It is obvious that we should have a command of these bass lines like a musical vocabulary, so to speak. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book iii standard lines. First, to outline the chord you are playing over, and second, to smoothly approach the next chord. Easy walking bass lines pdf constructing walking jazz bass lines. Also, dont forget to write out your lines at first and really practice these. The goal of a walking bassline is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting melodic line that provides a countermelody as above. 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. Intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar explores the creation of walking bass lines played over chord sequence using scale tones. Walkin the blues by steven mooney walkin the blues walking bass. The goal of a walking bassline is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting. 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. James jamerson from jazz bassist to popular music icon. 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.
Walking bass lines for guitar jazz guitar workshop series. While some knowledge of music theory is necessary, excellent bass lines can be. Beginning walking bass lines, the 2 feel, latin rhythms, essential walking bass vocabulary, soloing techniques, ghost notes and much more. Most often the bass lines are played by an acoustic or upright bass. Walking bass is most readily associated with jazz, where musicians have used it in ensembles of all sizes and styles. Rather than arm you with a few examples of walking bass lines, this book will show. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. Each example includes not only written basslines, but also a series of exercises that stepbystep introduce root motion, chord tones, scale patterns and chromatic halfstep approaches. How to create bass lines 2 3 play in four quarters. If you are wishing to order the pdfmp3 files please go to the correct page as this product is for the pdf file only.
Use these lines to get you going the right direction when you start playing a blues. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. In jazz, basslines should generally not be too repetitive unless youre intentionally playing a vamp like in blues or boogiewoogie. I have included your bass lines in here so see if you can find your line as you play through these. Jan 11, 20 in order to play even the simplest of walking bass lines, the student must know the aforementioned chords and the chord tones that make them up within the first 5 frets of the bass guitar. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book ii by carlota. Bass lines part 2 adding chords to your bass lines mark white is an associate professortraveling clinician for. Lessons in this segment focus on the fundamentals of bass playing. Intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar by. Start with the basic book and then move to the advanced book.
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. Chord tones root, 3rd, 5th, 7th are the most powerful choice you can make when creating your walking lines. 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. Sheet music arranged for piano vocalguitar in d minor. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book i walking bass lines. Step one root and fifth orientation begin with a quarter note walking bass line utilizing primarily the 1st and 3rd fingers. The purpose of this book is to provide the beginning to intermediate jazz bassist a working vocabulary of walking basslines and concepts for improvising. Ebooks jazz bass lines bass tab edition constructing. Our concept of constructing a bass line can be like these two trains. Oct 07, 2010 constructing walking jazz bass lines book ii walking bass lines. There is a web site, that has an excellent remote learning course for bass. Pdf a contourbased jazz walking bass generator researchgate. Looking for a structured way to increase your current skill level. The book will show the musician how to connect familiar chord shapes with the appropriate bass notes.
More information constructing walking jazz bass lines book i. An intelligent jazzblues player and comping generator for ios devices. 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. Contains printable sheet music plus an interactive, downloadable digital. Now its time to learn how to create a complete bass line from scratch. One last idea for this lessonlisten to jazz organ players like larry young. In this weeks lesson were looking at a very simple walking bass line through the chord changes of the jazz standard autumn leaves. Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial. Jazz bass books constructing walking jazz bass lines.
A walking bass thats reduced mostly to a iv alternation will sound a lot like countryfolk. 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. Playing jazz guitar bass lines and chords terence wright. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book ii walking bass. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself.
One very important and widely used jazz guitar technique is playing bass lines in combination with chords. Walking bass lines the blues in 12 keys bass tab edition steven mooney on. I really liked all of the lines that you guys wrote and hope you enjoy playing through this line as well. 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. Book iii covers 24 standard jazz chord progressions with 110 choruses of professional jazz bass lines as an example. Walking bass for jazz and blues is a complete method to help beginners master each element of blues and jazz walking bass.
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. 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. Rhythm changes like the blues is an essential part of the jazz musicians vocabulary. Constructing walking jazz bass lines walking bass lines 3 book set for a limited time buy books 1 3 and take our walking bass workshop course free. Walking bass lines piano pdf file download ranasohel. 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. A stepbystep method for developing extraordinary technique on the bass guitar strengthen your overall facility on the instrument with this series of exercises and lessons, presented in an effective themeandvariation format. Walkin the blues by steven mooney walkin the blues walking bass line transcription includes bass tab. 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. This is the second lesson in the series devoted to walking bass lines. A guitar in standard tuning will never reach the lower bass notes of a real bass, but. Playing jazz guitar bass lines with chords the guitar is an extremely versatile instrument, with seemingly endless techniques and tones around every corner. 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. 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.
How to play walking bass lines at the piano cocktail. Walking bass for jazz and blues fundamental changes music. Also included in each example are the scales, modes and. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time walking basslines. Walking bass lines for guitar the blues in 12 keys book i. A followup to building walking bass lines, this book approaches more advanced walking concepts, including model mapping, the twofeel, several must know changes, and other important jazz bass lessons. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book i walking jazz bass lines the blues in 12 keys bass tab edition the constructing walking jazz bass lines bass tablature series of books provides the same knowledge and wealth of information available to the bassist reading bass tab, as there would be for the bassist reading bass clef. Organists tend to play what i call functunal bass lines. Building walking bass lines bass instruction pdf free download. In this video lesson, james discusses a dorian walking bass. The purpose of a good walking bassline or any bassline for that matter is twofold. The majority of the presentation will focus on walking bass lines in a 44 meter. The main point to consider when constructing walking bass lines is how to.
Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. Were going to use basic chord tones and repetitive lines that will act as a springboard in developing your own lines. To walk bass lines on the ii v i, all we have to do is learn three different walking patterns. Bass lines above small g tend to sound thin, while bass lines under contra f sound very dull. In this course scott takes you right from the start and gets you gig ready for a real life jazz gig.
Charlie haden played in his walking bass lines to what jazz bass books teach. But the truth is that walking bass lines are fairly easy to practice and, like everything in music and life, the more you practice the more comfortable you will become when playing in this style. 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. Constructing walking jazz bass lines walking bass lines. A bassline is a melody line played in the bass by a lowpitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc.
The main point to consider when constructing walking bass lines is how to create a smooth transition between the last note of the current chord, and the first note of the next. Walking bass lines for jazz standards piano tutorials playlist. In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. The bass lines in the section are for you to learn, memorize, and play in a real live playing situation. 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. In order to play even the simplest of walking bass lines, the student must know the aforementioned chords and the chord tones that make them up.
Easy walking bass lines pdf constructing walking jazz. The most common chord movement in the blues not to mention jazz, rock, pop and. The term walking is used lescribe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book iv building a 12 key. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of. In this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. Click here to download the free 3 concepts to play a 251 pdf. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. Jazz bass books learn bass guitar, bass guitar chords. So what walking bass line the complete bass player. Now with mp3 playalong backing tracks of rhythm changes in 12 keys outlining the chord substitutions used in the book.
A guide to creating supportive jazz bass lines danny ziemann the low down is a comprehensive jazz bass method book covering the fundamentals of bass line construction, with useful information for beginners and advanced players. It is designed to develop strong harmonic skills, rhythm, phrasing and note choice. Rhythm changes in 12 keys upright bass method mooney, steven on. How to create bass lines 6 often youll use an ostinato for the head when the whole group plays the melody at the beginning and the end and use a walking bass for the changes when people take turns improvising over the chord progression of the song. In general, we make this transition smooth by limiting the interval between these two notes to either a half step semitone, whole step tone or a perfect5th. Backing track downloads 3 walking bass lines books 10 recent posts from the bass blog. Walking bass lines are a very specific and classic jazz piano sound and generally considered an advanced concept. Learn some simple techniques to get started playing authentic walking bass lines. 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.
Kop constructing walking jazz bass lines book iv building a 12 key facility for the jazz bassist av. A comprehensive guide to constructing walking jazz bass lines for the double bassist and electric jazz bassist is a complete 12key guide to techniques and devices used to construct walking jazz bass lines in the jazz tradition. A thesis submitted to the graduate council of texas state university in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of music with a major in music may 2014 committee members. This concept works well when constructing bass lines that ascend over the 251 in the first two bars. Oct 16, 2017 book ii rhythm changes in 12 keys jazz bass lines. The jazz bass lines book free ebook download as pdf file. This lesson is the first look into how we construct the actual lines and starts with a primer on arpeggios or chord tones. This is the usual second step for players who want to master walking bass before moving to chromatic lines.
Advanced walking bass lines for jazz guitarnook book. Are you trying to find a way in to playing jazz bass. It is absolutely crucial for the student to learn the material in the correct order and not to go ahead of oneself. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar by stephan badreau is a step by step guide to harmonizing bass lines on the guitar. Steven mooney, constructing walking jazz bass lines book series. Chord tones should be the first stop on the road to learning how to play walking bass lines. Book ii in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series rhythm changes in 12 keys provides various insights into how the rhythm changes song form may be approached by the. Standard lines jazz and bebop standards book iii in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series for the jazz bassist is a comprehensive guide demonstrating the devices used to construct walking jazz bass lines in the jazz standard tradition. From jazz bassist to popular music icon by joshua andrew zarbo, b.
Accompanying audio includes a jazz trio for practicing standard tunes. Standard lines, book iii in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series for the electric bassist is a comprehensive guide demonstrating the devices used to construct walking jazz bass lines in the jazz standard tradition. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book ii walking bass lines. Wallace stelzer is a professional jazz bass player and content creator from houston, texas. A compendium of techniques for great jazz bass lines. These blues bass lines are like having a one chorus lick that you can rely on to always sound good when you play it. The course covers standard head arrangements, walking lines and solos for bass. 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. Mike downes the jazz bass lines book chord music melody. Constructing walking jazz bass lines, book 1, the blues in 12 keys.
Description of the book building walking bass lines. There is a big tendency for players to seek for advanced and complicated topics while they still did not master the basics. The blues in 12 keys upright bass and electric bass method pdf. Standard lines book iii bass tab edition jazz walking. 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. Jazz bass tab and bass clef books, bass guitar lessons, jazz bass tabs, blues bass tabs for the bass guitar, scales, arpeggios and modes. A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing. Walking the ii v i in combo, youll learn that the ii v i is one of the most important chord progressions in jazz. Rhythm changes in 12 keys compliments book i the blues in 12 keys by following on with an in depth study of must know jazz chord progressions for the aspiring jazz bassist. This manual can be used by anyone wanting to learn how to play improvised walking bass on any instrument in any time signature.
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