walking bass...i think its jazz

[txhawaii]

All,

thank you so much for the musical whirlwind from the original post of understanding jazz. I learned so much from each of you and have a way to go.

In my recent practicing I came across a Japanese youtuber who is teaching simple jazz walking exercises. I don't understand what he's saying but the music talk is universal so I am learning something but still confused nevertheless.

the exercise involves playing along and hitting the 3rd or the 5th as the "root" note of the scale of the chord

Cm7
D7b13
BbMaj7
EbMaj7

(he lists the last two as triangles and i found that means Maj?)

so...

Cm7 5th note is G
F7 3rd note is A

etc.

its opened my mind to how this stuff works but I get completely lost when he actually plays a walking bass line to his lesson. I transcribed them as such

G Bb D F
G Bb A

for Cm7 to D7b13 and the lesson is to end on the 3rd note of F7 being C

F A Bb D
F A G

for BbMaj7 to EbMaj7 and the lesson is the on the 3rd note of EBMaj7 at G

Essentially I hear

5 3 Chromatic D 1
5 7 3

then

5 7 1 3
5 7 3

The notes overlap on the chord scales

He then switches the exercise to walk the same chords to end on the 5th.

There is a pattern but my limited knowledge is keeping me from understanding it.

Thoughts?

The walking lesson starts about 4:50 or so

 

[Wasnex]

All,

thank you so much for the musical whirlwind from the original post of understanding jazz. I learned so much from each of you and have a way to go.

In my recent practicing I came across a Japanese youtuber who is teaching simple jazz walking exercises. I don't understand what he's saying but the music talk is universal so I am learning something but still confused nevertheless.

the exercise involves playing along and hitting the 3rd or the 5th as the "root" note of the scale of the chord

Cm7
D7b13
BbMaj7
EbMaj7

(he lists the last two as triangles and i found that means Maj?)

so...

Cm7 5th note is G
F7 3rd note is A

etc.

its opened my mind to how this stuff works but I get completely lost when he actually plays a walking bass line to his lesson. I transcribed them as such

G Bb D F
G Bb A

for Cm7 to D7b13 and the lesson is to end on the 3rd note of F7 being C

F A Bb D
F A G

for BbMaj7 to EbMaj7 and the lesson is the on the 3rd note of EBMaj7 at G

Essentially I hear

5 3 Chromatic D 1
5 7 3

then

5 7 1 3
5 7 3

The notes overlap on the chord scales

He then switches the exercise to walk the same chords to end on the 5th.

There is a pattern but my limited knowledge is keeping me from understanding it.

Thoughts?

The walking lesson starts about 4:50 or so

Not totally useless, but seems like a pretty silly way to go about it to me. It's basically an exercise for you to insert the indicated chord tone. I would call this a target tone.

Are you certain about triangle? Is possible you mean triad, which is a three note chord?

Triangles are used to indicate Major. C△7 is C Major7 for example. Just like C-7 is C minor7.

The part at 4:50 is not a lesson on walking bass. This is more of a simple solo AFAIK. The part only seems to last for a few seconds. Target notes are given for every other bar. The downbeat of the first bar is not played (1/4 note rest). On beat two, an 8th note line is played starting on the 5th of the chord that leads to the target note which is played on the down beat of the next bar. The same pattern continue in the next two bars. On bar five, the down beat is an 8th note rest. The line starts on the and of 1 on the root of the A half diminished chord. After spelling the entire chord, the none chord tones Bb and F lead to F#, which is the target note of the D7b13 chord. FYI, A half diminished chord can also be called A minor7b5, which can be annotated Amin7b5 or A-7b5. The player rests on beat 1 and 2 of bar 7. On beat 3 he plays an 8th note line starting on the root of the chord that leads to the next target tone. Every other note of the line is a none chord tone.

My advice is to find material that is in a language that you understand...the material will be much easier to figure out that way IMHO .

 

[Papageno]

To learn walking bass lines, I very strongly recommend [Invalid or Expired Link Removed], as well as Chris Fitzgerald's vide tutorials. Those are incredibly useful resources, which would give you in-depth understanding of walking bass.

 

[dreamadream99]

This exercise, while very flashy, is in no way representative of walking bass as a whole. For those just starting off, I recommend the following:

• Walk from root to root. It is less confusing, and less challenging to the listener.
• Walk linearly. Jumping around sounds cool and all, but does little to forecast the next chord.
• Utilize what you know about the key and the current chord to determine best note choice.

 

[FatStringer52]

If you are just beginning to learn walking bass, I recommend you start here . . .

Walking Bass Lines Course – Walking Bass Lessons

It's free and Tomasz has created quite a comprehensive lesson plan here. If you take your time and follow the lessons, as well as the supplemental course work, you should develop a solid foundation of walkng bass.

Best of Luck

 

[txhawaii]

Not totally useless, but seems like a pretty silly way to go about it to me. It's basically an exercise for you to insert the indicated chord tone. I would call this a target tone.

Are you certain about triangle? Is possible you mean triad, which is a three note chord?

Triangles are used to indicate Major. C△7 is C Major7 for example. Just like C-7 is C minor7.

The part at 4:50 is not a lesson on walking bass. This is more of a simple solo AFAIK. The part only seems to last for a few seconds. Target notes are given for every other bar. The downbeat of the first bar is not played (1/4 note rest). On beat two, an 8th note line is played starting on the 5th of the chord that leads to the target note which is played on the down beat of the next bar. The same pattern continue in the next two bars. On bar five, the down beat is an 8th note rest. The line starts on the and of 1 on the root of the A half diminished chord. After spelling the entire chord, the none chord tones Bb and F lead to F#, which is the target note of the D7b13 chord. FYI, A half diminished chord can also be called A minor7b5, which can be annotated Amin7b5 or A-7b5. The player rests on beat 1 and 2 of bar 7. On beat 3 he plays an 8th note line starting on the root of the chord that leads to the next target tone. Every other note of the line is a none chord tone.

My advice is to find material that is in a language that you understand...the material will be much easier to figure out that way IMHO .

Yes! Learning in your mother tongue is always better. But there are some glove wearing teachers out there who just speak too much!

 

[Wasnex]

Yes! Learning in your mother tongue is always better. But there are some glove wearing teachers out there who just speak too much!

Yes I know exactly what you mean...but YouTube allows skip forward if you like.

Good luck!

 

[consectaneus]

I hesitate to overload you with another book, but I own and recommend Ed Friedland's "Building Walking Bass Lines".

https://www.amazon.com/Building-Walking-Bass-Lines-Builders/dp/0793542049

I don't recall if you read music, but in any event it would also be a good way to learn since it starts out with simple whole and half notes on the root. What I like about it is that it starts you off pretty early not only playing, but analyzing approaches and adding elements one at a time. Soon you will know the difference between chord tone, scalar, and chromatic movements to the target note of the next chord etc.

Now having said that, I never finished the book beginning to end as such because there was something missing for me---something crucial. My own lines, while probably harmonically correct did not sound musical to me. Just a series of notes and leading tones resolving from chord to chord.

Now someone may say that is walking bass, and it is. Yet when I learned and committed to memory and played bass lines by some of the greats of jazz--Paul Chambers in particular--it was a revelation. There was direction to the lines, I dare say melody, themes stated and repeated with small variation. A whole world opened up and with some of the analytical knowledge gained I can go to school on those lines measure by measure, each four note bar like a mini-cell and be endlessly fascinated by the ways the greats string them together.

I suggest making what they do a part of your own vocabulary and muscle memory as soon as possible.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Walking bass... I think it's Funk.
LOL.

Bootsy Off Broadway with Christian McBride.