Today I want to show you an easy way to create what is one of the most recognisable sounds in Jazz, a walking bass line.
Walking bass lines are usually associated with the bass, but they can also be played on guitar. Not only will I demonstrate how to play a walking bass line in this article, but I will also teach you how to add chords to it, allowing you to play both the bass and chords simultaneously on one guitar!
Walking bass lines are not only pleasing to the ear, but they can also enhance your understanding of chord notes and progressions. This knowledge can enhance the quality of your solos by helping you make more melodic choices when selecting notes to play.
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The purpose of a walking bass line is to create a feeling of forward motion in a song, hence the name walking bass.To create this forward moving motion, walking bass lines are typically played using quarter notes that fall on the beat (1, 2, 3, 4 etc).
Exploring all three approaches is a vast topic that cannot be covered in a single article. However, I will guide you through the process of creating walking bass lines on your guitar, including playing the progression's chords, using the chromatic approach.
This is known as a II V I (2, 5, 1) chord progression and is the most common chord progression in the world of jazz.
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Before I show you how to walk a bass line on your guitar through this progression, let’s look at the specific chord voicing’s you will use to play it, and include with your walking bass.
This is a very efficient way to play an Am7 as there are no duplicate notes in this particular voicing of the chord. It is used a lot in jazz and works well when playing a walking bass line around it, as you will see shortly.
This is a common way to play a Dominant 9th chord in jazz and is very efficient as there are no duplicate notes.
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This is a common way to play a Major 7th chord in jazz and is very efficient as there are no duplicate notes.
If you're not familiar with the chord shapes shown above, don't worry. They are root 5 and 6 chord forms and should be easy to locate on the fretboard. As long as you can find bar chords on your guitar, you should have no trouble finding these chords
As I said earlier, we will focus on the chromatic half step approach for constructing the walking bass line in today’s lesson.It’s very simple.
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The next chord is D9, so I will play one half step (one fret) above the root note of this chord on the 5th string/6th fret:
It is crucial to know the upcoming chord, as the note played on the fourth beat of the previous bar or any other beat before a chord change corresponds to the succeeding chord, not the current one. Similar to walking, with a walking bass line you need to be looking ahead to see where you are going.
To help fill this out, I elected to target the 5th of this chord, which is the D note on the 5th string/5th fret. This helps extend the line out without continually returning to the root note.
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This has the chord sounding in-between the notes of our walking bass line, just like a guitarist would typically do when comping chords along with the bass in jazz.
For a step by step walkthrough (pardon the pun) tutorial on building and playing walking bass lines on guitar, as outlined int his article, check out the video below:There is one instrument in every band that doesn’t get its deserved attention and praise: The bass guitar. Often, the bass guitar is one of those things you only notice when it’s not done right. A skilled bass player contributes to the band’s playing a lot but remains in the background while the vocals and guitar take the spotlight. Still, a skilled bassist can steal the show with a solid bass line or a well-timed solo.
If you’re one of the brave people who have decided to learn how to play bass guitar, we can help you get started on your bass-playing journey. Here are some helpful tips and steps that’ll come in handy when learning to play the bass. Read on and let’s get started!
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Breaking things into steps makes things easier to grasp. Don’t try to take everything in at once, but follow these steps instead when starting to play bass guitar. Learn the foundations before moving on to the next step. There’s no need to start learning how to tune your bass before knowing what bass strings are or to start practicing bass lines before you know how to hold the instrument. First, let’s get familiar with your instrument: the electric bass.
As any skilled musician can tell you, once you’re experienced enough at playing an instrument, it becomes almost like an extension of your body — you don’t even think of it as separate from you. The bass guitar is no exception. However, when you’re still starting out and learning how to play bass guitar (or any instrument for that matter), playing is going to feel a bit awkward. That’s why it’s important to get familiar with the different parts of the bass guitar and what functions the different parts serve.
Knowing the parts of the instrument will come in handy, especially when buying your very first beginner bass guitar. Get familiar with at least the following bass parts:
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Are you committed to learning how to play the bass guitar? Good! In that case, you’re going to need an instrument of your own. Buying the right beginner bass guitar can be a daunting task, but there are some things to look for in a beginner instrument.
Things that may influence your decision include the type of bass guitar you want, number of strings, scale length, material, and price just to name a few. Did you know that there are both acoustic and electric bass guitars? If you want to play electric bass, you’re also going to need an amplifier.
If you want to read more about buying a good beginner bass, check out our bass guitar buying guide. There you’ll find some great recommendations as well as tips on what kind of gear and bass accessories you might want to get.
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“Of course I know how to hold a bass!” you might be thinking. However, don’t underestimate the importance of good ergonomic posture. It’s also a good idea to ensure you’re holding the bass correctly right away. Unlearning bad posture later on is going to be much harder than learning the right way in the first place. Here’s how to hold a bass guitar when sitting down:
Playing any stringed instrument isn’t fun if the tuning is off. Whenever you pick up your bass guitar to play, remember to check that the instrument is in the correct tuning. Most songs use the standard E-A-D-G tuning (from the lowest string to the highest one). You don’t need to worry about alternate tunings yet since you are just learning to play.
Skilled bass players know how to tune their instrument by ear. However, a reliable bass guitar tuner is a great tool for everyone regardless of their bass-playing skills. Physical tuner devices can be a reliable tool for tuning a bass guitar. Unfortunately, they also tend to be quite expensive, at least if you want an accurate bass tuner. Luckily, there are bass tuner apps you can download completely free without having to settle for lower quality. Check out GuitarTuna, an online tuner app that you can download free of charge for your Android and iOS devices.
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Should you use a pick or your fingers to play the bass? The decision is up to you, but the two different playing styles are good for different things. Playing with a pick allows you to play faster, alternating between upstrokes and downstrokes (also known as tremolo picking). Playing with a pick also produces a sharper and punchier sound which makes it a good choice if you want to play more rock, punk, and metal genres. However, playing with a pick may not fit all musical styles and genres that require more versatility.
Playing with your fingers is the most common way to go, and it fits many musical styles and genres. Playing with the fingers of your right hand is sometimes called fingerstyle. You pluck the strings with the index and middle finger of your right hand, although some players use more than just these two fingers to play. With fingerstyle, the sound is rounder, and you’ll have an easier time changing between different strings. More advanced bass guitar players can also incorporate different techniques, such as slapping the strings with their thumb or plucking multiple strings at the same time.
To get familiar with the instrument and gain control over the strings, you can start playing as a beginner by using just your fingers. As you get better and more comfortable playing, you can
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