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Long ago I asked a friend (reeds, bass sax, elec bass) for lessons on bass line improv. He told me to learn melodies. Exactly right.

It's all about listening and hearing and knowing what to do innately.

I agree that there is no substitute for memorization than learning the melody. Lyrics are nice, but I can do without them. This is especially true when you run into music that does not fit the traditional lay of the road when it comes to chord functions and progressions.

As far as knowing the quality of the chords, your statement is truer if you play mainly 2 beat bass lines. When you get into walking bass lines you get into needing to be major when everybody else is major. Likewise minor if the cording instrument is minor. There are also times when the bass player detremines the quality as well as the progression.

I do feel however that learning chord functions and progressions can get you through the times that the boss calls out a tune that you just can't get.



Tom Mason
melody + progressions = usually beating the odds

Classical ear training. Tons of it. Go over it again in all twelve major & minor keys so that any chord change in any key is instantly recognizable.

Form and analysis. Tons of it. And all the subtypes, including basic 8-bar song form, how a lot of middle 8's go to the 4 chord, etc. Learn II-V-I turnarounds in all keys for jazz, with all of their major/minor/secondary dominant and altered cadence variations. For example, on a blues song, learn the difference between a straight blues, blues with a backpedal turnaround, blues with a quick 4 chord, walkdown intro from the 5 chord, etc.

Play the songs. Tons of them. Repeatedly. Repetition is the key to learning.

For example: every September there is a steam tractor show in the area. Last September I went. I happened into a bluegrass/gospel jam for about an hour in the middle of the afternoon. Later on towards evening, the organizer came and found us and asked us to play for an hour for a crowd of about a thousand while they finished drying the track out. I did a stand up gig on a dog house bass I'd never played before, playing songs I'd never even heard, much less played before. But since I grew up here and knew the basic style of gospel bluegrass, all I had to do was watch the guitar player's left hand, and listen to the vocalist. When I hit a wrong note or two, it didn't matter, because rhythm was more important, and I caught the next note, and got it right on the second verse.

Jam as often as you can and play with as many people as you can to learn how to analyze a person's individual style so you can develop a groove as quickly as possible without breaking too many bricks getting there. This is vastly underestimated, especially since most of the people who jam don't have the same flavor of classical training. So if you play with a right handed drummer, he may be very precise on the beat, but depending on his background, may have a different approach to backbeats and turnaround cues, than a left handed drummer, who may have a natural shuffle, like Ringo did, and you need to adapt so you're not ahead of the beat on straight time, and lay back more with different turnaround cues.

And the rest of the guys are right. If you can hum the melody, then you can visualize the rest of the song, and knowing the key, your ear training, and basic chord progressions, can make it fit underneath. Doing this, I can go to jams and they will call songs I have listened to on recordings for years, but never had the opportunity to play, but having focused on the melody and remembering how the song sounds, I can put all the above to work and play the part, and they think I pull some sort of magic out of my backside, when all I'm doing is being attentive and thinking in relational terms instead of isolated note terms.

The words can be googled or skulled out from the recording by ear. I jot the chord changes in red above the sylable of the word where they hit.
Most dixieland/pop/country/rock/blues progressions are fairly predictable except for a few odd chords.
I work with a flat top guitar. A piano is better.
If you are featured in a song, you must rehearse it until you are sick of the thing and never want to hear it again. Then you will be able to get all the way through the song every time - day or night - hung over or high energy - without letting the gang down.
Once that much time is spent with the chords and words, the bass line should be obvious.
Ear playing is a problem only when you guys pull up a song to do that ya'll haven't played or rehearsed together in many months. Most times it goes all right but never forget there is a high potential for a musical car wreck.

Most of the tunes in the traditional jazz genre have simple and obvious chords. But many of them have just one or two tricky spots that you have to remember because they could have gone one way or could have gone another way. For example, there are many tunes that might use a diminished chord or might use a minor chord; either one can fit the melody perfectly well. In cases like that you have to remember what the piano or banjo player prefers, because it may or may not be what the composer wrote. When in doubt, play the 5th of the chord the first time around, and listen for a consensus.
If the tune is composed by a Gershwin or Carmichael or Irving Berlin, I often find that the composer thought of more clever chords than I would have come up with on my own; those tunes are worth studying.
Bloke is absolutely right about the importance of melody, however. It really helps to be able to play the melody in any key. That is not a skill that you pick up overnight, but it is a long-term goal that is worth pursuing.

I understand the importance of learning melodies (Jaco said it was the #1 skill bass players need to learn), but in my world of combo jazz I've never related it to learning changes or how I play a bass line. Would you play differently on the heads of "How High the Moon" and "Ornithology," for example? Same changes, vastly different styles of melody (slower linear movement vs. fast bebop arpeggiated lines).

Like most combo players (I imagine), I've learned the "Real Book" tunes through repetition, beginning with jazz improv classes in high school and through tons of jam sessions, listening, and transcribing bass lines. I strive to cover the changes in new and creative ways...how many times can I get away with starting the bar on the 3rd and make it work?...how many tritone subs can I use?...how many chromatic neighbor tones are too many?...this chorus very linear, next one more leapy...that sort of thing.

The next challenge (and one I think WAY too many bass players don't think about enough) is performing your role as an accompanist to the soloist. Are you listening for rhythmic patterns you can reinforce? Do you ever "quote back" a neat line you hear from the soloist? Do you adjust registers when you accompany a trumpet vs. a trombone?

I find the memorization is a by-product of the practice. That, and the eidetic memory doesn't hurt...I can "see the page" from the Real Book in my head while playing a tune.

We as tuba players (and the other second line players besides the drummer) are at a disadvantage over our front line brethren when we're asked to play a song that we haven't previously heard and there's no chart to follow. The trumpet/cornet, clarinet, and trombone can always make their phrase entrance a beat or 1 1/2 beats after the downbeat so that already they have a sense of what the chord is before they play. Au contraire, we have to be there, solid, on the downbeat--so there's no advance notice other than relying upon anticipating a standard chord progression. When you're hit with a change that is unique to that song, it might have to wait for the second time 'round for the tuba player to come in securely with the correct note--assuming that the tuba player is listening carefully the first time 'round. The only real solution was presented by bloke:

Put the changes to another 10,000 - 20,000 songs in my head.

Art Hovey wrote:...there are many tunes that might use a diminished chord or might use a minor chord; either one can fit the melody perfectly well. In cases like that you have to remember what the piano or banjo player prefers, because it may or may not be what the composer wrote.

The leader of a band in which I performed for the first time was absolutely positive that there is no diminished chord on the 4th beat of the first bar of "Pennies from Heaven." He might indeed be correct if one checks the original publication. But so many since the original have extrapolated that diminished chord in that spot. Nevertheless, the leader abruptly "taught" me the "correct" chord by blasting a note from the tonic chord right in my ear--in front of the crowd. I won't mention what horn he was playing nor what band it was because too many people reading this post might recognize who this band leader is...

Anyone starting to "learn tunes" should know that there are a relatively limited number of chord progressions. Many tunes share chord progressions, especially if you are dealing with rock, blues or folk tunes. Like when the leader calls out, "Scratch Ankle Polka!" -- you know it's the same chord progression as "Hatpin Polka" except in D flat.

Here's a great riff on chord progression repetition (Pachelbel). If you haven't seen this, you should. It beats music theory class... in fact, anything beats music theory class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank"

BTW, Blink 182's hits use the exact same chord progression (Alien, Dammit, What's My Age Again, M&Ms) in case you're interested.

I am a confessed NON-expert in chord progressions but intonation is where I make my money. For an erudite rectitation on chord progressions, I bow to the ninja-master of bass lines, Richard M. Bring it on Ricardo! Rain down some education on us, if you will.

Alex,

Thanks for your unwavering confidence. I would have to COMPLETELY agree with Bloke’s approach to this adventure. I do think that learning the melody is the most natural way to approach learning changes and tunes. I know that there are MANY other approaches to bass lines and improvisation, but for me learning the tune first usually takes care of everything else. The one thing I would add to Bloke’s approach might be to suggest that people learn the tune in several keys or all keys if discipline and time are available. Also, remember, we have to learn to HEAR the changes and melody. Unless you have a much bigger brain than I (which I am sure that is a strong possibility) you WILL NOT memorize the hundreds of tunes that you may need to know for the variety of jobs that many freelancers need to know. You must learn to HEAR them. Again there are clues in the melody that simply point the right or next chord.

Another thing to remember, as I explain to my ear-training classes, is some basic theory knowledge. Simple things like: I-iii-vi-ii-V. Listen to see if the chord is happy or sad and always remember the circle of 4ths. Practice ALL scales in a circle of 4ths pattern and you will begin to hear that movement. Also, sing ALL scales in that same 4ths pattern (solfege is good to use here). Start with C major, sing 12 scales in the circle of 4ths and see if you end up in C. Oh, do this without the aid of a piano for each key change. This can be a real confidence builder or not!

No matter how deeply you choose to get into playing tunes by ear, it will definitely improve your ear, aural comprehension, intonation, and overall musicianship. Remember, music is an aural art and we should do all we can to work on that aspect of our playing.

There are as many ways to approach music, jazz, improvisation, bass lines, etc. as there are musicians and teachers, but this can be a great learning experience for the uninitiated and a way to put more steak and less peanut butter on the table!! Plus, once you get over the fear it is FUN!

Richard Murrow

I never should have sent my post as late at night as I did after a very long, exhausting day (ahh, excuses, excuses)...

bloke wrote: Are you, really, referring to the end of second bar?

It's where the lyrics are:

"Every time it rains, it RAINS..." So yes, I probably mean the end of the second bar if each beat represents one syllable of the lyrics.

...(Transposing to the key of C - for clarity/convenience) there is a B natural in the melody there. Underneath that beat, there is a diminished "sound" (D#-F#-A), but with a B nat. in the melody it becomes a V7 of iii (which doesn't function that way at all, and functions as a D# dim.)

In fact, the iii chord itself, not the tonic (as I incorrectly posted last night) IS probably the chord to which the band leader was referring. Seems rather bland, but there's no argument that the B natural is a member of that chord.

Despite the fact that the B natural is NOT a member of the full diminished 7th chord (D#-F#-A-C), and would in essence create a dissonance between the B natural and the C of the chord, the effective function of the diminished chord at that spot would be to serve as a harmonic "passing chord" to the next downbeat on the ii chord. So technically, the diminished chord may indeed be an embellishment upon the "pure" original chart, to which the band leader wanted to strictly adhere.

bloke "but no possibly way to pull off a tonic (C maj.) there without sounding like you're trying to play the song on an autoharp or harmonica"

Yup, you're right, good analogy...

Not to impune anyone's reputation, especially since I have no idea who this band leader is, I would relate this story:

I played in a quartet for about ten years up until this last January when the leader died. His mother was the pianist, and had her own unique interpretation of chord progressions. This was especially true of some old standards that you could not persuade her that there was a more correct way of playing. Being stuck in space between the rock (her interpretation) and a hard place (my usual quintet's pianist more correct version of the progressions), I got to the point that I memorized the differences and adapted.

Another explaination of the chord progression at the end of measure two is to think of it as a planular movement from iii to ii in a chromatic fashion.

A real good investment for those walking their way into this field is to get the collection of Real Books, preferrably on CD Rom. Another piece of advice is to learn to read those same fake books in treble clef C. Where you might not think that you need to be able to do that for reading chord progressions, you may have to look over the leader's shoulder and read a melodic passage some day. Odds are that the leader is also reading treble clef C parts.

Tom Mason

While I will definitely agree that learning the melody inside and out is the best way to do it, there have been times for me when I had to play a gig with little to no notice with just the chart in front of me. Having the ability to listen and look at the changes simultaneously was a big key to success. I didn't know all the tunes, but then again, didn't miss any changes (wether in a 2 or 4 beat feel) because I could do both. Most of that has to do with familiarity of the genre and ability to relate to what was going on around me (via listening).

yeah, Jones, I totally agree with you also, except for one minute detail: you've had to learn other tunes first in order to know what to do with the chart. (The OP actually referred to learning a tune, not just playing it). But, you're absolutely right, you also have to have a good grasp of theory/harmony basics in order to read that chart and know what valves to push/fret to hit (of course, I don't play electric ...) Anyone can memorize a written out, note-for-note bass line for a particular tune, even alter it a bit through several choruses, and I know several who do that type of playing very well. Take the notes away, give them a leadsheet, forget it.
I admit I'm not too steady with post-1932 tunes, I just don't play swing and beyond very much, nor do I really want to, at least in an authentic style. But with a sheet I can at least get the style and flavor of the changes going.