Pointer for walking bass lines 2 chords in a measure

[conttador]

I’m studying Doxy and the song’s chords:

|Ab7 Gb7| G7 |

My question is what notes to play in the 1st measure?

If I use the roots, I play Ab then what other note before the Gb and after the Gb what note to get to G?

The next question is why those notes?

Thanks in advance for your valuable insight!

 

[FatStringer52]

Maybe this will help . . .

 

[dreamadream99]

A lot has been written on four beat walking bass, but not much on two beat.

Play the root on One, then a leading tone to the next root on two. In jazz, a leading tone is any note a half or whole step, above or below the root.

So if your chords are Dm G7 | C, then play D on beat one, then either F, F#, A, or Ab on beat two. Your choice. Then play G on beat three, then either Bb, B, D, or Db on beat four.

So in your example, play Ab, then either Fb, F, Ab, or G to get to the Gb

 

[Papageno]

I’m studying Doxy and the song’s chords:

|Ab7 Gb7| G7 |

My question is what notes to play in the 1st measure?

If I use the roots, I play Ab then what other note before the Gb and after the Gb what note to get to G?

The next question is why those notes?

Thanks in advance for your valuable insight!

I would simply play repeated roots, i.e., |Ab Ab Gb Gb |G etc. (or possibly play octaves such as |low_Ab high_Ab | high_Gb low_Gb | low_G etc...) , and let keyboard and guitar play the other notes of the chords.

 

[smeet]

I do this:

Play the root on the first beat of the chord. For the second beat, use your ears to choose one of the following:
- repeat the root of the chord
- chromatic approach to the root of the next chord
- diatonic approach to the root of the next chord
- any other chord tone - 3rd, 5th, etc.

Ray Brown may not approve of the cookbook method, but it works well enough for a jazz dummy like me.

 

[conttador]

Thanks for the responses.

my conundrum is basically what notes to play to continue propelling the music? Because it’s linear ie from Bb to Ab I could go Bb to A land on Ab on the 3rd beat and then? I can’t go to G because G would be on the 1st beat of the 2nd measure. I guess if I want a lead in to the G I could go to Gb and then land on G for the 1st beat of the 2nd measure?

I know they say there’s no wrong notes just poor note choices. So, that being said on that fourth beat since it is a Gb7 I suppose I could play the Gb as that would be 7th of Ab7?

 

[Drang22]

Play all of the above suggestions, and any more you can think of, with a band. You don't want to play the same thing every time through anyway, and there is no best answer.

 

[conttador]

Play all of the above suggestions, and any more you can think of, with a band. You don't want to play the same thing every time through anyway, and there is no best answer.

I usually start playing in twos normally roots & thirds for the head and then start to walk. I’m at a point right now where I have to iron out a set pattern and once I get comfortable with it I can start mixing in some inversions because to your point, don’t want to keep playing the same line over & over.

I had to ask because when I was playing along with the music my note choice was clashing with the recording. Thanks to you guys I have a few different approaches that work better than what I was attempting before.