I'm talking about like gospel bass fills and hip hop (not rap, like r&b?) fills the they do. I want to know how to do them. I know theory and stuff, butt I just can't make my "fills" sound like music.
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Bass fills
- Thread starter Nate Plays Bass
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Find some players that you like, find out what scales they're using, practice the heck outta said scales, and make some changes as your running through 'em...
Totally rip off your favorite bassists and learn their licks and try to use them in your bands. That'll give you ideas how to construct your own lines. It also greatly helps if you know chord construction and how to form lines around your chords. A good jazz teacher can help you greatly with that, and finding one is highly recommended. You might also want to get a book called "Building Walking Bass Lines" by Ed Friedland.
As recommended above, listen a lot, and pick out stuff. No matter if you're copying at first. Then, take a tune you're working on and see if any of those licks will work in it. Use the lick if you want, or better yet, see if you can come up with something similar, but something that is all YOU.
You might also want to practice playing "lead bass" a bit. That's not something that is appreciated when overdone in a tune, but it works great for fills. Kinda like a guitarist practicing lead lines. If you know theory, you should be able to come up with something that fits the chord structure. And don't be afraid to step out of the box some, too. I was doing that last night at practice while we were just jamming, and turns out I hit on some interesting bass parts just by playing a few things that were kinda off the wall, stuff I don't normally do. Venture forth.
You might also want to practice playing "lead bass" a bit. That's not something that is appreciated when overdone in a tune, but it works great for fills. Kinda like a guitarist practicing lead lines. If you know theory, you should be able to come up with something that fits the chord structure. And don't be afraid to step out of the box some, too. I was doing that last night at practice while we were just jamming, and turns out I hit on some interesting bass parts just by playing a few things that were kinda off the wall, stuff I don't normally do. Venture forth.
- Feb 27, 2005
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Bolded for emphasis. Tabs will help you learn licks, but they won't help you reach your goal of creating them on your own. This book is a classic, and helped me connect the scales and such I knew with the music I was making.
Haha. Sorry. I'll hopefully get that. I also want to get the Norm Stockton DVDs. I have the first one, I just need 2-4.
Agreed. This book actually teaches more than just walking (though it does that very thoroughly). It really shows you different ways to target certain chord tones and how they can be applied in different progressions. It definitely opened my eyes to some new possibilities. Highly recommended.
I agree - listen to some tunes and rip off the basslines. It'll give you a good idea of the general structure, then you can improv from there.
One I really like in the hip-hop/rap category is "Sick and Tired" by the Nappy Roots.
One I really like in the hip-hop/rap category is "Sick and Tired" by the Nappy Roots.
