Bass Line?

Hi,

What is the best way to compose a bass line that doesn't follow the root note of the chords you are playing?

How do you work out what notes you can use?

For example chord of Em what other notes can you use other than the notes of this chord?

Thank you for your help in advance.:toothygrin:

Darren.

What kind of music are you looking for? Rock?

For Em triad (EGB), you can use any note from whatever scale you're using... What I liked doing in my basslines for my old band was playing with 6ths - bouncing back and forth from a m6 to a M6 to a m7(aug6). I did this because my guitarist wasn't playing with those notes, so they were free. (so something like a m6-i-M6-i-m7-i-M6-i-m6. Outlined in that is a focus on inversion of the chord - making it function differently based on the order of notes.

Following from that, find "free" notes - ambiguous areas of tonality - and exploit them. For bass, the key is that it is a multi-functional instrument. While a guitar is harmony and melody, a bass is harmony and rhythm. The rhythmic action is a whole other story.

For rock (which is what I'd assume this is for) - listen to Black Sabbath. Seriously. Not that they're the best band or anything, but because you get to see the bassline moving in ways that aren't just following the riff or the chord.

Hi,

Thank you for your fast reply, it has helped me.

I am a guitarist and I am composing a instrumental rock solo guitar piece, and was wondering how to make an interesting bass line without just following the root notes of the chords I am playing.

Thank you again.

Darren.

Oh alright cool. I'm glad I guessed right :)

NP lurk and post moar :)

Feel free to ask any questions- Instrumental rock is my favie

Also, a good change of pace can be when the bass just plays the tonal center of the piece or section. Plenty of 80s rock/metal bands did that, and it creates a nice feel, albeit not one that can maintain interest for an entire song most of the time.

Hi,

Thank you for your help! - This forum is great!

Yeah instrumental rock is my favorite as well (Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, etc.)

Darren.

Also, a good change of pace can be when the bass just plays the tonal center of the piece or section. Plenty of 80s rock/metal bands did that, and it creates a nice feel, albeit not one that can maintain interest for an entire song most of the time.

Yeah that's the kind of basswork that really kills a lot of shredders' albums. Its like comparing Praxis to Buckethead's later stuff - you just can't replace Bootsy Collins with root notes and riff following.

Hi,

Thank you for your help! - This forum is great!

Yeah instrumental rock is my favorite as well (Steve Vai, Steve Morse, Joe Satriani, etc.)

Darren.

Dude, check out Yawning Man, Karma to Burn (no solos, but good melody/riffwork), Isotope 217 (Chicago free improv, a bit like Explosions in the sky), Trevor Dunn's Trio Convulsant (a bit of jazz and metal), and http://www.youngcomposers.com/forum/tchoupchupacabra-16069.html

you can have lots of non-chord tones in the bass just to make it interesting for the bass player. if you like, you can write a melody for the bass, and THEN write a melody for the higher instruents, so the listener goes like: "hey! theres a hidden melody in the bass! i didnt know that! its so cool!" its one of the techniques people dont use much anymore.

Another thing to look into is exactly how passing tones, neighbor tones, escape tones, etc. work and just understand each type of movement fully. Personally, knowledge of the different kinds of non-harmonic tones has helped me immensely in part writing. When you hear one type, being able to identify it will help you imitate it in your own music. Similarly, look into the different kinds of harmonic motion (parallel, similar, contrary, oblique) and how they work.

Another thing to spice up your bass parts is rhythm. Using a quarter-quarter-eighth (five eighth notes in length) in a 4/4 piece can cause a great amount of interest for the music just as well as an interesting harmonic concept.

Wait what's oblique motion - the other ones I heard before.

One voice stays the same, the other moves any direction.

i think bass lines are more important than melody lines sometimes, so take your time and think it over before you decide on what to do with it.