYouShouldKnow
scales_are very impo anttoolsthatyouwill useto buildyourwalking ,, will T*.: basslines.I_earnin them helpyou discovermoreaboutthefingerboardandplay rtrrougiilioro "nangesin part Tko of this book,
The DiatonicMajor Modes The first set of scales are the Diatonic Modes from the key of C Major, Each mode is built off a scale tone from the key of c using onry the notes from that key. it ut i" *t ut DTAToNIC means:using trotesonly from the designatedscale, C Ionian
A Aeolian
f,ocrian
34
More ScalesYouShouldKnow
Thesenext two scalesarc mitlor scales.Along with the Aeolial mode(also Inown as1y'4tu Mrnor),thesescalesarefhemostcommonlyusedminorscales in westen music.rhereareDiatonicModg builtoff thesescalesaswell,however, we will notbeconcerned with themat thispoint.
C Melodic Minor
C HarmonicMinor
Thesefive note scalesarc calledpentatonic. They are very comm ot in jazz, rock, blues,arldalso non-westemtypes of music.
C Major Pentatonic
C Minor Pentatonic
Spendsometine practicingthesescaleswith a metronome.Thesescales are written in otreoctave Whenyou arecomfortablewith them,try to play themastwo_octave scales.
Scalewise Motion Scalewise motion feels very natural, for walking bass lines. It is like going up and down a flight of stairs. By using scale tones that occur in between the chord tones, the line takes on a very smooth, flowing motion. The example below shows the chord tones of an F7 chord (black) and the scale tones in between (white). When you play these notes in succession, you have the scale that is most commonly used for a dominant 7th chord. It is called the nsixolydhn scale. In this case, we have an E mixolydian. The structure of any mixolydian scale is R-2--547-8.
F Mixolydian Scale F7 Chord Tones P
A
X
3
ScaleTones
2 G
C 5
2
6
Bb
D
Ec
E
b7
8
Below we have the Bb mixolydian scale. This is the common scale for a Bb7 chord.
-
-
-
-
-
-
B Mixolydian pb7 Chord Tones
Bt R
Scale Tones
F 5
D 3
2
B
b7
B
a
4 EL
C
Ab
G
The next chord in the F blues is Gm7. This is a minor chord, so it will naturally use a minor scale. In this context, the Gm7 will work best with a G Dorian scale (shown below). The structure of this scale is R-2-6345-7-8. I
G Dorian Scale Gm7 Chord Tones 6.
R ,-
A
Scale Tones
Bb
D
F
b3
5
L7
D
I
2 A
4 C
6
E
G 8
.r",, *;iliJ"",fJJ
thescales forall thechords in theF blues,ler'slookatwayswecanuserhem tr
Brrs I .nd 2 F7
This lhe getsto the targe!too early, so ...
Thisline usesanupperscaleapprcach on beat4.
This exampleusesatr upperchromatic apptoachinto the lext bar.
This line usesan upperdortrinantapproach on beat4.
Here,walkiag down the scaletimesout perfectly.
This exampleusesan octaveto shift to
a higherregister.
As you cansee,therearemanywaysto usescalervise , motion. The differe approachmethods be usedto time your arrivalat the nex can there will o"t* be examples motion of scal€wise through theBr"",
;;'il;;;:.f:i;';,
i.l$:".".**
Motion LinesWith Scalewise Here are iwo chorusesof F blues usitrg scalewisemotion with approachnotes to help the line reach the target at fhe dght time. Notic€ that there is a scalemotion that runs through two different chords in bars 1 alld 2 of the first chorus. When the root motion betweentwo chords is dominant, you can walk down from the root of the first chord and land on the rcot of the next chord otr beat one, From there you adjust the scaleto fit the new chord. Do you seethis happeninganywhereelsein this example?
8"7
r7
6
5
R
um/
R
I
I
2
3
c
h
r
1
3
s
5
c
R
2
3
a
l
o R
m
BL7
1t7
R
3
s
5
c
R
8,7
2
F7
cl
2
R
D7
R
r7
R
d
o R
R
6
('m/
cl
m
R
sc 5
2
3
c
h
t
6
R
5 R don
2
3
c7
6
5
R
39
R
d
d
3
o
s
2
3
R
cbr 3
o
n
d
R
n
R c
5
o
D
c7
Lim /
Dl
5
c 3
I
F7
6
s
I
t7
t7
2
F7
I
Gm7
3
R
5
R
5
n
More PracticeWith ScalewiseMotion Hereate bluesin B! andE again.Practicetheseusingscalewisemotion.Rememberto pay attention to the timing of the line. Use different approachtechniquesto get to your target rotes.
B'7
Bl7
E'l
,
Lm/
lrok for waysto play scalelinesthatmovethroughmorethanone chord.
Eu7
E7
Ab7
40
I
The NextStep Before we get into using scalewisemotion over rhythm changes,we will talk about the next stepin the developmentof a musical walking bassline. Up until now we have been targeting the root of each new chord changeon beat one of its bar. You are no longer restricted to this concept! As your understanding of walking develops, you will see that almost any note can work if you know how to make it work, For now, let's target the other chord tones, the 3 and 5 in particulat 7s can be used as targets,but becausethey arc very close to the root, they arc a little tricky to use. This example uses scalewisemotion with the 3 and 5 as alternative targetsor beat one. Notice that sometimeswe are still using the R on beat one. It is trot oul intention to avoid the root. onlv to add to our oDtiotrs.
w1
F1
5
c t t7
u
Bt?
F7
3
2
R
17
c
I
h
I
3
2
R
2
5
F7
don 5
I
chr 5
c7
Gm7
R
clr 1
3
D7
Fl
4 7
5
don R
R
2 R
5
c7
Gm7
doE
t
R
ctu 7
3
R
Now thatwe canuseothernoteson beatone,theline takeson a newmelodicquality. NoW the overallshapeand dircctionof the bassline becomesmorc impofiant. The flow of the bassline is now a factorin how we shuctureour choices. As with any ideausedto build a bassline, this techniqueworks bestwhenbalanced with otherconceDts.
4l
ScaleMotion On Rhythm Changes Here is an examplgof scalewisemotion on rhythm changes.Now that we can use the chord tones 3 and5 on beat otre,we can take advantageof the melodic possibilities that occur with this approach. Try analyzing the line below - you will find some new things hapPening.Otr a note-by-notebasis it startsto get complicated, so keep in mind that the overall flow and shapeof the lire are now the main colrsiderations.
I
E
lAl
BrmajT
G7
Cm7
Ft
Fn7
8,1
Bbl.'Iraj7
Ehn?
Brmajr
G?
Cm?
F7
Fm?
W
EfiilLj1
EWil
c7
E
Cm?
cl
Cm7
Fl
Dm?
G7
Cm7
F7
Cnit
ft
Wnnlt
D.7 ,,
't
D7
G?
,
't
,
W'll]aj7
G7
Cm7
Fm?
W7
ELmaiT
F?
G7
Dm7
Ft
Dm7
G1
Cm7
Etnn
Cm7
yt7
B,rnajT
a
F7
(F7)
An arpeggiois a chord whosenotesare playedin succession,rather than simultaneously. Commonly,an arpeggiois learnedfrom the Rootgoingup anddownin order(R-3-5-7-5-3_R), However, an aryeggiomay starton any chordtoneand moveup or down from that note.Theseare calledinverted arpeggios.Another approachis to play the chordtonesin differentsequences, not straightup anddown. Theseareknownasbrckenchords. Arpeggiationcreatesmoredrasticverticalmotions,Arpeggiosspellthe chordchangesout very literally-your notechoicesare all chordtones.The main concemwith arpeggiation is to makethe resolutiotrs betweenchordsand betweenbarswork. This meansusingchromatic,dominant,or scale approachto a chordtoneon beatone of a new bar or the firct beatof a new chord.Brokenchordsqeate intercsting,abruptup anddownmotionsthatwork becausetheyoccurwithin thechord.
Fl
w
,
----r-f-
Gm7
c7
rt
D7
Gm7
c7
MoreArpeggiation This is an exampleof arpeggiationon a standardprogression,IIl bars 1 and 2 we have a very useful line that is wo h examining. Cm7 is going to F7, and when we arpeggiate the Cm7, the !7 is a chromatic approachto the 3 of F7. This will happenwhen any m7 chord goes to a dominant chord whose root is up a fourth. In bars 5 and 6, Cld goes to M again. This time we arpeggiatefrom the t3 of the Cm7, avoid the root completely alrd go up to scale note 2 (D) resolving scalewisedown to the 5 of the F7 chord. The line works becausewe are using three chord tonesand scarenote 2, which is also called rorrsrb, 9. Thesenotes spell an EbmajTaryeggio.Takenote of this pattern; it can be transDosedto anv kev.
Wmaiz
Transposethe pattemsshownin the previousexampleto this progression.They will work on the Dm?to G7andtheEm7to A7.
CrnajT
44
A WordAboutChordpro
ions:The II-V-I
Thaseare the Diatonic chordstructuresbelolgng to the key of c major, Eachchord is built up from a scaletone. Diatonicmeans,'of_thekey,,'so everychordis built using only notesfrom thekey of C. Theciords arelabeledaccordingto which scaretonethey arebuilt on. For example,scaletone 1 is c, so cnajT is ImajTchord,Dm?is IIm7,andso on. Thesequence of Diatonicchordsis the samein all keys,so leamingthenumbersandtheir concspondingchordtypeis very useful.
CmajT Ir|ajT
Dm7 IIrnT
M] IIImT
FrnajT IvrbajT
Am7 Mm7
Bm?l5 15 vlt
In orderto get the most out of walkingbasslin9s,w9 needto look at a very commonchordpattem, the II-V-L The II chord is IIm?, the V is V7 and the I is Imaj?. In the key of C they are Dm? _ G? _ Cmaj?. What are they in the key ofF? How aboutBb? Haveyou seen thesechordpattemsbefore? They arein rhythmchanges,and in the blues(theII-v in the bluesgoesto a 17chord). Let,slook at how we can usethis pattern effectively.
This example treats the II-V as two separatechords. It is the standard R/approach/R/approach melhod lhat w e h a v eb e e nu s i n gu p r o l h i s p o i n l .
Because the II and the V work togetherto resolveto the IImajZ,you can alsotrcat themas one chord. Thenextexampleshowshowyou canplay throughthemasif they#re a IImz chord.
A l r h o u g hl h e C 7 i s n o l o u l l i n e d r, h i s w i l l s t i l l w o r k . O n t h e n e x tp a e ew e will seehow we can piay rtrrou-gh this a s i f i t w e r ea V c h o r do n l y .
45
Now we will seehow the II-V cartbe played as if it were a W chord.
By playing the G on beat one of the Dm7 chord,w9 are creatinga sus4* sound. This has a nice textureand can be usedon any II-7 chord.
Dm7
A majot triail ot ilominantT cho can substitutethe rd with a 4th, The 4th Sivesthe chod a hangi g,u resobe4 "utpendedn quality, hencerte 4 e "sus{, TheDn7 ulith a G on the botton it actualry a G7sus4chord that resolves to a G7.
It is impo ant to know about thesepossibilities now becausewe are expandingour freedom in what we use to oeate a bass lioe. You now have the option to look at a II-V as one chord, This will eliminate being boxed-in by the root motiotr when you haveprogressionswith many II-V'S occurfing.
'Eoxed-in" Ex,4 Em?
A7
Dm7
c7
Cnajz
i:1n4-o_r_e,fJ1g{gr-ni'-) Ex. 5
5p7
A't
Dm7
G1
Cnaj7 -e
"boxed-ir" apprcach, they are different, They The "more freedom" approachis trot better than the both work well, but therc are ce ain situationswhere one may be better suited than the other. For example, if you were playing swing music for dancingbehind a singer,the boxed in approachmight be a better choicedue to the obviousnatureof the line. However,if you were playing behind a tenor sax in a less commercialsituatiol, it would be appropriateto be lessstraightahead.
46
Now that we have morg freedom otr II_V,s, we can use arpeggiatron over more active chord progessions, like rhythrn changes. The root motion is trot always necessiiy if the chord is outlined well.
Blrnajz
BhnajT
47
AdvancedApproachTechniques: Indirect Resolutions The next typeof motiondiscussed will be chromaticmotion.In orderto takefull advantageof this technique, we will explorethe indirectresolution.An indircct resolutionoccurswhen an apprcachpattern is intenuptedwith anotherapproachpattem. We will look at five differentindirectresolutionsusingchromaticand scalarapproachnotes.With this technique, we will sometimes hit "funny" noteson a chord.In thesecases,the indirectresolution pattemis soshongthat thestrangenoteswill work.
(1) Lower chromatic/upperscalar F1 W1 F7
w
F7
w
F7
B'7
F7
8"7
rt
B'7
R
(2) Upperscalar/lowerchromatic F7
w1
rt
8"7
,7
R
o
(3) Lower scalar/upperchromatic F7 8"7 F1
B,7
R
' El i" "ot ""t.
48
c7
B'7
F7
B'7
Here are two morc indirect resolution pattens. AII of thesepattems can be adaptedto fit any chord prcgrcssion.They qeate very strolrg melodic motion over a chord, and introduce some intergstingtrew note choices.
o
(4) Lower chromatic/upperchromatic
w F 7
A, v
(5) Upper chromatic/lower chromatic F7 8,7 F1
w7
F7
w
F7
8,7
5l'--_J-L
R
l1
Belowis a sampleprogression usingsomeindirectresolutiolpattems.Try to identifyeachpattem used.
o
um/
{:-
Cm7
F7
Bmajz
G7
LN
Fl
Wm iT
49
BbmjT
UsingIndirect Resolutions This bluesline usesfrequentindirectresolutionsaswell as otherpatterns.Bars9 arld 10 in the fiIst chorusandbars7 and 8 in the secondchorusintroducea new pattemof scalemotion in thirds. This uses scaletonesin arl "up two - down one" pattem. Examine this line and hy to identify the different techniquesthat are being used. On a separatepiec€ of paper,haNposeandleam to play this line in the key of Bt. This will help solidify your understanding of theconceDts usedto build this line,
cl
c7
,
c7
Dmt
c'l
F
F7
Dm7
,
c7
c7
Chromatic Motion
Circmatic motion is very popular with jazz bassists.As the old saying goes, ,.Whetr in doubt, play _ chromatic."chromatic motion can be useful for thosemomentsor,,douut.,, It is arwaysbetter to keep playing until you regain your place in a tutre; chromatic motion will help to mask your confusion, However,chromatic motion is much more than just a tool to covgr yourself it adds interest and prcpulsion to the bassline.
When used effectively, chromatic motion can createits own set of rules, ,lhe pull of the chromatic li''e is so strotrgthat it can overridetoot rnotion, chord quality, tonality, even tbrm, and still temain functional. This exampledoestrot go quite that far, but it doei avoid many of the direct approacheswe have beenusing.This examplehasa goodbalatrceof,,inside,,and,,outside,, approaches.
B'7
5l
Chromatic Motion On Rhythm Changes This lile uses chromatic motion, indirect resolution and other techniques to create an inteiestitrg line over rhythm changes.
0 E
BLrnajT
tsm,
A7
B'7
Wmai7
}lm,
B'7
Cm?
E najT
Cm7
F7
E maj7
E ttrt
D7
Btm4j7
Frn'
c1
Cm7
Ft
Dm7
Cm7
F?
Dm7
UIn'
UIn'
Wnt^j1
Dm7
,
,
c1
E
F7
t
,
G7
w
Cm7
Dm7
Brr:oj7
Cm7
G7
F1
Cm7
Ft
E}n:,j7
GD
A ClosingWord
Rememberto always be inquisitive, don,tjust acceptthings becauseyou seethem in a book. Try to find out why thingswork for younelf. Keepyou. ""." unJyoo, -ind open. Hear what you play andhow it reactswith the music. If somethingyou play soundsgood but isn,t specifically discusseiin this book, figureout why it soundsgoodanduseit.
Always Pay attention to the flow of time, Use the metronometo strengthenyour intemal clock and neversettlefor "good enough"time. Listen to the drumsand feel the groove, make the bassline a deep deeppocket.
Connectwith the notes,,.pre-hea/,your ideasas you play. Listen to the chordal instrumentsto get melodicideas.Lay down the time so the piano,guitar and drumscan create rhythmic ideasto propelihe tune,As soon as possible,memorizethe chordprogressionyou are playing. Get awayfrom the pageand useyour "inner eyes,,to guideyou.
IJam everythingyou can aboutmusic. Leam harmony.fram ear trai[ing. Learn about rhythm. L€arn about the other instrumentsyou play with, includitrg their roles in an ensembre,and how your bass line interactswith their parts. Go to the piano and figure oui the bassline to a tune you know. Listen to the greatbassplayersof all stylesandvisualizewhat they do, Listen, for example,to Ray Brown, Ron Carteq Paul Chambels,Scott InFaro, Eddie Gomez, Dave Holland, Rufus Reid, Marcus Miller, Jaco,Stanely Clarke, JamesJamerson,Jerry Jemmot,Charles Mingus, Jeff Berlin, paul McCartney, RobbieShakespeare, Jimmy Blanton,SamJones,Marc Johnson,Harvie-Swartz,Jimmy Garrison, Chuck Rainey,OscarPettiford- the list neverends. Whenyou listento music,seethebass,feel the bass,hearthe bass.Whenyou play, , e the b(,ss!
APPENDI>< This sectionis includedto giveyoutheopportudtyto put yourlearninginto actionTheexamples whichale arrdshot II-v ploglessions in thebookhavebeenvery commonbluesforms,rhythmchanges, all necessaryto master.Now you haveten standardprcgressionsto play through,eachcontainingmany to dealwith. These somenewchallenges ideasthathavebeenexploredin thebook,andeachpresenting thatanyonewishingto playjazz shouldknow' tunesareall commonlyplayedstandards Dueto copydghtrestriction,I cannotprovidethenamesof thesesongs.However,theyarecommon -you may be enoughthat anyoneiamiliar with thejazz repertoirewill be ableto identify themfor you ableto figurethamout Yourself.
Usin the StandardPro It is a good idea to use all the stepsyou haveleamedwhen playing througha new tune' Startwith finding the roots, add the fifth, ftrd the different approaches,look fol scalewiselines that wind through the changis, arpeggiatethe changesand use other chord tones for targetson beat one, use chromatic motion to get iiteresting meloclic effects, advancedapproachtechniquesto qeate unusual resolutiots, Try all thcse -ideas, l,"u- ihe turr" as thoroughly as you can, listen to the progession, get the sound in your head, and, onceyou haveleamedthe ins andoutsof the tune, go for ths soundyou hearandplay' Like otherexamplesin the book, thereare basslinesrecordedon the left channelof the tape They ,.ear,,ideasabouthow to approachthese It would b€ of valueto Proglessions. arethereto give you some you to transciibe theselines and analyzethem. A combimtion of listening and tnnscribing is a very stlong of a musicalconcept.Theselines were played freely without thinking way to developan understanding aboutrules ani concepts,so there are likely to be things in them that this book has not explored' l'ook for newideasanddsvelopyouf own undentanding.
54
#2 StandardProgression This standardhas some odd root motions, Find different ways to connect the cholds itr the unusual spots. The form is ABAC.
o E
umaj,
El c.uY
B o-,
56
StandardPro
sion#3
Here is anotherABAC fom. This tune spendstwo bars on each chord until the C section, where it goesto one changeper bar.
o
E
E
CmajT
c.ujt
E u,n"Y
Standard "Yardbird"Parker. This AABA form belongsto a tunewrittenby Charlie
0 E
GnajT
E c.":t
E
"-t
E c'*Y
56
- Hereis the familiar F bluesprogressionwith someadditioml changes.Thesenew chordsaddroot motionwithoutchangingthe characterof theprcgression.This ve^ion is thi onemost,Jazzguys',will use whenplayitrgtheblues.
w
I
Yt
s9
Am7
D7
StandardPro
sion#6
This progressionintroducesthe m7L5chord. when playing over this chord, make sure to use 15as a chord tone, natural 5 can still be used as a chromatic apprcach.
0 E
EnnajT
Dm715
Cm7
El o,",u.it
E
s,o,ujt
E or,-y
EhnajT
Am7t5
This tune has cholds over alternatebassnotes.The root motion is an important chamctedstic of the song. It should definitely be played during the melody. If you want to get away from the specified root motion,usethe upperchordsto determinethe progressiort. In this song,ail the alternatebassnotesarealso chord tones.
I E
Cmaj?
ETIB
Am7
,q,m?G
D7lFt
CnajT
AmajT
El ".uit
wtB
Am7
E ",n"Y
Dm7
Am?G
atpl
F7
Em7
A7
-
Standard
ssion#8
This song is tricky becauseof the AABC form. The progressionin bars 5-g appean sevenl times in the tune making it easyto lose your place. Concenhate!
E
E
cm7
Brr,.l,zj7
cm7
E oo,*,
E*nLj7
E l-r,
Am?!5
62
This one is an old standardthat later becameinto a bebop classic. It is usually called at a very fast tempo,Bar 28 is atrA, diminishedchord,Don,t forsetthe ,b7.
0 E
Abrnej7
Arn,aj7
E
ot-ujt
ArmajT
I
i I
Armaj7
Standard
ion #10
This tune has some interesting, abrupt rcot motions. you can emphasizethe abruptnessor look for ways to smooth over it with other chord totresotr beat otre.
0 E
E
FmajT
o*t
E "-uY
E
ornt
Bl15
64
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