← All lessonsModule 11 · Jazz Harmony
Walking Bass Lines
One note on every beat, always heading somewhere. Build a walking bass line yourself, one bar at a time: the root on beat 1, chord tones on 2 and 3, and an approach note on 4 that pulls into the next chord, over a two-five-one in C and a full 12-bar blues in F.
In this lesson you'll
- Fill the four-beat template in every bar: the root on beat 1, chord tones (3rd, 5th, 7th) on beats 2 and 3, an approach note on beat 4.
- Choose an approach into the next root: a half step below, a half step above, or a scale step (a whole step inside the key).
- Write and play your own walking line over a two-five-one in C and a 12-bar blues in F, then walk the blues with the band.
Music in this lesson
- Kind of BlueMiles Davis (bass: Paul Chambers) · 1959
Remember
Every bar has four jobs: the root so everyone hears the new chord, two chord tones, and an approach note leading into the next root.
Beat 4 gives the line its pull: approach the next root from a half step below (F sharp into G), a half step above (D flat into C), or by a scale step (D into C).
Two shapes to start with: arpeggio walks climb the chord, scale walks step through the key; mix them over a two-five-one or a whole blues.