After struggling with this for a while, God has opened up my understanding of a walking baseline. I'm not "all that" by any means, but I know if I share what I have, God gives more . . . He's the God WHo promised to give seed to the sower. So here we go:
A walking baseline is just that . . . it walks around, holing up the meloday and keeping the beat. The bassline is also a cue to transitions, through the use of what we call "passing tones."
So let's say we are in the key of B flat. You play, let's say F-Bb-D in your right hand. Now your left hand can walk around the Bb scale, not chromatically, but you can start by playing Bb, D, F, G, Bb, for a start. Now notice that I started and ended on a Bb, the same chord that I am in with my right hand. The G in there just give little "taste" to the bassline.
Now if I am going to modulate from Bb to Eb, I need a passing chord so I can land on a note in Eb with my left hand. So I might go like this:
1 2 3 4 1
Bb, D, F, D (passing tone), Eb
Now on the first 1 beat, I am playing a Bb chord, then an Eb chord on the next 1 beat.
SO the notes in your walking bassline are USUALLY in the key you are playing in (with some extras to add flava :wink: ) and then you have your passing tones, which signal your ear that the key is about to change.
Hope this helps somebody, and please add on if you wish.
Be Blessed . . . . BBoy
