Walking Hub

When learning how to develop the walking bass lines over jazz standards or other music pieces that require this kind of sound there are two main approaches to doing it, although largely overlapping. One is concerned with the step-by-step method that starts at the bare basics of harmonic understanding and how to express it in music. The other uses the vocabulary acquisition method, i.e. selectin and teaching certain "cells" of bass lines which have been established over time as standard devices in the genre, used innumerous times by the professional players. If compared with methods of learning a foreign language, the first approach would be akin to teaching the student the grammar and other underlying principles of a given language, while the second might be seen as learning common phrases and expressions first, in order to start communicating as soon as possible. Ultimately, if the goal is a high level of functioning in the chosen language, the speaker will need the command of both aspects. Besides that, the first way may be more applicable to less experienced player, with second possibly leaning more towards those with some experience. 

This time we are dealing with the latter approach. One of the excellent instructional tools that exemplifies the vocabulary method is a book written by Joe Hubbard, one of my favorite bass educators out there, who will be featured in some of the future reviews as well. 

Although not a very large volume, this book manages to pack a lot of great information in a  very effective and functional manner. (NOTE: on Hubbard's product page you will see a different cover, but when the order is delivered this is the one you will see). The author starts by identifying and explaining the components that make the ingredients of a good walking bass line, and emphasizes that "As well as the harmonic specificity, the rhythmic specificity must be adhered to in order to achieve an effective outcome with your bass lines". 

He then proceeds to present and explain his selection of ten fundamental "phrases" that help to run a meaning full "conversation" within the context of jazz. Those include devices such as chord tones, passing and approach notes, scalar runs etc, along with harmonic adaptation and octave displacement principles that should enable you to make the lines smoother and fluid. 

Hubbard explains the harmonic foundation of each of the ten cells and demonstrates how each is applied over a typical jazz blues chord progression. Finally, he puts together a matrix of those options for each of the chord types used, and writes out nine choruses of blues walking bass lines to show how they can be combined and matched in an actual playing situation. 

Again, don't let the lean size of this manual trick you into thinking that it is not a big deal, because it does cover a lot of ground, and if you put in proper work it will give you a lot of mileage out of it. The best things that simultaneously you will get instant authentic sounding solution for all the common harmonic contexts, as well as the understanding that should enable you to adapt the lines to any other musical environment. As the matter of fact, once you understand what the ingredients are and how they are effectively combined, that knowledge ought to allow you to build good sounding lines in any situation, regardless of the style and genre. 

While there is not really such thing as shortcut to jazz proficiency, this is as close as you can get to it - highly recommended!

Arcane knowledge - chord tones study 3

 If you have read my previous posts about the subject of chord tones (you have, right?), the significance and benefits from studying it should be well established by now. So far, the instructional methods reviewed have been mostly concerned with the exact (diatonic) tones of a given chord, but that is not all there is to it. So, what is a good step towards the "next level" then?

Possibly the most concise work in this regard is the book Fretboard Arcadium, written by Scott Hubbell. The aim of this volume (something like 86 pages of solid information) is pretty good described in the foreword, done by one of the true masters of the instrument - Todd Johnson (watch for reviews of his publications in the future), who pointed that diligent work on this material should help you

1. develop your melodic sense

2. improve your ability to solo

3. improve your ear training

4. improve your fretboard knowledge...

So, how does Hubbel approach this task?

He starts, appropriately, with a quick review of the theory behind the building blocks of studying harmony in this way, i.e. vertically. Namely, he briefly explains how the chords are constructed and what their inversions are, as well as the concept of approach notes. And from there, the main portion of the book begins!

The first half of the book is dedicated to a thorough treatment of the four types of triads, each with 10 (ten!) different exercises, built on four main ways of approaching the notes within it. For the sake of clearer illustration of the material the author uses both the standard notation and tablature, but you don't necessarily need to stick to the shown fingering of each individual exercise. After all, the author says himself: "Take the exercises on the 4 note chords and change them around, make them yours". 

Speaking of the 4-note structures, Hubbell addresses two types of 6th chords (major and minor), as well as four types of 7th chords (major, minor, dominant, half-diminished, diminished). However, his treatment of each, in terms of providing exercises, is not as step-by-step as the triads. That is because he relies on your diligence in covering the previous material, and applying the principles learned to the new lessons. Essentially, he shows the use of selected approaches to the new chordal structures, but it is up to the reader/student to figure out how all of the earlier explained steps need to be implemented in order to reap the full benefits.

While I do appreciate the methods that delineate every step of the way for the students, I have always preferred those that require the students to get involved on a deeper level, because in my case they help the better actual understanding and absorption of the lessons. 

Now we come to the part of the story that sort of fits the mysterious tone of the book title... Namely, this volume, along with the authors other one (about scales) used to be available both in printed and electronic formats. But, while I was checking out the Internet for details to include in this review, it turned out that Hubbell's websites are no longer online, and the main distributor of his works (bassbooks.com) went under several years ago. Therefore, I couldn't contact the author, but the hardcopy version of the book can still be found/ordered if you search for it a bit, and still at a great price. For the value you are getting from the book, it will be time and money well spent. 

Alien guidance

OK, I admit it - I often use instruction from people and sources dedicated to other instruments, including (gulp!) guitar. As the matter of fact, on of the most influential instructors whose material and direct guidance I have had the pleasure to experience over the past few years is Dana Rasch. For those who have heard of the legendary, but now defunct, Grove School of Music it will be easy to understand the quality of teaching involved, when you have in mind that Rasch used to be the head of the guitar program there, and the author of the cult-status instructional package titled Beyond Chops. 

Well, that package was published 35+ years ago and is still a benchmark, but the author chose not to rest on his laurels, and decided to further expand and improve his teaching approach. Over the years, he developed several programs that deal with various aspects of musicianship as it applies to guitar, but I would say that his flagship series is Visual Guide Tones, which is also the title of his website. And  guess what? It works great on bass! 

Essentially, the author uses the highly graphic nature of the instrument to help players in seeing how numerous music principles and concepts are manifested on it. In this particular program, Rasch uses five shapes of all the scales that form harmonic sources in modern music and than maps them over the fingerboard, while using the methods of string pairs, string sets, melodic contour, U-turns, sequences etc. to work on several dimensions of instrumental proficiency at the same time. You will develop technical command, left and right hand coordination, fretboard familiarity, ear-hand coordination while working on it, so it is completely appropriate that another user called it the "unified method".

Over the course of 11 (eleven) levels, Rach takes you on a thorough, step-by-step practical study that starts with pentatonic, goes through major, follows by melodic minor scales, and a whole bunch of other topics along the way. Each level consists of minimum 2 DVDs worth of video (download/stream) - one is a lesson and the other practice video(s) - as well as mp3 backing tracks and PDF notes where applicable. All in all, the instruction is very clear, as the author does a lot of talking when explaining the material, and he doesn't cut any shortcuts. And yet, if you have any questions, he is quite accessible via email and actually responds to your inquiries. 

Now, the first three levels deal with pentatonic scales, and just going through this part of the program helped me immensely in developing the above mentioned elements of musicianship. The first level stays in one key/tonality, the second has you shift between two, and the third - between three. With that in mind, if you understand the material in Level 1, it is possible to skip either 2 or 3 on your way up, depending on your previous level, although I still recommend taking each step, for the benefit of other insights and advice shared along the way. 

When it comes to direct application of the material from the course, very early I was able to put it to great use in coming up with bass fills and runs very spontaneously and with ease, even in the sections of fingerboard that had previously been "behind the horizon" for me. This is how I worked on the material a few years ago.

 Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that I also reached for his other programs in search of developing other areas of musicianship, in particular his Chord Melody and Composition series, as they really offer excellent way to work on one's understanding of harmony and related concepts (voice leading, arranging, transposition etc.) in a deep and systematic manner. Depending on your interests and priorities, you may want to check out his other stuff, too. Speaking of which, over the past couple of years, Rasch had discount/sales around Black Friday period, so it might be a good idea to check the store at that time. 

Remember how I mentioned that Dana Rasch was very accessible? Well, after asking for permission to use the pictures, we agreed that if any of the readers of this blog contacts me with some proof of purchase from his website, I will send you the PDF document I had made a few years back, that makes it easer to map the material on the first Visual Guide Tones levels on the neck of the bass, for 4-string and extended range instruments! 

Connecting the dots - chord tones study 1

Sorry for a year-long hiatus, been busy doing other stuff, even stepped away from the bass completely for almost two months... Got back to it though, unavoidably, and in order to maximize the effects of my practice routine asked myself "what do I need to focus on in order to develop the ear-to-fretboard connection as much as possible, along with technique"? Looked back at my practice diaries from "times yonder" and figured out that dedicating the largest portion of my time available to the study of chord tones seems to be most promising. 

Why? Well, because seeing how harmony lays out on the fingerboard offers sort of a clear GPS guide to getting where you need to be in the musical context, and in a way that makes it helpful and comprehensible for other musicians in the band, as well as the listeners, too. Add solid rhythmic feel and phrasing to it, and you are pretty much there when it comes to creating functional and convincing bass lines. Therefore, I will point to several good resources for those who would like to embark on this quintessential field of study.

To begin with, it only made sense to me to follow the method (even if it is an older book) of a man who has long been championing the advantages of focusing on chord tones rather than scales and sheer technical exercises devoid of musical content - the one and only Jeff Berlin! He has been preaching very strong views on the state of music education, especially in the domain of teaching/learning electric bass in modern music, for decades, and some 35 years ago came up with a manual intended to show in practice how his philosophy of learning should be applied in practice. The book is long out of print, but here it is as available online:

As a side note, Mr. Berlin himself is vocally against the use of tablature, and the tab in this book was added later by the publisher, in hopes of appealing to wider audience. That said, you can choose to follow their fingering suggestions, but I would recommend finding other possible options besides those, and then see which ones make most sense to you. It would be particularly useful if you want to work the material on extended range instruments, i.e. 5- or 6-string basses (or more!). 

In my opinion, this is a very valuable resource, even if the verbal/printed instruction is kept to the minimum. After some diligent work, you will start understanding the harmonic content of the music and grow more confident in navigating the instrument. Should you decide to add some technical aspects and variations to the exercises (I might write a separate piece about that approach), your coordination between the fingering and plucking hand will improve, too, along with other technical features.

Also, originally the book came with backing tracks on a cassette. Naturally, you can work on the exercises without the background, but if you could add some sort of chord backing, even just the drone-type sound without rhythm, it would certainly help in developing your ear, as I pointed in the introduction. Such backing tracks are now freely available in many virtual places, including Youtube. 

So, without further ado - get to it!

Vega(n) bites...

 ...for the tasty fat bass!

Lousy word play aside, Posido Vega is a great bass instructor who has been present on the Web in one form or another for a long time and always providing excellent content. His Youtube channel is simply awesome, and I really used to like his old written materials on Mutant Bass. However, he now has a new virtual home.

In order to reach it, simply go to posidovega.com and enjoy many free lessons that you can find there. The thing I dig about Vega's approach is the way he gives a holistic view of the topic at hand. Namely, you will hear the underlying theory explained in a very accessible manner, see and hear the music examples, while also receiving good exercises to work on, in order to get the material under your fingers and into your musical vocabulary. 

The subjects of he lessons are varying, so there is always something useful to chew on for your benefit. Remembering his former instructional efforts and products, I certainly hope he will keep providing us with new lessons and great learning opportunities. 

Theory in practice

 Bass players are an interesting lot when it comes to having wider and deeper knowledge of overall music, in its wider theoretical implications and practical applications. Of course, there is a continuum, but it often looks as if there are two (those who also act as the lead singer are excluded) categories that gravitate toward the opposite ends:

1. those listening only to drums and acting as the proverbial dummy of the band;

2. those who are actually the most educated/knowledgeable members, thus often acting as the main composer/arranger (John Paul Jones anyone?) or music directors of the band. 

I have very often seen or heard bass players looking to "outgrow" the first category, and therefore asking for the good books or other resources of music theory for bass. And there, to me, lies the problem - there is no such thing as the music theory for bass...or any other specific instrument. Music is music, and while different instruments may have different roles within ensembles of various sizes, they should all be able to speak the same language, in order to communicate effectively. Seeking the instruction that applies to bass is cutting yourself short of al the benefits that can be reaped with an unhindered approach as willingness to step out of your immediate comfort zone by learning music in a more universal manner. 

Hm, OK, how do we alleviate this problem? Well, by engaging in a well organized and comprehensive study of music. Now, a lot of self-taught musicians will cringe at the mention of the term theory, and think of it as something utterly boring and probably the bad voodoo that will rob them of their creativity and "soul" in playing. Although possible, depending on the instructor and the student, neither is necessarily true. I have already discussed some resources that deal with most immediate aspects of theory in a practical way for our instrument, and there are others in printed format that will be reviewed in the future posts, but today I would like to point the readers to an exceptionally well done online presentation. 

While I definitely prefer the book format as the means of "packaging" knowledge, sometimes there are simply better ways to efficiently convey information. As a great example of this, Clive Cockburn has made a website that offers a tremendous way to learn music in all its practical aspects in a very effective and practical fashion. 

The Contemporary Music Course is exactly that - not a bunch of tips and tidbits thrown together in random order, but rather a true step-by-step teaching of elements that will help you understand things you have been doing already on your instrument, as well as show you how to take your craft as a musician (see, I didn't say bassist) to a much higher level. 

How does he achieve this? Cockburn uses the video format to present his lessons, just long enough in duration to say what needs to be said, so you don't nod off, and then provides assignments in additional PDF materials to help you put what you have learned to practice. I especially like the fact that he integrates ear training with theoretical foundations, hence providing a deeper understanding of the curriculum.

Speaking of curriculum, it starts with two levels of fundamental elements, titled Language of Music, then proceeds through another two levels of Chords and Harmony, adds the treatment of rhythm through the lens of actual band practice in the Kit Drummer. After that, the course goes into that music director/arranger territory mentioned earlier via the chapters on Rhythm Section and Horns, Orchestral Harmony, Two Part Harmony & Counterpoint (gold for those looking to play more melodic bass lines!), Arranging Notes. To crown the course, the author gives special treatment to making/recording a Rock Session Project, including the writing of the song, preparing a lead sheet, rehearsing it etc. 

And now comes the cherry on the cake! While the annual membership for the entire course normally cost around $99, Cockburn is currently offering it for free (no login required), while the Covid pandemic is still at large. 

There...no excuse to skip this excellent offer!