Anyone else have this problem?

[Bromosapian]

Problem stems from the fact that I think of songs in terms of riffs rather than chords/scales. I'm very good at playing tool-ish lines, I learned the 24/8 bit in lateralus in like five or minutes. However, I seem to be utterly hopeless at playing a standard bassline based (hdurr) around a chord progression.

Any recommendations for how to break the habit?

[madmatt]

As Doc Severinsin says, "Practice, practice, practice.".

[fearceol]

Originally Posted by Bromosapian

Problem stems from the fact that I think of songs in terms of riffs rather than chords/scales. I'm very good at playing tool-ish lines, I learned the 24/8 bit in lateralus in like five or minutes. However, I seem to be utterly hopeless at playing a standard bassline based (hdurr) around a chord progression.

Any recommendations for how to break the habit?

Listen to some blues. Tommy Shannon and Duck Dunn are among the best known. Even if you dont care much for blues music, it is great for learning the fundamentals of playing bass lines.

[MalcolmAmos]

I think the problem lies in you want to play melodic. Playing Chord tones does not get melodic. Playing scales is melodic. Playing riffs is melodic.

Think of chord tones as being just four note riffs. See if that helps. But, like I said above I think you "problem" is going to involve a paradigm shift from melodic.

This may help. http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showth...67#post9372867

[JTE]

Playing scales is so far from melodic. They're scales. And if you think chord tones means you ONLY play chord tones, you've missed the key points. Using chord tones instead of scales is to use the chord tones as the primary notes for your line, but not limiting to only chord tones. If your line is centered on chord tones and resolves to them, you can use just about ANY other note to flesh out the melody, whether it's in the scale or not. Lot's of basic R'n'B lines use the flat 5 along with the 5- it's not a limitation.

Anyway, the OP says "... I seem to be utterly hopeless at playing a standard bassline based (hdurr) around a chord progression." Well, whatever "hdurr" means- I hope that interjection isn't important to your question...

Start with learning some of those lines, and then analyzing them. That's how they start making sense to you. If you're familiar with something as simple as "My Girl", play it and see that the main bass riff (not the guitar riff) is just the fifth and the root of the opening C chord. Or "Badge" by Cream- Jack outlines an Amin chord with the opening riff. "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" by The Temptations has Jamerson playing a straight-forward C arpeggio (C E G), then the root and third of the F chord before hitting the C that's common to both chords.

John

[BassChuck]

Originally Posted by JTE

Playing scales is so far from melodic. They're scales. And if you think chord tones means you ONLY play chord tones, you've missed the key points. Using chord tones instead of scales is to use the chord tones as the primary notes for your line, but not limiting to only chord tones. If your line is centered on chord tones and resolves to them, you can use just about ANY other note to flesh out the melody, whether it's in the scale or not. Lot's of basic R'n'B lines use the flat 5 along with the 5- it's not a limitation.
John

Amen. This is a tough idea for some people, but getting your mind around it is a major step to become a good musician. All instruments play melody. All of them. And all the melodys (if things are right) work to help each other. I'm sure some people don't hear drums as melody, but if you expand your understanding of melody as a medium of energy and hear the increase and decrease of that energy as the mode of melody, all things become melodic. The trick is to organize all of that energy to work together.

All bass parts are melody. Depending on the music, that melody takes on different shapes and uses different sounds. 'Portrait of Tracy' is a melody. So is the bass line to "Some Kind of Wonderful", or "Shotgun". They each have a different job in the music they are in.

[WarPhalange]

Originally Posted by Bromosapian

Problem stems from the fact that I think of songs in terms of riffs rather than chords/scales. I'm very good at playing tool-ish lines, I learned the 24/8 bit in lateralus in like five or minutes. However, I seem to be utterly hopeless at playing a standard bassline based (hdurr) around a chord progression.

Any recommendations for how to break the habit?

"Die With Your Boots On" by Iron Maiden is a song that has a simple root note bass line that can help you develop playing around chords a bit.

See here:

http://www.911tabs.com/link/?3666672

Going from one chord to the other isn't a jump as much as it is "walking" towards it.

You can also try "I Want it All" by Queen. It has a similar structure, in that the bass line isn't complicated or riff-based, but it "walks" from one chord to the next.

[dalconthenovice]

i had this same problem for years! i learned that there were two types of musicians

athletes, guys who focus on technical abilities

the theory wiz, guys who understand harmony melody and how it all works

i was an athlete for many years developing finger strengths, rhythm capabilities, this is all good an all but you need to have a balance between the two to be a real musician on my opinion

[Mark Wilson]

Transcribe anything played by Pino Palladino.