Walking Basslines--HELP!!

[KillerTuxedo]

I've been playing bass for some time, and I'm quite familiar with most "essential" technique; however, I'm lost when it comes to walking bass as you hear it in Jazz.
I feel like it just seems daunting. I think I make it seem more complex in my mind because I have so much respect for those guys. Any tips on how to walk, the theory behind it, cool tricks, or good tone?

I'm just playing an electric with flat-wound strings.

Thanks!!

 

[Ed Fuqua]

Many people have had nice things to say about this....

 

[Mr pickelz]

My teacher taught me a really neat way of starting off:

Grab yourself some music paper

Write down your chord sequence at the beginning of every bar (make your own or find a simple one)

On the first bar put a root note minim and a Fifth minim on the sheet ( E.G on an E7 chord put down an E minim on the stave, then a B minim)

Now fill in the minim to make them crotchets

They should land on beat 1 and 3

In the spare space (beat 2) put another crotchet on a note that links the first two together ( say you have your E and a B, a #G would fit nicely)

Then on beat 4 put in a note that leads the the next chord ( e.g in E7 to D7 just play an E flat to link the two) now do this for a few bars and see what it sounds like, pay careful attention to the key signature as you may start off with dodgy notes

After you feel comfortable like this start including chromatic run ups to the desired chord, it's very beginnerish but a key way to start off, you then get quite good a visualising the staff in your head!

Hope it helps!

 

[fearceol]

I have found this book great (see link) for someone starting from scratch with walking bass. It could then be followed by the Ed Friedland book "Building Walking Bass Lines".


http://www.amazon.com/Mel-Walking-Jazz-Lines-Bass/dp/0786659963

 

[MostlyBass]

A piece of advice I received from a teacher was to follow these 3 guidelines:

1. Root notes on chord changes.
2. Approach root by 1/2 step (from a 1/2 step above usually sounds cooler than from below)
3. 2 bars up, 2 bars down.... generally.....

 

[Russell L]

It's good to go through the changes just playing arpeggios at first. It helps give your ear a feel for the harmony. Eventually you will learn to also use scale steps and chromatic notes to connect things. Learning theory would be your best tool.

 

[MostlyBass]

It's good to go through the changes just playing arpeggios at first. It helps give your ear a feel for the harmony. Eventually you will learn to also use scale steps and chromatic notes to connect things. Learning theory would be your best tool.

+100

 

[Ed Fuqua]

It's good to go through the changes just playing arpeggios at first. It helps give your ear a feel for the harmony. Eventually you will learn to also use scale steps and chromatic notes to connect things. Learning theory would be your best tool.

Rather than just "playing arpeggios", since this always seems to imply playing root position arpeggios, I would suggest this method. Using all inversions and using as much proximity as you can in fingering, I have found, really helps to get the sound of the progression, not just the individual chords, in your ear. By hearing the common tones, as well as half step resolution in the progression, you begin to hear how note choice can move the progression forward, rather than statically 'stating' each chord. The more you can put your ear in charge of what notes you play, the more your line sounds like an arc through the harmony.
And not some formula.