Learning Bassline Technique

Bassline is one of bass technique that underlies the bass chord accompaniment and rhythm of a song.

Rhythm section is one part of the band (combo), which also determines the type rhythm / rhythm being played. They consist of drums, bass, piano / guitar. Piano / guitar also called chordal section.

Build BassLine

In building a bassline, played the most important notation is basic notes (root) of the chord itself. After that to support the basic notes, we can use the fifth tone of the base note, in this case are the tones 'Sol'. As an example we are playing in C major chord, then the basic notes are C, and fifth tones (sol) is G.

An example is like this:

C C F F

| C. G. | C. G. | F. C. | F. C. |

In the swing we would often play 4 tones with a value of ¼ in a bar like form below :

C C F F

| C C G G | C G C G | F C F C | F F C C |

Development of the above forms can be done in the following way:

1. Approach Trinada

Trinada or so-called Triad of a chord is the tone that the builders of a chord. Tone (in major and minor) consists of:

• 1 (do) as root / basic tone of the chord.

• 3 (mi) if the major and 3b (ri) if the minor, as third tone/3rd or determining the nature of the chord if the chord is major or minor.

• 5 (sol) as the fifth tone of the chord.

For example, the form becomes as follows:

C F C F

| C E G C | F A C F | C E G C | F A C F |

2. Arpeggio approach and Broken Chords

Arpeggio is a tone which consists of a chord in which the tone is played individually or sequentially. Named Broken Chords if played in no particular order.

In addition there are arpeggios trinada describing the tone of the extension or the quality of the chord so that explains the full chord.

For example in the C7 chord arpeggios it is 1     – -     3   –   -   5   -     7 b    .

From the example above can build a pattern bassline, one of them is as follows:

C F C F

| C E G Bb | F A C Eb | C E G Bb | F A C Eb |

3. Approach with semitones

Semitones or so-called half tone / tone that have a ½ intervals.

To my menus to the next chord we may also use or combine movements * chromatic chord towards the goal.

For example, combines with the movement of Chromatic Triads are as follows:

C F C F

| C E G Gb | F A C (B) | C E G Gb | F A C (B) |

Semitones

4. Interval Bassline (General Form)

In progress displacement chord in swing bassline commonly used form of intervals as follows:

Major = WHH (Whole - Half - Half) or intervals of 1 - ½ - ½.

Minor = WHHH (Whole - Half - Half - Half) or intervals of 1 - ½ - ½ - ½.

For example there are the following forms:

C F A-D-

| C D D # E | F / / / | | A B C C # | D E F F # |

From the above theory, let us try to apply the 12 Bar Blues Swing Progress in C.

Here's the form:

| C7 / / / | F7 / / / | C7 / / / |% / / / |

| F7 / / / |% / / / | C7 / / / | E-7 / A-7 / |

| D-7 / / / | G7 / / / | C7 / A-7 / | D-7 / G7 / |

^ ^ Good luck ^ ^