rhythmic accents for walking bass

[csc2048b]

hello all. the greats all do it without thinking at the best times and i'm trying to integrate the 'and' of 2 and 4 without making it too obvious. i would appreciate suggestions on how to make it a part of my swing lines more seamlessly. some advice on when NOT to do it would be nice too.

thanks in advance, peace!

 

[ba55i5t]

I think if you practice doing swinging eighths often you'll be in good shape. Another good figure you should have in your back pocket is the muted swinging triplet eighths that take up the whole of the 4th beat. My teacher called this the "bucket of fish" fill, with fish coming on the 1 of the next bar.

 

[Groove Master]

Actually the 2 & 4 are the strong accents in the walking bass, so make your rythms resolve on those beats instead of starting them on those beats.
So make it more like this 1 and 2-3 and 4 instead of 1-2 and 3-4.. This is like swinging backward like a bad high school band....

 

[Ed Fuqua]

If you can't make a line of just quarter notes swing, nothing you add to them is going to get them to swing.

 

[jeepsk8]

Just have to put in the time. I play swinging 8ths both as 1 & 2 3 & 4 and 1 2& 3 4&. Use a metronome and count it out slow at first until it clicks

 

[Zermelo]

take a look at this great lesson:
Walking Bass – The Concept Lesson – ChrisTarryLessons.com

then go and hear as much steve swallow as you can:

 

[Spin Doctor]

take a look at this great lesson:
Walking Bass – The Concept Lesson – ChrisTarryLessons.com

then go and hear as much steve swallow as you can:

This has been one of my favorite videos for years...

 

[Zermelo]

Here's my transcription:

 

[Russell L]

Some things are just natural when it comes to articulation. It's the reason you hear so many bassists doing them. Instead of analyzing, try just playing. That is, start playing and keep going for as long as you can stand it. Somewhere along the way, once you settle in (and perhaps get into a trance-like feeling) some of these natural things will begin to come to you--- naturally.

Hey, I'm not kidding. I never "studied" these things even though I have a degree in theory. I just played a lot, and certain tendencies just started evolving.

At least try it. Let your mind go and become ONE with the groove. Worked for me.

 

[Scruffy_Johnson]

This has been one of my favorite videos for years...

And, with a pick!

 

[Badwater]

Some things are just natural when it comes to articulation. It's the reason you hear so many bassists doing them. Instead of analyzing, try just playing. That is, start playing and keep going for as long as you can stand it. Somewhere along the way, once you settle in (and perhaps get into a trance-like feeling) some of these natural things will begin to come to you--- naturally.

Hey, I'm not kidding. I never "studied" these things even though I have a degree in theory. I just played a lot, and certain tendencies just started evolving.

At least try it. Let your mind go and become ONE with the groove. Worked for me.

This right here is the answer you seek. (The above post By Russell)

Also, listen to how others do it in the hit songs of your liking. You'll see patterns on when and how they do it. And if you really listen good, you'll know why they place them in those specific parts of the song.

 

[Spin Doctor]

Here's my transcription:

This is great! My guitarist is a Scofield junky, so I'll see if the band wants to do this.

 

[csc2048b]

thanks for all the replies and my apologies to all as i failed to 'watch' this thread and didn't get any notifications.

i've gigged constantly with several bands from 91-96 but after that it just been a few short projects every now and then, and those rare times old friends i watch ask me to come up and jam.

Another good figure you should have in your back pocket is the muted swinging triplet eighths that take up the whole of the 4th beat

thanks, could you cite an example please

So make it more like this 1 and 2-3 and 4 instead of 1-2 and 3-4..

thanks, i'll keep that in mind and will work it into my practice.

If you can't make a line of just quarter notes swing, nothing you add to them is going to get them to swing.

i'm fairly ok making my quarter notes swing but i'm just tired of the rhythmic embellishments that i utilize and want to add more variations.

My guitarist is a Scofield junky

nice to see you again, bro. i used to play with a scofield junky and we covered protocol from 'still warm'.

i know this is aiming too high but what i'm hoping to achieve is something like:

 

[Zermelo]

i know this is aiming too high but what i'm hoping to achieve is something like:

It may be the first time I hear Stanley Clarke playing standard jazz on double bass... QUITE BAD!!! Poor rhythm, bad intonation and really really bad note choices... (just like that D natural he is playing almost every time in bar 1... ).

There are plenty of excellent jazz bassist to learn from, to name just a few: Ray Brown (the one and only!), Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, John Patitucci, Christian McBride...

Some great examples:

 

[csc2048b]

It may be the first time I hear Stanley Clarke playing standard jazz on double bass... QUITE BAD!!! Poor rhythm, bad intonation and really really bad note choices... (just like that D natural he is playing almost every time in bar 1... ).

too bad because i've loved this version since my early days when i wore out a library of jazz vision laserdisks. to each his own. i'm sorry you didn't like stanley's work here.

There are plenty of excellent jazz bassist to learn from, to name just a few: Ray Brown (the one and only!), Paul Chambers, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, John Patitucci, Christian McBride...

i'm familiar with all mentioned. ray brown mainly with his LA4 albums. paul chambers mainly thru albums 'kind of blue' and 'giant steps' and most of his other work with miles and trane. i love all miles albums with ron carter, and lots of ron's more recent stuff. same for all miles albums with dave holland, and his work with corea and barry atschul, more recent albums like 'dream of the elders' and my two favorites: 'extensions' and 'thimar'. i've met john patitucci, got his autograph, patted 'bertha' and learned and jammed 'growing', 'spaceships' and 'scophile'. i saw christian mcbride perform at the philip morris jazz fest here in manila bacl in the early 90s and the 'five peace band' has been on my playlists for the past few years.

my favorite walking bass and the one i try to emulate most is sam jones work in cannonball's somethin' else.

 

[Zermelo]

too bad because i've loved this version since my early days when i wore out a library of jazz vision laserdisks. to each his own. i'm sorry you didn't like stanley's work here..

I think it's beyond likes or dislikes, just "not-so-good" jazz bass playing objectively speaking...

 

[csc2048b]

I think it's beyond likes or dislikes, just "not-so-good" jazz bass playing objectively speaking...

ok then, if you say so.

 

[Groove Master]

my favorite walking bass and the one i try to emulate most is sam jones work in cannonball's somethin' else.

I hear accents on 2 and 4 pretty much all over the place.

Like I said earlier,tap your foot on 2 and 4 to achieve that feel.

 

[tinyd]

A couple of tutorial videos I've watched recently have suggested that you should play accents sparingly and also that you should try and keep the feel as even as possible across all four beats (i.e. you should of course 'feel' the pulse on 2 & 4 but not actually play these notes more strongly). I think the first one of these depends a lot on the context so that if you're playing without a drummer, for example, you might use more accents since there's no drummer hitting those same beats.

<Edited with the videos that I'm referring to>

 

[csc2048b]

I hear accents on 2 and 4 pretty much all over the place.
Like I said earlier,tap your foot on 2 and 4 to achieve that feel.

not to brag but i can manage what Sam Jones does in Somethin' Else after studying it all these years, i'm trying to break out of it and learn some of the walking styles of Scott LaFaro, Eddie Gomez and Marc Johnson. particularly what they do on more up-tempo tunes of Bill Evans.

Here is Marc with the great Toots Theilemans