Playing with a walking bass line is a style of piano playing that is used most often in solo jazz performance. 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. In this article were going to focus on a few specific things that you can practice to help you play walking bass lines at the piano. Bass lessons beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tab standard string tuning g,d,a,e recommended 1. When creating walking bass lines, its important to outline the root and 5th of the chord. Well play through it so you can get it under your fingers and then well have a look at what is going on in there so you can integrate parts of it into your own vocabulary and develop your own walking style. In this theory tip tuesday video i show how to play a simple walking bass left hand pattern on the piano using a 12 bar blues progression. The wonderful thing about it is that walking a basic bass line is not all that difficult once you learn a few simple steps.
Subscribe to a membership plan for full access to this quick tips sheet music and backing tracks. Playing a walking jazz guitar bass line is a captivating method of comping for other musicians, and yourself. While walking bass in a band is generally played by the bass guitar or double bass player, being able to play walking bass lines is an essential skill for. The book will show the musician how to connect familiar chord shapes with the appropriate bass notes. The first lesson will be building walking bass lines in the 44 meter swing style. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat. This technique resumes in a direct way the style of a bass instrument. 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.
Walking bass with the piano left hand classic jazz piano. Walking bass line theory basics pdf file chris fitzgerald. Oct 26, 2018 in this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. So what walking bass line the complete bass player. Walking bass lines are used in blues gospel, country, rock, ska, rockabilly, rhythm and blues, latin, and many other musical genres.
How to play a simple walking bass left hand pattern on the piano. Basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass bass tabs. How to create bass lines 6 often youll use an ostinato for the head when the whole group plays the melody at the beginning and the end and use a walking bass for the changes when people take turns improvising over the chord progression of the song. For ascending lines im using the scale degrees 1 2 3 5. Walking a bass line with the left hand is a skill every jazz, rock, and pop pianist should know. 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. Many beginner and intermediate piano players are daunted by trying to play the bassline at the same time as the melody.
Sheet music arranged for piano vocalguitar in d minor. Pdf article on scales and arpeggios in music a scale is any set of musical notes. If you know how to create a walking bass line, you can be more creative in your jazz playing. Incorporating the 3rd of the chord will also give your bass line a stronger harmonic foundation. The walking bass technique with the piano left hand has great effect. Learn to play the bass line and the thirds and sevenths all at one time.
Pianists, anchor your walking bass lines with this terrific tool. A walking bass line walks through the chord progression, one note per beat. 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. When starting out with walking bass lines, i would recommend that you always target the root when changing chords. Walking bass lines piano tutorial 5 minute masterclass. The left hand on the piano chords arpeggios and bass. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of.
The term walking is used lescribe the moving feeling that quarter notes create in the bass part. The walking wednesday bass line this week is so what. So far we have patterns for each chord change in the 12bar blues except for one, moving from v to iv i. In this lesson we will be creating a simple walking bass line over a basic jazz blues progression. Chord tones root, 3rd, 5th, 7th are the most powerful choice you can make when creating your walking lines. Fingerings included, arrangement by andre van haren, edited by oriol lopez calle with mp3 and midi files. How to play walking bass lines at the piano cocktail piano. By starting with the anchor bass line, you will be able to unlock the door to creating your own swinging walking bass lines. This page features over 180 free bass transcriptions in standard notation. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook welcome to the bass chapter of the thelonious monk institute of jazzs online jazz handbook. In this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. Sep 24, 2019 every chord change in the blues should be viewed as an opportunity to create harmonic movement and interest for the listener.
The magic of the boogiewoogie bass line rhythm comes from what we could call a 12 against 4 rhythm. How to play walking bass lines at the piano cocktail. Walking bass lines are a fascinating part of jazz, as they support and mark the harmony underneath the chords and. 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. Walking bass line theory basicspart 1by chris fitzgerald. Download intermediate walking bass lines for jazz guitar intermediate walking bass lines pdf being honest,i dont know improvisatuon im a beginnerintermediateadvanced bassist because im self taught and. The function of the bass is to provide the foundation. An easy method for creating walking bass lines on piano. 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.
Sep 26, 2010 the walking bass technique with the piano left hand has great effect. Take your blues bass playing for a wander with this tab and audioready lesson. Walking bass lines are really useful in jazz piano they give you a cool, pro sound and a. A walking bass line is a more creative form of bass playing than the other swing styles because you choose new notes each time you play the same song. Use the same method that is illustrated with the ii v is. How to play a simple walking bass left hand pattern on the. The walking bass really helps you lay down the groove and you can add the chords to make the harmony clear but also as accents in the rhythm. Autumn leaves solo improvisation guide and walking bass. In part three of our walking bass series, we are looking at the final changes for the 12 bar blues. Oct 22, 2019 how to play bassline when playing the piano. Walking bass lines for guitar jazz guitar workshop series. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz. Print and download in pdf or midi autumn leaves solo.
Now its time to learn how to create a complete bass line from scratch. A walking bass is a bass accompaniment consisting of notes of equal value, usually quarter notes. And walking basslines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time. It is possible to add rhythmic variations, but in general, a walking bassline drives the song forward step by step. Under each phrase i wrote the logic behind it and how i came up with it.
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. Bye bye blackbird walking bass line sheet music for. Pdf download the sheet music for the arrangement of. 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. If youre looking for bass tabs, then click here these free bass transcriptions are provided for educational use only click on the transcription title to view and download the pdf.
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. R 3 5 6 7 walking bass line theory basics chris fitzgerald. Simple walking bass line for jazz beginners talkingbass. 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. Print and download in pdf or midi bye bye blackbird composer. Fortunately, there are many simpler ways to put together bassline. How to keep your bass lines interesting and how to write a walking bass line. 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. 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.
Download the sheet music for the arrangement of lets fall in love that is featur ed in our walking bass for piano youtube video. Walking bass lines for jazz standards piano tutorials playlist. You can watch the video below as i demonstrate and show you various left hand patterns and right hand improvisational progressions you can implement in using the blocked and broken major sixth chords. Walking bass mascari piano studios piano lessons, music. How to play a simple walking bass left hand pattern on the piano using a 12 bar. 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. The pianomethod walking bass for piano can be downloaded at. An easy method for creating walking bass lines on piano walking bass michael gundlach.
Simple jazz blues walking line breakdown talkingbass. Aug 19, 2014 in this lesson ill demonstrate how i approach playing walking bass lines and chords at the same time. Apr 26, 2017 in my previous post, how to keep your bass lines interesting, we defined what a bass line is and what its functions are, and looked at a few ways in which we can creatively negotiate chord changes. How to write a walking bass line learn jazz standards. Boogie woogie bass line patterns sheet music, pdf, walking. Just like walking with your feet, tyjwalking bass line is one step after the other that takes you somewhere. This is an important concept to remember, the walking bass line is. Walking bass for piano tutorial no 1 by michael gundlach. It is recommended to put the walking bass line in a noterange between contra f and small g. First of all notice that we play it an octave lower bass players operate in this area and not in this area so ive put an octave sign under the bass clef, but ive written it on the stave to make it more. A bassline is a melody line played in the bass by a lowpitched instrument such as the piano, double bass, electric bass, tuba, etc.
Walking bass lines always sound cool in any style of music, but are essential to jazz blues and great american songbook jazz standards. It is common for the harmonic rhythm to vary within most chord progressions. Contains printable sheet music plus an interactive, downloadable digital. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar digital sheet music. Looking forward to hearing your walking bass lines over autumn leaves. Walking bass lines are a very specific and classic jazz piano sound and generally considered an advanced concept. In this seventh lesson of a blues piano crash course, learn how to play the simple but challenging walking bass. 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. 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. It keeps the beat, it plays the bass line, and it establishes the groove. Improvise jazz piano with walking bass line piano with jonny. In this post, i want to take abstract concepts about how bass lines are constructed and use them to create practical exercises that help all musicians learn how to improvise walking bass lines in real time. For this walking bass line im going to use only two scale patterns as the foundation for the whole thing. Its function is to outline the chords of the progression and provide a smooth transition from one chord to another. It is full of ideas, examples, chord voicings and substitutions, as well as short chord progressions for you to try your new learned skills.
Bass lessons basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass bass tab blues basic 12 bar blues in a the walking bass by. Beginners guide to walking bass lines bass tabs bass. Walking bass line piano tutorial walking bass jazz piano. Dave frank school of jazz, new york city music videos. Walking bass lines piano pdf file download ranasohel. Click on the image below to download the free pdf handout mentioned in.
Share, download and print free sheet music for piano, guitar, flute and more on the worlds largest community of sheet music creators. Here on learn jazz standards, there are a few great posts on walking bass lines for bass players. Walking bass lines are a fascinating part of jazz, as they support and mark the harmony underneath the chords and melody. Therefore being in control of them and becoming fluent is crucial. The intervalic bass line is created from your knowledge of what notes make particular chords. In this example, the bass line consists of simple arpeggiations of each chord, giving the overall effect of a simple blues bass line. Here is the bass lines for autumn leaves that everyone contributed to last week. And walking bass lines are a continuous sequence of quarter notes, generally played on the beat 4 notes per bar in 44 time. Walking bass lesson 3 jazz blues fundamental changes. All the things you are is a great jazz standard to check this out on and you probably are already familiar with the song.
Walking bass is a form of bass line, or a musical line that usually provides the lowest voice of the musical texture. Walking bass lines for jazz guitar by stephan badreau is a step by step guide to harmonizing bass lines on the guitar. Pay close attention to the quality of the chords dominant seven or minor. If youre amazingly extra awesome, youll be able to sing the melody and make a bass line at the same time. In my previous post, how to keep your bass lines interesting, we defined what a bass line is and what its functions are, and looked at a few ways in which we can creatively negotiate chord changes. For beginning bass lines, the root of the chord is the most common target note to play because it is the fundamental note of the chord. Build a walking bass line from scales the jazz piano left hand. While often associated with jazz, walking bass can be found in any genre. In this 5 minute masterclass, were going create a bass line over a blues in f. This tutorial takes a look at five different approaches to playing walking basslines in a 12bar blues progression. In lesson 2, we continued to build patterns for the common chord progressions we see in blues.
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