The goal of a walking bass line is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting. Chords and walking bass part 1 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. A bassline is a melody line played in the bass by a lowpitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc. Walking bass for jazz and blues is a complete method to help beginners master each element of blues and jazz walking 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 player. Additional components of convincing bass lines are note choice and forward motion. Play the root note of the chord as if it was a bass and the remaining notes like a guitar. Play that funky music sheet music wild cherry pdf for piano sheet music. The bridge is the assembly that anchors the strings to the body. Piano technique by paul white ma cantab arcm lgsm mt mtc first published 2007 revised edition 2020 this guide contains numerous technical exercises which require careful use. Obviously the sound of the contrabass is warmer and softer than the percussive sound of the piano and some shadings are impossible with the piano, for example glissando or bender. The collection of material of this book is, in our opinion, the basics to playing bass guitar for some event. Build a walking bass line from scales the jazz piano left hand. Ifr blog instrument blogs bass blog walking bass line exercise 2 5 1 progression.
This is an important concept to remember, the walking bass line is. It is designed to develop strong harmonic skills, rhythm, phrasing and note choice. Walking bass lines are really useful in jazz piano they give you a cool, pro sound and a. Like any form of physical activity, they carry an element of risk. All halfdiminished chords found in the major diatonic system on vii are what arnold. We think if we hit the correct bass and chord yeah we are done. Youll learn the turnaround progression, the blues scale, and 3 exercises to practice improvisation. Bass arpeggios are a great resource for both practicing finger exercises as well as learning the fundamental components of chords every practice routine should include some kind of incorporation of finger exercise both for developing dexterity and finger independence as well as understanding chords from a fundamental perspective and how they relate to one another musically. Even though our intent is to spice up the a to c change just by walking up the bass notes from a to b to c, were able to do a lot more than that in this case. They walk great bass lines, and they create great grooves. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. The term walking is used lescribe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. Bass guitar exercises for dummies cheat sheet dummies.
In this lesson well take a look at scale style and intervalic bass lines, and even mix them up a bit. Under each phrase i wrote the logic behind it and how i came up with it. Here is a bass line constructed using ascending chord tones in the first 3 bars and descending in the 4th. If you know how to create a walking bass line, you can be more creative in your jazz playing. How to play walking bass lines at the piano cocktail. How to play walking bass lines jazz piano lesson left hand lines. Therefore, the bass is played by the left hand on the lower part of the keyboard of the piano. Bass lines part one for all of these exercises, we are going to use the cycle of 4ths. Fundamental concepts for walking bass is a systematic method, written by george urbaszek, bass player and longtime jazz.
Walking bass for jazz and blues fundamental changes. In essence, were using the b note in our walking bass line, plus the guitars standard tuning to create a very cool sounding chord change. Beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tabs bass. Bill evans was a visionary artist who made an enormous personal contribution to our modern concept of jazz piano. The symbol of the bass clef is derived from the old german way of writing f.
The best way to introduce walking bass lines into your playing is to start with one short common chord progression. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. Walking bass on the piano can be one of the coolest things ever. We are going to go move around the cycle counter clockwise. The bass lines are good and one simple addition to know is that just about any chordwalking bass line, you can always use a leading tone that is, 12 step below to whatever is the next chord. As bass players we can create strong sounding walking bass lines by playing them one by one. In this lesson well take a look at scale style and. Notice the eight measure progression is now sixteen and the use of sycopation preceding beat two of each measure creates a very jazzy feel. Best of all, you can do so using the same set of notes for each of the grooves. It is common for the harmonic rhythm to vary within most chord progressions. Listen to his cd called giant strides and youll see what i mean.
A walking bass is a bass accompaniment consisting of notes of equal value, usually quarter notes. Accordion bass 101 so many accordionists have come to the instrument from. Stevens method provides numerous exercises to keep each and every aspiring bassist enthuse about learning and creating walking bass lines. The pianomethod walking bass for piano can be downloaded at. Improvise jazz piano with walking bass line piano with jonny.
Intro to playing basses on the accordion shelia lees. When creating walking bass lines, its important to outline the root and 5th of the chord. When starting out with walking bass lines, i would recommend that you always target the root when changing chords. The notes above are all natural however any of this notes can be raised or lowered a half. In this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. The walking bass technique with the piano left hand has great effect. 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.
All of the other parts of the bass are mounted on these three sections. Michael gundlach download pdf file walking bass for piano an easy. A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing. Walking bass lines are a very specific and classic jazz piano sound and generally considered an advanced concept. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of.
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. This technique resumes in a direct way the style of a bass instrument. Bass two note sequence, cdexercise walking bass three note sequence. Playing the bass guitar well means playing grooves. Using the following figures and lots of practice, you can play a perfectly authentic groove in just about any of the main musical genres. Piano players and guitarists will generally create chords by playing all the chord tones together. And yet at the same time, he believed that all human beings have an innate. Join my online ear training workshop in april, 2020. The left hand on the piano chords arpeggios and bass. How to create bass lines 2 3 play in four quarters. Walking bass line piano tutorial walking bass jazz piano. Walking bass blues without iv in bar 2 19870506 download pdf. Walking bass noterange usually the bass lies in the lower sound range of the music. Walking bass lines are used in blues gospel, country, rock, ska, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, latin, and many other musical genres.
Bass lessons beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tab standard string tuning g,d,a,e recommended 1. Walking bass workshop constructing walking jazz bass lines. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. And walking bass lines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time walking bass lines. Pay attention, burn through this as fast as you can, and you. 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. Pickups are also mounted to the body and work like little microphones that pick up the sound from the strings. Walking bass for piano tutorial no 1 by michael gundlach. Students and readers of constructing walking jazz bass lines. When the harmonic rhythm of a progression of a song is two chords per bar, the bass. In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line.
Autumn leaves solo improvisation guide and walking bass. Practice bass scale exercises and if you are walking the bass into the next measure walk the scale tones of the next measures chord key signature. Walking bass with the piano left hand classic jazz piano. The cycle of 5ths is just an organized way to travel through the keys so you hit every one.
Bass line exercises level 2 shelia lees accordion blog. Practice all exercises chromatically and in a circle of 5ths. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time walking basslines. You can easily learn how to play walking bass lines. The goal of a walking bassline is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting. The reader agrees to take full responsibility for herhis. Dave found a way to incorporate walking bass lines into his solo piano style in a unique way.
Michael gundlach download pdf file walking bass for. Intro to accordion bass playing so many of us totally neglect the basses or left hand. Walking bass lines are a fascinating part of jazz, as they support and mark the harmony underneath the chords and melody. The two dots on the right of the bass clef symbol surround the line on which f pitch is written. 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. Parts of the bass a bass is made up of three main sections. How to play a simple left hand walking bass jazz improv free. For when you have to learn to play the bass right now. In other words, sing a short melody mentally, or sing with your mouth, and then play those exact pitches and rhythms on your instrument. 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. How to play a simple walking bass left hand pattern on the piano using a 12 bar.
Incorporating the 3rd of the chord will also give your bass line a stronger harmonic foundation. How to play walking bass lines jazz piano lesson download the exercises for this lesson here. Walking bass mascari piano studios piano lessons, music. The possible noterange of a walking bass can reach from subcontra a to middle c.
Once you have some basic rules down, youll be able to make bass lines over any chord progression. 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. This is a solo i wrote for the jazz standard autumn leaves using a variety of thecniques that i have learned over my years of playing jazz. 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. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. Walking bass line theory basics pdf file chris fitzgerald. The bass provides the rhythmic and harmonic foundation for the rest of the band, so its imperative that theres no hesitation when walking a bass line. I have worked with literally over twenty different method books and steven mooneys approach is definitely the best of the best that i. 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. Amazing jazz improvisation exercise jazz piano concepts.