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solo bass arrangements where to start?

nambassist

nambassist

Oct 15, 2015
57
111
38
namibia
#1
Hi Guys
so I've been listening to a lot of solo bass arrangement and would like to give it a try. only problem is I don't have any clue on where to begin! should I just start by getting the chords of a song and winging it from there? and advise would be great
 
#2
With any song, it's a matter of figuring out the soul of the song. First thing is knowing the melody or leading voice, learn it, play it. Second is figuring out the most important harmonies to it... for a bass player it's the bass part. However, on bass we're limited string-wise and range-wise, so you have to learn the chords to pick out any harmonies, that support the melody/lead voice.

So if I had to do a song on only bass guitar, it's a matter of going back on forth quickly enough playing the lead voice and support either in tandem, or going back and forth from the support to the lead voice.

For example I learned "All Blues" from Miles Davis on bass that require a lot of tapping on different ranges on the fretboard - bass lines and melody. Other songs include playing the E-string or B-string (on my 5-string) at the same time with higher strings.
 
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#4
Pick a simple song that you love, or write one yourself.
As suggested above, make that into a melody line and harmony line and study how to play them at the same time.
You'll probably need a two finger style plucking technique, and it would help to keep the melody and harmony lines on different strings.
Lastly, the ability to let a note in one of the lines sustain or ring while you play notes in rhe other line is invaluable.
Take your time and don't expect results in a day.
 
#5
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#6
wait wait wait ... are we talking about a solo arrangement where the bass is the only instrument or a solo in a song ?

If we talk about solo arrangement where the bass is the only instrument ... I can't help but I guess you could talk to Micheal Manring and Zander Zon ( both are here ) if we talk about solo in a song then what MalcomAmos posted is right.
 
#9
Any solo arrangement of an existing song must start with the melody, so learn that first.

then figure put how to apply the chord roots & other tones underneath.
awkward or impossible root/ melody combinations can be modified with some theory & chord substitution

On a (4 string) bass you will not have much opportunity to fill out the chord tones,
usually only root, melody and one other tone(since a 4 note chord on bass is really muddy)

so you have to pick your in-between chord tones carefully.
General wisdom is to favor the 3rd and 7th : this conveys most strongly the function of the chord.
 
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#10
It's all simple math. Figure out how fast the chords pass by in the progression you want to solo over and decide whether you're playing quarter notes, triplets... etc. Then analyze the chords and the notes that are being used. It's going to be a lot easier for you to go off the cuff for two note R5"power chords" than to solo over Jazz chords like Bmin7flat5, Bflat7/#11 etc. Once you determine where you want to start and your notes pick some scales or one scale that will work over most of the chords you want. You could try a Jazz approach by throwing chromatic approach tones in before you transition to your next chord. If you play quarter notes over a chord you could play some combinations like this: Root, scale tone, chord tone, scale tone or Root, chromatic, Chord tone, Approach note(half step away from your next chord root); or you could play all chord tones. Just remember to have fun most of all and use your ear.
 
#11
MattStonewall said:
It's all simple math. Figure out how fast the chords pass by in the progression you want to solo over and decide whether you're playing quarter notes, triplets... etc. Then analyze the chords and the notes that are being used. It's going to be a lot easier for you to go off the cuff for two note R5"power chords" than to solo over Jazz chords like Bmin7flat5, Bflat7/#11 etc. Once you determine where you want to start and your notes pick some scales or one scale that will work over most of the chords you want. You could try a Jazz approach by throwing chromatic approach tones in before you transition to your next chord. If you play quarter notes over a chord you could play some combinations like this: Root, scale tone, chord tone, scale tone or Root, chromatic, Chord tone, Approach note(half step away from your next chord root); or you could play all chord tones. Just remember to have fun most of all and use your ear.
Click to expand...
I do believe you misunderstood the OP
 

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