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Double Bass walk help
- Thread starter avondawg
- Start date
I suck at walking bass lines, but in the spirit of Talkbass I'll offer some uninformed advise. Maybe someone else will jump in and give you something better. In the meantime, try working with the first five notes of a scale. This example will be in minor since minor is more cool:
Bb C# D# E F E D# C# and repeat.
That's for Bb only, you'll have to figure out F yourself. And it's in minor.
Bb C# D# E F E D# C# and repeat.
That's for Bb only, you'll have to figure out F yourself. And it's in minor.
This is where knowing a little jazz can help alot. Check out this article that Chris Fitzgerald wrote a while back. Looks like there's also a whole series of Walking threads posted in the Lessons & Articles section in the reading room that I havne't read. Probably worth looking at too.
Once you can get a rudimentary walking quarter note line, slaps can be added easilly to get your gallop or whatever rhythmic embellishments you want. Having a teacher for this kind of stuff definitely speeds up the learning process.
Once you can get a rudimentary walking quarter note line, slaps can be added easilly to get your gallop or whatever rhythmic embellishments you want. Having a teacher for this kind of stuff definitely speeds up the learning process.
Thanks guys ! Every thing helps, especially with me. I have zero class training and no other players here that I can get help from. I just bumble along and try to stay in the same keys as the guitar man. I've found that some of the bass runs I use on the guitar are helpful in figuring out stuff on the db but other than that everythings pretty much a mystery !
My favorite book for walking lines and dealing with changes is Paul Klee's "Pedagogical Sketchbook".
Yeah I just realized it at the last minute. That song is pretty simple, I think there's only one chord charge near the bridge. I might try using squeezing it in as a vamp for an intro or break or something. That would be fun.
MARYKAYCAT, I would also start listening to alot of basslines for the style you're interested in. I assuming you want Rockabilly. I don't know alot about that genre but I would think Lee Rocker would probably be a good start, obviously Stray Cats as well. Rockabilly basslines are a little simpler and more rifflike than what you find in Jazz. So with Chris' article, you can probably focus on creating more of a riff-type bassline with what you get from it.
It's not rocket science! Get yourself some early Ray Charles recordings, draw a hot bath, and slide on in........the Ron Carter or Ray Brown books will help with the rudiments of note choice. and fingering.....the rest is up to you in creating your own unique feel for the groove, that's the fun part.
Wow, thanks for all the responses ! I now have the feeling that I might just get a handle on this thing. The sad (dumb) thing is I never even thought about listening to some of the Stray Cats stuff. I'll dig out some old recordings and have a sit-down, but not in the tub. I also have to admit, sheepisly, that although I love to hear jazz bass - I don't own jazz recordings. Yes, I heard all the sharp gasps of breath out there ! Please forgive this oversight of a poor old country boy - I'm looking.
Jazz, schamazz, it's all blues when the sun goes down. Hope I didn't offend with the bath analogy, just mean that it's good to find some deep blues grooves and relax while studying them......some of the old Washtub Sam recordings have some straight walk bass that is easy to hear. Yup, it's alot easier than it looks, at least most of the time!
Can you manage a 12-bar blues right now? Can you do one with kind of a boogie-woogie vibe? That's walking. Can't do that? Learn to do that. Start there. Learn to walk a 12-bar 3-chord blues in F.
Learn about the basic chords and the combinations of tones that make them up. Learn about the different ways you can connect chords together in a bassline. That's walking.
Get yourself a Jamey Aebersold play-along and try stuff. Play the notes you like and don't play the ones you don't. It's hipper to play fewer notes with good time and feel than it is to play lotsa notes that don't hang right.
Learn about the basic chords and the combinations of tones that make them up. Learn about the different ways you can connect chords together in a bassline. That's walking.
Get yourself a Jamey Aebersold play-along and try stuff. Play the notes you like and don't play the ones you don't. It's hipper to play fewer notes with good time and feel than it is to play lotsa notes that don't hang right.
+1
Practice scales. Walking is impromptu so use your creativity. Just remember that the root, ie. 1, gives the foundation of the chord. The third, ie. 3, gives the character eg. major or minor. So you'll have to make sure you make the adjustments to the third, ie. flatten it, when playing in a minor key or it'll not blend with the guitar.
I usually do a root and fifth and then fill in the gaps when I get the hang of the song. You have to listen to the other instruments and compliment them.
BTW, I play jazz.
Practice scales. Walking is impromptu so use your creativity. Just remember that the root, ie. 1, gives the foundation of the chord. The third, ie. 3, gives the character eg. major or minor. So you'll have to make sure you make the adjustments to the third, ie. flatten it, when playing in a minor key or it'll not blend with the guitar.
I usually do a root and fifth and then fill in the gaps when I get the hang of the song. You have to listen to the other instruments and compliment them.
BTW, I play jazz.
in your profile " roy Druskey jr " better hope ROY doesn't see his name spellt like that! as in ( roy huskey jr) hehe just kiddn!! here's one in key of F.. 4/4 i guess it is in key of F?
F walkn down to the Bb
F C D E / F A C A / F E D C / FF Eb D C
Bb walkn back up to F.. F walk to C
Bb D F A / Bb A G A / F A C A / F E D C
C walk to F......... root/ 5th root /5th
G A Bb B / CC C A G / F - C - / F - C -.e.c.t or more walkn!!
.. its kindof a country walk.. it may help or not!
F walkn down to the Bb
F C D E / F A C A / F E D C / FF Eb D C
Bb walkn back up to F.. F walk to C
Bb D F A / Bb A G A / F A C A / F E D C
C walk to F......... root/ 5th root /5th
G A Bb B / CC C A G / F - C - / F - C -.e.c.t or more walkn!!
.. its kindof a country walk.. it may help or not!
I can see you guys are gonna keep me busy ! Thanks for all the helpful suggestions, just what I need. First, I apologize for misspelling Mr. Husky's name, I blame it on my stupid teachers - it took four of them five years to get me out of grade 5. As for offending me with the bath tub thing, heck no ! As I told my guitar player, you couldn't hurt my feelings if you beat em with a stick !
Damon, I can play the boogie walk in G, C, D, E and A but haven't figured out the Bb and F yet. I also like your advice of not playing notes you don't like, the fella I'm playing with keeps trying to get me to play notes that I don't think sound all that great even tho they apparently fit the melody. Jazzcat, I am practising the scales ! Man that's boring, but I know it's gotta be done so I'll stick with it. Oh yeah, with a handle like Jazzcat I would never have guessed you play jazz, I hope to -----someday. I've always been of the opinion that jazz bassists really rock it. Thanks again for all the help I'll go practise my scales and my spelling !
ciao
Damon, I can play the boogie walk in G, C, D, E and A but haven't figured out the Bb and F yet. I also like your advice of not playing notes you don't like, the fella I'm playing with keeps trying to get me to play notes that I don't think sound all that great even tho they apparently fit the melody. Jazzcat, I am practising the scales ! Man that's boring, but I know it's gotta be done so I'll stick with it. Oh yeah, with a handle like Jazzcat I would never have guessed you play jazz, I hope to -----someday. I've always been of the opinion that jazz bassists really rock it. Thanks again for all the help I'll go practise my scales and my spelling !
ciao
Learn those scales. The Pentatonic scales are already very close to your basic walking line - learn those from any position on the fingerboard. This site - http://www.cyberfretbass.com/scales/index.php has some very simple scales to follow. It's primarily for bass guitar, but certainly usable.
