The Basics | Walking Bass Lines | IIm7-V7-Imaj7 | Circle of 5ths | Simple Blues

Walking Bass Lines

Walking a bass line with the left hand is a skill every gospel and jazz pianist should know. The wonderful thing about it is that walking a basic bass line is not all that difficult once you learn a few simple steps.

Intervalic Bass Lines

The "intervalic" bass line is created from your knowledge of what notes make particular chords. The rules are very simple:

1. Start the bass line on the root of the chord
2. Play one chord tone per beat until the last beat of the measure or chord
3. On the last beat, play a passing tone to the root of the next chord

Let's begin the examples with a basic 2-5-1 chord that you mastered in Lesson 1.

(midi link)

Next, here is an example of F blues with an intervalic style bass line.

(midi link)

Scales and Bass Lines

The next kind of bass line is a "scale" style bass line. The rules are very similar to the intervalic style, however it is your knowledge of how scales interact with chords instead of actual chord notes that build the bass line.

1. Start on the root of the chord
2. Play a note of the scale that is related to the chord or tonality of the chords you are dealing with until the last beat of the chord
3. On the last beat of the chord, play a passing tone to the root of the next chord

The first example is another 2-5-1 chord.

(midi link)

The next example is F blues with a mix of Scale and Interval style bass lines. A good blend of both styles of walking bass lines is what you would normally play in gospel and jazz. There are two choruses in the midi file for this one. The second chorus is not printed out, but you can listen to it and hear some of the principles of walking a bass line.

(midi link)