Writing FROM the BassLine?

[merseymale]

Okay. That's a bit more specific.

Depending upon the timing of those notes, I would probably accentuate the B and the D (or just the D). It's difficult to say without hearing it.

I have always been one to play by feel. It needs to feel good to me (I don't particularly care if it's "musically correct").

One of the greatest examples (to my mind) would be Jimi Hendrix.

For the converse, I would bring up Joe Perry. Joe is one of the greatest guitar players still alive. He has sold a ton of records with Aerosmith.

Right after they reunited, I got a chance to call into one of those late-night radio shows.

I started off with: "Mr. Perry, I'm a huge fan. I have all of your solo albums."

His response was: "You're the one?". Joe didn't do all that well on his own (and he was mindful enough to be able to joke about it).

When Joe was on his own, he made his music far too "correct"; especially considering his heavy blues influence.

Long and short: If you have the ability, record a bass track, play it in a loop, and just throw a bunch of stuff (different chords in different places) up against the wall and see what you think sounds good.

Do you have the ability to post the bass line for all of us?

I think, at the end of the day, this is the way I should go.
Thanks.

I just have hundreds of these basslines recorded into my dang phone!…they just sit there and do nothing because I wouldn’t know what chords can be added to them, but I do have the ability, now, to relearn & then loop them, so…

 

[Nashrakh]

This is barely related to the thread topic at hand, but "writing from the bassline" made me think of figured bass (or thoroughbass), a form of musical notation that is a shorthand for what to play over a bassline in ye olden times. Usually, what was played over the bassline was improvised within the frameworks given by the figures. Some people are very proficient at it, especially organists, but I think my head would explode if I had to sightread something like that in front of a piano.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

T H I S sounds promising!
Would you care to share how YOU would go about doing it, please?
Thanks in advance.

If you are not being sarcastic, here you go. First of all I play guitar, I can finger pick play a little classical where bass parts are played with the thumb. It is very easy for me to internalize what guitar chords match the bass line I play on the bass.

Have nice day.

 

[pmatz2]

Using your Money bass-line as an example with no rhythmic or style context (punk jazz country etc)

B B(octave) F# B F# A B D

3 potential chords jump out at me

B B(octave) F# B - ambiguous B5 (root fifth octave)
F# A Root b3 - F minor
B D - Root B3 - B minor

But would probably stick with Bm and F# Minor

Paul

 

[JRA]

when I noodle around on bass, coming up with interesting basslines that I want to incorporate into songs, but I don’t know how because I didn’t make them from an initial chord sequence first…

learning how to do that might require some knowledge and experience that you presently lack, e.g., can you fashion chords/changes you like from a melody that you write? can you write just a melody from your bass noodles?

edit: and some proper respect to @LBS-bass and to @Joe Nerve for some great composition/arranging on those tunes you posted! you guys are the bomb! and joe, i never get tired of hearing/watching you hammer back on that bass in "FAIK!"

 

[LBS-bass]

If you are not being sarcastic, here you go. First of all I play guitar, I can finger pick play a little classical where bass parts are played with the thumb. It is very easy for me to internalize what guitar chords match the bass line I play on the bass.

Have nice day.

Yes, this is the problem I am having with the OPs question. I hear changes in my head that are associated with the key the bass is playing in and the notes that the bass line is playing. So, in a sense, these chord changes are pre-written within what I'm conceptualizing as I'm laying down the line.

The OP doesn't seem to have anything like that going on in his head to flesh out the music he's writing. So it sounds like what he needs is a little lesson in music theory so that he can a) figure out what key his lines are most likely in and b) figure out what chords are most closely associated with that key.

Way up there I gave him basic instructions for creating a simple major or minor chord based on the root note. But he still has to decide where he wants those chords to be and what the rhythmic chord structure is for the song he's writing. Somehow if he's starting with a bassline either he's already chosen a key or he's playing random stuff that won't sound very good. I mean, yes, he might have key changes and accidentals that work, but he's probably mostly already got at least the basis for assigning a key signature. So there's a set of chords to work with. But he won't know what they are if he can't already hear them in his head and/or work them out using a chording instrument of some sort.

Pick a random chart from, say, iReal book and look at how it's laid out. You're usually going to have one or two chord changes per measure, or at least a repeating chord for more than one measure. The changes usually happen at the first beat, or the first and third beats, if there are two chords in a measure. That kind of observation provides a clue as to how many songs are structured- but of course not all. So you can begin by using existing structures to help figure out where changes ought to be, but I have to say at this point this is getting so very cumbersome and really, an introductory course in theory would put so many good tools into the OPs hands that would help him more than just randomly trying to reinvent theory on his own.

 

[Papageno]

For instance say your BassLine was
‘A#, B C, D’ then how would you come up with chords for that… That kind of thing?

Sorry, but a string of 4 notes is not a bass line until you specify the metric and rhythm on which you play these notes, as well as the tonal center you want for your tune.

From what you tell, it is seems that neither your ear, nor your harmony knowledge, is very strong yet. Learning theory and training your ear is what you need to do to make progress towards your goal. It will take time and dedication but it's worthwile doing it, if you are genuinely motivated to create music.

 

[merseymale]

This is barely related to the thread topic at hand, but "writing from the bassline" made me think of figured bass (or thoroughbass), a form of musical notation that is a shorthand for what to play over a bassline in ye olden times. Usually, what was played over the bassline was improvised within the frameworks given by the figures. Some people are very proficient at it, especially organists, but I think my head would explode if I had to sightread something like that in front of a piano.

Fascinating!

 

[merseymale]

If you are not being sarcastic, here you go. First of all I play guitar, I can finger pick play a little classical where bass parts are played with the thumb. It is very easy for me to internalize what guitar chords match the bass line I play on the bass.

Have nice day.

Nope! am being serious!
(I think the misunderstanding is when you say "first of all I play guitar..."
I'm tryna start with Bass

 

[merseymale]

Using your Money bass-line as an example with no rhythmic or style context (punk jazz country etc)

B B(octave) F# B F# A B D

3 potential chords jump out at me

B B(octave) F# B - ambiguous B5 (root fifth octave)
F# A Root b3 - F minor
B D - Root B3 - B minor

But would probably stick with Bm and F# Minor

Paul

Enlightening! Thanks

 

[merseymale]

learning how to do that might require some knowledge and experience that you presently lack, e.g., can you fashion chords/changes you like from a melody that you write? can you write just a melody from your bass noodles?

edit: and some proper respect to @LBS-bass and to @Joe Nerve for some great composition/arranging on those tunes you posted! you guys are the bomb! and joe, i never get tired of hearing/watching you hammer back on that bass in "FAIK!"

I sorta CAN, yes but have problems the other way found...

 

[merseymale]

Yes, this is the problem I am having with the OPs question. I hear changes in my head that are associated with the key the bass is playing in and the notes that the bass line is playing. So, in a sense, these chord changes are pre-written within what I'm conceptualizing as I'm laying down the line.

The OP doesn't seem to have anything like that going on in his head to flesh out the music he's writing. So it sounds like what he needs is a little lesson in music theory so that he can a) figure out what key his lines are most likely in and b) figure out what chords are most closely associated with that key.

Way up there I gave him basic instructions for creating a simple major or minor chord based on the root note. But he still has to decide where he wants those chords to be and what the rhythmic chord structure is for the song he's writing. Somehow if he's starting with a bassline either he's already chosen a key or he's playing random stuff that won't sound very good. I mean, yes, he might have key changes and accidentals that work, but he's probably mostly already got at least the basis for assigning a key signature. So there's a set of chords to work with. But he won't know what they are if he can't already hear them in his head and/or work them out using a chording instrument of some sort.

Pick a random chart from, say, iReal book and look at how it's laid out. You're usually going to have one or two chord changes per measure, or at least a repeating chord for more than one measure. The changes usually happen at the first beat, or the first and third beats, if there are two chords in a measure. That kind of observation provides a clue as to how many songs are structured- but of course not all. So you can begin by using existing structures to help figure out where changes ought to be, but I have to say at this point this is getting so very cumbersome and really, an introductory course in theory would put so many good tools into the OPs hands that would help him more than just randomly trying to reinvent theory on his own.

Thanks very much for being good enough to take the time to write this

If anyone can point me towards theory from the point of view of "bass upwards", as it were, I'd grateful all over again!

 

[merseymale]

Sorry, but a string of 4 notes is not a bass line until you specify the metric and rhythm on which you play these notes, as well as the tonal center you want for your tune.

From what you tell, it is seems that neither your ear, nor your harmony knowledge, is very strong yet. Learning theory and training your ear is what you need to do to make progress towards your goal. It will take time and dedication but it's worthwile doing it, if you are genuinely motivated to create music.

i'd have to disagree with the idea that 4notes does not make a bassline -there are many genres of music, after all but you're right about my harmony knowledge as I think my ear is pretty good(IMHO!)