TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE AUTHOR ......................................................4 INTRODUCTION ..................................................................5 CHAPTER 1— Getting Started 6 CHAPTER 6—Diatonic Harmony: 7 chords 60 The Fretboard ...............................................................................6 The 7 Chords of the Major Scale ...........................................60 Reading Standard Music Notation ............................................7 7 Chord Bass Lines ....................................................................65 Reading Bass Tablature ................................................................9 Chord Symbols .............................................................................9 CHAPTER 7—Locking-in with the Drums 66 Accidentals ..................................................................................10 Rock Grooves .............................................................................67 The Chromatic Scale .................................................................11 Funk Grooves .............................................................................68 Tuning the Bass ...........................................................................12 Reggae Grooves .........................................................................69 Right-Hand Technique ...............................................................13 Left-Hand Technique ..................................................................13 CHAPTER 8—The Blues 71 The Twelve-Bar Blues ................................................................71 CHAPTER 2—The Major Scale 14 Twelve-Bar Blues in A ............................................................71 Introducing the Scale .................................................................14 Turnarounds and Variations ......................................................72 Intervals ........................................................................................14 The Major 6 Chord ...................................................................73 Major Tetrachords ......................................................................15 Major 6 Blues ........................................................................73 Combining Major Tetrachords .................................................16 6th Blues in Eighths ..............................................................74 Keys and Key Signatures ...........................................................17 Blues Progressions with Dominant 7 Chords .....................75 The Circle of 5ths ......................................................................17 Dominant 7 Blues .................................................................75 Rhythm Practice .........................................................................18 6ths, 7ths and Eighths ..........................................................76 Finger Warm-Ups .......................................................................19 Swing 8ths ....................................................................................77 Major-Scale Bass Lines ..............................................................21 Swing 8th Bass Lines ..................................................................78 Swing 8th Blues .....................................................................78 CHAPTER 3—Triads 23 Blues in E ...............................................................................79 Major Triads .................................................................................24 Slow Blues................................................................................80 Major Triad Bass Lines ...............................................................25 Blues Bass Lines ......................................................................81 Reggae Groove .......................................................................26 Slow Blues in A .......................................................................81 Rhythm Update—Eighth Notes ..............................................30 Slow Blues in C ......................................................................82 Minor Triads .................................................................................31 The Eight-Bar Blues ...................................................................83 Minor Triad Bass Lines ..............................................................32 The Sixteen-Bar Blues ...............................................................84 Rhythm Update—The Tie ........................................................33 Sixteen Bars in G ...................................................................84 Major and Minor Triad Bass Lines ..........................................34 Diminished Triads .......................................................................35 CHAPTER 9—Funk 85 Augmented Triads .......................................................................35 Syncopation .................................................................................86 We Got the Funk! .................................................................88 CHAPTER 4—7 chords 36 Rhythm Update—Sixteenth Notes ........................................89 Major 7 Chords ..........................................................................37 Sixteenth-Note Funk Grooves ................................................90 Dominant 7 Chords ..................................................................39 Dead Notes—Muting ................................................................92 Rhythm Update—Dotted Notes ............................................41 Minor 7 Chords ..........................................................................42 WHAT’S NEXT .......................................................95 Island Bass, Mon ...................................................................43 DISCOGRAPHY ....................................................... 96 CHAPTER 5—Diatonic Harmony: Triads 45 The Triads of the Major Scale ..................................................45 The I-IV-V Chord Progression ..............................................48 I-IV-V Bass Lines .......................................................................51 I-vi-IV-V Progression and Bass Lines ...................................54 Stung by the Bass ..................................................................57 Back to the Roots ..................................................................58 Galaxy R35 ............................................................................59 Table of Contents 3 MAJOR TRIAD BASS LINES The most fundamental note of any chord is the root. Some bass players practically make their living TPE]MRKNYWXXLIVSSXWSJXLIGLSVHW8LI½VWXWXITEFEWWMWXWLSYPHXEOI[LIRFIKMRRMRKXSGVIEXI a bass line is to play the root motion of the chord progression—simply become familiar with, and play, the roots of each chord. In these two examples, the bass line uses only the root of each of the major triads. = 92 ?#4 G C 15 4 ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ œ œ Track 11 T A 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3333333 3333333 D G D ?#œ œ œ œ ˙ œ œ ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ . T 0 0 0 A 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 B 0000 000000000 Chris Squire The 1972 release of the Yes album, “Fragile,” put the band, and Chris Squire, on the map. Squire’s melodic bass style is an important part of the Yes sound. PHOTO • CHUCK PULIN/COURTESY OF STAR FILE, INC. FILE, OF STAR • CHUCK PULIN/COURTESY PHOTO Chapter 3—Triads 25 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................. 100 CHAPTER 1—The Major Pentatonic Scale 101 CHAPTER 4—The Modes of the Major Scale 125 Fingerings for the Major Pentatonic Scale .........................101 Relative Thinking ..................................................................... 125 The Modes of the Major Pentatonic Scale— Parallel Thinking ...................................................................... 126 Five Positions of the Scale .............................................102 The Four Modal Tetrachords ...............................................127 Major Pentatonic Bass Lines .................................................104 Combining Tetrachords to Create Modes ........................128 Dave’s Tune ................................................................................ 106 Two-Octave Ionian Mode Fingerings .................................131 Adding the 7 ............................................................................108 Dorian ....................................................................................... 132 Major Pentatonic and the Twelve-Bar Blues ......................109 Mixolydian ................................................................................ 133 Major Blues ................................................................................ 109 CHAPTER 5—Slap & Pop 134 CHAPTER 2—The Minor Pentatonic Scale 110 Slap & Pop Notation ..............................................................134 Fingerings for the Minor Pentatonic Scale ........................ 110 Slap & Pop Techniques ...........................................................135 The Modes of the Minor Pentatonic Scale— The Slap ....................................................................................136 Five Positions of the Scale ............................................ 110 Slap Exercises ..........................................................................137