Bass Lines Archives
Where to Use Whole Tone and Other Scales
Q: So, do you play whole tone scales over the ?5, and altered scales over the dominant chords. Major chords – do use use whole tone? Minor scales – do use use dorian? or a jazz minor? A: Much of what goes into deciding what scale to use over any given chord is all about the context (what chords are...
Building Bass Lines: Navigating More Changes
Q: I have recently begun playing with a pop artist who writes what I would call “chord heavy” songs. These are not your typical I-IV-V tunes, and they definitely aren’t “riffy”; they are tunes with intricate verse and chorus progressions and extended bridges. I have been going off the lead sheets for now, but my question is how can I...
Creating Bass Lines: Getting Your Mind Right
Q: I’m struggling with the thought process behind coming up with bass lines. What advice would you give for ways to approach and think about constructing lines? A: This is another question that is ripe for comments, as everyone probably has something unique to them going through their minds when developing a bass line. To start, a lot of what...
Bass The Chord
Gerardo Colon Ortiz has authored a new bass method book, Bass The Chord. The book focuses on the groove, with an emphasis on connecting lines with chords, using rhythm and harmony, to build more interesting bass lines. “The bass line won’t be sacrificed,” Ortiz explains. “In other words if you play a bass line in the style of salsa, blues,...
Untold Secret to Melodic Bass lesson: Using Dynamics in Bass Lines
This lesson is derived from Jon Burr’s The Untold Secret to Melodic Bass. Be sure to check out the complete method book in downloadable PDF, Kindle Book and the all-new paperback formats. Internal Dynamics is an area that seems to be largely ignored in the teaching of Jazz, while at the same time is one of the most essential components...