How do I incorporate chromatics and non diatonic notes?

[AndyMania]

Hey Guys,

I believe I have the basics of chordal theory pretty down pat. However, I am still struggling with how to add color to my grooves by using chromatic/non diatonic notes. Besides just playing the basic 1-3-5-7 intervals and their inversions in different combinations and rhythms, how can I spice things up? This is getting to be pretty boring and limiting now. I hear these great funk players (Jamerson, etc) but cant really figure out what they are doing earwise. Any input, examples, exercises would be tremendously appreciated!

-Andy

[251]

This book, comes with a CD & some transcriptions;
Amazon.com: Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson (9780881888829): Dr. Licks, James Jamerson, Berry Gordy: Books

Perhaps it will make what is being played clearer?

FWIW, if you've found what you're doing boring, you have made progress. You've asked a great question in a place that can bring useful answers. 8-)

[Basshoofd]

You can think of scales that fit the chords you're playing. Different scales bring different colors, so experiment and start to find "out-tones" that you like. For example, over a minor 7th chord you can play any scale that contains 1-b3-5-b7. Aeolian sounds different from Dorian, Phrygian has its own color too. All scales have certain intervals that define the sound of the scale. For example, Dorian is a plain minor scale but with a natural 6 instead of a flatted 6th. If you want that typical Dorian sound, play a natural 6th during a minor chord.

As for chromatics, I would suggest targeting notes by walking up or down to them. Let's say you have a Cmaj-Fmaj progression. Try walking up to the F chord by playing d-d#-e-f, with the last note hitting the first beat of the Fmaj bar.

[HolmeBass]

I'd say just let go and start to string chromatic run between the chord tones. But I can't argue against the Standing In The Shadows book, it's a great resource for learning how the master did it.

[MalcolmAmos]

I'll address chromatic runs to the next chord as done in Country music.


You are using the Key of C chords at the 4th string 8th fret. In the chord of C doing what ever you do (R-3-5-R) and want to get to the F chord. I grab the C# and D on the 4th string then move up and get E & F on the 3rd string. When you finish with the F chord and want to run to the G chord -- back up and get E note, F note, F# note and land on G. Now the trip back to C can be done several ways I normally go back on the 3rd string F, E, D and then catch the C on the 4th string. So you have a couple of jumps avoiding the sharps on this run. That is a good ending (the song) run for tagging the last line. From the G to the C you could drop down to the 4th string grab the D#, D, C# and land on C. All kinds of ways to run chromatically, the timing is the hard part.

It's just a matter of leaving early and timing your run so you land on the next chord for Root on 1.

[sammyp]

in a nutshell .....you use your chromatics or non chord tones on weak beats

[AndyMania]

Thanks for the responses guys. Im worried about using the scales because I dont want to sound amateurish. I watched the Carol Kaye interview and she said that alot of beginners use scales to solo over the chords so Im not sure how to make the scales sound musical without it sounding like im just practicing scales.

[narud]

Originally Posted by AndyMania

Thanks for the responses guys. Im worried about using the scales because I dont want to sound amateurish. I watched the Carol Kaye interview and she said that alot of beginners use scales to solo over the chords so Im not sure how to make the scales sound musical without it sounding like im just practicing scales.

if youre an amateur, youre going to sound amateur. if you run up and down arpeggios youll sound like youre practicing arpeggios.

dont give up on your ear. you mentioned jamerson. use a book like standing in the shadows of motown as a jumping off point to see what some of the figures were you couldnt figure out previously. then go back to your ear. you should have a better idea of what is happening conceptually after reading through a couple of examples. then go back and use your ear to transcribe the rest. your ear should be more accustomed to hearing whats being played. i dont recommend relying solely on the written transcriptions for your learning. theyll become a more natural sounding part of your vocabulary if you work them out.

[mambo4]

typically on weak beats, usually connecting chord tones or pentatonic tones.

some common ones:
b7-7-8 (Dom or Min chord)
4-b5-5 (Dom or Min , some contexts Maj)
6-b7-7-8 (dom, maj)
3-b-b5-5(dom,maj)
5-b6-6(maj)
b3-3-4(min)

also common is leading into downbeat of a root or chord tone from a half step away, either above or below.

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by AndyMania

Thanks for the responses guys. Im worried about using the scales because I dont want to sound amateurish. I watched the Carol Kaye interview and she said that alot of beginners use scales to solo over the chords so Im not sure how to make the scales sound musical without it sounding like im just practicing scales.

Leave the solo for later. Plenty of other guys in the band that can pull off a solo, i.e. the lead electric guitar, keys, horns, sax, etc. When you can play THE TUNE you are ready for a lead break solo, not before. Of course - IMO.

[Groove Master]

Here some basic rules that you can apply:

1) Any chord tones like 1-3-5-7 can be approach from below with a half-step. The goal is always to target your chord-tones and most the time the approachs should be played on up-beats.

2) Any chord tones could be approached by above with the diatonic tone from the scale. A double-chromatic approach from above when starting from a scale tone is excellent too.

For example I can play the chromatic scale on any chords as long as I land on the chord tones.

[Phineas]

Here is an approach that may give you a simpler hint.

Lets say I have a progression.

BbMa7 Gmi7 / Cmi7 F7

If I only hit the root, I would play

Bb Bb G G / C C F F

There are notes commonly refered to as velocity notes which are chromatic notes that lead in and out of the harmonics tones. Here is one way to approach the above example.

Bb Gb G Db/ C E F B /Bb

As you can see, this approach adds a little seasoning to just playing the root tones. If I spread the progression out, I can do a lot of chromatic notes.

BbMa7 / Gmi7 / Cmi7 / F7 (Each chord 1 measure 4/4)

Bb E F Gb/ G A Bb B/ C D Eb E/ F G Ab A/ Bb

You can do the same thing going up to the chordal tones, or down to them. Past that, you will have to experiment and develop your own approach.

Frankly, any one method(Scales, Arpeggios, Velocity Notes) are boring, so I tend to mix them up.

Hope this helps.

Phineas

[Intenzity]

Like this:

Basso Ridiculoso: Traidpaloozza Number 2: Approach Tones

Walks through some of the most common ways to do approaches from below, above etc, as a way to start adding some chromatic tones into your lines.

[AndyMania]

Phineas,

Thats a great example. I will mess around with that.

Intensity- That is a really gool link you posted.Never knew about this site.

[AMp'D.2play]

Check out the free video bass lessons section on TB member scott devine's website, specifically the Walking Bass Lines and Creating Bass Lines tutorials.

In Lesson 2 of Creating Bass Lines, Scott specifically touches on chromatic approaches.

[anonymous122511]

Practice chromatic scales. Get that sound firmly in your ear and you will play more horizontally in a musical way. Theoretical analysis is fine but it should mainly serve to justify what you can already hear rather than to teach you what to play.

[JimmyM]

Transcribe the works of bassists whose expertise with chromatic playing you admire. And don't just use bassists...study those who play all instruments. And if you steal their riffs and use them in your own playing situation, no problem! There's a fair amount of trial and error involved, and that's where practice comes in. If you play something that sounds like crap at practice, remember it and try not to do it again Might take you a little while before it comes to you, but you'll figure it out if you keep at it.

[AndyMania]

Thanks Jimmy!

[Snarf]

Transcribe, read Motown lines down, examine how what they play relates to the harmony.

[wrench45us]

there are a lot of books that cover walking bass -- which essentially leads from chord tones to scale tones to V leading notes to integrating chromatic tones.
This is really why I took on learning bass
so books by
Ed Fuqua
Ed Friedlander
Jay Hungerford

as a beginner I started out a little ambitiously trying to get rightto this, but have backed off a little by picking up some books on blues bass -- jump blues features the same styles of walking bass and is serving me well as a nice transition to more harmonically sophisticated standards
an awful lot of knowledge gets compressed in a few inexpensive books