Essentials: Walking Bass Lines

This first walking bass line is based on Leroy Vinnegars performance on the song Sunny Side Of The Street. Leroy's nickname was "The Walker" so I thought it was appropriate to include his style of walking in this collection. Also, he was self taught, less technical, and really all about the feel. In this first one we will check out some 2-5 and 2-5-1 patterns and examine how simple and sometimes repetive note choices and patterns can still make solid, great sounding bass lines. Lets dig into this one .

Now let's check out the performance for this tune. This first walking bass line is based on Leroy Vinnegars performance on the song Sunny Side Of The Street. Leroy's nickname was "The Walker" so I thought it was appropriate to include his style of walking in this collection. Also, he was self taught, less technical, and really all about the feel. In this first one we will check out some 2-5 and 2-5-1 patterns and examine how simple and sometimes repetive note choices and patterns can still make solid, great sounding bass lines.

First thing to notice is there are a lot of roots on the first beat of the chord changes. This really anchors the band and helps to hear the chord progression. The first bar is a C chord and we simply play the chord tones which are C, the root, moving down to the major 3rd, E, then the 5, G on the E string and finally back to the root C that transitions using a half step movement to the B note in the next bar. Bar 2 has a 2-5 progression in A minor. Over the B minor 7 flat 5 we simply play the root twice without outlining the chord which is perfectly acceptable and for beats 3 and 4 over the E7 chord we use the neutral chord tones E and B, root and 5. What I mean by neutral is that we could have used these same 2 notes had the chord been EMaj, maj 7th, minor, minor 7th, suspended or a number of other chords. Next we have an F chord where we use primarily chord tones but add the 6, the notes are 1, major 3rd, 6 and 5, F, A, D, and C. Again we have a smooth transition to from the C to D, our root in bar 4. Here again we play 2 quarter note roots for the Dm7 chord and over the G7 we play the root, G, and 5, D, using swinging 8th notes and end on a quarter note chromatic passing tone, Ab. In bar 5 we have an Am7 chord and here we do a simple walking pattern consisting of 1, 2, 3, and back to 1. Our last 1, A, moves by a 1-4 relationship smoothly to D in bar 6 which is our root, in this bar we have a diatonic walkdown from D, to C, to B, and then A. We have 2 chords again in bar 7, actually bars 7 and 8 form a 2-5-1 pattern. So we begin with a 1-5 movement for the 1st 2 beats, D to A, and then 1-3 in the second half, G to B. Then we move up a half step to C, down to the major 3rd, E, down again to D, the 2, and finish with the 5, G. Now we repeat that 8 bar chord progression with new notes. In bar 9 we have the C chord again this time we start on the 5 and walk down the major scale but use a ghost note in between the first 2 notes, G to F, we continue walking down to E, the 3, and D, the 2 then another ghost note using the A string. We use only roots in bar 10, two B's to two E's, simple but does the job, all about the feel. Bar 11 starts on the root, F, walks down to E, continues to D, and ends on the major 3rd, A. We sort of imply a D minor chord on beats 3 and 4, Dm7 is closely related to the F chord. In bar 12 we go back to playing roots only, G, and G# or Ab, we spice it up with a ghost note in there but again it's really about the feel in this case, not the complex or fancy notes you can come up with. In bar 13 we again begin with the root, A, move to a ghost note on the A string, walk down the triad to E, C, then the root A. We repeat our same pattern from bar 6 in bar 14, D, C, B, A. Over the 2-5 in bar 15 we start with the root D, minor 3rd, F, then G to B, root, third over the G7 chord. This time when we get to the 1 chord, C, we do a walk down that implies a chromatic descending chord progression, C, B, Bb, and A. Next we have the bridge section which starts with another 2-5-1 progression in bars 17-20. Bar 17 has another scalar type walk down using the scale based on the Gm7 chord which is the Dorian scale, we start with G, the root, and walk down to F, the b7, then E, the 6, then the 5, D, we keep that descending motion going by playing the root, C, or our next chord, down to Bb, the b7 of our mixolydian scale, A, the 6, and G, the 5. We actually walk down one more note, to F which is the root of our chord for bars 19 and 20. Bar 19 repeats our pattern from bar 3, bar 20 starts on the 5, C, goes up to the 2, G, down to F, the root, then a chromatic connecting note, Eb that leads us to bar 5 of our bridge, the D7 chord. We do a more simplified walk down here starting on the root, D, to the b7, C, to B, our 6, then repeat the B before encountering another 2-5, A-D. We simply outline both chords in bar 22 with the corresponding 1-5, for Am7, A to E, for D7, D to A. In bar 23 we get a little more colorful over the G7 by starting with the root but walking up chromatically to Ab, then to A, the 2, and finally down to Eb a chromatic note that takes us to D, the root of our next 2-5. Here in bar 24 is a familiar 1-3 movement, D to F, then to the root G, down to the 5 but an anticipation which is often done to accentuate a new section or returning to a previous section, in this case going back to A. Now bar 25 begins our final 8 bars of the phrase. Our anticipation note, C, holds over until the second beat of bar 25, we then play E, the major 3rd, G, the 5, a ghost note on the A string and then back to the 1. The next bar starts on the root, B of our Bm7b5 chord, then we play the b5, F, and finish with 2 simple E roots. Bars 27 and 28 are repeats of bars 11 and 12. Now we have the last 4 bars, the first one, bar 28 starts with a familiar motif from bar 13, the root, and ghost note and then the 5, E, but then goes to the root down an octave and up to a chromatic note, Eb that leads us to the root, D, in bar 30. The pattern here is root-5-root-3, D, A, D, F#. This walks up to G, the root of our next chord change, even though we have a suspended to 7 chord the pattern works over both chords, its the same one we played in bar 17 even though that is over a minor chord, they share some of the same scale notes. Our last bar resolves but also sets up the top of the phrase again with the G7 chord. Our notes here are root-3 over the C chord, C to E, and swinging 8th notes over the G7 chord starting on the 5, D, to low E, the 6, and finally to G, the root, as a quarter note.

This next bass line is inspired by the Miles Davis song So What played by Paul Chambers that includes one the most famous bass features in jazz. This is an example of modal jazz consisting of only 2 chords focusing on the Dorian mode. We have the liberty to play longer phrases with these type of modal songs, mixing chordal, alternate scale and chromatic lines liberally. Lets check it out.

Now let's check out the performance. This tune is inspired by the Miles Davis song So What played by Paul Chambers that includes one the most famous bass features in jazz. This is an example of modal jazz consisting of only 2 chords focusing on the Dorian mode. We have the liberty to play longer phrases with these type of modal songs, mixing chordal, alternate scale and chromatic lines liberally.

For the first 16 bars we will be playing Dm7, the Dorian scale is the scale of choice over this chord though we make liberal use of chromatic passing tones. In the second half of the B section we will think Db major scale instead of the Eb Dorian scale in our walking process, as Paul did on the original track. Db major scale shares the same notes as Eb dorian. We start the bass line with 8th notes, propelling the song forward with the two D's and continue to climb up diatonically with E, the 2, and F, the minor 3rd, we end the bar with the 6, part of the Dorian scale. The next bar starts on the 5th, A, but again we are thinking in longer phrases here and not bar to bar. From the A we walk down to the minor 3rd, F, the 2, E, and down to the 5 and octave lower. Bar 3 starts on the root, D, and goes down to F, the minor third, low E, the 2, and ends the bar on a chromatic Ab that leads us to the A, our 5, in bar 4 and here is where we play our minor 6, Bb, part of the natural minor scale, we finish this 4 bar phrase with C, the b7, and Db which leads us to the D or root in bar 5. Bar 5 begins like bar 1 with skipping 8th notes but 1-5 this time instead of two roots. We follow that with another diatonic walk up, E, F, and G, continuing that walk to the next bar with the 5, A. Bar 6 continues with the 2, E in a 1-4 movement then down to C, the b7 and lastly to Db which is again used as a transitioning note. The next bar begins with D, the root, going down to F, the minor 3rd, followed by G, the 4, walking up chromatically using Ab to A the first note of bar 8. Bar 8 follows A with C, the b7, E, the 2, chromatically down using Eb to the root D in bar 9. This bar has another chromatic walk down, D, Db on beat 2, C, b7, and skipping to Bb, the minor 6 that transitions to A, the 5 and 1st note of our new bar. We jump up from A to F, the minor 3rd, down to the 2, and back up to the 5, A. We start exploring new areas of the fretboard in bar 11 starting with D at the 7th fret of the G string. We walk up diatonically to the 2, E, the minor 3rd, F as an 8th note and the second 8th note being a ghost or muted note on the D string leading to Bb, the minor 6 and connects us to A, the 5, in bar 12, we continue to walk down in that bar from A to G, the 4, F, minor 3rd, E, the 2, and into the new bar, 13, with the root D. Bar 13 begins a skipping figure using wide intervals and open strings for effect. Starts on open D and moves to F at the 10th fret of the G string, back to D and then back to F before ending with another Bb leading us to A in bar 14. We have a pattern walk in bar 14 where we are walking down in thirds, first major and then minor third intervals, A to F then G to E. In bar 15 we have a common box shaped pattern that can be used over minor and dominant chords because there is no third, we have, D, root, then the octave, D, b7, C and the 5, A. From the A we walk down to the 4, G, the minor 3rd, F, 2, E, and to the root, D in bar 16.

Now bar 17 is where we change to chord number 2 of our two chord song. We go up a half step to Eb minor 7. Here I think Db major scale for half of the 8 bars of Ebm7, If you play the Eb dorian scale starting on Db, you get the Db major scale. Ok, the first 4 bars highlight the Eb dorian scale, we start on the root, Eb, then Db, the b7, C, the 6 and Gb, the minor 3rd, in the second bar,18, we play as an extension of bar 17 with the first note being F, the 2, then down to the b7, Db, to Bb the 5, and lastly a chromatic note D that leads us up a half step to Eb, the root in bar 19, to the 5, Bb, walk down chromatically to A, then Ab the 4 which gets us to Gb in bar 20, down to Eb, the root, A, a chromatic note leading to the 5, Bb. Now in the next four bars we are still playing Ebm7 but we outline the Db major scale. We start on the root Db, to the 4, Gb, the 2, Eb, then the 5, Ab. These translate to the b7, minor 3rd, root and 4 of Eb dorian. Back in Db for the 2nd bar we start on the major 3rd, F, Ab, the 5, major 7, C, and the 6, Bb. For bar 23 we have the root, Db, major 7, C, Ab, the 5, and Bb, the 6. The last bar of this phrase starts on the 4, Gb, the 5, Ab, major 3rd, F, and the root, Db.

Next we are back to Dm7 for the last 8 bars. We begin with a triplet to help define the new section. Notes are D, F, and G, root, minor 3rd, and 4. Second beat is the b7, C, the 6, B, then Bb that connects us to the A in bar 26 which is the 5, down to G, the 4, to F, the minor 3rd, and back to the 5, A. Bar 27 walks diatonically up the D dorian scale from D to E, F, 1,2,3 then skips to the 5, A. The last bar of this phrase starts on F at the 10 fret of the G string which is the minor 3rd, down to the 2, E, to C, the b7 and finishing on A, the 5. Our last 4 bars of the song start on the root D, to the b7, C, skipping 8th notes on beat 3 which are Bb, the minor 6, to G, the 4, moves up to A in bar 30, then walks back down diatonically to G, F, and E, 4, flat 3, and 2. Another swinging skipping phase on beat 1 with 8th notes playing 1 and 5, D and A, this walks up to a chromatic note, C# that leads to D, the root back down to another chromatic note Ab, and finally to A, the 5, F, the minor 3rd, E, the 2, and a chromatic connector Eb that gets back to the top.