05 Bonus - December 2020
Added 2020-12-22 11:49:42 +0000 UTCThis month's bonus is another set of essential exercises that will help you learn a simple way to play walking bass lines along with chords.
First, let's look at the approach notes: approach notes lead you to a target tone, which can be a root tone or chord tones. You can play an approach note from above or below the target note. You can also approach the target note chromatically or diatonically.
With these concepts in mind let's look at the exercises:
Example 1 - Chords G69 and D7 are followed by the corresponding root tone as a bass note. So you have a simple bass line with no approach notes.
Example 2 - After G69 we have C# which is a chromatic approach note from below for D7 and it leads, of course, to D7. After D7 we have F# which is also a chromatic approach note from below but now it leads to G69.
Example 3 - Both approach notes are from above: Eb leading to D7, and Ab leading to G69.
Example 4 - Both approach notes are from above and this time they are chord tones: E leading to D7 and A leading to G69.
Examples 5a-5f are all the combinations mixed together.
And examples 6 and 7 have mixed combinations of approach notes with different harmonies.
