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. Start with the basic book and then move to the advanced book. Includes exercises to enhance the playing of chord changes and bass lines, plus bass solos that illustrate specific styles inc. The blues in 12 keys has many advanced concepts and techniques built into the lesson material,enabling the bassist to develop their own language and take their. A walking bass line generally consists of notes of equal duration and intensity typically 14 notes that create a feeling of forward motion. Walking bass for jazz guitar distils over 40 years of virtuosity and skill into one beautiful jazz guitar book. Feb 05, 2015 this book teaches guitarists how to play chords and bass lines simultaneously while providing insight to bass line construction.
Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. All examples show standard notation as well as guitar tab. While the user plays keyboard andor solo instruments. Learn from the internationally acclaimed master of jazz chord melody guitar as he teaches you, stepbystep, how to play walking basslines on guitar and combine them with rock solid rhythm guitar chords. Easiest electric bass book book mel bay publications, inc. Chords and walking bass part 1 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. Chord tones root, 3rd, 5th, 7th are the most powerful choice you can make when creating your walking lines. Here are some tips to aid you in mastering these bass blues licks. How to create bass lines 2 3 play in four quarters. More than 470 free transcriptions for bass and other instruments on basslessons. Looking forward to hearing your walking bass lines over autumn leaves. The term walking is used to describe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation.
Through years of teaching and experimenting with different methods ive come. Walking bass lines are an essential part of blues and jazz piano especially if youre playing solo or. Zeds, with hausers book youll get the theory needed to solo in pretty much any style im not familiar with this book, where jon liebmans book blues bass has 25 solos at the end of the book on blues changes, that will get you started, i personally got good mileage right out of the box with some of these solos. Includes many exercises to get any aspiring bass player up and walking on their own, as well as complete transcriptions of every bass note played by swinging ny bassist ed fuqua on the accompanying playalong cd. Tenor madness, 15 pages, paul chambers walking bass line and solo in the beginning, god said, let there be bass. How to play walking bass lines at the piano cocktail piano. Constructing walking jazz bass lines book iv building a 12 key facility. Walking bass lines for guitar the blues in 12 keys. Lawrence this book teaches guitarists how to play chords and bass lines simultaneously while providing insight to bass line construction. It is possible to add rhythmic variations, but in general, a walking bassline drives the song forward step by step. Through years of teaching and experimenting with different methods ive.
Its three books total and by the end of it youll be able to read practically anything using bass clef such as standing in the shadows of motowm or the paul chambers solo book. The following is an example of a common bass line construction when the harmonic rhythm is moving at the rate of two chords per bar target notes are designated with t, and approach notes are designated with a. Walking bass is something sooo many bass players have difficulty with. Take two different chords and you want to move as stepwise as possible between the roots of the two chords. 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. The blues in 12 keys walking bass lines for guitar book i the blues in 12 keys is a complete guide for the guitarist demonstrating the devices used to play walking bass lines and chords in solo or accompaniment settings. Intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar explores the creation of walking bass lines played over chord sequence using scale tones. The ed friedland walking bass masterclass scotts bass lessons. Walking bass for guitar is the latest course from the walking bass workshop series. A graduate of the high school of music and art in new york city, and a former member of the bass department at the berklee college of music in boston, ed friedland has forged a reputation as one of the bass worlds top educators. Walking bass for guitar new walking bass workshop course. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. The course covers standard head arrangements, walking lines and solos for bass. The simplest walking bass line formula exactly where to start duration.
Someone shoves a chord chart in your face and expects you to know exactly how. An indepth method book on how to create authenticsounding walking bass lines, designed for the beginning bassist. Heres an easy pretty slow walking bass line, in the key of am. T 1 2 a t 3 by chris fitzgerald a 4 t 1 a 2 t 3 a 4 walking bass line theory basics. This lavishly produced volume large format and hardcover is a wondrous celebration of the instrument, including its origins and history, and the weird and wonderful shapes it has taken. Mel bay this book teaches guitarists how to play chords and. Upright and electric bassist, jared plane presents a short demonstration of jazz walking bass lines over the. This is an indepth look at the heart and soul of jazz bass playing.
Includes exercises to enhance the playing of chord changes and bass lines, plus bass solos that illustrate specific styles including walking blues, jazz swing, and bossa nova. 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. Walking bass lines are a style of playing in which the bass player plays quarter notes which clearly outline the chords and chord tones, seamlessly outlining one chord and resolving to the next. Apr 23, 2012 walking bass is something sooo many bass players have difficulty with. 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.
I am now personally excited to schedule walking bassics into my own study rotation. This is the usual second step for players who want to master walking bass before moving to chromatic lines. Walking bass for jazz guitar fundamental changes music book. When piano players copy this idea of walking bass lines, they generally do so by using their left hand to play the same role as that of the bass player. There is a web site, that has an excellent remote learning course for bass. This is a simple yet thorough book on beginning bass lines. I recommend ed friedlands hal leonard bass guitar series. Martin taylor walking bass for jazz guitar fundamental. Learn to walk bass lines and play shell voicing for solo guitar using the classic jazz standard the blues. This book teaches guitarists how to play chords and bass lines simultaneously while providing insight to bass line construction. Walking bass line jazz standards swing tune bass tab. The best books for a bassist to read and learn from. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself.
Here is the bass lines for autumn leaves that everyone contributed to last week. Mel bay this book teaches guitarists how to play chords and bass lines simultaneously while providing insight to bass line construction. Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial. According to goldsby, bassist bob haggart wrote the first jazz bass method book, released in 1941. Walking bass lines can be an absolute mystery especially for beginners. He played with bobby timmons, tiny bradshaw, les jazz modes, kenny dorham, illinois jacquet, freddie hubbard, dizzy gillespie and thelonious monk. 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. Mel bay a concise, easytounderstand bass method in notation and tablature. If you know how to create a walking bass line, you can be more creative in your jazz playing. Walking bass line jazz standards swing tune bass by misc. As im sure you have heard before, practice makes perfect.
I added tabs on the bottom right of the screen, so you can learn easily this walking bass. 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. Provides the aspiring jazz bassist with a thorough guide to walking bass lines. From the funkiest bass grooves to the most lyrical bass solos, from the 50s up until 2020. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. Dedicate at least 3060 minutes each day to playing the bass. This text will acquaint the bass player with basic chord progressions, chord notes, walking bass patterns, and a contemporary solo in the keys of c, g, f, b, bflat, d, d minor, a, efl.