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Need Suggestions for Walking Bass Songs to Learn

Jarrett

Jarrett

Jan 19, 2004
2,793
75
NBTX
#1
I'm trying to upgrade my walking ability. I'm fully functional over I-IV-V but I want to graduate beyond that. I've been going through Ed Friedland's book, but its pretty static. I'd like to a get a group of songs (standards possibly) that have chord progressions with escalating difficulty with good walking lines that I can listen to, transcribe and absorb into my playing. YouTube links preferable, any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

For reference point, I can do this and looking to expand from that:
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#6
Yes, but now I am confused, I thought you wanted to practice your walking? Or do you just want to sightread bass lines? To me "practice walking" means you want to get good at making up lines over chord changes, not just play someone else's written line.

So take a tune, like Autumn Leaves, and look at the chords, and then start walking over the changes. I know...everyone says Autumn Leaves, but its because it is well known and it has all the most common chord types in it, minor, major, minor7b5 and dominant. As a bass player, all you are gonna get usually is a set of chord changes anyway, so if you have any kind of fake book with a set of chords, doesn't matter what clef, you are good to go. Pick a tune, and start figuring out triads, seventh chords and ways to connect them. Repeat for the next 40 years. :)

If you are looking for a list of standards, just google "list of standards" there are a lot of those around that list the ones people think you should know, or look on here, I am sure that has been discussed plenty.
 
#7
Yeah, that is what I have been doing. Laying out changes and building basses lines, but they start sounding the same. Looking to hear (or read) some different approaches to building lines over similar chords.
 
#8
Well, you got it then.

If you are just looking for different ways of combining chord tones check this thing out, and set it to bass clef and "quarter notes", it will generate all the possible variations of any chord notes you put into it, and you can use some of those patterns in walking lines. So type in say, C,Eb,G,Bb to get all the variations of a C min7 chord.

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#10
A few other 'worked' examples...

The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Extra Jimmies - Keith Ferguson ftw.

Nina Simone, Work Song - Originally by Cannonball Adderley.

The Animals, Work Song - Same tune, different vibe.

Art Blakey, Moanin' - The original Bobby Timmons version.

Ronnie Earl, Moanin' - Same tune, different vibe redux.

& finally...

Invalid Link Removed - Seriously. Listen to what Willie Dixon is laying down under that hoary old chestnut. Take it apart & you've got a lexicon of Blues/R&B walking bass right there.

Pete.
 
#15
My bass instructor just recommended Mile Davis' "So What" as good fodder for figuring out walking basslines, and I gotta agree:

YouTube - ‪Miles Davis - So What‬‏

Not many chord changes, pretty easy tempo, lots of possibilities. ;-)

He also recommended "All The Things You Are" from Pat Metheny's "Question And Answer" album... haven't spend any real time with it but it has possibilities as well...albeit *way* more involved.
 

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