I used to think that in order to get through a song with a walking bass line, you needed to have some sort of advanced degree in music theory. Everyone around me was telling me different things like: “You need to know all your scales to make it through” “If you don’t know your arpeggios, […]
Chord Symbols For Bass (2/3): Beyond Roots
Once you know how to find the roots of chords, you can be pretty dangerous – maybe even make it through an entire gig on bass! But if you really want to start making cool bass lines, riffs, fills and licks, then you’re going to need to get beyond using just the root. After all, […]
How To Read Chord Symbols For Bass (1/3): The ‘Bassics’
You get a chord chart or lyric sheet put in front of you with a bunch of chord symbols over it, but what the hell are you supposed to play? Especially if you’ve never come across some of the symbols before. This is basically what happened to me first time I saw a ‘real’ jazz […]
How To Craft Bass Lines For Melodies
Back when I was in high school and starting to learn bass I had a guitarist friend who LOVED writing melodies and riffs for songs. The ideas just seemed to flow out of him, but nothing ever seemed to get finished. Every once in a while, he’d show me the songs and melodies he’d started […]
The Hybrid Funk Scale For Bass
What if I told you there was a ‘hybrid’ funk scale for bass and you could start using it today? One super common question I get asked is what scale should you use over funk music; or what scale will make you sound funky. What I usually say when I’m asked these kinds of questions […]
Chromatic Scale On Bass: How To Use It
The chromatic scale on bass – you’ve probably heard of it as some point, right? But how are you actually supposed to use it? While it’s possible to just go up and down the chromatic scale, it may not be the best option. Sure – there are some songs that do that, but what is […]
