Canadian Musician - January / February 2020

PHOTO: GEE WONG BASS Jason Raso is a professional bass player and instructor from Guelph, ON. His latest book, Improvising on Electric Bass: A Chord Tone Approach, is available from MusicBooksPlus.com. Jason proudly endorses Fodera basses, Aguilar amplification, and D’Addario strings. www.jasonrasomusic.com. By Jason Raso Walking… Ex. 1 Ex. 2 Ex. 3 I believe every bass player should be well-versed in walking- bass lines. No matter the style, walking bass lines are a great way to move from chord to chord. Let’s look at a way to transform a quarter note walking line into 1/8 th note and 1/16 th note grooves. Ex. 1 shows a simple quarter note walking bass line over a II-V-I-IV progression in the key of G. This gives us Am7 (II), D7 (V), Gmaj7 (I), and Cmaj7 (IV). A sequence of root, third, fifth, and chromatic is played on each chord. Ex. 2 has an 1/8 th note R&B feel. Notice how the original quarter note walking line has become 1/8 th notes on beats three and four. The great James Jamerson used this type of line on many Motown classics! Ex. 3 has a 16th note funk feel. This line is reminiscent of something the legendary Jaco Pastorius may have played. This time, the original walking line shows up as 16 th notes on beat four. Practice this line slowly. Work out your fingering pattern, then build up the tempo. Try these examples at different tempos in every key. Playing in every key is essential. Don’t take shortcuts. Once you’ve played the lines in every key, try building your own walking lines over any progres- sion. And always remember, the rhythmic possibilities are endless. Over the years I’ve gotten into the habit of writing walking bass lines for every chord progression I learn, even if the line will never be played as a swing feel. This habit has certainly helped me write more interesting bass lines. Until we meet again, happy walkin’! CANADIAN MUSICIAN 27

Canadian Musician - January / February 2020 | Page 27