by When it comes to writing your own basslines, sometimes you barely have to worry about the notes, right? They’re pretty much taken care of.
It’s common for bass players to be given a chord chart or a lyric sheet that basically tells them what notes are going to work the best. This is great if you’re not sure which are the ‘right’ notes to play. You can just play the roots from the chart.
But what about the other critical part of the bassline?
The rhythm.
A lot of bass players get stumped when it comes to creating a strong rhythmic idea. You can know all the chords, scales and arpeggios in the world, but if you can’t come up with a compelling rhythmic ‘core’ for your bassline, it will end up being very ‘limp’.
That’s why in this 3rd instalment of Bass Lines From Scratch, you’ll be learning 6 rhythmic formulas that you can directly apply to your next bassline.
If you’ve ever struggled with knowing what rhythms will work in your basslines, then check this lesson out.
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Use this quick quiz to 'test' your own bass lines to make sure they're world-class. If not, the checklist will show you exactly what you need to do to improve it so your bass lines are as good as they could possibly be.
You'll also get all the tabs, notation and practice tracks from the entire Bass Lines From Scratch Series.
You can treat all of these rhythmic formulas as starting points or ‘jumping off’ points. Play around with them, modify them, combine them! You may even start off using one of the formulas and it might prompt you to go in a completely different direction with your line.
And that’s great!
You’ll notice that all the examples from this video didn’t always rigidly stick to their rhythmic formulas the whole time. There’s quite a bit of variation in some of them, but the core rhythm remains steady.
You can do the exact same thing with your own basslines. Have a ‘core’ rhythm that you use, but then play around with it however you like.
Make sure you download the Basslines From Scratch Checklist as well to make sure that every bassline you make is top-notch. Just fill out the form above and I’ll send it to you 100% free.
If you have any questions about anything from the lesson, just let me know! Drop a comment down below and I’d be happy to help however I can.
Good luck with the lesson and happy bass line making!
Cheers,
P.S. If you want to check out all the songs I mentioned in this video to hear the rhythmic formulas for yourself, here they all are:
The Pointer Sisters – I’m So Excited
Pink Floyd – Another Brick In The Wall
Stevie Wonder – You Are The Sunshine Of My Life
Wild Cherry – Play That Funky Music
KC And The Sunshine Band – Shake Your Booty
Lionel Richie – All Night Long
Sly And The Family Stone – Thank You (Falletin’ Me Be Mice Elf Again)
The Supremes – You Can’t Hurry Love
Luke it would be great if we could get the key and notes for this lesson written out
I’ve had a few people say the same thing, so I’ll be making a PDF with all of that stuff when I get the chance. If you’re subscribed by email, I’ll let you know when it’s all ready to go.
Thank’s so much for this info. It’s a great help.
Can you provide the bass tabs on all the songs you listed for a better review.
Thanks Luke, For all the love you have given to us
No worries Sean. Glad you’re into the lessons!