walking bass lines for beginners?

Something I may actually be able to help with!  I'm a bass player learning guitar, so putting together bass lines comes naturally to me. 

What I do, I'm not saying it's the right way or the only way, but what I do is always make sure on 1 to be on the root note and on 3 to either be on the root or the fifth of the chord.  In G, that means the first beat of the measure (in 4/4 time, which most rock, country, and pop songs are) you will start with a G.  On the third beat of the measure (same assumption) you'll either be playing a G or a D. 

Given that you know where you are with a G or a D, then all you have to do to make the bass line "walk" is to play some fill notes (also called passing notes) between the two notes.

So let's say you're playing in a chord progression that goes G to C to G to D, which is a real common one. 

The notes in the G chord are G, B, D (1, 3, 5).  The notes in the C chord are C, E, G.  The notes in the D chord are D, F#, A. 

If you're on a G and walking to C, you can use any common notes in scale and concentrate on common notes in the chord.  So in a bass line, I may go from G (root note on first beat - hold it a little extra or hit it a couple of times) to A (second beat continue shuffle rhythm from first beat) to D (third beat - note it's the fifth of the G chord so hit it hard) to C# (passing note) to C (First beat of next measure).  That'll be a little pop music going up to D to come down to C and will give you some tension on C# because it's not in C's or G's chord.  But you just play it for a moment passing between D and C.  Then walking back down from C to G, I'd go from C to B to A to G.  Then G to B to C to D.  I'm talking notes here, not chords.  The G note, not the G chord.  Just keep "walking" the scale, mix up your rhythm with a bit of a shuffle, and be sure to be on the root on the first beat (1) and the root or the fifth on the third beat (3).  The notes between are just in a flurry of notes and if you mess up call it tension and say it was jazz.  Bass players call this "playing in the box" and is an extremely popular technique in country, blues, folk, and rock.  Folk songs use a lot of sevenths in their walking lines.  Blues uses a lot of flatted thirds and flatted sevenths in their walking lines. 

I hope that served to help and not to confuse. 

- Zurf

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-------------5-----------------------------------
-------5-----------4----3------2------0--------
-3--------------------------------------------- 3

g       d     g  csharp  c        b       a        g

not quite sure if this is exactly how the guy above wrote it, but here is G D G Csharp C

now chords are something i can say i "do" know (pfff glad i know something ) not all chords of course, but still a few of them, most of the open chords, and can play arpeggios on them also ( i´m so proud of my self),  so where do i start from here, do i learn the name of notes? and there situacion?

Zurf has it exactly right.  Learning the interval relationships on your fretboard is a key skill for anyone play bass.  I play bass in my band, and I practice that a lot.   It makes walking a whole lot easier.

But it all comes back to scales.  They are at the foundation of everything you'll do as a musician.  Scales.  Then some scales.  Then some more scales.  And when you're done, practice your scales.

Yes, it's within your possibility.   Scales are, in reality, bone dead simple. 

The problem with them arises when people denigrate them as "unnecessary" when what they really mean is "I never hear rock stars play them."   These are people that want to "play songs" rather than "play the guitar."   If you want to play other peoples songs, they're not critical.  If you want to play solo and lead lines of your own, and improvise, they are critical.

I always advise people to practice scales and chord transitions before ever attempting to play songs.   The time to start practicing them is right now.

You shouldn't hate scales.   You should spend at least 15 minutes every day running scales, and they should be a regular part of your practice routine.  When you see the improvement in your playing as a result of knowing them, you'll love them, as their value will be evident, and undeniable.

I'd start by adjusting my expectations.     There are a whole lot of scales, but that doesn't mean there's a whole lot to learn.   

There are 12 major scales, for example.  You can play all of them using one pattern (assuming a 14 fret guitar).  There are 12 natural minor scales.  Likewise, you can play all of them using one pattern.  So, assuming you learn just those two patterns, you can now play 24 different scales.

So where should you start?  Take two tracks:  The practical, and the theoretical.   The practical side should be stuff that you can use to play *right now.*  Those would be the minor and major pentatonic patterns.    There are five of each, but just like the major and minor scales, you can play them with one pattern.   You can use pentatonic scales to solo in just about every kind of music you can name, from baroque to zydeco.   There are five minor pentatonic patterns, and five major pentatonic patterns.   Your next practice goal should be to learn one of each.

The theoretical side should be focused on improving your knowledge.  What makes a major scale a major scale?   What is the relationship of the minor scales to the majors?  These kinds of things won't have immediate practical application to the fretboard, but they will pay huge dividends down the road.

Wow! thats a lot of information in one day, i´m a bit confusd, is it a pentatonic scale or it´s the pattern that is pentatonic?

i just found this:

E|-----------------------------------------5--7--8|

B|---------------------------------5--6--8--------|

G|-------------------------4--5--7----------------|

D|-------------------5--7-------------------------|

A|----------5--7--8-------------------------------|

E|-5--7--8----------------------------------------|

The notes of the A minor guitar scale are A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and then the scale repeats at the A again.

if i understud right, this would be the pattern for a minor scale? every minor scale? and if i understud right what this guy said this pattern would end with a C note?

The scale you have tabbed there is the full A minor scale.   If you move that whole pattern down two frets, you'll be playing B minor.

E|  7---9--10, etc.

That scale actually ends on a G.  The 5th fret of the D string, and begins again on the 7th fret of the D string.  You will note that there are 7 notes in the scale.  A pentatonic scale has five notes, and for minors, it removes the half steps, so the tablature for A minor pentatonic is.

E|-----------------------------------------5---8|

B|---------------------------------5----8--------|

G|---------------------------5--7----------------|

D|-------------------5--7-------------------------|

A|----------5---7-------------------------------|

E|-5---8----------------------------------------|

That pattern is one you should learn.  It's one of the five pentatonic patterns.   This one is popular because it is easy to play.  You start with the root on your index finger or on your ring finger, and each finger has it's own fret.  No hand movement is necessary.

It is the scale is pentatonic because it has five notes (PENTA = 5:  Pentagram, pentagon, etc).   

So here is your homework assignment.   Take this pattern, and play a C# minor pentatonic scale.  Then tab it out.

That's right.  You're going to put your index finger on the scale root on the E string, and it's going to move straight across the fretboard to the little e string.    That pattern will produce a minor pentatonic every time.

That's it.

If you run down the neck one fret at a time, that is reffered to as a "chromatic" scale, and the interval between each fret is a "half step" (also "half tone" or "semi tone").  A "whole step" is a two fret step.

A major scale is defined by the intervals between notes.

Root.  Whole step.  Whole step.  Half step.  Whole step.  Whole step.  Whole step.  Another half step brings you to the root again.

That is really "the pattern."  Start on any note, and follow that pattern, and you have produced a major scale.

Get the minor nailed down.  Then I'll show you the practical secret to major pentatonics, along with the theory behind it.  It's simple enough that you'll laugh when you get it.

OK.  Are you ready? 

Here's the practical.

Play the 1st two notes of the minor pentatonic.  Then stop.    If you started on A minor, for example, you would be at C.

Now here's the "secret."  Start from there, but continue to play the minor pentatonic pattern you started with.

Presto!   Major pentatonic.

Here's the "why" portion.

Each minor scale is associated with a major scale.  If you play a major scale starting at it's sixth note, you will be playing it's "relative minor."  So for the key of C, for example, the sixth note of that scale is A.  Play C major starting at A and you're playing A minor.   This is one of the reasons why knowing major scales is so important.

So anyway, the difference between the sixth (VI) and the root (I) of a major scale is one and a half semi-tones, or three frets.  So if you are playing a minor scale, and you want to start playing it's relative major scale, simply slide down (towards the bridge) three frets from the minor's root.   Likewise, if you are playing a major scale, and want to know what it's relative minor is, simply slide up (towards the nut) three frets.

Piece of cake.

Thanks, Jerome.  I think I get it, but I'll have to test it first on my guitar and make sure.  I will let you know.  If it's really as easy as it sounds, I owe you a beer (or whatever you drink.)

David