Walking bass line theory basics pdf file chris fitzgerald. The bass lines are good and one simple addition to know is that just about any chordwalking bass line, you can always use a leading tone that is, 12 step below to whatever is the next chord. Walking on the moon sheet music pdf the police free download walking on the moon sheet music pdf the police. Given a piece of music, it is interesting to count how many times each of the individual twelve musical notes is played, and understand their relative weight, or importance, in the piece.
Improvise jazz piano with walking bass line piano with jonny. A bass line is a melody line played in the bass by a lowpitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc. Obviously the sound of the contrabass is warmer and softer than the percussive sound of the piano and some shadings are impossible with the piano, for example glissando or bender. As an active member of the new york city jazz scene, wallace has participated in jazz festivals, spoken and performed live on radio, and played at many prestigious jazz clubs and concert halls around the country. The guitar is an extremely versatile instrument, with seemingly endless techniques and tones around every corner. A jazz bassist must learn how to walk a line based on the chords of a tune. Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and great american songbook jazz standards. Our basic method for bass line construction is pretty straightforward. The book will show the musician how to connect familiar chord shapes with the appropriate bass notes. Dec 16, 2015 the free source of walking bass lessons complete, free course on how to create walking bass lines. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. Walking bass lines are a very specific and classic jazz piano sound and generally considered an advanced concept. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. The first lesson will be building walking bass lines in the 44 meter swing style.
The term walking is used lescribe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. The goal of a walking bassline is to outline the chord progression but with an interesting. If youre amazingly extra awesome, youll be able to sing the melody and make a bass line at the same time. It is full of ideas, examples, chord voicings and substitutions, as well as short chord progressions for you to try your new learned skills. The hystogmam below is the result of such an analysis perfoemed on walking bass guitar. We can create a walking bass line over the following twelvebar blues chord progression. The split octave bass line is probably the bestknown boogiewoogie bass line. Share, download and print free sheet music for piano, guitar, flute and more on the worlds largest community of sheet music creators.
An easy method for creating walking bass lines on piano. The free source of walking bass lessons complete, free course on how to create walking bass lines. Youre able to download printable sheet music john williams hedwigs theme for piano piano. A slightly embellished version of this kind of line would also be typical of a basic boogie woogie type bass line, as in the following example. We do offer many free pdf downloads here resources and every pdf. Solo sku pso0010095 at our online store of digital music. There are a couple of exceptions as youll see but for the most part were looking at one line for ascending and one line for descending.
Our collection of tabs, guitar chords, and video lessons is constantly growing, so check back often to find your favorite songs. And walking bass lines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time. Popularized by piano greats lennie tristano and dave mckenna, among others, the walking lh bass line can effectively subtitute for a rhythm section, if desired, and provides a rhythmic and melodic foundation for rh improvisations. The wonderful thing about it is that walking a basic bass line is not all that difficult once you learn a few simple steps. How to play walking bass lines at the piano cocktail piano. This is the most complicated bass line, but is the favourite of many. Its a system that takes weeks or even months to learn the basics, while guitar tab can be learned in a matter. A walking bass line generally consists of notes of equal duration and intensity typically 14 notes that create a feeling of forward motion. Bassists can learn to read music notation, chord lyrics charts, or bass tablature. Incorporating the 3rd of the chord will also give your bass line a stronger harmonic foundation.
In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. Boogie woogie bass line patterns sheet music, pdf, walking. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of. Walking bass line piano tutorial walking bass jazz piano. Walking bass exercise fly me to the moon play chords with free rhytm. All lessons are applied to all 12 keys with written out bass lines and 333 mp3 backing tracks applied to 10 jazz and bebop standard chord progressions with over 150 choruses of written out bass line examples. Later down the line, you can then choose to target tones other than the root of the chord. Here is the bass lines for autumn leaves that everyone contributed to last week. For ascending lines im using the scale degrees 1 2 3 5. Pay close attention to the quality of the chords dominant seven or minor. The function of a bass player in the jazz combo is to work with the piano player and drummer to provide both a harmonic and rhythmic stability for the tune. It keeps the beat, it plays the bass line, and it establishes the groove. Lessons in this segment focus on the fundamentals of bass playing. In todays jazz piano lesson, im going to teach you how to improvise jazz piano over a simple walking bass line.
Paypal will automatically convert from us dollars to your currency using the exchange rate at the. The blues in 12 keys, book i in the constructing walking jazz bass lines series new 2hr mp3 playalong free download featuring all chord progressions in 12 keys from part ii of the book available from website. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. Do you want to improvise jazz piano while walking a jazz bass line.
In general, it is a good strategy to play the root of the chord on the downbeat of the measure. The boogiewoogie lefthand plays the role of the bass player and drummer in a band, both rolled into one. You will learn some easy scales and how to play a walking bass line for whatever song you are playing. Nothing too difficult, just make sure you are stamping your foot two times per second and that you are counting from 1 to 4 in time with your foot beat. A walking bass is a style of bass accompaniment or line, common in baroque music 16001750 and 20th century jazz, blues and rockabilly, which creates a feeling of regular quarter note movement, akin to the regular alternation of feet while walking. Walking bass definition of walking bass by the free. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. Walking on the moon sheet music pdf the police free download walking on the moon sheet music pdf the police for piano sheet music, scoring piano vocal guitar, original key. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar digital sheet music. All of our bass tab pdf is printable and downloadable so you can enjoy it for years to come. When starting out with walking bass lines, i would recommend that you always target the root when changing chords. Build a walking bass line from scales the jazz piano left hand. This bass transcription is the full percy heath walking bass line to but not for me take 2 from miles davis 1957 album bags groove.
Walking bass mascari piano studios piano lessons, music. It is possible to add rhythmic variations, but in general, a walking bassline drives the song forward step by step. Related lessons section for detailed tutorials on how to learn and master these useful jazz piano voicings. Chords and walking bass part 1 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time.
Under each phrase i wrote the logic behind it and how i came up with it. The walking bass technique with the piano left hand has great effect. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time walking basslines. This is a solo i wrote for the jazz standard autumn leaves using a variety of thecniques that i have learned over my years of playing jazz. Fundamental concepts for walking bass a systematic method ebook by george urbaszek. Does anyone know where i can find some easy sheet music for a beginner learning how to construct walking bass lines. The collection of material of this book is, in our opinion, the basics to playing bass guitar for some event. As a subscriber you are getting a free backing tracks and pdf files with tab and notation to illustrate each lesson. Download the sheet music for the arrangement of lets fall in love that is featur ed in our walking bass for piano youtube video. When creating walking bass lines, its important to outline the root and 5th of the chord. Your free backing tracks and pdf download walking bass lessons. Pay attention, burn through this as fast as you can, and you. Use the same method that is illustrated with the ii v is. Piano chords how to play how to play a simple left hand walking bass jazz improv free pdf handout by jerald simon music motivation.
Walking on the moon sheet music the police free piano sheet. This technique resumes in a direct way the style of a bass instrument. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time. The intervalic bass line is created from your knowledge of what notes make particular chords. This is a a way of playing that i use really a lot in situations where theres no bass player, so mostly duo settings with a guitar player, singer or horn player. Bass lessons beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tab standard string tuning g,d,a,e recommended 1.
This can be difficult for smaller hands but we will explore the most effective way to practice this style so that you can play it fluently. Walking bass definition of walking bass by the free dictionary. Walking bass lines are really useful in jazz piano they give you a cool, pro sound and a. Looking forward to hearing your walking bass lines over autumn leaves. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. For when you have to learn to play the bass right now. But the truth is that walking bass lines are fairly easy to practice and, like everything in music and life, the more you practice the more comfortable you will become when playing in this style.
Therefore, the bass is played by the left hand on the lower part of the keyboard of the piano. After the interview, start your free trial to get access to this lesson and. It is absolutely crucial for the student to learn the material in the correct order and not to go ahead of oneself. Autumn leaves solo improvisation guide and walking bass. The possible noterange of a walking bass can reach from subcontra a to middle c. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat. It is common for the harmonic rhythm to vary within most chord progressions. Print and download in pdf or midi autumn leaves solo. One very important and widely used jazz guitar technique is playing bass lines in combination with chords. The stepwise motion in the fourth horn part is reminiscent of a walking bass line. When the harmonic rhythm of a progression of a song is two chords per bar, the bass player will often play a target note on beats 1 and 3, and an approach note on beats 2 and 4. Dave frank school of jazz, new york city music videos. The magic of the boogiewoogie bass line rhythm comes from what we could call a 12 against 4 rhythm. By starting with the anchor bass line, you will be able to unlock the door to creating your own swinging walking bass lines.
Apr 26, 2017 wallace stelzer is a professional jazz bass player and content creator from houston, texas. For this walking bass line im going to use only two scale patterns as the foundation for the whole thing. Walking bass book bass lessons online includes free. It is found most commonly in blues and jazz, but as you learn bass guitar, you will hear its influence in almost any style of music. Your free backing tracks and pdf download walking bass. This is an important concept to remember, the walking bass line is. Instead of having a few different things to try in this lesson, we are going to learn a written. How to play basic walking bass lines bass wonderhowto.
Walking a bass line with the left hand is a skill every jazz, rock, and pop pianist should know. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. Nothing too difficult, just make sure you are stamping your foot two times per second and that you are counting from 1 to 4 in time with your foot. Playing with a walking bass line is a style of piano playing that is used most often in solo jazz performance. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. A walking bass line is the most common approach to jazz bass playing. Walking bass with the piano left hand classic jazz piano. After browsing our selection of free bass tab pdf, view our video lessons to help you get started learning your favorite songs from start to finish. There is a big tendency for players to seek for advanced and complicated topics while they still did not master the basics.
Beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tabs bass. A walking bass line is simply a melodic bass line found mainly in jazz and blues styles in which you walk around in quarter notes connecting the chords. If you are looking to begin playing the bass then this how to video is the place to start. Free bass tabs printable, downloadable pdf bass tabs. In this seventh lesson of a blues piano crash course, learn how to play the simple but challenging walking bass. Walking bass noterange usually the bass lies in the lower sound range of the music.
Music notation is a great system, but it isnt the most modern, or best system for learn modern bass guitar songs. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar by stephan badreau is a step by step guide to harmonizing bass lines on the guitar. A bassline is a melody line played in the bass by a lowpitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc. With this tutorial you will learn tips to improve your walking bass technique. The bass lines are good and one simple addition to know is that just about any chord walking bass line, you can always use a leading tone that is, 12 step below to whatever is the next chord. This is a short demonstration lesson detailing the basic principles of walking bass lines. The conference brought middle and high school teachers from all over idaho to the college of southern idaho for three days of seminars and workshops. Learn to play the bass line and the thirds and sevenths all at one time. A bassline also known as a bass line or bass part is the term used in many styles of music, such as jazz, blues, funk, dub and electronic, traditional music, or classical music for the lowpitched instrumental part or line played in jazz and some forms of popular music by a rhythm section instrument such as the electric bass, double bass, cello, tuba or keyboard piano, hammond organ.
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