Walking Bass Lines with Chords - Page 3

by Christopher Sung Now, we need some notes to put on top of our bass line. Commonly, we can use just the third and b7 of our chord to imply the harmony. A common rhythm is to play the chord on the first beat, and on the upbeat of the second, which means:

ONE - and - two - AND - three - and - four - and

Thus, our rhythm part is shown in mms 1-3. When we combine it with our bass line, we get the part shown in mms. 4-6. Play through it until it feels comfortable. Remember that the chords are held for a short time, so don't feel like you have to always keep your fingers on them. You just need to grab them quickly, and get back to your bass line.