Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
2003J.Brent
To view this article in html, please visit:
http://www.JeffreeBrent.com/Lessons/basslines.html
A major part of the Bass player's job is to (generally) "tell the truth". That is to say to "let
the other musicians know what the chord is by playing the root on the 1 beat". (At least in
a straight progression [eg. one that doesn't involve a downward line]).
The other part of the Bass player's job is to let the rest of the band know what the next
chord is going to be.
2 - 3 - 4 - | 1
In other words beat 1 of bar 2 is the target note and the 2 - 3 - 4 before it are the notes
leading the band into bar 2 beat 1.
Beats 2 & 3 can pretty much be whatever you like, but most Bass players will prefer to
use tones that are in the current chord.
1
1
1
1
2
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
1:
2:
3:
4:
1:
A
B
C
C#
D (target note)
1
1
1
1
2
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
1:
2:
3:
4:
1:
A
C#
D
D#
E (target note)
Notice that in both the above examples the "target note" is preceded by 3 ascending
chromatics.
1
1
1
1
2
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
1:
2:
3:
4:
1:
A
G
F#
E
D (target note)
1
1
1
1
2
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
1:
2:
3:
4:
1:
A
G
F#
F
E (target note)
The "upper leading tone" example above is the "jazzier" of the two. Try this bass line
over a typical turnaround in G:
Bar
Bar
Bar
Bar
1
1
1
1
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
1:
2:
3:
4:
G (G Maj)
B
Bb (Bbdim7 - subsitute for Em)
E
Bar
Bar
Bar
Bar
2
2
2
2
Beat
Beat
Beat
Beat
1:
2:
3:
4:
Eb (Am)
A
Ab (Ab7 - substitute for D7)
D