Bass Lines & Chords

Getting to know how a bass player arpeggiates chords is helpful in hearing chords as they happen while you play (especially for non-12 Bar Blues) and in general understanding how chords work and are used in music. Below are some simple shuffle bass lines.

1) 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 = R R R R R R R R

2) 2 2 3 3 2 2 3 3 = R R 3rd 3rd R R 3rd 3rd

3) 2 2 3 3 4 4 3 3 = R R 3rd 3rd 5th 5th 3rd 3rd

4) 2 2 3 3 4 4 5+ 5+ = R R 3rd 3rd 5th 5th 6th 6th (6th = Light Feel)

5) 2 2 3 3 4 4 5+ 5+ 6+ 6+ 5+ 5+ 4 4 3 3 = R R 3rd 3rd 5th 5th 6th 6th R R... and back down

6) 2 2 3 3 4 4 5+ 5+ 5 5 5+ 5+ 4 4 3 3 = R R 3rd 3rd 5th 5th 6th 6th Flat-7th Flat-7th... and back down (Flat-7th = Bluesy)

For more information on chords, take a look at Music Theory Study 3 (keep in mind that lessons 1 and 2 are needed to do this lesson).