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Key or Chords in walking bass

Do think Key or Chords under pressure

  • Total voters
    113
mrbell321

mrbell321

Mar 26, 2012
844
117
N. Colorado
#1
...or none of the above.

So I've been listening to a lot of ska basslines lately but I think this will apply to most walking styles, but do you think chords or key?

Here's an example to show what I mean, I hope: Let's say you're playing a I-vi-IV-V in D. Ska is(or at least can be) fast, and to make it "faster", let's say the chord changes every 2 beats. Would you think "This is in D major so I'll stick to that scale" or would you think "it'd D for two beats, so work on that arpeggio, then Bm, then G, then E"? I feel like I want to do the later, but I'm having trouble planning for the next chord. Obviously,(or at least hopefully), I'll get better w/ practice, but do YOU stick to what theory says is more consonant, or do you take "shortcuts" to keep up?
 
#2
mrbell321 said:
Here's an example to show what I mean, I hope: Let's say you're playing a I-vi-IV-V in D. Ska is(or at least can be) fast, and to make it "faster", let's say the chord changes every 2 beats. Would you think "This is in D major so I'll stick to that scale" or would you think "it'd D for two beats, so work on that arpeggio, then Bm, then G, then E"?
Click to expand...

To me, a good walking line both outlines the current chord and creates forward motion to the next chord. If you just "stick to the scale" and ignore the individual chord changes as they happen, you tend not to achieve either of those goals, and the resulting walking line tends to sound meandering and unfocused.

In a fast tune where the chords are changing every two beats, I'll generally play the root on the change (i.e., beats 1 and 3 of each measure). On beats 2 and 4, I will try to choose notes that either further establish the current chord, move forward to the next chord, or (ideally), do both at the same time.
 
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#5
RustyAxe said:
Good grief, if I had to think that much to play bass I'd quit.
Click to expand...

That's what the woodshed is for. ;) To try out all of these ideas on your own over and over until they become engrained into your ears/mind under your fingers. Not to make the lines "automatic", but to be familiar enough to know what you want to hear and play juat before you play it. Also to be able to respond to the other instruments ideas and have a little musical dialogue with the other players.
Everything - chord tones, scales, chromatisms, the key, and the melody are all open for consideration! The use of just chord tones or to run scale tones gets a little boring.
Febs point about outlining the chord and pushing motion forwards is a good concept in walking bass lines. TB member Ed Fuqua put out a dandy book Walking Bassics on this concept.

Mark from TalkingBass vids are always great, RustyAxe! Thanks for sharing! He is very much worth watching!
 
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#6
Febs said:
If you just "stick to the scale" and ignore the individual chord changes as they happen, you tend not to achieve either of those goals, and the resulting walking line tends to sound meandering and unfocused.
Click to expand...

Yes - in fact, you can go further than that and say that in the example given, just wandering around using notes from the scale without reference to the chord at any given point is going to mean you play a lot of notes that are "harmonically questionable" (i.e. wrong).

Short answer - follow the chords.
 
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#8
Why chord tones? Hopefully the song writer placed the chords within the song so they harmonize the melody line. If we play notes of the chord we will also harmonize with the melody line - and therefore sound good. If we play notes of the scale or key harmonization becomes a hit or miss thing.

Do a Google on harmony. Music wants to harmonize. If we let music do - what it wants to do - good things normally happen. How To Harmonize Melodies

In mrbell's first question - the song changed chords every two beats and he asked what to do. In a situation like this I would have time for only roots.:bassist: If I was faced with a song that changed chords every two beats, for the entire song, I'd find another song. His question also asked about how to walk that bass line. Impossible situation I'm afraid.

mrbell - not yanking your chain, trying to answer your question.
 
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#11
ryco said:
That's what the woodshed is for. ;) To try out all of these ideas on your own over and over until they become engrained into your ears/mind under your fingers. Not to make the lines "automatic", but to be familiar enough to know what you what to hear and play juat before you play it. Also to be able to respond to the other instruments ideas and have a little musical dialogue with the other players.
Everything - chord tones, scales, chromatisms, the key, and the melody are all open for consideration! The use of just chord tones or to run scale tones gets a little boring.
Febs point about outlining the chord and pushing motion forwards is a good concept in walking bass lines. TB member Ed Fuqua out out a dandy book Walking Bassics on this concept.

Mark from TalkingBass vids are always great, RustyAxe! Thanks for sharing! He is very much worth watching!
Click to expand...
Yep ... it's about developing a vocabulary. And just like spoken language, it takes time. We aren't born spouting Shakespeare!
 
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#17
When building a bass line, I learn the chords first so that I can play the roots in perfect time, backwards, forwards and blind ass drunk (if i needed to).
Usually, as I'm woodshedding the chords, I come up with other cool parts, often pieces of the melody and other parts of the chords.
I never just run up and down a single scale... Unless the song has only one chord.
 
#18
Everything depends on what kind of line you're supporting. If you are backing up a soloist in a jazz group at the beginning of his solo, you may want to stick with chord tones, and then add more non-chordal tones, thinking in tonal centers, when the soloist starts becoming more chromatic. Or if the guitarist or pianist starts using block chords in the solo, you might want to stick entirely with roots and fifths. And sometimes you can go completely chromatic and play outside, as long as you don't lose the form.
 

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