Need Help with Approach Notes to Chord Tones

[oldrocker]

No gigs, and no band has found me trying to improve my overall bass knowledge and skill instead of what I would usually be doing which is just learning and practicing songs.

I watched this video but I can't follow along with what he is playing.



It's in C and I know that the chord tones as C E G and B.

I understand that approach notes for a chord tone would be 1 or more chromatic notes leading to the chord tone from above or below.

For the first part of the exercise - approaching the root it looks like he is playing D C# C. But I have no idea where he goes after that.

Can anyone explain this to me?

TIA

 

[Reedt2000]

He's is walking chromatically into a specific chord tone (R 3 5 or 7) from a whole step above, then proceeding up the arpeggio in a couple octaves. Ive put his "approaching" notes, and the chord tone he's approaching in brackets below.

His approaching the root is as follows:

[D Db C] E G B (repeat up an octave)

So in scale degrees [2 b2 R] 3 5 7

Approaching the 3rd:

C [F# F E] G B

In scale degrees R [#4 4 3] 5 7

Approaching the 5th:

C E [A Ab G] B

In scale degrees R 3 [6 b6 5] 7

Approaching the 7th:

C E G [C# C B]

In scale degrees R 3 5 [b2 R 7]

In each example he walks that chromatic sequence down from a whole step above whichever chord tone he's "approaching". To decend, play them in reverse.

The same can be done from below the chord tones so approaching the root:

[Bb B C] E G B

the 3rd:

C [D Eb E] G B

the 5th:

C E [F F# G] B

the 7th:

C E G [A A# B]

Other cool ideas are connect chord tones either with scale tones in between or chromatically

connect 3rd and 5th:

Scale tone: C E F G (R 3 4 5)
Chromatically: C E F F# G (R 3 4 #4 5)

Aproach a chord tone with the note above, then below, then the tone (or the opposite, below/above/chord tone)

Approaching the 5th that way

With scale tones: C A F G (R 6 4 5)
Chromatically: C G# F# G (R #5 #4 5)

Hope this helps

 

[oldrocker]

He's is walking chromatically into a specific chord tone (R 3 5 or 7) from a whole step above, then proceeding up the arpeggio in a couple octaves. Ive put his "approaching" notes, and the chord tone he's approaching in brackets below.

His approaching the root is as follows:

[D Db C] E G B (repeat up an octave)

So in scale degrees [2 b2 R] 3 5 7

Approaching the 3rd:

C [F# F E] G B

In scale degrees R [#4 4 3] 5 7

Approaching the 5th:

C E [A Ab G] B

In scale degrees R 3 [6 b6 5] 7

Approaching the 7th:

C E G [C# C B]

In scale degrees R 3 5 [b2 R 7]

In each example he walks that chromatic sequence down from a whole step above whichever chord tone he's "approaching". To decend, play them in reverse.

The same can be done from below the chord tones so approaching the root:

[Bb B C] E G B

the 3rd:

C [D Eb E] G B

the 5th:

C E [F F# G] B

the 7th:

C E G [A A# B]

Other cool ideas are connect chord tones either with scale tones in between or chromatically

connect 3rd and 5th:

Scale tone: C E F G (R 3 4 5)
Chromatically: C E F F# G (R 3 4 #4 5)

Aproach a chord tone with the note above, then below, then the tone (or the opposite, below/above/chord tone)

Approaching the 5th that way

With scale tones: C A F G (R 6 4 5)
Chromatically: C G# F# G (R #5 #4 5)

Hope this helps

Oh wow, cool thanks a lot Reedt.

With your help I just worked through the ascending and descending to the root.

Ascending D Db C E B G - 2x, 2nd time an octave up
Descending D Db C G B G E - 3x last one ending on the open E and the resolving to C

I'll work through the others tomorrow

 

[Reedt2000]

Oh wow, cool thanks a lot Reedt.

With your help I just worked through the ascending and descending to the root.

Ascending D Db C E B G - 2x, 2nd time an octave up
Descending D Db C G B G E - 3x last one ending on the open E and the resolving to C

I'll work through the others tomorrow

Cool, except your Bs and Gs are reversed

Jeff is just playing an exercise, so he's keeping the arpeggio in order, just chromatically approaching one of the tones. Ascending is always C E G B (R 3 5 7) with one of the tones "approached". Descending its B G E C (7 5 3 R), again with one tone chosen to be "approached". This is just to instill the idea that a chord tone can be highlighted by approaching it chromatically from a whole step up, and make you practice doing so to each note of a major arpeggio. In actuality melodic devices like this one are not used in such a rigid fashion, but incorporated into riffs, licks, and lines

 

[Malcolm35]

Can anyone explain this to me?
TIA

^^ Great reply by Reedt2000.

 

[BassChuck]

What Jeff is doing is just putting a note before each chord tone. That's a very valuable part of learning to construct a walking bass line. Exactly how he's doing that in this video is only marginally important. The concept is the major message. (but it is interesting how he can hold to a major chord and create a line that pretty much sounds 'outside' the harmony).
Moving from one note to another always creates or diminishes energy. That's what makes bass lines (or any other kind of melody work). Experiment with this. More than likely you'll find that a half step (from above or below the 'target' note) has a different energy than whole steps (above or below). The other 'approach notes' to deal and experiment with are coming from a fourth below, or a fifth above... or a fifth below or a fourth above.
Try anything. Like Jeff says, 'Mistakes are a part of practice'. And the cool thing is, your practice mistake just might sound fantastic and you'll have something new to use in your music. (or you'll learn something you never want to hear again).
Good luck. It's all fun.

 

[jdh3000]

I play passing tones by feel and sound, chromatic and otherwise. I used to think about it but once it became ingrained what works, now I just do whatever feels appropriate at the moment.

I feel creative in my passing tones, but I built up an arsenal of possibilities. Chromatic tones are pretty safe if your timing is spot on. You don't want just do that, but create different walks.

Just think of your target note and find different ways of getting there... you may start a half step down, one step, one and a half, etc.
It's best to practice varying approaches playing along with different songs to get a feel for what works and sounds best with certain songs.

 

[Malcolm35]

Country has used a three note chromatic walk for years. Target the next chord, miss it by three frets, then walk to it using chromatic notes - and be on the next root for the change.