Ron Carter Publishes New Walking Bass Book, “Mix & Match”

Jazz master Ron Carter has just released a new book for beginners learning to build their own bass lines. Mix & Match is a step by step process for writing your own bass lines that lays out all the note choices.

“The first part of the book explains the system and the unusual format it takes. This is followed by three of Mr. Carter’s compositions as examples, with chord tone changes, rhythm changes and non-chord tone changes,” the book’s description explains. “But here’s the beauty part: For each song, and each set of changes, the pages are cut in half (like a Dutch Door), so you can flip back and forth and mix and match sections of each song. Rhythm with chord tone, non-chord tones with chord tone changes, etc.”

See the “dutch door” pages in action:

The book also has a worksheet section for making their own bass lines using Mr. Carter’s choices. QR codes throughout the pages link to audio files of the legendary bassist working through each bass line so you know how it sounds.

“This simple system, developed by Ron Carter over his 60 years in jazz, is the most basic explanation of the same system Mr. Carter uses himself, albeit at a much more advanced level,” the description summarizes.

Mix & Match – Ron Carter’s Beginner’s Guide to Creating Great Bass Lines is available now through Carter’s website for $28.50.