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Can't come up with basslines

Nicolas Moreno

Nicolas Moreno

Oct 1, 2022
49
32
Buenos Aires, Argentina
#1
After months of being a cover band I finally convinced the rest of my bandmates that we should start writing our own songs. I already had a few ideas in my head and I started writing the parts for guitar, drums and even the lyrics, but I just can't come up with a decent bassline to go with it all. Is there no alternative other than sticking to the same 4 notes? How do you come up with basslines, and why is it so much easier to write guitar parts?

Any and all tips are appreciated
 
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#6
Just go back to listen to some of your favorite songs, write down the bass lines (in notation if you can, just using letters for the notes will do). Then analyze them. What are the notes? Some parts are just riffs, others have sections of scales or arpeggios, others just use chord tones beyond the root and five.

There's also cliche lines you can borrow from, depending on the kind of music you are playing.

It would be very helpful to learn how to play the vocal and guitar melodies of the songs your band writes and borrow parts of those melodies to use in your lines.
 
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#7
MonetBass said:
What is the extent of your music theory knowledge? Knowing chord tones and scales would certainly help.
www.musictheory.net
Click to expand...

I absolutely suck at music theory, I can play scales instinctively but I can't put a name to any of them and I don't know how to use them.

LBS-bass said:
This and playing along with about a gazillion songs. How long have you been playing? Practice helps because you'll get interval movements under your fingers and instinctively find places to go.
Click to expand...

I started paying about 4 years ago but I only really started practicing seriously and playing live last year. My main problem is that, whatever I play always ends up sounding like someone else's song, and when it doesn't it's usually pretty basic and uninteresting or just playing root notes lol
 
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#10
This (for the most part) seems to be something that comes naturally for a lot of song writers. I'm not sure there is a way to "learn". It's either in your head or it isn't. Ability doesn't seem to matter as much as hearing the parts in your head. The most talented song writer I know is a terrible guitarist but an incredible song writer. Just don't ask him to write the guitar lead.
 
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#11
"whatever I play always ends up sounding like someone else's song"

Fantastic, start there. Great artists steal.
After a while, maybe you'll hear, or another band member will suggest, a way to make it sound less like whatever you think it sounds like.
Remember, just because you think it's ripping something else off, by the time it goes through your brain, out through your fingers, and into someone else's ears, it won't necessarily be as obvious as you think.
 
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#12
There's a trope going around here. It goes (something like): "There are no wrong notes as long as you play with conviction"

These are your songs, yes? You said you can play scales instinctively. If it sounds good to you, it must belong in the song. There's no way there can be a "wrong" note if you're writing the song (really ugly clunker notes excluded, of course).

Good luck.
 
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#13
For inspiration, my suggestion would be to listen to other genres. Listen to other instruments and they approach what they’re playing. In essence, just expand your musical radar to help get over this crunch.

You will eventually create a melody that you that you can present to the others. If you’re afraid you might be too busy, foist it upon the guitars and keys come up with a more root oriented baseline. You’ll be now thinking in an ensemble frame of mind. Good luck.
 
#14
Nicolas Moreno said:
I absolutely suck at music theory, I can play scales instinctively but I can't put a name to any of them and I don't know how to use them.
Click to expand...

Simply explained without theory:(@all feel free to correct me where I'm wrong.)

Choose a major scale.
From each note position play the 3rd and 5th note (the 7th is also allowed) that follow it. => now you know for each note in this scale which chords should sound minor or major in the corresponding major key. (There will be an exception, but you may find this out for yourself...)
If you play the 6th note in this major scale. It corresponds to the minor key in which the same chords are used.

Once you've figured this out, you can look up dominant chords....

Remember that each note has an octave and you already have many more notes available.

Try not to cram all measures packed with as many notes as possible. Usually 4 notes are sufficient and the rests should also be played.
Rhythm and feeling are more important than the number of specially selected notes.

GO!
 
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#15
Firstly, don't think it is mandatory to play the root note. There can be a harmony in the bassline.
If you haven't do so, record the guitar riff and chord progression.....I guess record the guitar track, then play it back and jam the bass line a bit. Stick with the roots (contradictory, I know), throw in some fills. Based on what the guitar is doing, you should get an idea of the timing of the bassline.
Our process is the guitarist (primarily writes our music) brings a song in and we jam on it. The drummer finds a beat and I come up with something that supports both. Sometimes the drummer adapts to what I'm doing, sometimes I adapt to him.
Jam with different genres. I'm finding some good inspiration with gospel bass lines.
 
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#16
Nicolas Moreno said:
We play mostly covers but let's say mostly post-punk, grunge or other genres of the sort.
Click to expand...
Are these also the genres you are writing in? Are you trying to make the bass a prominent sound in the mix? Are you sicking to basic harmony support or trying to come up with signature riffs? Or focusing on driving the rhythm forward? If what you are coming up with supports your goal, I would worry too much if it sounds like other people as long as it doesn’t sound like plagiarism. With time and experience you’ll develop from where you are now.
 
#18
Nicolas Moreno said:
After months of being a cover band I finally convinced the rest of my bandmates that we should start writing our own songs. I already had a few ideas in my head and I started writing the parts for guitar, drums and even the lyrics, but I just can't come up with a decent bassline to go with it all. Is there no alternative other than sticking to the same 4 notes? How do you come up with basslines, and why is it so much easier to write guitar parts?

Any and all tips are appreciated
Click to expand...
What's the melody? After you've settled on that, decide what chords you want to put under it to support it. Once you're at this point, you have everything you need to create a bassline and/or counter-melody.
 
#19
bassGtar said:
Are these also the genres you are writing in? Are you trying to make the bass a prominent sound in the mix? Are you sicking to basic harmony support or trying to come up with signature riffs? Or focusing on driving the rhythm forward? If what you are coming up with supports your goal, I would worry too much if it sounds like other people as long as it doesn’t sound like plagiarism. With time and experience you’ll develop from where you are now.
Click to expand...

The stuff I've come up with is mostly shoegaze/postpunk, I'd like to make the bass relatively noticeable while 'enhancing' the harmony, if that makes sense.
 
#20
Nicolas Moreno said:
I absolutely suck at music theory, I can play scales instinctively but I can't put a name to any of them and I don't know how to use them.
Click to expand...

Scales are used in creating melodies. Basslines traditionally outline the chords but can be melodic in nature (listen to late-period Beatles and classic Motown). In other words, scales are a lot less important to basslines than many people seem to think. Soloing...OK, they are more helpful there.

Assuming you are talking about rock songs: Unless you are deliberately trying to play a melodic line, the first beat in a bar should always be the root of the chord, that's easy! It should also be the lastnote you play at the end of the song, hey that's really easy!

The next most important notes (in order) are the fifth, then the third and seventh...the chord tones. There's about 999 million basslines that use nothing but those notes. Anything blues-based (including funk and a lot of classic rock) will work fine using nothing else. Playing only the root, fifth and flat seventh (in the key of E, that's E, B and D) in various permutations is one of the most common sources of basslines in rock. Avoiding the third means you don't have to deal with major vs. minor, that's a load off your mind! Everything else in the line pretty much revolves around rhythm, especially syncopation.

Here's an example in classic rock of three songs that share the same basic figure in the bass line. Notice that at first none of these sound like they have the same bass line.







Why not? Because they have totally different grooves.
 
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