David's Tip of the Day: More Bass Lines - Mixed Feel

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)...

I7 = 2 (hold), 3' 3 5 5+ 4 = R (hold), Flat-3rd, 3rd, Flat-7th, 6th, 5th
IV7 = 1+ (hold), 2+ (hold) 3' 3" 2
V7 = 1 (hold), 2" 2' 4+ 3 3"

In this bass line we have both the Major and Minor forms of the 3rd, as well as a mixed use of the Flat-7th and Major 6th. This is generally a bluesy bass line (darker), but due to the fact the Major 3rd and 6th are in the line, you can also use licks that have a lighter feel for a nice change.