How can you create a bassline which doesn’t only consist of the root note of every chord? And what other possibilities are there when it comes to note choice? This article features some tips and tricks to create more elaborate and interesting basslines. Let’s get started! When you add extra
Read moreWhy learn music theory, and where do I begin?
Musical theory can be a great tool for discovering more about the musical possibilities you have as a player. It can help you tremendously in writing better parts/basslines, playing solos and communicating with your band members. But where do you begin when studying musical theory? The purpose of learning music
Read moreUsing the pentatonic scales for great basslines
Pentatonic scales are probably the most used scales out there. They are used in every style, whether it’s funk, blues, rock, reggae, jazz, you name it! The reason they are used by every player, is that they always sound good. That’s because the pentatonic scales contain all the sweet notes
Read moreWrite better basslines: Adding chords to your basslines
As bass players we are usually only playing one note at the same time, unlike our guitarist counter-parts. But adding some chords to our vocabularies can not only spice up our basslines, but also help us in understanding harmony better. In this lesson I will introduce some chord shapes that
Read moreHow do chords work? Seventh and extended chords
As a bass player it is crucial to understand harmony and chords. After all, we are not only keepers of the groove, we also play a vital part in outlining the harmony so vocalists and lead players can really shine. Understanding how chords are created, makes us understand which notes
Read moreHow do chords work? Major, minor and diminished
One of our main tasks as bass players is to outline the harmony. In practice this means, that a listener should get a general idea of what the chords are to a tune, by listening to the bass guitarist. Being successful in this endeavor requires us bass player to at
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