Learn to play the bass line and the thirds and sevenths all at one time. Once these methods have been learned, the student can combine all of them to create a walking bass line. Walking bass for jazz guitar distils over 40 years of virtuosity and skill into one beautiful jazz guitar book. For example, in a typical jazz 2 feel bass line for any song in 44 meter, the bass will play a half note on beats 1 and 3 of each measure. This is the first step in developing walking bass lines. Many beginner and intermediate piano players are daunted by trying to play the bassline at the same time as the melody. While some knowledge of music theory is necessary, excellent bass lines can be. In the final two exercises, were going to combine exercises 4 and 5 to create some fun bass motion.
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. Here is the bass lines for autumn leaves that everyone contributed to last week. 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. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of. Walking bass definition is an evenly accented repeated bass figure often in short octaves used especially in piano blues. Finally, create your own bass lines by mixing up the root patterns. Connect the chord changes, experimenting with different string groups but stay on the low side.
The majority of the presentation will focus on walking bass lines in a 44 meter. There are many ways to combine the chordal, scalar and chromatic elements to create a. Youll receive a pdf of all the lines played in the lesson, an arpeggio reference sheet and the backing tracks in c major and f major. In this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. When there are two chords per bar, we can construct a walking line by simply using the chromatic approach method to fill the spaces between target notes, as follows. With this tutorial you will learn tips to improve your walking bass technique. Walking bass lines are an essential part of blues and jazz piano especially if youre playing solo or without any.
You can do this same exercise with any of the patterns. Here is the basic bass pattern you will play over the e7 chord. You should be able to do this with any progression at sight in meter. Chords and walking bass part 1 i mostly talked about how to combine the two and how. The electric bass examples from glenn worf and others are also useful for upright if you change a few of the note positions. 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. Learn to masterfully combine jazz chords with walking basslines taylor, martin, alexander, joseph, pettingale, tim on. Pay close attention to the quality of the chords dominant seven or minor. The line constructed by using this method is not only perfectly. Below is the bass tablature for the basic blues in e bass line. The term walking is used lescribe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. Playing with a walking bass line is a style of piano playing that is used most often in solo jazz performance. Our basic method for bass line construction is pretty straightforward.
Its function is to outline the chords of the progression and provide a smooth transition from one chord to another. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar by stephan badreau is a step by step guide to harmonizing bass lines on the guitar. In this lesson, you will learn how to combine chords with a walking bass line, a concept that is becoming more and more in demand these days. Martin taylor walking bass for jazz guitar fundamental. 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. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. In this lesson, well discuss walking bass with chords. A typical walking bass line consists of a string of quarter notes in 44 time. Learn to masterfully combine jazz chords with walking basslines. How to play basic walking bass lines bass wonderhowto.
Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. Fortunately, there are many simpler ways to put together bassline. 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. Chords and walking bass part 1 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. Looking forward to hearing your walking bass lines over autumn leaves. A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing. The description below is for the pdf and audio files. Save an extra 25% off your first order with code ignited and combine with truefire cash for max savings. Learn from the internationally acclaimed master of jazz chord melody guitar as he teaches you, stepbystep, how to play walking basslines on guitar and combine. When you combine all three, you have a very complete. When piano players copy this idea of walking bass lines, they generally do so by using their left hand to play the same role as that of the bass player. Here is an example of walking a line by switching between 1231 and 53. As club and restaurant owners are cutting budgets, one way to keep our gig as a guitar player is to slim down the ensemble to a duo or walking bass lines read more. Use the same method that is illustrated with the ii v is.
Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial. 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. When there is only one chord per measure, the note on beat 1 will be a target note the root of the chord for the measure, which leaves beat 3 open for an approach note abbreviated a, as follows. As always you can download a pdf of the examples here. Walking bass definition of walking bass by merriamwebster. Walking bass and chords are a great way to comp on guitar in a duo setting, the most famous example is probably joe pass, but you will see it. Walking bass lines piano tutorial 5 minute masterclass. Bass pro shops did not respond when contacted for comment about the companies promotional practices in overlap markets. Chord tones root, 3rd, 5th, 7th are the most powerful choice you can make when creating your walking lines. Bass lessons beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tab standard string tuning g,d,a,e recommended 1. Paypal will automatically convert from us dollars to your currency using the exchange rate at the. The possible noterange of a walking bass can reach from subcontra a to middle c. Learn fingerstyle guitar with martin taylor online at artistworks.
Beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tabs bass. Begin with a quarter note walking bass line utilizing primarily the 1st and 3rd fingers. A walking bass line walks through the chord progression, one note per beat. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. I really liked all of the lines that you guys wrote and hope you enjoy playing through this line as well. 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. Walking bass lines for guitar guitar lessons for beginners, jazz.
A walking bass line can in principle contain arbitrary chromatic runs, but obviously its not a good idea to do that all the time. Exercise 1 demonstrates this with several examples. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. This is very useful in weaving a walking bass line through a chord progression while holding one position. Share, download and print free sheet music for piano, guitar, flute and more on the worlds largest community of sheet music creators. I have included your bass lines in here so see if you can find your line as you play through these. You will learn some easy scales and how to play a walking bass line for whatever song you are playing. 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.
Dave frank school of jazz, new york city music videos. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook. Often its best to keep mostly to the chord notes and add some extra melodic spice just when it makes sense for supporting the harmonic movement. How to play walking bass lines at the piano cocktail. The term walking is used to describe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. This is an important concept to remember, the walking bass line is. If you are looking to begin playing the bass then this how to video is the place to start. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. S7 e7 bass bass a7 10fr d7 5 a7 d7 bass bass e7 a7 9 e7 a7 bass bass 10fr d7 10fr d7 g7 d7 d7 g7 bass bass 8fr c. 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. The basic idea of a walking bass line is to go from one chord to the next, linking them by. If youre amazingly extra awesome, youll be able to sing the melody and make a bass line at the same time.
A walking bass line simply walks through the appropriate scale of each chord, one note per beat, hitting every beat of each measure. 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. In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. Learn how to build and play walking bass lines on guitar and combine these with chords video, guitar tabs, and backing track. Fundamental concepts for walking bass a systematic method ebook by george urbaszek. Walking bass lines are a style of playing in which the bass player plays quarter notes which clearly outline the chords and chord tones, seamlessly outlining one chord and resolving to the next. Walking bass lines are a fascinating part of jazz, as they support and mark the harmony underneath the chords and. Bass parts are presented in easytoread tab as well as in standard music notation bass clef. Walking bass with chords for jazz guitar jazz guitar lessons. Popularized by piano greats lennie tristano and dave mckenna, among others, the walking lh bass line can effectively subtitute for a rhythm section, if desired, and provides a rhythmic and melodic foundation for rh improvisations. Jun 11, 2018 learn how to build and play walking bass lines on guitar and combine these with chords video, guitar tabs, and backing track. 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.
Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and great american songbook jazz standards. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. Jazz walking bass guitar lessons sean mcgowan truefire. The blues in 12 keys upright bass and electric bass method pdf. So what walking bass line the complete bass player. It opened up a whole world of playing styles for me and the walking lines from bob moore including that wonderful bass intro to crazy and allen williams are just so adaptable and musical they will make anyone sound good. This is a short demonstration lesson detailing the basic principles of walking bass lines. Learn to masterfully combine jazz chords with walking basslines play jazz guitar english edition ebook.
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