Jazz is an incredibly difficult music to play in many ways. A walking bass line generally consists of notes of equal duration and intensity typically 14 notes that create a feeling of forward motion. Jazz walking bass line etudes for guitar jamie holroyd. For example, when you do steps 1, 2, or 3 above, you are creating the most basic kinds of ostinato. Incorporating the 3rd of the chord will also give your bass line a stronger harmonic foundation. Written by stephen richter in both standard notation and tab. The wonderful thing about it is that walking a basic bass line is not all that difficult once you learn a few simple steps.
Chuck rainey all of these transcriptions are from an instructional book that was never published. A bass line is a melody line played in the bass by a lowpitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc. In this bass guitar lesson, im going to take you through the 3 core concepts you can use to create walking bass lines. The intervalic bass line is created from your knowledge of what notes make particular chords. Playing jazz guitar bass lines with chords the guitar is an extremely versatile instrument, with seemingly endless techniques and tones around every corner. The goal of a walking bass line is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting melodic line that provides a countermelody as above. The first jazz walking bass line etude we are going to learn is over the first eight bars of giant steps. Simple jazz blues walking bass line breakdown youtube. It is found most commonly in blues and jazz, but as you learn bass guitar, you will hear its influence in almost any style of music. While giant steps can be daunting to improvise over, you can create a walking bass line with only a few notes. Looking for a structured way to increase your current skill level. First eight measures of rhythm changes in the key of bb. Walking bass line piano tutorial walking bass jazz piano. One last idea for this lessonlisten to jazz organ players like larry young.
Aug 11, 2015 in previous lessons, we have looked at creating a solid walking bass line to fulfill our supporting role in a jazz ensemble. A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz. The walking bass line is one of the most fundamental parts of american music. In jazz, bass lines should generally not be too repetitive unless youre intentionally playing a vamp like in blues or boogiewoogie. Fundamental concepts for walking bass a systematic method will show you stepbystep how to make up your own walking bass lines for jazz, country, rockabilly etc this manual can be used by anyone wanting to learn how to play improvised walking bass on any instrument in any time signature. A guitar in standard tuning will never reach the lower bass notes of a real bass, but. If you like these ideas and want more information, my books walking bass lines for jazz guitar and walking bass lines for bass guitar are available at. How to keep your bass lines interesting and how to write a walking bass line. First off, before we begin, it is important that you take a look at your skillset. 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. Download intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar intermediate walking bass lines pdf being honest,i dont know improvisatuon im a beginnerintermediateadvanced bassist because im self taught and. 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. The bass also has a rich history as a solo instrument in jazz.
Also, dont forget to write out your lines at first and really practice these. For a young musician just beginning to dive into the art form, it can seem a daunting task. Were going to use basic chord tones and repetitive lines that will act as a springboard in developing your own lines. 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. The fundamentals of music are pitch and rhythm which are placed in a grid of five lines and four spaces called staff. If you are wishing to order the pdfmp3 files please go to the correct page as this product is for the pdf file only.
These riffs work over almost any chord which then moves up by an interval of a 4th to the next chord. From the marlena shaw album who is this bitch, anyway. The bass lines in the section are for you to learn, memorize, and play in a real live playing situation. For beginning bass lines, the root of the chord is the most common target note to play because it is the fundamental note of the chord. Oct 12, 2005 walking bass lines for jazz guitar by stephan badreau is a step by step guide to harmonizing bass lines on the guitar. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar bookaudio files.
It is obvious that we should have a command of these bass lines like a musical vocabulary, so to speak. These walking bass lines will give you a good basis for what to play and how to outline the chords to provide a good solid walking bass line for soloists to improvise over. Walking bass lines for guitar jazz guitar workshop series. So what walking bass line the complete bass player. Pdf this paper describes a contourbased algorithm for the realtime automatic generation of jazz walking bass lines, following a given harmonic. Now its time to learn how to create a complete bass line from scratch. Bb jazzblues walking bass line for guitar 1d47djy1gj42 idocpub.
The difficulty in walking bass on the guitar lies in the combination of playing chords and bass at. The blues in 12 keys, book i in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series is designed to give the aspiring bassist of all levels the tools and devices required to construct professional level jazz bass lines and to build a strong functional awareness of how to function as a professional bassist in any musical setting. Beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tabs bass. Intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar by. Basic walking bass lines for jazz guitar download ebook. Walking bass jazz guitar lesson all the things we are. In lesson 2, we continued to build patterns for the common chord progressions we see in blues. Bass lessons beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tab standard string tuning g,d,a,e recommended 1. Covers scales, arpeggios, rhythm, walking bass lines and music theory as it applies to the bass, along with many lines and grooves played over a variety of progressions in all keys. Simple jazz blues walking line breakdown talkingbass. May 02, 20 demonstration with instruction on iviiiv walking bass and chords. Walking bass is a form of bass line, or a musical line that usually provides the lowest voice of the musical texture.
When you can cleanly and smoothly play the bass line, add the chords. Click here to download the free 3 scale concepts that create killer walking bass lines pdf. While often associated with jazz, walking bass can be found in any genre. When starting out with walking bass lines, i would recommend that you always target the root when changing chords. The symbol of the bass clef is derived from the old german way of writing f. 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 book will show the musician how to connect familiar chord shapes with the appropriate bass notes.
How to create bass lines 5 ostinato or riff bass an ostinato is a repeated rhythmicmelodic. Click download or read online button to get basic walking bass lines for jazz guitar book now. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. The term walking is used lescribe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. Walking a bass line with the left hand is a skill every jazz, rock, and pop pianist should know. In part 1 we created waling bass lines over major and minor 251s using the tones of the triad in combination with chromatic or stepwise approach patterns. Walking bass lines piano pdf file download ranasohel. Walking bass line theory basics pdf file chris fitzgerald. Looking forward to hearing your walking bass lines over autumn leaves. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of.
Building walking bass lines bass instruction pdf free download. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar by stephan badreau is a step by step guide to harmonizing bass lines on the guitar. Intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar explores the creation of walking bass lines played over chord sequence using scale tones. In this weeks lesson were looking at a very simple walking bass line through the chord changes of the jazz standard autumn leaves. If youre amazingly extra awesome, youll be able to sing the melody and make a bass line at the same time.
Most often the bass lines are played by an acoustic or upright bass. In this post, i want to take abstract concepts about how bass lines are constructed and use them to create practical exercises that. Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and. Apr 02, 2016 simple jazz blues walking bass line breakdown. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. Bass lines part 2 adding chords to your bass lines mark white is an associate professortraveling clinician for. While some knowledge of music theory is necessary, excellent bass lines can be. These are all complete bass lines and this is the first time i have put them up for the general bass playing public. To get started with walking bass lines it is important to be aware of the root notes in each of the chords you are playing. A compendium of techniques for great jazz bass lines including. If we analyse the walking bass lines from a good bassist in a band, we quickly come to realise that there are bass lines that appear over and over, because they sound so good and have proved themselves successful. It demonstrates how i reuse bigger parts of lines on similar progressions very well. A must know chord progression played at all the jam sessions.
Are you trying to find a way in to playing jazz bass. Well be looking at basic scale degree patterns that can be applied to each chord in creating a walking bass line. I have included your bass lines in here so see if you can find your line as you play through these. The bassline construction method explored here uses chord tones, approach notes and basic reharmonization. This is the most common 12bar blues form aka iivv progression. I really liked all of the lines that you guys wrote and hope you enjoy playing through this line as well. Here is the bass lines for autumn leaves that everyone contributed to last week. A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing. It is possible to add rhythmic variations, but in general, a walking bassline drives the song forward step by step.
Organists tend to play what i call functunal bass lines. This paper describes a contourbased algorithm for the realtime automatic generation of jazz walking bass lines, following a given harmonic progression. Aug 19, 2014 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. In this lesson we will be creating a simple walking bass line over a basic jazz blues progression. Walking bass lines the easy, this jazz line is composed over the very common iivi progression. 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. Get a hold of the fundamentals before tackling this. 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. 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. Adhere to this basic rule and you can even tackle the approach notes in a similar fashion, creating the effect of walking to the new chord in onefret steps. 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.
The jazz blues progression is a walking bass lesson 1 the jazz blues progression. Use these lines to get you going the right direction when you start playing a blues. This makes for a very simple and repetitive line but by learning a basic line. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar digital sheet music. S7 e7 all of me example bass line john marley 3 3 3 5 2 2 4. To demonstrate this we are going to use one of the most important chord sequences youll find in jazz music the iivi or 251.
Well play through it so you can get it under your fingers and then well have a look at what is going on in there so you can integrate parts of it into your own vocabulary and develop your own walking style. Walking bass lesson 3 jazz blues fundamental changes. So far we have patterns for each chord change in the 12bar blues except for one, moving from v to iv i. These blues bass lines are like having a one chorus lick that you can rely on to always sound good when you play it. A walking bass line provides a strong rhythmic and harmonic foundation by smoothly moving from each chord to the next using four. The majority of the presentation will focus on walking bass lines in a 44 meter. Easy walking bass lines pdf constructing walking jazz bass lines. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. Walking bass jazz guitar lesson on all the things you are. A compendium of techniques for great jazz bass lines. Beats 1 and 2 of the measure have a simple descending third pattern starting on the 9th of gm7. Players of all levels like to stretch out on the blues. Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and great american songbook jazz standards. Walking bass lines for jazz standards piano tutorials playlist.
Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. Walking bass is most readily associated with jazz, where musicians have used it in ensembles of all sizes and styles. Walking bass lines lesson 1 the jazz blues progression. From the blues inflected double bass solos of ray brown to the electric bass bebop of jeff berlin. The description below is for the pdf and audio files. Chord tones root, 3rd, 5th, 7th are the most powerful choice you can make when creating your walking lines. The difficulty in walking bass on the guitar lies in the combination of playing chords and bass at the same time. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. Easy walking bass lines pdf constructing walking jazz.
Essential walking bass line patterns discover double bass. The second part of my walking bass series goes back to one of my favorite upright bassists of the 1960s era jimmy garrison. This is the usual second step for players who want to master walking bass before moving to chromatic lines. In this lesson, we will show you a couple of jazz bass lines that will help to open your eyes to the use of chords and chromatics within jazz bass guitar playing. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners autumn leaves. In this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. Here on learn jazz standards, there are a few great posts on walking bass lines for bass players. It is full of ideas, examples, chord voicings and substitutions, as well as short chord progressions for you to try your new learned skills. Walking bass lines part 2 learn jazz piano online with. One very important and widely used jazz guitar technique is playing bass lines in combination with chords.
Music educational books and sheet music downloads for blues, jazz, funk, latin, gospel, rock, celtic styles for instruments including piano, keyboards, sax, flute. Once mastered, it should be very easy to find an applicable jazz standard to practice it over. In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. It is technically demanding, harmonically advanced, and extremely interactive. When creating walking bass lines, its important to outline the root and 5th of the chord. This example is a little faster than what i usually do. Pdf a contourbased jazz walking bass generator researchgate. Contains printable sheet music plus an interactive, downloadable digital. If you know how to create a walking bass line, you can be more creative in your jazz playing. In this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial.
While walking bass in a band is generally played by the bass guitar or double bass player, being able to play walking bass lines is an essential skill for jazz guitarists when playing without a bass player. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook welcome to the bass chapter of the thelonious monk institute of jazz s online jazz handbook. Well there is a huge number of jazz albums with great walking basslines probably my favourite for walking lines is paul chambers and of course if there is one album that everybody has or likes even if they arent a jazz fan is miles davis kind of blue. Sheet music arranged for piano vocalguitar in d minor. Playing jazz guitar bass lines and chords terence wright. Play through the progression using only root notes if it is new to you. In this lesson i share some essential walking bass patterns. Introduces the beginner to the fundamentals of jazz bass guitar. And walking bass lines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time.
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