Creating interesting bass lines

[dancrocker]

I did some searching but didn't find what I was looking for, probably because I wasn't entirely sure what to search for.

I am pretty much a novice and play in church band. Often, for lack of something better to do, I just play the roots of the chords (or the bass part of the chord if it's different), sometimes adding extra notes in the key that seem to sound good, lead in notes, and extra notes for rhythm. This often works fine because may of the songs are slow and quiet. However, for some songs, I'd like to play something a little more interesting. I don't need to improvise so much as be able to create a bass line that follows the chord progression in an interesting way. Are there instruction books or DVDs that help with this specific task? I don't think I have the inclination to delve into a bunch of heavy music theory. I'm looking for something that's light on the theory and heavy on the "rules of thumb".

get a book called '101 things i learned at architecture school', and another called 'the bass bible'. The first is a good thing to read if you want to think about art (particularly creativity and design in a form with lots of rules) and the second is good for getting examples of bass lines that work.

[dancrocker]

Originally Posted by afromoose

get a book called '101 things i learned at architecture school', and another called 'the bass bible'. The first is a good thing to read if you want to think about art (particularly creativity and design in a form with lots of rules) and the second is good for getting examples of bass lines that work.

Thanks for the both suggestions. Can I assume the first one is a little joke?

[Eric Grossman]

Something that i do personally, is listen to the song without a bass in my hands. I like to imagine melodies and ideas in my head first, and then attack them on the bass. It's been a successful approach for me.

[dancrocker]

Originally Posted by afromoose

get a book called '101 things i learned at architecture school', and another called 'the bass bible'. The first is a good thing to read if you want to think about art (particularly creativity and design in a form with lots of rules) and the second is good for getting examples of bass lines that work.

Sorry, but I wanted to check...
Bass Bible is by Paul Westwood?

[Chris K]

This question came up in another thread a few days ago. Here's what I wrote there, extended a little.

My advice is to focus on the fundamentals, to always create a simple harmonically interesting bassline (with ornaments on top, see below).

Fundamental bassline

In many cases this fundamental line will be scale-like, moving along in a mix of whole steps and half steps. The structure of this movement depends on the chords pattern and will contain inversions (chords where the bass note is not the root note of the chord).

Tips for the fundamental line:
Try to:
- be in counterpoint with the melody, or
- move along with the melody in 3rds or 6ths
- avoid octave, 5th and 4th parallels with the melody
- avoid playing the 5th of the chord on the first beat of a bar, unless:
- it acts as a change note within the same chord (f.e. in G7 playing d - g - d -g, like in country music)
- it is a clear passing note
- in a I (2nd inversion) - V7 - I ending (which is very classic and classy)

Example: House of the Rising Sun - counterpoint bassline

Chords: Am |C |D |F |Am |C E |E7
Melody: aab |ce |da |aa |aaa |ge |e
Bass line: a |g |f# |f . . .e |a . . b |c . . d e

No doubt you'll notice that in the first four bars the bass goes down, where the melody moves upward. In the next bars it's the other way around.

Ornaments

On top of that basic line, you can add smaller 'ornamental' stuff, like arpeggio's, chords, short runs, dead notes etc. They should not harm the distinction of the fundamental line, so keep it simple ant subtle.
- emphasize on the fundamental line either through volume, accent or lenght of the notes (a clearcut ending of notes attributes to a sense of control)
- focus on the drums for analog rhythmic patterns
- simple syncopated notes, either short or dead, can do wonders for the groove.

Have fun!

Originally Posted by dancrocker

Sorry, but I wanted to check...
Bass Bible is by Paul Westwood?

Yes it's by Paul Westwood

I was only half joking about the architecture book. It contains some great little tips which I have fun applying to music, such as

'Any aesthetic quality is usually enhanced by the presence of a counterpoint.' - probably one of the most useful tips for making the most of a bassline by thinking about what the rest of the band is doing and providing contrast.

Or

'Architecture is the thoughtful making of space' - change to 'bass playing is the thoughtful making of space' - this would really apply to reggae, or some funk grooves.

Might seem a bit esoteric, but I think all really great basslines have a certain form that you can talk about in quite an esoteric way, which is a different thing from 'play the third, play the seventh, etc.' Think about why other people's lines work, and you'll develop a sense of perspective that helps your own process.

[dancrocker]

Originally Posted by Chris K

This question came up in another thread a few days ago. Here's what I wrote there, extended a little.

My advice is to focus on the fundamentals, to always create a simple harmonically interesting bassline (with ornaments on top, see below).

Fundamental bassline

In many cases this fundamental line will be scale-like, moving along in a mix of whole steps and half steps. The structure of this movement depends on the chords pattern and will contain inversions (chords where the bass note is not the root note of the chord).

Tips for the fundamental line:
Try to:
- be in counterpoint with the melody, or
- move along with the melody in 3rds or 6ths
- avoid octave, 5th and 4th parallels with the melody
- avoid playing the 5th of the chord on the first beat of a bar, unless:
- it acts as a change note within the same chord (f.e. in G7 playing d - g - d -g, like in country music)
- it is a clear passing note
- in a I (2nd inversion) - V7 - I ending (which is very classic and classy)

Example: House of the Rising Sun - counterpoint bassline

Chords: Am |C |D |F |Am |C E |E7
Melody: aab |ce |da |aa |aaa |ge |e
Bass line: a |g |f# |f . . .e |a . . b |c . . d e

No doubt you'll notice that in the first four bars the bass goes down, where the melody moves upward. In the next bars it's the other way around.

Ornaments

On top of that basic line, you can add smaller 'ornamental' stuff, like arpeggio's, chords, short runs, dead notes etc. They should not harm the distinction of the fundamental line, so keep it simple ant subtle.
- emphasize on the fundamental line either through volume, accent or lenght of the notes (a clearcut ending of notes attributes to a sense of control)
- focus on the drums for analog rhythmic patterns
- simple syncopated notes, either short or dead, can do wonders for the groove.

Have fun!

Chris,
Thanks for this. With all the chaos of the holidays, I haven't had a chance to digest it completely but I will soon. I just wanted to let you know that I appreciated the time you took to post this.

[TallicaDeth]

what i do is, i get 4 lines and and put some random, but not stupid numbers on it. then i play it. if it sounds bad, i throw it away, if its good, i make it better.

heres one i made.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------7---7-8-9p8h9---9p8h9---987----------------
-22----22----33----7----6---------------------------876-7p6h7-----
----22----22----77---6----------------------------------------------

its not really anything, but its a start and it sounds ok.