The Walking Bass Line
This is a art form that is mysterious to many bass players but it is simplistic in its form. There are some basic ways to keep a bass line moving. Walking up the scale, using grace notes, octaves and chord arpeggios. Here's a midi file that uses these type examples.
http://www.learngospelmusic.com/media/albums/userpics/10006/lgmbass_walkingbass.midSong: We bring the sacrifice of praise.
Grace notes.
Grace notes are the easiest way to keep a bass line moving. If you know the basic progression movements in the song you are trying to play you can give it life using notes that are a half step above or below the note you are trying to reach. You can also play a note a whole step above or below the note you intend to land on. If you play a basic 1-4-5 bass line or a 2-5-1 bass line you can add notes using the halfstep or whole step approach.
Ex
1-4-5 = F, Bb, C
G-----------------------------------------------
D--------------3---------------------------------
A--------1---------------------------------------
E--1---------------------------------------------
Here is an example of using notes a halfstep below the note you are approaching using the 1-4-5 progression.
G-----------------------------------------------
D----------------------------2-----3--------------
A--------------0------1---------------------------
E--0-----1----------------------------------------
Here is an example using a halfstep above the note you are approaching using the 1-4-5 progression.
G-----------------------------------------------
D--------------------------4-----3----------------
A-------------2-----1-----------------------------
E--2----1-----------------------------------------
A wholestep below the apporoached note using the 1-4-5.
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---6-----8-------------------1-----3---------------
E-----------------4-----6-------------------------
A wholestep below the approached note using the 1-4-5.
G-----------------------------------------------
D---------------------------5-----3---------------
A--------------3-----1----------------------------
E--3-----1----------------------------------------
Key of F
2-5-1 = G, C, F
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A----------3-------------------------------------
E----3-----------1--------------------------------
Here is an example of using notes a halfstep below the note you are approaching using the 2-5-1 progression.
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A--------------2-----3----------------------------
E--2-----3-----------------0-----1------------------
Here is an example of using notes a halfstep above the note you are approaching using the 2-5-1 progression.
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---------------4-----3---------------------------
E---4-----3-----------------2-----1-----------------
A wholestep below the apporoached note using the 2-5-1.
G-----------------------------------------------
D---------------------------1------3---------------
A--------------1-----3----------------------------
E--1-----3----------------------------------------
A wholestep above the apporoached note using the 2-5-1.
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---------------5-----3---------------------------
E---5-----3-----------------3-----1-----------------
You can mix up the song using a combination of any of these movements. You can also use chromatic movements to get from one note to the next. You can lead up to the intended note using chromatics or you can fall back to the note using chromatics
Ex
Chromatic down to the 2
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------
E---6-----5-----4-----3-----------------------------
Chromatic up to the 5
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---0-----1-----2-----3-----------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------
Walking up the scale.
Walking up the notes in the scale is another way to get from one point in the progression to the next. The major scale is the best place to start. If you dont already know your major scales you need to go back and learn them. I use the major scale as a reference in these examples. When ever you are moving in fourths you can use the notes of the major scale of the key you are playing in to get to the next note. The 2-5-1 progression is a good example to understand this movement in the key of F. We walk up the major scale from the 2 to the 5. Next walk up the scale from the 5 to the 1.
F major scale = F, G, A, Bb, C, D, E, F
2-5 walk up the scale.
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A--------0-----1----3------------------------------
E--3---------------------------------------------
5-1 walk up the scale.
G-----------------------------------------------
D----------0-----2-----3---------------------------
A----3-------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------
Not only can you walk up the scale but you can walk the scale backwards using the 2-5-1 progression. You can walk from the 2 to 5 and then from the 5 to 1.
2-5 walk down the scale
G-----------------------------------------------
D---5-----3-----2----------------------------------
A----------------------5-----3--------------------
E-----------------------------------------------
5-1 walk down the scale
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---3-----1---------------------------------------
E----------------5-----3-----1---------------------
If you have a good handle on the scales in all keys you will be able interchange walking up scales from other keys into the key you are in.
Octaves
You remember that octaves can be played with the 5th. You can add the octave with a 5th in your walking bass line playing it arpeggio style up or down.
Ex
F octave with 5th
G-----------------------------------------------
D---------------1--------------------------------
A---------3--------------------------------------
E---1--------------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------
D---1--------------------------------------------
A---------3--------------------------------------
E----------------1-------------------------------
Chord arpeggios.
You can top this all off by playing chord arpeggios. You should know your scale chords in order to do this effectively.
F scale chords = Fmaj, Gmin, Amin, Bbmaj, Cmaj, Dmin, Edim, Fmaj. Ofcourse if you know your chord extensions your bass lines will become more complex.
1-4-5 chord arpeggios
Fmaj
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---------------3--------------------------------
E---1-----5---------------------------------------
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A----------------3-------------------------------
E----1-----5--------------------------------------
Cmaj
G-----------------------------------------------
D--------2-----5----------------------------------
A--3---------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------
2-5-1 chord arpeggios
Gmin
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---------------5--------------------------------
E---3-----6---------------------------------------
Cmaj
G-----------------------------------------------
D--------2-----5----------------------------------
A--3---------------------------------------------
E-----------------------------------------------
Fmaj
G-----------------------------------------------
D-----------------------------------------------
A---------------3--------------------------------
E---1-----5---------------------------------------
