The Jazz Bass Line Book by Mike Downes is a comprehensive approach to the construction of improvised bass lines. Intended for beginners and professionals, the book deals with playing in 2, creating walking bass lines, 3/4 time, using a "broken feel," modal and slash-chord harmony, ballads, and much more. Each chapter is full of fundamental and advanced concepts and ideas, accompanied by transcribed examples from the masters of jazz bass playing.
(Berklee Guide). Learn the art of jazz bass. Whether you are new to playing jazz or wish to hone your skills, and whether you play acoustic or electric bass, this book will help you expand your basic technique to create interesting and grooving bass lines and melodically interesting solos. Included are 166 audio tracks of demonstrations and play-alongs, featuring a complete jazz combo playing bass lines and solos over standard jazz progressions.
This book gives you all the basic principles underlying solid walking bass lines. Comprehensive, easy to understand, with page after page of great transcriptions of the author's walking lines on the accompanying CD. The CD of NY professional jazz players can also be used as a swinging play-along CD. Endorsed by Eddie Gomez, Jimmy Haslip, John Goldsby, etc.
The bass has been called "the most important instrument in any band." the bass player must create interesting lines under the chord changes, keep the "time flow" or "pulse" steady, and keep the form of the song together. This book is designed to help bassists create beginning to advanced walking patterns (smooth-sounding lines) that can be used in jazz, blues, R&B, gospel, Latin and country music. By explaining the basics of intervals, chords, and scales the author builds a framework for understanding bass line patterns. Then the book presents one- and two-measure patterns that can be used in playing the blues, rhythm changes, the II-V-I progression, and 20 popular jazz standards. the book is written in standard notation with chord symbols. the CD gives you the opportunity to play with one of the finest rhythm sections around. It is in stereo, with the bass and drums on the left and piano and drums on the right. Since the examples in the book are presented both with sample bass lines and as chord progressions only, you can either follow along with the bass or practice your own lines with the CD as your accompaniment.Also available in Japanese from ATN, Inc.
The Low Down is a comprehensive jazz bass method book covering the fundamentals of bass line construction, with useful information for beginners and advanced players. The Low Down accomplishes teaching the basics of sound production, layout development, and walking line construction with clarity. A recording (downloaded online) accompanies many of the examples in the book.
This is the centerpiece of the Ron Carter Library. (He refers to it as "THE book" when talking to his students) While other bass lesson books teach you arco techniques and how to audition for a classical orchestra, this book is completely different. It shows you how the bass functions, and the hand positions and locations on the instrument so you can find those beautiful notes too. And it has QR codes that link to video demos so you can watch the Maestro play the exercises himself. With this book you can do what Carter does every night. Play rhythm changes all the time, make wonderful blues choruses, or in the Maestro's case, play Little Waltz for 25 years. And have it be new and fresh every time.
Standard Lines Book III in the Constructing Walking Jazz Bass Lines series for the Electric Bassist is a comprehensive guide demonstrating the devices used to construct walking jazz bass lines in the jazz standard tradition. Book III covers 24 standard jazz chord progressions with 110 choruses of professional jazz bass lines as an example. Part I outlines the Modes and the chord scale relationships and the fundamental knowledge required to be able to build the diatonic triads and 7th chords in any key. Examples are given in the " 2 " feel and " 4 " feel walking bass style enabling the bassist to develop a strong rhythmic and harmonic foundation. More advanced bass line construction examples including voice leading and mode substitutions and mode applications related to specific jazz chord progressions are also outlined. Part II outlines the Symmetric Scales as well as the Modes of the Melodic Minor Scale related to the Minor II V I progression. Provided are written examples of the Symmetric Scales and the chord scale relationships and how to apply the use of the Symmetric Scales over popular jazz chord progressions. The Minor II V I is outlined and compared to the Major II V I outlining the differences with the suggested scale uses applied to common jazz chord progressions. Part III outlines the use of the BeBop Scales and their use in the jazz walking bass tradition, providing suggested uses of the Be Bop scales related to popular jazz chord progressions. Part IV outlines the previous lesson devices and concepts with examples of professional level bass lines over standard jazz chord progressions. All information builds in a stepwise progression enabling the bassist to apply the techniques in all 12 keys.
