Summary
For this lesson I made to bass lines for the purpose of understand ing the importance of them in making a good song.
My First Bass Line
https://onlinesequencer.net/878255
There wasn’t much that was particularly challenging about making this other than trying to make it sound good. I think that the repetition in a bass line makes it easier to compose than melody or harmony.
One of My Favorite Bass Lines
https://www.hooktheory.com/theorytab/view/bill-withers/aint-no-sunshine
I like this bass line because despite the fact that it’s very simple it adds so much to the song. It is a walking bass line. The line is played after each phrase that he sings. Each phrase ends on A minor, and I believe that the bass line starts with A minor and ascends in a couple notes after that.
Second Bass Line
https://onlinesequencer.net/878386
I centered this bass line around A (my root note). I only use three notes. I use a structure that ascends in the first four measures and then descends at the end.
Bass Terms
Tonality – describes what makes western music sound different from other types of music
Root – the lowest note in the chord, usually the tonic
Walking Bass – a bass line consisting of usually scales or moving parts that doesn’t line up with the melody. The melody may be going up as the bass goes down or vice versa
Chromatic Scale – A scale that uses every note in the octave. It sounds darker.
Inversion – using a different note from the chord (normally the 3rd or 5th) other than the root note as the bass note
Bass Riffs – A motif that you play on bass that adds to the song
What I Learned and Problems I Solved
I learned that what makes a good bass line (in my opinion) is simplicity.