These blues bass lines are like having a one chorus lick that you can rely on to always sound good when you play it. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. When starting out with walking bass lines, i would recommend that you always target the root when changing chords. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. Exercise 1 demonstrates this with several examples.
Walking bass is so instrinsic to the blues that you would be hard pressed to find a better example. The guitarist joe pass is famous for this technique. Your job is to mix up the root patterns over the blues. Heres a blues in a jam track you can use to practice with. 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. The two dots on the right of the bass clef symbol surround the line on which f pitch is written. I am looking to compile a list of blues songs with great walking bass lines particularly in the jump blues style. Wallace stelzer is a professional jazz bass player and content creator from houston, texas. To support practising of this material i created pdf files containing tab and notation to illustrate. The bassline we cover is a combination of several bass lines i have transcribed from the bass players mentioned. I really liked all of the lines that you guys wrote and hope you enjoy playing through this line as well. Twobeat bass lines are also used in playing ballads. Walking bass blues without iv in bar 2 19870506 download pdf.
Heres what you get a complete guide to walking bass lines so you learn how to play on the most common chord changes in blues and. Use these lines to get you going the right direction when you start playing a blues. This is the first step in developing walking bass lines. Download theory supplements, midi files, chord changes and full notefornote transcriptions of every lesson. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. Purchase, download and print sheet music pdf file now. The free source of walking bass lessons complete, free course on how to create walking bass lines. Walking bass line theory basics pdf file chris fitzgerald. As im sure you have heard before, practice makes perfect. So what walking bass line the complete bass player. Give your line the bass part youre playing some variety. Chord tones root, 3rd, 5th, 7th are the most powerful choice you can make when creating your walking lines. Walking bass on the piano can be one of the coolest things ever.
This in addition with a walking bass line is extremely effective in solo jazz blues guitar without an accompanists. In this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. 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. Bundle of 48 backing tracks and 12 pdf files with chord changes. Basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass bass tabs. I did purchase the blues practice tracks so no problem. Backing tracks are very useful tools in the process of learning bass guitar for a few. Share, download and print free sheet music for piano, guitar, flute and more on the worlds largest community of sheet music creators. Building walking bass lines bass instruction pdf free download.
R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. The two dots on the right of the bass clef symbol surround the. 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. Here are some tips to aid you in mastering these bass blues licks. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar by stephan badreau is a step by step guide to harmonizing bass lines on the guitar. His book bass groves comes closer to what i think you are asking about. Then open the pdf for this lesson, and look at all that information. 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. Dedicate at least 3060 minutes each day to playing the bass. Backing tracks of jazz blues chord progression in 12 keys. The following video is provided to assist the bassist to familiarize themselves with some of the rhythmic phrases used in the jazz walking bass line vocabulary. The fundamentals of music are pitch and rhythm which are placed in a grid of five lines and four spaces called staff.
Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of. Beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tabs 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. This set of playalongs and chord charts is a great addition to the walking bass lines course. The challenge is that these recordings were mostly in the 1940s and early 50s. Below is the bass tablature for the basic blues in e bass line.
Jazz bass guitar lesson walking bass guitar tab video. It is designed to develop strong harmonic skills, rhythm, phrasing and note choice. You can do this same exercise with any of the patterns. Finally, create your own bass lines by mixing up the root patterns. Bass lines and walking bass lines can be two different things. Blues with a bass line jazz piano college 154 youtube. 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. While some knowledge of music theory is necessary, excellent bass lines can be. Simple jazz blues walking line breakdown talkingbass. The symbol of the bass clef is derived from the old german way of writing f.
The bassline construction method explored here uses chord tones, approach notes and basic reharmonization. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. If you are wishing to order the pdf mp3 files please go to the correct page as this product is for the pdf file only. The majority of the presentation will focus on walking bass lines in a 44 meter. As an active member of the new york city jazz scene, wallace has participated in jazz festivals, spoken and performed live on radio, and played at many prestigious jazz clubs and concert halls around the. Music educational books and sheet music downloads for blues, jazz, funk, latin, gospel, rock, celtic styles for instruments including piano, keyboards, sax, flute, guitar, violin, bass, clarinet, mandolin online music lessons, digital sheet music downloads. Creating jazz bass lines is the first in a series of lessons to be presented on walking bass. You can start by switching off every measure between root patterns.
I am introducing to you a complete course on how to create walking bass lines from scratch. Incorporating the 3rd of the chord will also give your bass line a stronger harmonic foundation. Dorian pentatonic blues bass line ideas guitar pro zip file mp3 jam track. Walking bass line piano tutorial walking bass jazz piano. You use the minor pentatonic scale as a fill when playing a minor chord, the major pentatonic scale as a fill when playing a major or dominant chord, and the blues scale as a fill when playing. If youre amazingly extra awesome, youll be able to sing the melody and make a bass line at the same time. The description below is for the pdf and audio files. This is an important concept to remember, the walking bass line is movement. When creating walking bass lines, its important to outline the root and 5th of the chord. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and great american songbook jazz standards.
It is full of ideas, examples, chord voicings and substitutions, as well as short chord progressions for you to try your new learned skills. The book will show the musician how to connect familiar chord shapes with the appropriate bass notes. Here is an example of walking a line by switching between 1231 and 53. We can create a walking bass line over the following twelvebar blues chord progression. In this lesson well take a look at scale style and intervalic bass lines, and even mix them up a bit. Ballads are slow tunes that can be played with or without swing rhythms. Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial. Walking bass for jazz and blues fundamental changes. One that can be opened with guitar pro 6, and one with guitar pro 5. Fill a little space when the rest of the band is quiet.
This just so happens to be done in the key of a but you can play this in any. In this first lesson, i will cover some basic material that all players should know regardless of style preference. Mark, a very good starting lesson and breakdown on walking bass lines. Instead of having a few different things to try in this lesson, we are going to learn a written. When playing in a triple meter 34 or 68, walking bass lines are constructed the same as in a 44meter. Practicing in all keys is going to consolidate your knowledge of the patterns as well as help you to freely move around the entire fret board. I have included your bass lines in here so see if you can find your line as you play through these. My favorite artists are louis jordan, wynonie harris, louis prima, and cab calloway. One of the most common places to find walking bass lines is in blues music. A walking bass line is simply a melodic bass line found mainly in jazz and blues styles in which you walk around in quarter notes connecting the chords. The bass lines in the section are for you to learn, memorize, and play in a real live playing situation. However, just wanted you to know the tracts to download were not attached to the lesson, only the pdf. Once you have some basic rules down, youll be able to make bass lines over any chord progression. 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.
This means there is movement in both top and bottom parts of the instrument with important chord tones, predominantly 3rds and 7ths, affirming the harmonic. Here is the basic bass pattern you will play over the e7 chord. To support practising of this material i created pdf files. Walking bass for jazz and blues is a complete method to help beginners master each element of blues and jazz walking bass. Walking bass lines in a 44meter swing style can also be used in playing ballads. First of all, if you are new to walking bass, look at my previous lesson. We have a bass line and then we can walk that bass line several ways. Eds book gives examples of several ways to walk to the next chord.
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