Short question about walking

RyRob813 · #1 06-25-2009, 04:35 PM

After years of frustration, defeat, and (literally) broken bass parts, I'm finally beginning to walk with a small amount of confidence. I certainley understand it 1000 times better than I ever have before, and I have a wonderful, step-by-step instructional program at college to thank for that.

At any rate, I'm intensely studying it this summer, and I'm wondering:

At the end of my last semester in school, we were doing a beginner's intro to walking, and doing so within some basic peramiters: Root on the first beat of the new chord, scale and chord tones only, and no distances greater than a minor third between the old and new chord.

Now I realize that these rules are not law by any means, and we only used them as a means to introduce ourselves to the world of walking. In the personal studying I've been doing, however, I've read lessons that involve ALOT of chromatic tones, usually walking chromatically up to the root of the next chord in the progression. When I wrote out a line that involved movement like that in school, my teacher had told me to avoid that, because it would loose the sound of the chord I was trying to express.

That makes sense to me, but it seems that a lot of jazz bassists I'm listening to do it a good deal. Are there just "spots" to play a line like that? Or is it just jazz virtuoso's doing whatever they please, because they don't believe there's a wrong note? Help!

Thanks! (okay so this wasn't that short)

RyRob813 · #2 06-25-2009, 06:58 PM

Really? No one?

CharlieDog · #3 06-25-2009, 07:35 PM

Just do it one foot in front of the other.

But seriously, perhaps he's just trying to get you to focus listening to the chord at hand, and will later incorporate chromatics.

Earthday · #4 06-25-2009, 07:59 PM

My guess is he is introducing walking concepts to you in order of how consistently they will sound good. Chords tones very consistently sound good, so he probably wants you to get very well grounded in those, then he will introduce other motions (such as chromatic) so you can add it to what you already know. Chromatic approaches can sound great, but interfere with other instruments more than chord tones, so it's important to use them with taste.

tgrant · #5 06-25-2009, 08:19 PM

First of all, listen to your teacher. It sounds like he knows what he is doing (and +1 on what Earthday said). But, typically when I use chromatic lines it's because it is going somewhere. Which creates a "pull" toward the root of the next chord. For example if you were going from G- to C7 you could play G A Bb B(natural) then C on the 1 of the next bar. The B natural is not in the chord or scale but, it is pulling toward the next chord. If your pattern were to be four counts each of the following chords... G- | C7 | FMaj7 | Bb . Then you could follow the same chromatic pattern (G A Bb B |C D Eb E| F G Ab A |Bb...)
Again, stay with your teacher. He has a reason for keeping you within the chord tones so that you can get your ears trained to the sound of what the progression should sound like.

RyRob813 · #6 06-25-2009, 08:32 PM

Hey thanks guys, I appreciate the insight.

Haha, I don't mean to appear like I'm rebelling against my instructor...what they say is golden!!!! I'm just trying to prepare myself for where I know our lessons will be headed in the fall.

At any rate, that makes sense, and essentially confirms what I thought I was understanding correctly

It's nice to finally begin to understand this walking business!

Thanks again!

Kimpini · #7 06-25-2009, 08:54 PM

What my teacher taught me to do is to do the root note on beat 1 and chord tones on 2 and 3. But on beat 4, or the approach note, you can do anything that leads into the next chord. UNLESS it conflicts with the other chord tones, like playing an Eb during a C major chord, since the pitches of C major are C, E, and G. But in the end, all of these rules can be broken, what it really boils down to is if it sounds good or not. Anyone please correct me if I am wrong.

Hoover · #8 06-26-2009, 09:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyRob813

I've read lessons that involve ALOT of chromatic tones, usually walking chromatically up to the root of the next chord in the progression. When I wrote out a line that involved movement like that in school, my teacher had told me to avoid that, because it would loose the sound of the chord I was trying to express.

That makes sense to me, but it seems that a lot of jazz bassists I'm listening to do it a good deal. Are there just "spots" to play a line like that? Or is it just jazz virtuoso's doing whatever they please, because they don't believe there's a wrong note?

One thing I've found is that as long as your chromatic passing notes or upper/lower neighbors occur on a weak beat (i.e., 2 or 4) you won't lose the sound of the chord.

In fact, 20 or so years ago when I finally discovered (sic) the whole concept of the chromatic approach tone falling on beat 4, it completely revolutionized my walking basslines. It was like a door had been opened. Forget about "no distances greater than a minor third between the old and new chord", try no distances greater than a minor 2nd between the old (beat 4) and new chord (downbeat)... ignore the harmonic function of that note on beat 4, just trust that by resolving up or down a half step to the root of the new chord you'll establish that chord's sound solidly.

But don't get hung up on doing that too much, or it'll sound gimmicky. Everything in moderation.

onlyclave · #9 06-26-2009, 11:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoover

One thing I've found is that as long as your chromatic passing notes or upper/lower neighbors occur on a weak beat (i.e., 2 or 4) you won't lose the sound of the chord.

In fact, 20 or so years ago when I finally discovered (sic) the whole concept of the chromatic approach tone falling on beat 4, it completely revolutionized my walking basslines. It was like a door had been opened. Forget about "no distances greater than a minor third between the old and new chord", try no distances greater than a minor 2nd between the old (beat 4) and new chord (downbeat)... ignore the harmonic function of that note on beat 4, just trust that by resolving up or down a half step to the root of the new chord you'll establish that chord's sound solidly.

But don't get hung up on doing that too much, or it'll sound gimmicky. Everything in moderation.

Word. When I discovered approaching the next chord from a half step above or below my walking became a lot hipper immediately.

projectMalamute · #10 06-26-2009, 11:32 AM

I took a couple lessons with Dan Pliskow years ago, he's a jazz bass teacher at Wayne State in Detroit. He has a quick method for getting you up and running with some pretty hip sounding walking bass lines. Goes something like this:

On every beat one (and beat three if you have two changes to the bar) play the root. On every beat three play a chord tone. Practice a couple choruses of whatever tune you are working on doing just this, 2 to the bar style. When you get comfortable with that start filling in the second and fourth beats with notes that are either a major or minor second above or below the following note, don't even think about the harmony.

You end up with strong chord tones on one and three and a great deal of chromaticism on beats two and four. What makes it sound so great is the way you have this real fast tension and resolution thing going on, with the 2 and 4 pulling in to the next note. Properly applied that feel of the accents on the 2 and 4 strongly resolving to the 1 and 3 can make your lines really swing.

I'm not saying you want to dogmatically apply this method for the rest of your playing career, but it is a simple and effective way to put together some good walking lines when you are starting out.