Building Bass Lines...help!

[funkymama]

Hello Bass World!

I just joined...been playing bass on and off for 25 (!?) years, and just getting back into it after about a 15 year mothering hiatus.

I know there is no substitution for practice, lessons, playing along w/ records, etc.

BUT, I wonder if anyone can break down for me HOW TO BUILD BASS LINES...simple, good old bass lines.

I tend to stick to the super basics of what I've picked up along the way (1, 4, 5 or using octaves, sometimes 3rds, 1/2 steps, etc.) but I feel like I am stuck. I LOVE funky, interesting yet simple bass lines (a la James Jamerson or George Porter to name a couple) but when I am "jamming" with people (especially playing original music where there's no bass line to emulate) I just don't hear it...or I do but don't know how to construct a bass line.

I know I need to put in the time/work/energy...but I also know that there's got to be a way for me to have something click and that it's most likely simpler than I am letting myself think!

Any input will be graciously accepted.

Thanks y'all!

[RyanJD]

I'm not the best at this either, but I keep practicing it everyday.
I haven't discovered anything revolutionary, but I played a bit of guitar before I picked up the bass, so I just tend to play notes within the main chord before the note change in a song.

[pandaman37]

a really good tool in improvisation is walking up and down major chords (ie E->B->e) or major/minor triads (G->B->D) depending what key or whatever. could be useful in song writing, its tried and true haaaaa..... of course theres the locking in w/ the drummer and stuff. study more rhythmic basslines, for example incubus's fungus amongus album changed the way i played ha. give it a listen! hope this helps!

[fearceol]

I have found that playing arpeggios in all their inversions, over the whole neck, has opened up a world of choice for me.

Also, here is an interesting and constructive way of practicing arpeggios, from a fellow TB'r :

YouTube - scott devine how to practice arpeggios

[pedroims]

You can get many ideas from MarloweDK YouTube - bass fill school - lesson # 2

There is a book from Hal Leonard: Fretboard road map bass that is very simple but it helped me alot for using every note in the fretboard.

[OPBASSMAN1994]

SCALES.

And I think someone already said deconstructing chords and playing their individual component notes. (Ex: G Major chord=G, D, G, B, A Minor chord=A, E, A, C)


Learn some Rush, Pink Floyd, and/or Yes (you can learn a lot about scales, deconstructed chords, and good grooves (Pink Floyd) as well as sick riffs (The Other Two). Disreguard this if you are only interested in funky, Motown style stuff).

Learn Sgt. Peppers or later Beatles stuff. Sir Paul is an incredible melodic and harmonic player, and it starts to really shine on that album and gets progressively better (up until let it be). Again, disreguard this if you are only interested in funky motown stuff.

[funkybass]

There is a book by MI called bass blueprints, constructing basslines from chord symbols that's pretty good.

[MalcolmAmos]

I pretty much follow Carol Kaye's thoughts on bass lines, i.e. bass lines are made from chord tones. So I follow the chord progression and play notes of the chords - arpeggios if you will - the secret seems to be which and how many of those notes do we play and of course that depends on the song.

There is a place for roots and fives. I have found that roots, fives and eights will play a lot of bass. Then the correct 3 and 7 add structure. The 6 is a neutral note love to use it with major chords R-3-5-6. The 2 and 4 make good passing notes just do not stop on them. I leave the 9's, 11's and 13's to the solo instruments, i.e. I do not go above the 7's.

Ed Friedland's Building Walking Bass Lines was interesting and I like the bass line examples given in Online Bass Lessons at StudyBass.com. Scott Devine has been mentioned, yes I've picked up some good tips from his lessons. I first heard of R-3-5-X from Scott. X is the note that will move you to the next chord. Look it up.

Good luck.