Posted Thu, 09/13/2012 - 11:53 by David Barrett Admin
We can now mix bluesy and light notes together... making for a lot of options as a soloist. Check out the bass line to Little Walter's "Blue Midnight" below (note that the IV7 Chord is missing one note... the IV7 equivalent of the I7 3'... so hold the 2+ to make the timing work out)...
Posted Wed, 09/12/2012 - 06:40 by David Barrett Admin
Yesterday we looked at a bass line that used the Flat-7th as its primary color note, giving it a bluesy feel by omitting the Major 3rd and Major 6th of the previous bass line examples. If we use the Flat-3rd as well we really move towards a dark feel, making it debatable whether we're in minor at that point.
Here's a great example: 2 2 2 3' 4+ (think "Green Onions" by Booker T and the MG's for rhythm here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-7QSMyz5rg, they're in F by the way, B-flat harp)
You could also play a bass line like this in a shuffle rhythm...
Posted Tue, 09/11/2012 - 07:52 by David Barrett Admin
When the Major 3rd (3 draw B) of the I7 Chord is omitted and the Flat-7th (5 draw F) is used in place of the Major 6th (5+ E) you get a very bluesy sounding bass line. Here are some examples (again, play in the shuffle rhythm).
Ascending Box
2 2 4 4 5 5 6+ 6+
R R 5th 5th Flat-7th Flat-7th R R
Descending Box
2 2 6+ 6+ 5 5 4 4
R R R R Flat-7th Flat-7th 5th 5th
Of course it's important to learn the IV7 and V7 equivalents to any bass line. Here's the Descending Box...
Posted Mon, 09/10/2012 - 08:28 by David Barrett Admin
Getting to know how a bass player arpeggiates chords is helpful in hearing chords as they happen while you play (especially for non-12 Bar Blues) and in general understanding how chords work and are used in music. Below are some simple shuffle bass lines.
Posted Fri, 09/07/2012 - 06:58 by David Barrett Admin
Whether you're presenting a new song to your band or getting ready to jam and "make it happen" at your local nightclub, it's a wise idea to learn the bass line to your song. Include playing a piece of it in your speech... "G"... "Shuffle"... look to the bass player and play "2 2 6+ 6+ 5 5 4 4" a couple of times... "From the V" and count them in. Below are some examples of bass lines from famous harmonica songs.
"Roller Coaster" Little Walter
1 2 1 2
"Easy" Big Walter Horton
2 2 3 3 4 4 5+ 5+ 5 5 5+ 5+ 4 4 3 3