Own bassline and soloing

[Charlieain]

I have make my own bass line for Satin Doll by Duke Ellington and solo on Impressions by John Coltrane. I'm not sure approach this. I can play both songs. I have never really learned how to solo. And when i tried to create my own bass line it sounds just wrong. Help

[tomber]

When you solo you have to feel it on the spot, if you have a general outline of the solo thats fine. But when you solo its a no going back situation so just play the best you can.

tip: take some other basslines you know and convert them to the song you are playing. Ex. if you know a song that usually starts out on the 5th fret of the E string (A), but the song you have starts on a C, than play the same thing that starts out on an A and convert it to the C.

another tip: take all of the advice I just told you and play as fast as you can.

[bunkaroo]

My advice: put down your bass and just listen to the section you want to solo over. Can you hear any bass melodies in your head? Try humming something you think would fit. If you can nail down something this way, then you just have to translate it to bass.

I do probably 90% of my bass line composition in my head when I'm nowhere near my instrument. Sometimes have the physical instrument in front of you can be an impediment to creativity.

[Febs]

As far as creating your own basslines, you might want to check out Ed Friedland's "Building Walking Bass Lines" book, and this thread, which is meant to be a discussion of the concepts presented in the book:

Building Walking Basslines Lesson 1

[tangentmusic]

Originally Posted by bunkaroo

My advice: put down your bass and just listen to the section you want to solo over. Can you hear any bass melodies in your head? Try humming something you think would fit. If you can nail down something this way, then you just have to translate it to bass.

I do probably 90% of my bass line composition in my head when I'm nowhere near my instrument. Sometimes have the physical instrument in front of you can be an impediment to creativity.

Great advice. This works for me also. Not just solos or lines, but entire songs too.

[Charlieain]

Originally Posted by tomber

When you solo you have to feel it on the spot, if you have a general outline of the solo thats fine. But when you solo its a no going back situation so just play the best you can.

tip: take some other basslines you know and convert them to the song you are playing. Ex. if you know a song that usually starts out on the 5th fret of the E string (A), but the song you have starts on a C, than play the same thing that starts out on an A and convert it to the C.

another tip: take all of the advice I just told you and play as fast as you can.

does the also apply to creating your own bass line?

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by Charlieain

I have make my own bass line for Satin Doll by Duke Ellington and solo on Impressions by John Coltrane. I'm not sure approach this. I can play both songs. I have never really learned how to solo. And when i tried to create my own bass line it sounds just wrong. Help

Go here http://www.ralphpatt.com/Song.html look up the chord progression for Satin Doll then go to the backing tracks listed on the tool bar. Satin Doll is there in both indexes.

See what you can do with this. I hear an up right bass using a four note generic bass line to each chord change. First few measures have two chords per measure. I'd do R-R on the first then R-R on the second. Or R-5 on both. Two beats each is all the room you have.

Try R-3-5-3 or R-b3-5-b3 as the case may be and see if you can keep up. That soft groove is what I think you want.
I'd dumb down the bass line (and or chord progression) till you get that groove - then add a few more chord tones.... the beat is the important thing, the actual notes - beyond the roots - are secondary, i.e. every chord tone is not necessary, would be nice, but, not necessary right now for you and I.

Did not find a backing track for Impressions.

Have fun.