Bass Accompaniment for I-vi-ii-V?

[Brent Hutto]

What would a bass player do during a repeated I-vi-ii-V progression. Would you typically keep it as simple as just playing those four root notes? Or is there a not-too-flashy way of working in a couple of chromatic notes somewhere along the line? Imagine a tune that moves along a bit in a pop or old jazz idiom.

[Tim Armstrong]

Depends on the song, of course, but I'd probably do some walking lines (I was gonna tab something out, but my brain refuses to work that acutely yet!).

Cheers, Tim

[martini]

Heres a great thread on the Garriton site. Lots of examples.

http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/...ad.php?t=57278

[Brent Hutto]

martini,

That's a good link. I'll try to digest it in small doses over the next few days. I did piano lessons and band in grade school but never went through the whole theory and harmonization study. Now's as good a time as any to get started...

Tim,

I guess 9am on a Monday morning isn't the best time to ask a bass player to go into exhaustive technical detail. See, I learn something every time I post a question here!

Merry Christmas, guys.

[4mal]

If it's jazzy, I'll often walk into some double stops. The classics are the 6th, 7th, 10th & 11th - while holding down the root. Depends on the instrumentation of course. trio setting with a guitar it's easy. Key's or key's & guitar - maybe too much going on down there ... depends on the tune of course

[Tim Bowen]

Probably the first avenue to explore with "walking" in this instance is the tried and true approach of preceding the target tones with a note that is a half step above or below the target. When you listen to cool swing, jazz, and blues I-VI-II-V bass lines, this is often what's going on. Vary it up with the moves; if you're a half step above prior to the II and a half step below before the VI, do the opposite next time around, and so on.

I'm a freak for diatonic 10th* intervals and inversions on bass. *Technically, most folks don't acknowledge "10th" as a legitimate musical interval, although I use it all the time. It's a 3rd above the octave. On a four string bass it best lays on the E and G strings.

[Bluesbob]

Listen to George Benson's "Breezin'".

[Big Tony]

Originally Posted by martini

Heres a great thread on the Garriton site. Lots of examples.

http://www.northernsounds.com/forum/...ad.php?t=57278

Wow! Great link!

Thanks!

/ Tony