Top 20 amazing bass lines of all time with tab sheet. Walking bass lines books constructing walking jazz bass. By the end of the book youll have all the skills in place to create walking bass lines over the most common jazz structures and chord sequences. Dec 01, 2011 constructing walking jazz bass lines book i the blues in 12 keys new 2hr mp3 playalong free download featuring all chord progressions in 12 keys from part ii of the book available from website. Itll help you improvise bass lines in a clear and structured way. In this post, i want to take abstract concepts about how bass lines are constructed and use them to create practical exercises that. To walk bass lines on the ii v i, all we have to do is learn three different walking patterns. The bass lines are good and one simple addition to know is that just about any chordwalking bass line, you can always use a leading tone that is, 12 step below to whatever is the next chord. This is the second lesson in the series devoted to walking bass lines. Friedlands approach is a good precursor to this book. Apr 26, 2017 in my previous post, how to keep your bass lines interesting, we defined what a bass line is and what its functions are, and looked at a few ways in which we can creatively negotiate chord changes. This bass lesson shows the secrets of how to create musical walking bass lines using 3 simple concepts derived purely from the first 5 notes of the major and minor scale. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. The course covers standard head arrangements, walking lines and solos for bass.
A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass p. Take a page from pauls creative bass book if its a simple pop love ballad, such as and i love her, a fat. Here the bass moves from root to the 3rd and 5th, before walking chromatically into the change. Students and readers of constructing walking jazz bass lines. This is a simple yet thorough book on beginning bass lines. Pay attention, burn through this as fast as you can, and you. Make sure you check out part 1 of the walking bass series where i introduce this concept and the other two core methods of creating bass walking bass lines.
A slightly embellished version of this kind of line would also be typical of a basic boogie woogie type bass line, as in the following example. I also appreciate that the first section is centred around one key. Bass by tony oppenheim should be on every bass players book shelf. Now its time to learn how to create a complete bass line from scratch. Practice applying these walking bass comping techniques to jazz standards that you know. Notice how you approach the change from above this time. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald.
This content was uploaded by our users and we assume good faith they have the permission to share this book. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. Walking bass lines helps us learn and reinforce the fundamentals of jazz harmony. Ed friedland has a couple of excellent bookcd instructional combos that are good for selflearning. Chord tones root, 3rd, 5th, 7th are the most powerful choice you can make when creating your walking lines. Jazz is an inherently harmonically complex style of music. Learn how bass lines follow the chords and structure of a 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.
The bass lines in the section are for you to learn, memorize, and play in a real live playing situation. The double bass and fretless bass guitar that are meshed together make one of the most memorable walking bassline there is. Cd includes a jazz trio for practicing standard tunes. I am now personally excited to schedule walking bassics into my own study rotation. The material presented here is the exact same material that i have used for many years while learning and teaching walking bass lines. The best books for a bassist to read and learn from. Listening to a great jazz bass player walking bass lines was the defining moment for me. Books included bass lines over the blues, rhythm changes and standards in 12 keys.
In the end, walking bass lines are the most simple of concepts. Walking a blues now its time to put our root patterns to use. The bass player must create interesting lines under the chord changes, keep the time flow or pulse steady, and keep the form of the song together. 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 jazz musicians, we spend a lot of our practice time trying to learn to think, hear, and play our way through complicated chord progressions as improvisers. A bassline is a melody line played in the bass by a lowpitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc. We identify just what paul did to make his parts stand out from what other bassists were doing at the time. How to create bass lines 6 often youll use an ostinato for the head when the whole group plays the melody at the beginning and the end and use a walking bass for the changes when people take turns improvising over the chord progression of the song.
Building walking bass lines bookcd from ed friedland buy now. The collection of material of this book is, in our opinion, the basics to playing bass guitar for some event. Many genres, including rock and pop as well as older styles like. A stepbystep method for developing extraordinary technique on the bass guitar strengthen your overall facility on the instrument with this series of exercises and lessons, presented in an effective themeandvariation format. Ive been working out of several books for the last year or so, but this is going to be my focus for the foreseeable future. This is a nice websiteblog about playing upright bass. Hungerfords approach is mechanical in a good sense rather than theoretical. A good starting point when constructing walking bass lines is to use the intervals of the root, 5th and octave. In this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. First, to outline the chord you are playing over, and second, to smoothly approach the next chord. In my previous post, how to keep your bass lines interesting, we defined what a bass line is and what its functions are, and looked at a few ways in which we can creatively negotiate chord changes. Back to walking bass if you are looking to learn walking bass from day one you are in the right place. Mar 29, 2016 paul mccartneys bass lines are an integral part of the beatles evolution from worldbeating pop band to musical pioneers.
The main point to consider when constructing walking bass lines is how to create a smooth transition between the last note of the current chord, and the first. His line from i saw her standing there positively cooks with rock n roll walking bass excitement. For this reason, its a good idea to practice creating each type of approach note systematically in the practice room, so that when it comes time to perform, you can do so with as little thought as. Top 20 amazing bass lines of all time with tab sheet youtube. When you master this book, you will be playing good jazz bass. If you know how to create a walking bass line, you can be more creative in your jazz playing. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook welcome to the bass chapter of the thelonious monk institute of jazzs online jazz handbook. The best way to do this is to put the pressure on yourself at homeso youre used to it. This is an indepth look at the heart and soul of jazz bass playing. What songs in any genre do you think have the best walking bass lines i love the song all my loving by the beatles. Im learning bass, focusing on walking jazz lines and im finding this book very helpful. For when you have to learn to play the bass right now. Learning how to construct walking bass lines is the easiest and fastest way to start.
The genius of paul mccartneys bass lines disc makers blog. Building walking bass lines by ed friedland is awesome. This could easily be extended into a two bar bass line by adding in the 6,b7,7,r on the d string. The purpose of a good walking bassline or any bassline for that matter is twofold. First, to outline the chord you are playing over, and second, to smoothly. Were leaving nothing to chance and starting right from the beginning. 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.
Adding walking bass lines to chords is great fun and will make you a good accompanist. The ultimate technique to prepare for a live show is to play a. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time walking basslines. The specific goal of this book is to familiarize players with the techniques used to build walking bass lines and to make them aware of how the process works. Which goes a long way when writing out your own lines or using chord charts. Building walking bass lines by ed friedland goodreads. The term walking is used to describe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. Jazz walking bass is designed to get you started on the correct path. Walking bass lines are an essential part of blues and jazz piano especially if youre playing solo or without any.
Once i heard that sound, i knew that was what i was going to do. This lesson is the first look into how we construct the actual lines and starts with a primer on arpeggios or chord tones. Quarter notes are the foundation of all music, and are the most basic note values used in modern music. As the title says, i would like to learn how to play and compose walking bass lines. A walking bass line simply walks through the appropriate scale of each chord, one note per beat, hitting every beat of each measure.
Chords and walking bass part 1 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. Apr 01, 2019 this bass lesson shows the secrets of how to create musical walking bass lines using 3 simple concepts derived purely from the first 5 notes of the major and minor scale. You will also have learned a system for analyzing a bass line that will help you to understand why some bass lines work and others dont. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of. In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. These blues bass lines are like having a one chorus lick that you can rely on to always sound good when you play it. Provides the aspiring jazz bassist with a thorough guide to walking bass lines. Start with the basic book and then move to the advanced book. Resources on jazz bass killer walking bass blog medium. 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.
Building walking bass lines bass instruction pdf free download. Here on learn jazz standards, there are a few great posts on walking bass lines for bass players. A followup to building walking bass lines, this book approaches more advanced walking concepts, including model mapping, the twofeel, several must know changes, and other important jazz bass lessons. Anything written by ed friedland is good, the complete bass method published by hal leonard is great. Theres some good information above that i can add too. Walking bass line method books for the upright bass and electric bass. Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook. Having fully written lines, youre able to see and analysis how and why the lines work. This book is designed to help bassists create walking patterns that can be used in a range of styles.
Part 1 by demonstrates the various techniques used to provide forward motion into bass lines, while providing a strong harmonic and rhythmic foundation. There is no tab in this so it is great for reading practice and comes with a cd of truly great bass players playing jamerson bass lines. Inludes recorded rhythm tracks, to help players build their own walking basslines. Its the most comprehensive jazz bass book ive found to date. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. The first section of the book, bass songs, contains tabbed versions of bass lines from example songs. By the end of the book youll have all the skills in place to create walking bass lines over. The approach is very detailed and particularly good for those new to creating walking lines.
Walking bass is a form of bass line, or a musical line that usually provides the lowest voice of the musical texture. The goal of a walking bassline is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting. When constructing a walking bass line, you need only to keep in mind that, when finished, you bass line should hold a melodic property. Bassist wilbur ware was a master at creating swinging lines utilizing these intervals. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. The bass has been called the most important instrument in any band. 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. Most importantly all books help the student to develop a strong harmonic and rhythmic foundation.
The use of different rhythmic variation is a good touch as well. Chord tones should be the first stop on the road to learning how to play walking bass lines. Walking bass for jazz and blues and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle. Use these lines to get you going the right direction when you start playing a blues. But, if youre new to it, you can do it by following a formula. How to keep your bass lines interesting and how to write a walking bass line. Great book, looking forward to working more with it. The simplest walking bass line formula exactly where to start. The life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson this is one of the bibles for bass players as james jamerson is one of the true bass greats. Rather than arm you with a few examples of walking bass lines, this book will show.