gistfile1.txt

How To Walk A Jazz Bass Line
- Adam Neeley

youtube.com/watch?v=ruTfC5v9Z2Y


Arpeggiate the triad
Or at least play chord tones 
On beats 1 and 3 (the strong beats)
Followed by notes from the key, or not from the key
On beats 2 and 4 (the weak beats)
The sixth counts as a chord tone

For the strongest melodic connection between chords
Use stepwise motion or ascending fourths or descending fifths
The exception is escape tones
You don't even need to play the root
If chord tones are on beats 1 and 3

Overuse of chromatic notes to connect chord tones 
Sounds like a devolution into atonality
A healthy balance of stepwise motion and arpeggios helps to
Outline the chord

The constant quarter notes can be interrupted 
By ghost note upbeats on the adjacent string
Or anticipation of the downbeat
Raking downward helps propel motion forward

And that's how you walk a jazz bass line!