THE INTERVALLIC APPROACH...THE INTERVALLIC APPROACH Last time around, we discussed different ways of playing the major scale in an effort to train our ears to recognize and incorporate

THE INTERVALLIC APPROACH

Last time around, we discussed different ways of playing the major scale in an effort to train our ears to recognizeand incorporate more interesting shapes and phrases in our playing. I stressed how important it is to learn the soundof each pattern in addition to the pattern, itself. The goal in all of this is to promote a higher level of familiarity withthe sound of different shapes so that we may ultimately play what we hear. Remember: It is not enough to simplymemorize the pattern, itself. We need to learn the SOUND of each pattern.

This article will focus on the application of intervals when working with scale forms. An interval is the distancebetween 2 notes. Most every musical component containing more than a single note can be looked at as a series ofintervals. For example, the major scale can be looked at as a series of whole step and half step intervals, as shownin Figs. 1a and 1b:

Fig. 1a

Fig. 1b

Similarly, a major 7 chord can be looked at as being built using major third and minor third intervals, as shown inFigs. 2a and 2b:

Fig. 2a

Fig. 2b

One of the problems that some players face when learning to solo is the challenge of how to make their ideas soundless scalar and more melodic. This is one of the symptoms that accompanies an exclusively pattern based approachto improvising that I have talked about in previous columns. Although it still requires a pattern style workout at firstto learn the sound of each shape, practicing these less familiar shapes can get us out of a rut and influence ourphrasing in fresher ways. For example, there are a variety of intervallic patterns that can be applied to scales tomake them sound more interesting. A practice regimen that includes a variety of intervallic approaches can make ourbasic ideas sound much less contrived and subsequently train our ears to incorporate these new ideas into our

playing.

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For the following examples, we will refer again to our trusty major scale pattern. Each individual exercise will take achosen interval and apply it to each note of the major scale within a particular position. I suggest starting with the 3note per string positions for the major scale, as demonstrated in previous columns. (See figs. 3a.-3c.)

Fig. 3a

Fig. 3b

Fig. 3c

To keep the exercises concise, I will use the range of a 4 string bass, utilizing a G major scale starting on the 3rdfret E string. Remember to keep your hand in position as shown, using only the fingerings specified for the durationof each exercise.

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Intervallic 2nds

Each successive note in the scale is followed by the note a diatonic 2nd higher. The exercise written in scale degreeswould look like this:

Ascending: 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, 6-7, 7-8, 8-9, 9-10, 10-11, 11-12Descending: 12-11, 11-10, 10-9, 9-8, 8-7, 7-6, 6-5, 5-4, 4-3, 3-2, 2-1

Ex. 1

Intervallic 3rds

Each successive note in the scale is followed by the note a diatonic 3rd higher. The exercise written in scale degreeswould look like this:

Ascending: 1-3, 2-4, 3-5, 4-6, 5-7, 6-8, 7-9, 8-10, 9-11, 10-12Descending: 12-10, 11-9, 10-8, 9-7, 8-6, 7-5, 6-4, 5-3, 4-2, 3-1

Ex. 2

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Intervallic 4ths

Ascending: 1-4, 2-5, 3-6, 4-7, 5-8, 6-9, 7-10, 8-11, 9-12Descending: 12-9, 11-8, 10-7, 9-6, 8-5, 7-4, 6-3, 5-2, 4-1

Ex. 3

Intervallic 5ths

Ascending: 1-5, 2-6, 3-7, 4-8, 5-9, 6-10, 7-11, 8-12Descending: 12-8, 11-7, 10-6, 9-5, 8-4, 7-3, 6-2, 5-1

Ex. 4

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Intervallic 6ths

Ascending: 1-6, 2-7, 3-8, 4-9, 5-10, 6-11, 7-12Descending: 12-7, 11-6, 10-5, 9-4, 8-3, 7-2, 6-1

Ex. 5

Intervallic 7ths

Ascending: 1-7, 2-8, 3-9, 4-10, 5-11, 6-12Descending: 12-6, 11-5, 10-4, 9-3, 8-2, 7-1

Ex. 6

Practice these exercises using other modes and scale types over the full range of your neck. Be very disciplined withyour technique and timing as you practice. Soon, you will hear these ideas work their way into your playing as theirsounds become more familiar to you.

Until next time!

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HYBRID INTERVALLIC APPROACHES

Last time around I introduced you to some intervallic approaches to playing scale forms. These included intervallic2nds, 3rds, 4ths, 5ths, 6ths, and 7ths. Hopefully, these exercises are helping you to implement a method ofphrasing that sounds less like ëscale practiceí and more like melodies. In this article, we will take fragments from mylast article and combine them together into new hybrid intervallic approaches.

Intervallic practice is quite beneficial to us as players because it trains our ears to recognize more ëangular-soundingí melodic shapes and forms, as opposed to pure scalar movement. For a lot of players, the shapes that theyare able to recall based on what they are spontaneously hearing are limited to a small group of patterns that havebeen practiced independently of their performance situations. In other words, the shapes that they can play ëby earíare limited to simple exercises that sound like rehearsed patterns and not much more, simply because that is whatthey have spent hours repeating over and over again in the practice shed. Because of this, it is necessary that weconstantly push the envelope of our current level of ear training and phrase recognition. This means forcingourselves to learn to play and hear shapes that we are not familiar with already. You will find that the better youare at recognizing intervals, the faster you will be able to transcribe more challenging lines or learn complex phrasesby ear. Subsequently, you will also gain the ability to recall these more advanced shapes spontaneously, both on thegig and in critical recording situations.

For the following examples, we will refer again to our reference major scale pattern that we have used in previousarticles, using a 3 note per string position, as demonstrated in previous columns. The fingerings are given for 4string, 5 string, and 6 string bass in figs. 1a.-1c.

Fig. 1a

Fig. 1b

Fig. 1c

The following examples will utilize the range of a 4 string bass, using a G major scale pattern played in a singleposition. (Start the pattern on the 3rd fret E string.) Remember to keep your hand in position as shown, using onlythe fingerings specified for the duration of each exercise.

Method 1: Combining 2 intervallic shapesUsing this method, we take two intervals and combine them together into one exercise, alternating the interval off ofeach scale degree in order.

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Example 1a: Combining 6ths and 3rds

In this example, we alternate playing an intervallic 6th and an intervallic 3rd off of each successive scale degree. Theexercise written in scale degrees would look like this:


Ex. 1a

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Example 1b: Combining 3rds and 5thsIn this example, we alternate playing an intervallic 5th and an intervallic 3rd off of each successive scale degree. Theexercise written in scale degrees would look like this:


Ex. 1b

Example 1c: Combining 4ths and 7thsIn this example, we alternate playing an intervallic 4th and an intervallic 7th off of each successive scale degree. Theexercise written in scale degrees would look like this:


Ex. 1c

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Method 2: Combining 2 consecutive intervalsUsing this approach, we would first choose an interval and then play it twice, consecutively, from each scale degree.This can also be referred to as the ëstackingí of intervals.

Example 2a: Playing 2 consecutive 5thsIn this example, we play an intervallic 5th off of each scale degree, and then another intervallic 5th above that. Theresult is a 3 note grouping off of each scale degree created from the stacking of 2 intervallic 5ths. The exercisewritten in scale degrees would look like this:

Ascending: 1-5-9, 2-6-10, 3-7-11, 4-8-12Descending: 12-8-4, 11-7-3, 10-6-2, 9-5-1

Ex. 2a

Example 2b: Playing 2 consecutive 3rdsIn this example, we play an intervallic 3rd off of each scale degree, and then another intervallic 3rd above that. Theresult is a 3 note grouping off of each scale degree created from the stacking of 2 intervallic 3rds. (This is the sameidea as playing a diatonic triad off of each scale degree.) The exercise written in scale degrees would look like this:

Ascending: 1-3-5, 2-4-6, 3-5-7, 4-6-8, 5-7-9, 6-8-10, 7-9-11, 8-10-12Descending: 12-10-8, 11-9-7, 10-8-6, 9-7-5, 8-6-4, 7-5-3, 6-4-2, 5-3-1

Ex. 2b

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Example 2c: Playing 2 consecutive 4thsIn this example, we play an intervallic 4th off of each scale degree, and then another intervallic 4th above that. Theresult is a 3 note grouping off of each scale degree created from the stacking of 2 intervallic 4ths. The exercisewritten in scale degrees would look like this:

Ascending: 1-4-7, 2-5-8, 3-6-9, 4-7-10, 5-8-11, 6-9-12Descending: 12-9-6, 11-8-5, 10-7-4, 9-6-3, 8-5-2, 7-4-1

Ex. 2c

Obviously, these are just a few of the many possibilities for integrating hybrid intervallic approaches into yourpractice routine. You will find that the more you push yourself to learn the shapes and sounds of these types ofexamples, the more creative you will become in improvisational contexts. Furthermore, the angular shapes of theseexercises will likewise challenge you technically. If you practice these at a variety of tempos in a disciplined fashion,your speed and dexterity will also improve. You might also want to try these using different types of techniques. Forexample, try mixing together a slap and fingerstyle approach to playing each of these. You might be pleasantlysuprised by what you come up with. Until then, happy practicing!


BIDIRECTIONAL INTERVALLIC EXERCISES

In the past few articles, we have been focusing on intervallic approaches applied to scale patterns. I hope you havebeen practicing these diligently; but more than anything else, I hope that you have been paying attention to thesounds of each exercise. Remember: The goal is to combine our refined muscle memory gained from each exercisewith the ear training elements that allow us to first hear and then recall each unique intervallic grouping. Thismonth we will take that to the next level by incorporating a change of direction in our exercises.

Bidirectional exercises are still similar to the regular intervallic exercises in that each successive scale degree is stillpaired to a note that is separated by a set intervallic distance. However, the difference is that each successive pair ofscale degrees separated by that interval are played in an opposite direction. For example, the first interval would beplayed in an ascending fashion, followed by the next interval played in a descending fashion. This swapping ofdirections would continue through the entire exercise. If you are confused by this explanation, try playing througheach of the following exercises and you will begin to see and hear the pattern more clearly.

For the following examples, we will refer again to our trusty major scale pattern. Each individual exercise will take achosen interval and apply it to each note of the major scale within a particular position. As with previous exercises, Isuggest starting with the 3 note per string positions for the major scale (See figs. 3a.-3c.)

Fig. 3a

Fig. 3b

Fig. 3c

To keep the exercises concise, I will use the range of a 4 string bass, utilizing a G major scale starting on the 3rdfret E string. Remember to keep your hand in position as shown, using only the fingerings specified for the durationof each exercise.

Bidirectional intervallic 2nds

Diatonic 2nds are played from each scale degree, changing directions from ascending to descending back and forththrough the entire range of the scale. The exercise written in scale degrees would look like this:

Ascending: 1-2, 3-2, 3-4, 5-4, 5-6, 7-6, 7-8, 9-8, 9-10, 11-10, 11-12Descending: 12-11, 10-11, 10-9, 8-9, 8-7, 6-7, 6-5, 4-5, 4-3, 2-3, 2-1

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Ex. 1

Bidirectional intervallic 3rds

Diatonic 2nds are played from each scale degree, changing directions from ascending to descending back and forththrough the entire range of the scale. The exercise written in scale degrees would look like this:

Ascending: 1-3, 4-2, 3-5, 6-4, 5-7, 8-6, 7-9, 10-8, 9-11, 12-10Descending: 12-10, 9-11, 10-8, 7-9, 8-6, 5-7, 6-4, 3-5, 4-2, 1-3

Ex. 2

Bidirectional intervallic 4ths

Ascending: 1-4, 5-2, 3-6, 7-4, 5-8, 9-6, 7-10, 11-8, 9-12Descending: 12-9, 8-11, 10-7, 6-9, 8-5, 4-7, 6-3, 2-5, 4-1

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Ex. 3



Ex. 4


Ascending: 1-6, 7-2, 3-8, 9-4, 5-10, 11-6, 7-12

Descending: 12-7, 6-11, 10-5, 4-9, 8-3, 2-7, 6-1

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Ex. 5



Ex. 6

As usual, practice these exercises using other modes and scale types over the full range of your neck. Try to be asaccurate as possible with your fingerings. You should be able to play these without having to look at your hands.Because these intervals often incorporate string skipping, they are fantastic devices for honing your right and lefthand technique and coordination. Donít forget the right and left hand principles we discussed previously as you workthrough them! Stay focused, and youíll be amazed at your results.

Until next time!


PLAYING SCALES DIAGONALLY

I hope that the intervallic studies we have worked with so far have inspired you to move outside of your technical ëcomfort zoneí. Above all else, I hope that you have become more accustomed to hearing these shapes on your own,and likewise have become better able to recognize these sounds in the music you hear. This time around I would liketo share with you another approach to scales and modes that will take us out of a single position and allow us tomove diagonally across the neck. This way we are able to cover a larger portion of real estate on the fingerboard,and move to different ranges of the bass neck instantly using a minimal amount of movement.

Playing diagonally is really just a glorified way of sub grouping the notes from a scale into smaller portions separatedby intervals. For all of the exercises played in this lesson, we will be using an interval of a diatonic 3rd to separateeach scale fragment, and each scale fragment will be composed of three consecutive notes from each scale.

Written in a formula, the approach might look like this (each number represents its respective degree of the scale):

1,2,3, [shift starting finger up a diatonic 5th] 5,6,7, [shift starting finger up a diatonic 5th] 9,10,11, [shift startingfinger up a diatonic 5th] 13,14,15, etc...

The only condition we will place on this exercise is that each 3 note scale fragment will begin with finger 1 (the indexfinger) of the fretting hand. That forces the fretting hand to change positions after each 3 note grouping, and this isthe key to the exercise.

There are a couple of ways of looking at this. Letís take the ionian mode, for example, applied to a 4 string bass.Using this approach, we begin with our hand in our typical 3 note per string position (fig.1). However, we will not beplaying all the notes of the scale from this position:

Fig.1

Notice that your index finger is lined up with the root of the scale. Starting with this fingering, we would play thefirst 3 scale degrees of the pattern, 1, 2, 3. Then, we would shift our hand to the next string in order to place ourindex finger up a diatonic 5th from our starting note (the 5th degree of the scale). We then would play three morenotes of the scale starting with the 5th, 5,6,7. Once again we would move our starting finger up a diatonic 5th fromthe 5, and then play scale degrees 9,10,11. Finally, we would move our starting finger up another diatonic 5th fromthe 9 and then play scale degrees 13,14,5. In pattern form, it would look like fig. 2:

Fig. 2ionian

Another way of describing this approach for ionian is as follows: Using 3 notes per string, first play the first 3 notesof Ionian. Then move your starting position up a diatonic 5th and play the first 3 notes of mixolydian from the 5.Then move your starting position up another diatonic 5th and play the first 3 notes of dorian. Finally, move yourstarting position up another diatonic 5th and play the first 3 notes of aeolian. On a 4 string bass, this would be ashigh as you could ascend before running out of strings.

The patterns for each of the remaining 6 major scale based modes are outlined in figures 3-8. Practice each of thesein both ascending and descending fashion. Pay close attention to your fingerings, as they will assist you in makingclean shifts from string to string.

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Fig. 3dorian

Fig. 4phrygian

Fig. 5lydian

Fig. 6mixolydian

Fig. 7aeolian

Fig. 8locrian


MORE WITH DIAGONAL PATTERNS

Last time around we worked on a diagonal approach to playing through the modes of the major scale. In this lesson,we will expand upon that idea, creating even more musical examples which blend these diagonal patterns withintervallic and sequenced ideas.

As you recall, we can create diagonal approaches by alternating 3 consecutive notes within a scale with a diatonic5th. Using this method, the formula for creating a pattern could be written in a formula as:

1,2,3, [shift starting finger up a diatonic 5th] 5,6,7, [shift starting finger up a diatonic 5th] 9,10,11, [shift startingfinger up a diatonic 5th] 13,14,15, etc...

Fig.1 shows the diagonal pattern for ionian on a 4 string bass, as it appears on the fingerboard.

Fig.1 ionian (numbers represent fretting hand fingerings)

Now let’s try mixing these patterns with ideas borrowed from our intervallic studies. Before we do this, however, letus first number each note of the pattern, so we may reference them in order in each new exercise. See Fig.2.

Fig.2 ionian (numbers represent order of notes*)

*Notice that the numbers in Fig.2 do not represent note function or scale degrees. Instead, they are referring to theorder of the notes played in order to simplify your understanding of each exercise.

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Now we are ready to blend this diagonal form with some other intervallic and sequenced ideas.

Example 1: Diagonal-intervallic 3rds

Our first example blends diagonal exercises with intervallic 3rds. Recall that intervallic 3rds incorporate scale degreesplayed in a particular order:

1-3-2-4-3-5-4-6-5-7-6-8-7-9-8-10-9-11-10-12...

Applied to our diagonal approach, the exercise would be played as shown in Ex.1, using G ionian as an example:

Ex.1

To create this exercise, we simply substituted the numbers of each note in Fig.2 for the scale degree numbersspecified in the intervallic 3rds exercise. Notice that the intervals created from note to note are not necessarily goingto include 3rds. This is because diagonal forms don’t include every note found in the scale. Written out in scaledegrees, this exercise would look like Fig.3.

Fig.3

Example 2: Diagonal-intervallic 5ths

This example blends diagonal exercises with intervallic 5ths. Recall that intervallic 5ths incorporate scale degreesplayed in the order:

1-5-2-6-3-7-4-8-5-9-6-10-7-11-8-12...

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Applied to our diagonal approach, the exercise would be played as shown in Ex.2, using G ionian as an example.

Ex.2

Once again, keep in mind that the intervals created from note to note are not necessarily going to include anydiatonic 5ths. We are only substituting the numbers of each note in Fig.2 for the scale degree numbers specified inthe intervallic 5ths exercise. Written out in scale degrees, this exercise would look like Fig.4.

Fig.4

Example 3: Diagonal-sequenced 4’s

This example blends diagonal exercises with sequenced 4’s.

A sequence, as it applies to this exercise is simply a predetermined number of notes from a scale played in order.(Ex: A sequence of 4 is 4 notes of a scale played in order; a sequence of 5 is 5 notes from a scale played in order,etc.) Using this approach, a scale played in sequenced 4’s would incorporate the following scale degrees:

1-2-3-4-2-3-4-5-3-4-5-6-4-5-6-7-5-6-7-8-6-7-8-9-7-8-9-10-8-9-10-11-9-10-11-12...

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Applied to our diagonal approach, the exercise would be played as shown in Ex.3, using G ionian as an example.

Ex.3

Example 4: Diagonal-sequenced 6’s

This example blends diagonal exercises with sequenced 6’s. Recall that sequenced 6’s incorporate scale degreesplayed in the order: 1-2-3-4-5-6-2-3-4-5-6-7-3-4-5-6-7-8-4-5-6-7-8-9-5-6-7-8-9-10-6-7-8-9-10-11-7-8-9-10-11-12...

Applied to our diagonal approach, the exercise would be played as shown in Ex.4, using G ionian as an example:

Ex.4


WALKING BASS LINES 101:

Building simple walking lines using chord tones:Walking bass lines are some of the neatest and most melodic sounding parts we get to play as bassists. Those ofyou who are fans of swing jazz, blues, or boogie are probably already familiar with the walking bass sound. Most ofus associate the walking bass sound with a steady quarter note pulse that outlines the harmony of the tune, usuallyplayed in 4/4 time. There are many different ways we can approach walking bass lines. The style of music bears aheavy influence on the way a walking line might be played. If you listen to a lot of jazz, you have probably noticedthat walking lines in that genre are very improvisational in nature. Rarely, if ever, will you here any repetitiousphrasing when a jazz bassist is walking through the changes in the form of a tune if that player is experienced. It isalmost as if they are playing a solo using quarter notes only. If you listen to a blues bassist walking, a level ofimprovisation still exists, but usually his or her phrasing will be more harmonically conservative, and lines will beplayed utilizing more consistent ‘shapes’ or sequences of chromaticisms and chord tones. Many ‘boogie’ style walkingbass lines are based on a repetitious order of chord tones or scale tones, and the shape of the line stays the sameover each chord change. Examples 1-3 show a few 8 bar examples of what you might hear from each of the genresmentioned:

Example 1: A jazz style walking bass line

Example 2: A blues style walking bass line

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Example 3: A boogie style walking bass line

With any walking bass line, it is important to remember that your responsibility as a bass player is twofold; you are theprimary keeper of the pulse of the time, as well as the foundation of what is happening harmonically. This is especiallytrue in jazz.

In this lesson, we will get into the basics of playing jazz walking bass lines. To start off with, we will use chord tonesonly to construct our bass lines. The reason for this is that chord tones (which can be played using arpeggio forms) arewhat the actual chord changes are made from. Needless to say then, the most conservative approach to outlining chordchanges would be one in which you were only choosing from notes that were included in each chord.

Jazz tunes mostly consist of seventh chords. Seventh chords are 4 note chords consisting of a root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th takenfrom a scale. Here is a list of some common seventh chord types, along with their chord tones written using scaledegrees:

To clarify even further, here is a list of the same chord types sharing C as the root, along with their chord tones:

Chord Type

Major 7 chord Minor 7 chord 7 (Dominant 7) Minor 7 b5 Diminished 7

Included Chord Tones

root, 3, 5, 7

root, b3, 5, b7

root, 3, 5, b7

root, b3, b5, b7

root, b3, b5, bb7

Chord

C Major 7

C Minor 7

C 7

C Minor 7 b5

C Diminished 7

Included Chord Tones

C, E, G, B

C, Eb, G, Bb

C, E, G, Bb

C, Eb, Gb, Bb

C, Eb, Gb, Bbb

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Chord tones are best played using arpeggio forms. Arpeggios are basically just broken chords. Figs.1-5 show someone octave seventh chord arpeggio patterns you can use that correspond to each mentioned chord type:

Figure 1: Major 7 arpeggio, single octave

Figure 2: Minor 7 arpeggio, single octave

Figure 3: 7 arpeggio, single octave

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Figure 4: Minor 7b5 arpeggio, single octave

Figure 5: Diminished 7 arpeggio, single octave

Using chord tones, simple walking bass lines can be constructed simply by choosing the appropriate arpeggio patternfor each chord change. Examples 4-8 are walking bass lines constructed from chord tones only.

Example 4:

Example 5:

Example 6:

After playing through each example on your own, you will probably notice that the use of chord tones in your basslines outlines the movement of each chord change without the need for any further accompaniment. This simple, yeteffective approach makes for a great introduction to walking bass lines if you have never played them before. If you

are already able to play walking lines, limiting yourself to chord tones only is a great way to improve your phrasingif you are having trouble connecting chords effectively. A chord tone only approach to soloing is also a great trainingmethod for effective phrasing and playing through changes.After playing through each example, start writing out your own changes to play through. If you have a fake book orsimilar, try this same approach working through tunes in the book. I think you will find that this exercise helps toimprove your harmonic awareness.


WALKING BASS: THE NEXT STEP

Last time we discussed the concept of using chord tones to create walking bass lines. The value of the chord tone-only approach lies in the fact that our bass lines completely outline our chord changes. In addition, chord tones areeasy to manage from a fretboard perspective using simple arpeggio forms.

If you have been practicing this method for improvising walking bass lines for a while, you have probably alreadyfigured out that it has its limitations. since you are never working with more than 4 notes at a time for each chordchange, it is easy to run out of interesting ideas. Furthermore, your lines are pretty much limited to what I mightrefer to as a very angular sound, because of the larger intervallic distances between each chord tone. Suffice it tosay that this is a great exercise for introducing yourself to walking bass lines, but it is not really designed to be astrategy for more advanced playing.

The reason I like to have my students begin with chord tones when they are starting to play walking bass or solo isso that they don’t lose the identity and sound of the chord changes they are playing to. It is easy to imagine that ifyou only tried to follow the changes by ear, you may or may not do a good job of connecting each individual changein a melodic way. Regardless of how advanced your walking lines or solos become, you will still maintain a relianceon chord tones as target notes for outlining the shapes of your musical phrases. Listen to any great soloist, and youwill hear what I mean.

In order to ‘move to the next level’ with your walking lines, we will want to use shapes and phrases that will connecteach note using smaller and smaller distances. Smaller distances between each note in a walking line directlytranslates into a perceived level of ‘smoothness’ in the line. A walking bass line, like a great solo, is really a livingand breathing component of music. There are peaks and valleys in dynamics and shape, times of tension andrelease, and the combination of high and low ranges on the instrument being used. To achieve more of this musical goal in our practice routine, we will now incorporate scale tones into the mix. Inother words, instead of just relying on chord tones, we will now mix chord tones and scale tones, which will give usa larger number of choices for improvising. The use of scale tones will allow us to use smaller distances betweennote choices, since there are a greater number of scale tones in a single octave than there are arpeggio tones, orchord tones, alone.

Some examples of walking bass lines using scale tones can be seen in exercises 1-3.

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Ex. 1

Ex. 2

Ex. 3

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In order to make use of scale tones, we will first have to assign scales to chord types, so we know what scales toplay when we encounter different chord types. For this first series of exercises, we can choose from the modes ofthe major scale to establish which modes will be used for which chords.

Fig. 1 is a diagram outlining a set of modes we can use for some basic chord types: (IMPORTANT: Each scale/modewould be played starting from the ROOT of the specified chord.)

Fig. 1

For example, if you encountered a C minor 7 chord, you would use the notes of C dorian (C, D, Eb, F, G, A, Bb, C)for your walking line. Similarly, if you encountered a G 7 chord, you would use the notes of G mixolydian (G, A, B,C, D, E, F, G) to play through it.To clarify the use of these modes even further, Fig. 2 shows a diagram listing the intervallic construction of each ofthe modes used in Fig.1.

Fig. 2

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Figs. 3-6 are some one octave modal shapes you can use for constructing your walking bass lines (In eachexample, the lowest line corresponds to your lowest pitched string. The first note on that string would correspond tothe root of the scale):

Fig. 3

Fig. 4

Fig. 5

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Fig. 6

Now that you understand how to connect select modes to chord types, it is time for you to try some scale tonewalking bass lines on your own. Exercises 4-8 are some sample chord progressions for you to walk to. In eachexample, make sure to place the root of the chord on beat 1 of the measure. This way you will avoid any ambiguityin the harmony of your bass lines. This is not any type of hard fast rule, however... As you progress, there will beinstances in which the integrity of the bass line will depend on you knowing when to use alternative chord tones onbeat 1 or on any other downbeat of a chord change. Before you start experimenting with that, however, first try andmaster this type of approach in which the root announces each chord change to the listener. Have fun!!!

Ex. 4

Ex. 5

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Ex. 6

Ex. 7

Ex. 8


Documents

THE INTERVALLIC APPROACH...THE INTERVALLIC APPROACH Last time around, we discussed different ways of playing the major scale in an effort to train our ears to recognize and incorporate