How to Create Jazz Walking Bass Lines - Bass/Piano/Guitar Lesson

Hopefully this lesson will help to provide a background undestanding on how to construct jazz walking basslines.

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[SilvaLiberationFront]

Oh i c. Awesome. so its a leading tone to add color before you repeat the main bassline. So you can use the outline of an arpeggio and use those on 1st and 3rd? any other tips you can give?

[blah148]

@SilvaLiberationFront If by leading tone, regarding the Eb, you mean the root note of the chord, Eb7, then yes. (remember that the blues progression is Bb7/Eb7/Bb7/Bb7, etc). Remember that arpeggion tones, the 1 3 5 7, are used on beats 1 and 3 and that's pretty much a universal rule unless you're doing some complex stuff!

[SilvaLiberationFront]

@blah148 is there any exercises you can recommend thatll help me get going on chord changes. Im working on So What - Miles Davis and on the Dmi7 part it goies into the solo and im trying to get a good steady bassline. Can you help? Can you gie a general one thatll help on that song but general enough for other songs?

[blah148]

@SilvaLiberationFront Paul Chambers played the original line on So What. If you transcribe his bassline (even just one chorus), the ~3 hours you spend transcribing will be worth 30+ hours of doing general exercises and learning rules of thumb! 

[SilvaLiberationFront]

Learned some stuff thanks! Just one question about 1 2 3 4 beats , CHord scale chord scale tones right? you said Bb C F E Eb are you adding a scale tone with the Eb? BbChord CScale FChord EScale Eb???? idk.. thats the only thing that cofused me.... can you clarify?

[blah148]

@SilvaLiberationFront I was playing that in the context of a blues progression (with a quick 4). So on that 'fifth beat', that Eb note is actually a chord tone (it's the root of the Eb7 chord). Then, it's Bb (chord tone), C (scale tone), F (chord tone), E (chromatic tone) / Eb (chord tone)

[koipondmusic]

awesome teaching, but even better video editing! :D

[siokasss]

very good bro... youve been a great help

[AFriendOfAxel]

1:24 subliminal terrorist message! (911 omg) lol

[blah148]

@professorlamp the use of altered tones in basslines is a very cool topic. personally, I often leave altered tones to the lead instruments since IF you use altered tones on the 1 and 3, your lines may sound clear to YOU (because you know what you're playing/about to play), but it may NOT be clear to the horns!

I would recommend trying altered tones on dominant chords BUT use the altered tones (b9, #9, etc) on the 2 and 4. Keep your chord tones and it'll sound hip!