Constructing walking jazz bass lines daily warm up exercises for bass all books are available in either standard notation or bass tab. Building walking bass lines pdf free download epdf. Walking bass on guitar is usually played fingerstyle. Notice that in bar 2 the line moves ab a bb instead of fully outlining the eb7. The bass lines in the section are for you to learn, memorize, and play in a real live playing situation. When starting out with walking bass lines, i would recommend that you always target the root when changing chords. Simple jazz blues walking bass line breakdown duration.
This pdf contains three different 12 bar blue patterns in b flat that are progressively more. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. How to create a walking bass line if you know how to create a walking bass line, you can be more creative in your jazz playing. Oct 26, 2018 in this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. Bass lessons beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tab standard string tuning g,d,a,e recommended 1. Bass lessons basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass bass tab blues basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass by. One of the most common places to find walking bass lines is in blues music. The majority of the presentation will focus on walking bass lines in a 44 meter. One of the major hurdles in walking is developing a solid rhythmictime feel. Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and. Organists tend to play what i call functunal bass lines. Walking bass line piano tutorial walking bass jazz piano. In this series of lessons, well take a look at constructing walking basslines over some common chord progressions that we encounter in the blues. There are many aspects to walking bass lines, and all of them are important.
It is the most extended scale in poprockjazz because of its versatility, because it always sounds good, always sounds like blues. Blues in a mp3 jam trackdap more modal blues bass ideas. Walking bass lines are a fascinating part of jazz, as they support and mark the harmony underneath the chords and. Dorian pentatonic blues bass line ideas guitar pro zip file mp3 jam track. Here are some tips to aid you in mastering these bass blues licks. Heres a blues in a jam track you can use to practice with. 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. Play through the progression using only root notes if it is new to you. Sep 24, 2019 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. These walking lines will work for any shuffle blues and are transferable to other styles too. I did purchase the blues practice tracks so no problem. The essential guide to walking bass amazon web services. This set of playalongs and chord charts is a great addition to the walking bass lines course. Using the 12 bar blues shuffle chunka chunka style for 34 minutes can become quite tedious, so breaking into a few cycles of this 12 bar blues bass line style can add a.
I have included your bass lines in here so see if you can find your line as you play through these. Walking bass line theory basics pdf file chris fitzgerald. Below is the bass tablature for the basic blues in e bass line. Apr 02, 2016 mark, a very good starting lesson and breakdown on walking bass lines. Walking bass lesson 3 jazz blues fundamental changes. The fundamentals of music are pitch and rhythm which are placed in a grid of five lines and four spaces called staff. In lesson 2, we continued to build patterns for the common chord progressions we see in blues. The majority of the presentation will focus on walking bass lines in a 44. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. When creating walking bass lines, its important to outline the root and 5th of the chord.
He is best known for his work with the john coltrane quartet, nevertheless, he has an incredible discography which includes names like ornette coleman, bill evans, archie shepp, sonny rollins, pharoah sanders, alice. 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. Jazz bass books walking bass line in 12 keys upright. 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 second part of my walking bass series goes back to one of my favorite upright bassists of the 1960s era jimmy garrison. In this lesson we will be creating a simple walking bass line over a basic jazz blues progression. Download intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar intermediate walking bass lines pdf being honest,i dont know whether im a beginnerintermediateadvanced bassist because im self taught and. The next example is f blues with a mix of scale and interval style bass lines. Constructingwalkingjazzbasslinesbookithebluesin12keys. In this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. In this lesson, you will learn how to write and play a walking bass line over a 12bar blues in f. Simple jazz blues walking line breakdown talkingbass. Walking basslines the goal of a walking bassline is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting melodic line that provides a countermelody as above. Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and great american songbook jazz standards.
Constructing walking jazz bass lines bookithe blues in12keys. Apr 26, 2017 wallace stelzer is a professional jazz bass player and content creator from houston, texas. The bassline construction method explored here uses chord tones, approach notes and basic reharmonization. Bass lines part 2 adding chords to your bass lines mark white is an associate professortraveling clinician for.
Walking bass lines piano tutorial 5 minute masterclass. The two dots on the right of the bass clef symbol surround the line on which f pitch is written. In this weeks lesson were looking at a very simple walking bass line through the chord. If you are playing the blues on your own, using this kind of bass line can also break things up a bit. Walking bass lines are a fascinating part of jazz, as they support and mark the harmony underneath the chords and melody. The blues scale, perhaps the most used in modern music to play lines, whether melodies or riffs, allows us to approach the blues sound without having to play within a blues structure. Sep 23, 2010 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. Incorporating the 3rd of the chord will also give your bass line a stronger harmonic foundation. This is the most common 12bar blues form aka iivv progression. Walking bass blues without iv in bar 2 19870506 download pdf. Using the 12 bar blues shuffle chunka chunka style for 34 minutes can become quite tedious, so breaking into a few cycles of this 12 bar blues bass line style can add a lot of interest, although it can be a little difficult to to play if. 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. Constructing walking jazz bass lines jazz online bass.
Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. If youre amazingly extra awesome, youll be able to sing the melody and make a bass line at the same time. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. Here is the basic bass pattern you will play over the e7 chord. In part three of our walking bass series, we are looking at the final changes for the 12 bar blues. The difficulty in walking bass on the guitar lies in the combination of playing chords and bass at the same time. These blues bass lines are like having a one chorus lick that you can rely on to always sound good when you play it. Building a 12 key facility for the jazz bassist is an excellent resource for those that want to dig a little deeper in to technical studies and constructing walking jazz bass lines.
In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. 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 possible noterange of a walking bass can reach from subcontra a to middle c. Walking bass noterange usually the bass lies in the lower sound range of the music. In jazz, basslines should generally not be too repetitive unless youre intentionally playing a vamp like in blues or boogiewoogie. 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. I really liked all of the lines that you guys wrote and hope you enjoy playing through this line as well. Basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass bass tabs. Easy walking bass lines pdf constructing walking jazz bass lines. The free source of walking bass lessons complete, free course on how to create walking bass lines. The most important aspect of a walking bass line is note choice. As im sure you have heard before, practice makes perfect.
Be sure and check out the sister bass lesson to this one called. Beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tabs bass. To walk bass lines on the ii v i, all we have to do is learn three different walking patterns. The symbol of the bass clef is derived from the old german way of writing f. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. 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. Use these lines to get you going the right direction when you start playing a blues.
While some knowledge of music theory is necessary, excellent bass lines can be. So what walking bass line the complete bass player. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. Bundle of 48 backing tracks and 12 pdf files with chord changes. Use your thumb for the bass notes and your other fingers to comp the chords. 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. Dedicate at least 3060 minutes each day to playing the bass. Walking bass is so instrinsic to the blues that you would be hard pressed to find a better example. 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.
The two dots on the right of the bass clef symbol surround the. Funk pianokeyboard lessons digital sheet music downloads. 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 country. Basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass bass tabs bass. One last idea for this lessonlisten to jazz organ players like larry young. However, just wanted you to know the tracts to download were not attached to the lesson, only the pdf. This printable pdf method provides 101 dominant arpeggio exercises with tab, theory and standard notation for the jazz, blues and rock guitarist.
Books on the blues, rhythm changes, standards, as well as books for learning and developing technique. Having the bass tab option is for the bass guitar player and will hopefully inspire them to read standard notation. So far we have patterns for each chord change in the 12bar blues except for one, moving from v to iv i. The essence of a walking bass line is created by playing four to the bar, which means playing four 14 notes per measure.
Chunky c this just so happens to be done in the key of a but you can play this in any key you like by following the same pattern for the chosen key. Learn techniques to help play and create your own blues walking bass lines. This is an important concept to remember, the walking bass line is movement. A good blend of both styles of walking bass lines is what you would normally play in. Walking the ii v i in combo, youll learn that the ii v i is one of the most important chord progressions in jazz. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of.
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