Master Blues Bass By Learning “One Way Out” (and Understand What Most Players Get Wrong About Blues)

You’d be surprised to know just how crucial blues music is for the development of most genres today. And while it may seem simple, it’s actually tricky to really get a hang of the blues. For bassists, it goes way beyond just playing the root notes. One song I want to show you is “One Way Out” by The Allman Brothers Band.

As expected, we’re looking at the 12-bar blues structure and the usual I-IV-V progression that goes with it. This means you have four bars on the I chord, two bars on the IV chord, two bars on the I chord, one on V, one on IV, and back to two bars on the I chord. Since it’s written in the key of A, this means that we’ll have A, D, and E chords.

Now, what’s interesting about “One Way Out” is that the bass lines are written to complement the guitar parts. The bass isn’t just doubling down on the guitar and playing the root notes an octave lower. Instead, the bass lines are like riffs featuring chromatic passages. Not to mention that the song is very open to improvisation.

In this lesson, we’ll go through all of the bass lines and explain in more detail how Berry Oakley performed them. One of the most important things you’ll hear in “One Way Out” is the chromatics leading up or down to the root notes of upcoming chords. This is exactly what makes the bass in blues and blues music so interesting, and it’s something that will help you understand how to play around with chord progressions and add the feeling of tension and release to music.

As far as this song goes, the bass line includes the 5th interval but one octave below, minor 7th, and major 7th leading up to the root. For example, you’ll be playing open E, G, and G#, leading up to A on the 5th fret of the E string. It’s explained in more detail in this lesson.

Before you get into it, beware — I’m playing with a pick. This “controversial” decision is because Oakley played it like that. While you’re free to play with your fingers, I would also suggest that you give picks a try and add them to your skillset.