Making a cool bassline

[Leftybass12]

So I've been experimenting with a bassline off of a guitar riff that my friend gave me, but nothing that I create is to my satisfaction.

Can anyone out there give some pointers about making a cool sounding bassline? Actually one that stands out from the guitar line is what I'm really asking

By the way the riff is rock sounding

[GreggBummer]

When writing bass lines here is what I do:

I play the guitar line over and over ... and I just play the roots. It makes me more familiar with how it goes. Then I turn the CD player (computer) off and start experimenting with the progression. Even better for me is to play the line over and over on a guitar (!) so I get in my guitar players head a little.

If the progression is D - A - G - A - D (or whatever) in 4/4 then I start moving beats around... I may just be playing roots and thirds or fifths... but I get my hands moving....

eventually... a bass line comes out of it. Play what is in your head... not what is on the paper/CD/Mp3.

Works for me. Others hate it. Oh well.

[RiddimKing]

This has been said a million times, and for good reason: it works: Sing a line. Once you have the guitar melody or chord progression in your head, start singing or humming a bass line to it. Then, when you have something you like, record it, and then transcribe it to your bass. This is a good way to break out of muscle-memory patterns so that your voice dictates the sound on your bass, vs your fingers determining what's played.