A Good Way To Practice Walking Bass Lines

[J-B'ass]

Long post, but worth it. Warning: This is one of those mental exercises which may fry your brain at first. If you feel fatigued, stop and rest, never push yourself beyond what you can comfortably endure.
Do not use a metronome for this exercise, this is a mental exercise and worrying about groove with only distract you.

Pick a range of five frets anywhere on your bass. Within this range you will have all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, plus a few more. This means that within this range you can walk over every possible chord sequence. Let's take this untapped freedom and make a practice exercise out of it.

Preparation
Take a simple chord progression, for example a 12-bar blues. Those of you more confident with scales might want to pick a relatively simple jazz tune, for example I Got Rhythm.
Now write out the chords using roman numerals. I'm going to show what this means by using a 12-bar blues in C as an example.

Chords for a 12-bar in C:

|C7|F7|C7|%|F7|%|C7|%|G7|F7|C7|%|
(% = repeat last bar. This is a very common sign found in music notation and chord charts.)

When writing out a sequence, your are naming each chord not with a note, but rather by it's relationship with the key of the piece. We are in the key of C, so the C chord becomes the I chord, in this case a I7. F is the fourth of C, so the F7 chord becomes IV7. Let's look at that progression again, but this time we'll write the chords as roman numerals:

|I7|IV7|I7|%|IV7|%|I7|%|V7|IV7|I7|%|

The advantage of thinking about chords in this way is that it becomes easy to transpose them (play them in a different key from the original). Transposing the chords into a different key is essential for this method of practice.

Positions
Each "position" is a range of five frets. Begin using frets zero (ie open string) to four. The exercise described below is for one range of five frets. When you have completed it, move your position up by one fret and do it again. Continue this until you have reached the opposite end of the fretboard.

Arpeggios
Staying strictly within your 5-fret range, play the arpeggio of each chord. Start with the lowest note of that chord available within your range, and do not stop until you have reached the highest note available, and then return back down.

For the C7, our lowest note would be the open E string. The next note would be the G on the third fret of the E string. Next is the Bb on the first fret of the A string, followed by the C on the third fret of the A string. Then the E on fret three of the D string, then the open G string, and finally the Bb on the third fret of the G string.

Do this for every chord, always staying strictly within your 5-fret range.

Walking
Now it's time to play the whole sequence. The idea is that you walk from the lowest chord tone within your 5-fret range to the highest, exactly as before, but with one difference. This time the chords are moving. This means you have to be always looking ahead four beats so you're ready for the next chord. I'm now going to talk you through the first four chords.

C7
The lowest note is the open E string. Then the G on fret three of the E string. Then the Bb on fret one of the A string, and then the C on fret three of the A string. We have now played four beats, and it's time to change chord.

F7
Continuing to move up within our 5-fret range, the next note of F7 is the Eb on fret one of the D string, Then the F on fret three of the D string. Then the A on fret two of the G string. This is the highest note of F7 within our 5-fret range, so it's time to move down for the fourth beat back to the F on fret three of the D string.

C7
We're back on the C chord, and continuing down within our 5-fret range. The next note is E on the second fret of the D string. Then, C on the third fret of the A string, then Bb of the first fret of the A string, and finally the G on the third fret of the E string.

C7
The C7 chord repeats at this point in the sequence, and the land on the open E string on beat one. This is where we started, so we can follow the same pattern we used on the very first C7 chord. It's not often we get the luxury of repeating ourselves.

The Test
Once you have played through the entire chord sequence in this way, it's time for some free walking. Have your metronome click on beats two and four (for that jazzy swing feel), or play along to a jazz drum track, or do whatever you gotta do to get your groove on. Start walking, again staying within your 5-fret range, but this time you can play any note in any order. Don't worry about going up or down, about hitting every note of every chord, just play what sounds good.

Once you've done this, go back to the top and do this whole exercise again, but this time nudge your 5-fret position up by one fret. You'll get at least a good hour's practice out of this one, and here's the final part to remember:

Once you have done every arpeggio of every chord in every 5-fret position all the way to the top of the neck, transpose the whole song to the next key on the circle of fifths, and start all over again.


What else do I need to do to master walking bass lines?

Listen to walking bass lines, as many as you can and as often as you can. Listen not only to the notes, but to the feel. Listen to how the bass grooves with the drums, and the rest of the rhythm section. Feel is as big a part of walking bass lines as note choice.

Transcribe walking bass lines. This will get you listening harder, and you will learn about the kinds of note choices different players from different eras make.

Learn your scales and modes. This puts your chord arpeggios into context, and gives you many options for passing notes between chord tones, and for other ways you can change the overall harmony through your choice of notes.

There are two books I recommend; Beginning Walking Bass Lines, and Expanding Walking Bass Lines, both by Ed Friedland. Excellent books.

Play lots of walking bass lines, and play them with other live musicians whenever you can. Learn the chords to some popular jazz standards like Autumn Leaves or I Got Rhythm, and go out and play with people.

Feel free to pm me with any questions about anything.

[Reviaul]

First of all thank you for taking the time to write all this out. For a beginner such as myself I've been trying to find an effective way to learn and practice walking bass lines because I think they're so awesome. I'm most assuredly going to work this into my practicing as it'll help me to memorize my arpeggios as well.

Thanks agian

[lowendfriend]

Thanks for posting this...Sorry to be nitpicky, but since this moves and repeats I want to be sure to get this baseline straight.

"F7
Continuing to move up within our 5-fret range, the next note of F7 is the Eb on fret one of the D string, Then the F on fret three of the D string. Then the A on fret two of the G string. This is the highest note of F7 within our 5-fret range, so it's time to move down for the fourth beat back to the F on fret three of the D string."

Since an F7 chord is F A C Eb, (re-ordered per your exercise as Eb F A C) why isn't C considered "in the five fret range" since it is the 5th fret on the G string? If open E is on the low-end, I would assume C on the high end would also be in the range.

Now to be a total PITA, if I have a 5 string, I would assume it's fair game to include the low B string "in scope" of the five fret range, no? I recognize your example is for 4 strings. If it is, then the C chord plays straight up from the first fret on the B string.

[penguinbass]

Originally Posted by lowendfriend

Since an F7 chord is F A C Eb, (re-ordered per your exercise as Eb F A C) why isn't C considered "in the five fret range" since it is the 5th fret on the G string? If open E is on the low-end, I would assume C on the high end would also be in the range.

Five fret range would be open, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th frets, I think.

[lowendfriend]

AHHHH! I get it. Thanks.

[Ed Fuqua]

Any instructional that includes the words "don't worry" about what notes you're playing is kind of missing the point.

[groooooove]

nice job. i agree with all of it, and yes, 5+ string basses INCLUDE YOUR EXTRA STRINGS into your arpeggios.

and another big +1 to the ed freidland books, as well as to listening to great bass players walking- "chops" by joe pass and neils henning, is a goldmine for bass players looking to learn walking bass, as well as melodic improvising (solos.) if you transcribe any one chord change from any one part of that album, youll learn something.

[J-B'ass]

Originally Posted by penguinbass

Five fret range would be open, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th frets, I think.

Exactly

Originally Posted by groooooove

and another big +1 to the ed freidland books, as well as to listening to great bass players walking- "chops" by joe pass and neils henning, is a goldmine for bass players looking to learn walking bass, as well as melodic improvising (solos.) if you transcribe any one chord change from any one part of that album, youll learn something.

Groooooove is right about including the low B string, use all the strings you have as long as you can stay within your 5-fret range. Good recommendations as well.

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

Any instructional that includes the words "don't worry" about what notes you're playing is kind of missing the point.

Don't say that near Victor Wooten :P. But seriously, when I said "Don't worry about going up or down, about hitting every note of every chord, just play what sounds good", all I meant was that you no longer have to restrict yourself to going in one direction until you run out of space. Also, you don't have to play every note of every arpeggio, ie you can repeat some notes, which you inevitably will if you choose to change direction at any point. It is still important to stay within the arpeggio for each chord, and I apologize if this wasn't stated clearly.

I would also like to add that this idea of playing over each chord using the corresponding arpeggio is a solid backbone for every walking bass line, but there are many other factors that go beyond this, such as chromatic leading notes, and also rhythmical ideas. The Ed Friedland books are good because they start you off using simple root and octaves, and by the end you will know how to use any note over any chord (even if that use is: avoid!).

[Ed Fuqua]

You're still approaching playing a walking line without any kind of arc or meaning. Walking is as much or more about propulsion as it is definition of harmony and trying to "plug in" notes based on some formula is going to get you a line that's about as meaningful as trying to write poetry in Urdu using words somebody gave you on little cards marked NOUN or VERB.

[Beast]

Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua

You're still approaching playing a walking line without any kind of arc or meaning. Walking is as much or more about propulsion as it is definition of harmony and trying to "plug in" notes based on some formula is going to get you a line that's about as meaningful as trying to write poetry in Urdu using words somebody gave you on little cards marked NOUN or VERB.

Can't we agree that although this may not be the best "walking" practice, it sure does familiarize the player much more with the fretboard, so that they will have to worry less about the theoretical aspect, and can focus more on the music?

[J-B'ass]

Originally Posted by Beast

Can't we agree that although this may not be the best "walking" practice, it sure does familiarize the player much more with the fretboard, so that they will have to worry less about the theoretical aspect, and can focus more on the music?

Exactly, hence my disclaimer at the end of my last post. I never claimed this was anything more than a good way of familiarizing yourself with one crucial aspect of walking bass lines. Of course the creativity and expressiveness are important as well, as are things like timing and groove, and chromatic harmony. One exercise won't cover everything, but this exercise covers all that it was intended to.

[Ed Fuqua]

I'd suggest working specifically on arpeggios in all inversions and in closed and open position as well as two octave major, harmonic and melodic minor scales in a variety of fingerings to work on familiarization, shifting etc.

Look do what you want, I have been doing this for a minute.

[So Low Bass]

All the note talk is fine. As for the feel...

It's CRITICAL that any of this is practiced to a $15 metronome with the "clicks" on beats two and four, with a triplet feel. I'm not sure what a "jazz" track is, and many players aren't going to know "What[ever] it takes. A lot of drummers don't know "what it takes", especially the ones that ride their bass drum on each beat.

Two and four... and triplets.

[Wanbli]

I have been working on Bossa tunes and i am wondering if it is fine for me to add a little bit of walking lines into it to really increase the anticipation for the next chord. I know most Bossa works are with roots and fifths at Beats 1 and 3 but i was wondering if i can break out of that without losing the pulse of the song. I haven't tested this out with my friends but it was just on my mind right now.

[J-B'ass]

Originally Posted by So Low Bass

It's CRITICAL that any of this is practiced to a $15 metronome with the "clicks" on beats two and four, with a triplet feel.

No, it's not.
Groove is essential, it's half the story, but this isn't a groove exercise. This is an exercise to get your head around every arpeggio in every position all across the neck, and be able to move smoothly between them. A metronome is only a distraction here.

The exception is the final "test yourself" stage, but even there a metronome is not particularly important.

[J-B'ass]

Originally Posted by Wanbli

I have been working on Bossa tunes and i am wondering if it is fine for me to add a little bit of walking lines into it to really increase the anticipation for the next chord. I know most Bossa works are with roots and fifths at Beats 1 and 3 but i was wondering if i can break out of that without losing the pulse of the song. I haven't tested this out with my friends but it was just on my mind right now.

I've not played a lot of bossas,, but it seems to me a good place to start is by keeping the root and fifth pulse strong one beats 1 and 3, and on beat 4 use a note or two to approach the next chord, either via scale tones or chromatically.
Bossa is essentially dance music, so whatever you do don't drop the pulse!

[Jack Clark]

Subbing and bumping--with thanks!

[Michael Campbel]

Very cool; thanks for this. This does sound like the approach Fingerboard Harmony takes, and yes, it's quite mind blowing (at least it was for me; I'm just starting with any sort of theory.)

[CDweller]

Note of thanks for the op- well done. I like the simplification to just concerning oneself with one position- 5 frets.

[Jack Clark]

This is somewhat reminiscent of Jon (PacMan) Packard's "Boxes," playing across the strings with three notes on each string, which he put here on TB a couple of years ago. But that was intended for learning the fingerboard while practicing scales and modes, not specifically as a learning-to-walk exercise. I practice scales that way.