Need some musical help and inspiration.

[jmrunning3]

My most recent lesson was partially spent talking about theory, chords, arpeggios, and key signatures. My instructor gave me the Key of G and told me to see what I could do to come up with a bass line. I've written out all the modes associated with G and I've fiddled with some things by ear, but melody eludes me.

 

Could someone suggest chord progressions and rhythms to get me started? I know the progression I vi ii V, but I thought I'd ask for some other common variants. I plan on plugging this into PowerTab and then post it back to here, if anyone's interested.

[ClarkW]

Every pop song from like 1954 through 1967 involves a I vi IV V. I think the record labels would just reject a song out of hand if it wasn't 1 6 4 5.

 

Then the fad changed and it was 1 4 5 4.

 

In country, it's mostly been 1 4 1 5 for a while.

 

Of course I'm indulging in a little light-hearted exaggeration, but those are all very common chord progressions.

[PhilMan99]

Originally posted by jmrunning3:

...cut...

but melody eludes me.

...cut...

That may be the problem. Since "melody" (Star Spangled Banner, for example) sounds pretty bad on the very low notes, melody tends to be under-emphasized in bass-instruction in my opinion.

 

While the "veterans" and music instructors here can give more seasoned/educated responses, I'll comment only that most solos on bass I hear sound too "mechanical" with very limited/boring "scales". If you visit basslobster.com and listen to the free videos there, you may agree that while they have blinding speed, most of what they play is rather lacking in the "melody" department. There are, of course, some amazing exceptions there. I'm talking what is "typical" there for bass.

 

For solos, I actually prefer a guitar-style approach, with more complex scales and more non-chordal tones.

[Eric VB]

Originally posted by jmrunning3:

My most recent lesson was partially spent talking about theory, chords, arpeggios, and key signatures. My instructor gave me the Key of G and told me to see what I could do to come up with a bass line. I've written out all the modes associated with G and I've fiddled with some things by ear, but melody eludes me.

 

Could someone suggest chord progressions and rhythms to get me started? I know the progression I vi ii V, but I thought I'd ask for some other common variants. I plan on plugging this into PowerTab and then post it back to here, if anyone's interested.

Well, he did ask for a bass line, not a melody, so go back to thinking like a bass player.

 

It's pretty wide-open to have you compose a bass line just from a key signature. As you point out, it would be easier to work from a chord progression of some sort, but that's not what the assignment was, so I'm assuming he wants you to be really open in your playing.

 

I'd say just continue to fiddle with your bass, thinking like a bass player, and try to come up with a bass line. Your only limitation is to stay in the key of G, so don't try adding any modulations.

 

When I try composing this way I often end up with riffs, i.e. short phrases that get repeated over and over, like a vamp. Something like "My Sharona" by The Knack. (It's kind of in G, but they're using a minor pentatonic scale, and I believe the bridge modulates to key of C.) The point is that those 4 measures -- 3 of which are quite similar -- make up the majority of the song.

 

A lot of Led Zeppelin tunes are riff-based, too. "Moby Dick" (the drum solo song) is in D, but it too uses minor pentatonics. (Quite frankly, a lot of blues/rock uses minor pentatonics or the related "blues scale".) So you won't be able to steal any licks, but you can see how riffs can be used to build a song.

 

Prog rock is more likely to feature scales other than pentatonics and blues (although they still use these as well). In Rush's "Tom Sawyer", Geddy Lee pretty much stays in the key of G for most of the song (there are a couple of modulations). It doesn't sound like "key of G" really, because of the way Alex Lifeson is voicing the guitar chords (mostly dropping the minor 3rds). The main riff is key of G, and I believe at least the first time the descending thirds lines comes in it is still in G. (It's things like the descending thirds that are often seen as "overblown" and more wanking than musical by prog detractors, but it's also part of what attracts the audience.)

 

Riffs are kind of limiting, though. They're not as common in jazz (mostly found in fusion). How would a jazz bassist approach this lesson? (Jeremy, Phil?) I'm more familiar with Big Band but I hesitate to recommend anything from that genre. Maybe Jimmy Blanton's bass solos with Duke Ellington (I like "Pitter Patter Panther" myself). Something more recent, like bebop might be better, but again I'm at a loss for a track. I mostly have Monk; I have some Parker and Mingus but I don't have the titles memorized.

 

Bach had a way to make little patterns and apply them to scales to end up with etudes (or things that sound to me like etudes). Bach would have liked the descending thirds in "Tom Sawyer" to some extent, although he would have preferred a nicer transition from the end of the phrase to the beginning and wouldn't have used syncopation.

 

So, yeah, that's my suggestion. Go listen to some stuff, maybe something you're not so familiar with. Listen to the bass and try to figure out the parts that interest you and why. Apply that to your lesson. Mostly, have fun with what you're doing.

[Fred TBP]

Originally posted by jmrunning3:

My instructor gave me the Key of G and told me to see what I could do to come up with a bass line.

just one? it'd be cool if you could come up with a few, unique ones, just to show him you've spent more than an hour thinking about it as an assignment. By the way, it's more than an assignment - it's a chance to stimulate the creative part of your mind, which makes it fun and a little more challenging.

Originally posted by jmrunning3:

I've written out all the modes associated with G and I've fiddled with some things by ear, but melody eludes me.

inspiration (and melody) is everywhere, from the birds singing in the park to the train rushing across the tracks to the thousands of hours of music played everywhere. if you don't hear it, step outside the box, put the bass and pencil down and go do something else. you'll hear it when you least expect it. (and I'm not just talking zen here. )

[Brocko777]

I am going to try this right now.. I like Fred's take on it. Use outside stimulation; park, playground, strip club, hospital. Anything that puts you into a particular feeling and stay within your teachers guidelines and see what you come up with. I tend to find myself searching for more 'melody' in my (limited) soloing style. Steve Vai has talked about this in old GP mags and as well on his web-site lessons. Different instrument but a great way to approach it. Make your teacher 'hate' you for walking in next week and blowning his mind with some great ideas! Good Luck!

Peace

Brocko

[Phil W]

Steve Vai has talked about this in old GP mags and as well on his web-site lessons

 

Those are great lessons. I think they are still available on his website.

 

Ah-hah!

Martian Love Secrets here!

 

[Gruuve]

Joe:

 

Here's a few common and/or interesting chord progressions that might give you some ideas:

 

V ii iii I

 

I V vi IV

 

I V iii IV

 

V Vsus4 I Isus4 IV IVsus4

 

Isus4 I Isus2 VIIsus4 VII VIIsus2 (down to the dom7th rather than up...I always find these types of progressions interesting because it's mostly the middle note that's moving...can make for an interesting bass line...hint hint)

 

Dave

[Peckels]

I think the last place one would look to start composing is the actual scale. The very first thing that comes to my mind is the style. Are you going for a funky slap line? Maybe nifty 3-2 clave style Latin rhythm? A Bossa Nova line?

 

Don't forget that G major can also be interpreted as E minor. (Read: E pentatonic/blues scale)

 

I definitely wouldn't worry about modes for such a thing. Recently, when I was writing a line to the song Blue Bossa, I didn't say to myself, "Ok, Bb7 means I use a mixolydian mode... Fm7 is dorian, and Ebmaj7 is ionian." Nah, I just knew the important notes in each scale and methods of embellishment. Knowing every mode as a stale pattern that you practice playing really fast might not help you in this case.

 

As other guys have said, try coming up with a chord progression first.

[Phil W]

As it's a bassline: find a pattern of roots/main landmark notes on your bass that you like the sound of; don't worry about theory too much at this stage, you can always make sure they're within the key afterwards. Then try to sing or play lines that connect these target notes. They could be chromatic or scalar lines.

 

Otherwise, a good option is to geta keyboard player or someone, or a program to play a G major chord, then sing a melody/bassline over the top. Try to hear where the line is going and follow it. I would definitely suggest singing it first rather than playing it on the bass as the line will be more creative and if you're hearing the G major, you will naturally sing something roughly within the key.

 

Remember, when in a major key, any note is never more than a semitone away from one within the key. Courtesy - Gary Willis

 

Check out the Steve Vai stuff too, it's fun.