Intermediate - advanced walking tutorials

[LBS-bass]

It would be worth checking out Rufus Philpot’s YouTube page.

This is really helpful. Thanks!

 

[Confunk]

Since nobody walks better :
Ron Carter – Building Jazz Bass Lines - Bass Builders | Hal Leonard Online
His exercises cover pretty much all styles.

If that ain't enough:
I also liked his approach as well-

Essentials: Walking Bass Lines - Bass Lessons - Andrew Ford (truefire.com)

 

[tbz]

Thanks. I have this book, have worked in it in the past and plan to get back into it once I finish the book I'm in right now. Looking more at the moment for some quicker tutorial videos or other things that will just toss some new licks at me that I can take to the stage over the next few shows, but I will get back to Ed soon.

I’ve found that book to be overhyped and oddly elementary. It lacks good examples like the ones you mention wanting.

I think some of us learn by doing and frankly that book is quite poor at facilitating that process.

 

[ToddB1963]

LBS, here's a fairly easy one to transcribe that'll get you straight into walking on a jazz blues.

Ray Brown.

 

[Jazzdogg]

LISTEN TO RAY BROWN.

 

[LBS-bass]

=1']Here you go!

344 threads (now 345 with this one)...
(= plenty of information available)

Thanks but the reason I posted was specifically not to wade through 344 threads of what's likely to be beginner-level stuff, hoping for something a little more targeted to my actual needs.

 

[littlebun]

Brief discussion: I work with a couple of blues bands so I do a lot of ersatz walking. I do a good job but I know that my bag of tricks is a little limited and I'd like to expand beyond that, incorporating other sorts of approaches to what I do. It's all too easy to fall back to the standard patterns.

So I'm on the hunt for videos and other materials that will bring some additional phrases and lines into my vocabulary. Doesn't have to be blues oriented stuff, jazzy stuff is fine as it all cross-pollinates well. I'm also open to live instruction if anyone out there wants to tutor a cranky old lady via zoom (unless you're local to me) who already has some chops, and if you're willing to figure out where my deficits are and help me fill the gaps.

What have you got?

Jump 'N' Blues Bass by Keith Rosier (Shannon, Dunn, Dixon, basslines etc..)

 

[HTBP]

I've been working in blues bands since the 70s and teaching for more than 20 years. I have a blues book (PDF form) which was on bassbooks.com before they went out of business. I've been dragging my feet about getting in on Amazon. Feel free to contact me if you want.
www.harlanterson.com

 

[Mastermold]

Brief discussion: I work with a couple of blues bands so I do a lot of ersatz walking. I do a good job but I know that my bag of tricks is a little limited and I'd like to expand beyond that, incorporating other sorts of approaches to what I do. It's all too easy to fall back to the standard patterns.

So I'm on the hunt for videos and other materials that will bring some additional phrases and lines into my vocabulary. Doesn't have to be blues oriented stuff, jazzy stuff is fine as it all cross-pollinates well. I'm also open to live instruction if anyone out there wants to tutor a cranky old lady via zoom (unless you're local to me) who already has some chops, and if you're willing to figure out where my deficits are and help me fill the gaps.

What have you got?

I used to play walking lines back in the 90s when I was playing jazz. Now I'm just a rock guy, the only walking I do is to the refrigerator.

 

[Tim Skaggs]

Brief discussion: I work with a couple of blues bands so I do a lot of ersatz walking. I do a good job but I know that my bag of tricks is a little limited and I'd like to expand beyond that, incorporating other sorts of approaches to what I do. It's all too easy to fall back to the standard patterns.

So I'm on the hunt for videos and other materials that will bring some additional phrases and lines into my vocabulary. Doesn't have to be blues oriented stuff, jazzy stuff is fine as it all cross-pollinates well. I'm also open to live instruction if anyone out there wants to tutor a cranky old lady via zoom (unless you're local to me) who already has some chops, and if you're willing to figure out where my deficits are and help me fill the gaps.

What have you got?

I don’t really have much to offer other than a recommendation to look at Bluegrass tutorials for walking bass lines.
I didn’t think there was much similarity between blues & bluegrass, but about 20 years ago, I ended up in two bands, one of each music genre. I worked on the bluegrass most because I was new to upright bass. As I began gaining experience with walking bass lines in bluegrass, I noticed they worked the same for blues. The rules on which notes you play still follow music theory, and chord progressions are not far apart. Bluegrass is generally faster, but you can always slow it down….

 

[ToddB1963]

Brief discussion: I work with a couple of blues bands so I do a lot of ersatz walking. I do a good job but I know that my bag of tricks is a little limited and I'd like to expand beyond that, incorporating other sorts of approaches to what I do. It's all too easy to fall back to the standard patterns.

So I'm on the hunt for videos and other materials that will bring some additional phrases and lines into my vocabulary. Doesn't have to be blues oriented stuff, jazzy stuff is fine as it all cross-pollinates well. I'm also open to live instruction if anyone out there wants to tutor a cranky old lady via zoom (unless you're local to me) who already has some chops, and if you're willing to figure out where my deficits are and help me fill the gaps.

What have you got?

LBS, try this also

Anthony Jackson with Buddy Rich circa 1974. IMO is as good as its get as far as walking electric bass on a jazz blues.

Check out Buddy Rich's bass players in general. He always enlisted cats who could really play well in the style of big band jazz featuring a lot of walking on up-tempo blues (Anthony Jackson, Tom Warrington et al).

 

[blakelock]

...
wow. tons of great music and great resources.
but in my mind, even the simplest few techniques give you near endless possibilities. for instance,
R, 3, 5
chromatic approach notes
scalar approach notes
start on 3 or 5 instead of root
slight rhythmic changes
incorporate melody notes

these 6 approaches give you tons of possibilities...on just a single chord! then you instantly do something different on the next measure...and the next...
I've been running through the head focusing on the first option. 2nd time through i focus on chromatics...3rd time through scalar...etc. by the 6time through i've discovered some really sounds.

 

[notJaco]

Not one mention of Christian McBride in this thread?
Hmmmm........
Not only is he a masterful walker but an awesome soloist that I don't get tired of listening to. His arco is sick!
Probably my favorite contemporary lately.
Primarily a DB player but known to play electric, too.

 

[JRA]

...the reason I posted was specifically not to wade through 344 threads of what's likely to be beginner-level stuff, hoping for something a little more targeted to my actual needs.

i believe you could get a lifetime's worth of 'next level' by getting to the right cat (for instruction/conceptualization), one lesson: you tell the "master" what you want to know (demonstrated) and he/she 'shows and tells'. 60-90 minutes = worth the money and the effort! lots of experts would be glad to "help a sister out."

seriously, ask someone who knows what you want to know. it's the shortest distance! good luck!

 

[Hasty]

Not one mention of Christian McBride in this thread?
Hmmmm........
Not only is he a masterful walker but an awesome soloist that I don't get tired of listening to. His arco is sick!
Probably my favorite contemporary lately.
Primarily a DB player but known to play electric, too.

I love his playing and I’ve done a number of transcriptions of his stuff, but I specifically omitted him because I didn’t think the types of lines he plays were in the context of this conversation.

 

[flannel cat]

scalar approach notes

forgive my ignorancce but what are scalar approach notes?

 

[Dadum]

I’m surprised no one mentioned Paul Wolfe’s site. There is a ton of free material from him. Some on the site, other stuff he emails a link every week.

How to Play Bass from Paul Wolfe

He does have a course on walking but he keeps sending emails with links to video tutorials on a variety of songs.


Here is a prior thread on it. This seems too expensive to me but there may be other options available. In any case, signing up on his site is free. You can post on the thread below and maybe get current feedback.

Current price seems to be $127.

Has anyone taken paul wolfe's basslines 101?

 

[LBS-bass]

...
wow. tons of great music and great resources.
but in my mind, even the simplest few techniques give you near endless possibilities. for instance,
R, 3, 5
chromatic approach notes
scalar approach notes
start on 3 or 5 instead of root
slight rhythmic changes
incorporate melody notes

these 6 approaches give you tons of possibilities...on just a single chord! then you instantly do something different on the next measure...and the next...
I've been running through the head focusing on the first option. 2nd time through i focus on chromatics...3rd time through scalar...etc. by the 6time through i've discovered some really sounds.

This is pretty much what I need to do. Just really sit down and get some of these things under my fingers so that when I'm in the moment I think to toss them out there. It all boils down to practice time...

 

[Bass]

forgive my ignorancce but what are scalar approach notes?

When the chords change, pick an approach note from the scale upon which the chord is built.

 

[Bass]

Or better yet, play a fragment of the scale to lead nicely into the chord change.