New walking bass line thread
yes, jazz+, i like those kenny barron bass line suggestions!
i think dolphin dance is a great tune for walking bass - because it is swing-feel tune, and walking bass is the epitome of swing. however, in the g and f 'pedal' sections you need to break it up and do something different.
here's a few pointers for wb generally:
1. get used to going down from the starting note as well as up. this helps keep the lines low on the keyboard.
2. combine scale-based lines (eg: 12321765) with chord-based lines (eg: 13568653).
3. use two bar patterns (like both of the above) when you have 2 bars on the same chord.
4. when the chord roots go up a 4th (eg: round the cycle, as in a ii-v, or a v-i), use a run-up. this is: whole step first, then chromatically upwards. an example would be the notes d, e, f, f#, to g in the next bar. the beauty of this bass line is that it works for any chord type, eg: dm7-g7, d7-g7, dmaj7-gmaj7 etc...
5. play in two sometimes as well - like root and 5th only. people tend to overlook this feel, which is more relaxed than four notes per bar. there's an interesting area somewhere in between the two that really swings, when some bars will have 3 notes, some 2, some 4. or you can play in 2, but imply a four feel in some bars by putting in some extra notes. it's much more subtle that way...
There are 2 comments, leave a comment.
really, i would use a combination of what scot said above (transcribing bass players and pianists like dave mckenna) and the system that phil degreg uses in his book: roots/chord tones on 1 and 3, passing tones on 2 and 4. using that as a suggested framework, create lines that sound good to your ears, even if they fall outside of the above i.e. a melodic legato line or eighth note anticipations where appropriate.
one trick i have picked up from listening to the midis in scot's walking bass lesson is useful when changes move through the circle of 5th: (d is down and u is up):
1, 5(d), 1(u), b5(d), which leads into 4(d), the new root note in the circle of 5ths.
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