Walk with me In the first part of a new series on walking bass, Mauro Battisti introduces the basics of W:: “acting yot_alt ihe techaldug peculiar techniques on the donble bass in jazz. In this frst welll uncover some of its dist ticle ctive lements and answer frequently asked ‘questions that arise when dealing with thewalkingbass forthe frsttime. Hirst ofall whats the function ofthe ALL OF ME 6 snes wed walking bass? With ts urgentand reir -B ted WALKING $456 BY MILE HINTON lar articulation of J, the walking bass se underlines the succession of chords that a x are the foundation of the composition and gives the necessary. rhythmic. harmonic support to the band. It has a melodic function as well, through the use of counterpoint, that is expressed in the constant interaction of the bass with the other voices of the ensemble remember that jazz improvisation is instantaneous collective composition) What, then, is the fist step for creating a walking bass lie? Know the chords well fee boron p21] and under stad their fncton within the harmonic structure of the composition. Iti also iemportant to know the principal melody or theme tht gives shape tothe whole ianprovisational structure ofthe piece How does the bassist decide which notes to use? The most basie way to create & strong lines to move around the notes of the triad ~ the root, third and fifth. 1 woles — such as the seventh, the sions (the ninth, eleventh, thir- teenth) and non-chordal notes ‘mainly as passing notes or appoggiatura {for tension onastrong beat). To make the line dance and give ta propulsive push, i is important that it moves forward and the are used chores are connected ina uid way wae 1: Tn honour of the late bassist. Milt rll ar onl Hinton, let's analyse one of his walking- bass lines inthe popular standaed All of Me see right}. have indie meus etna Fingering underthe stave notice the use yuwseeoee tok Ae Ges OL rte mo Eb ofthe open strings) r edapossible 19LLet'shegin by distinguishing the three main movements ofthe walking:-bass line: 1. Chordal movement that proceeds by skips using the notes ofthe chords 47 ow SS erddogwe 155 1 a” 11. 2 emeieesl 2, Sealar movement that proceeds step-wise according tothe chord-related sale ” 0 Reese ieee 3. Chromatic movement that proceeds in halfsteps(chromaticisms using non-chordal tones. * x & acs be == = regs cit CChordal movement highlights the harmonie function ofthe walking bass. With scalar movement, the walking bass gains more melodic liberty, while chromatic movement gives the line ditection, increasing the sense of forward motion, We now takea closer Lok atthe important characteristics of Milt Hinton’ line that reveal some ofthe fundamental principles for improvising good walking bass 1. Chord changes on the downbeat are emphasised by a note ofthe triad (root, thied or fifth) which produces a clear and solid ‘movement. ‘The root, being the strongest note in the trad, reinforees the chord function, o o oe 2. To create a flowing and continuioms line, the chords are connected by ‘directional’ intervals: half-step(semi-tone), whole step o o o Mow fe, a7 oF b Ses Pete ee SSeS mS : 5 ae baie! ws ws! 3, Non-chordal notes are mostly used as chrom ie approaches (a) to chordal notes. on T17 6@>s 20Inbar 10, non-chordal notes are used as upper and lower neighbouring notes double chromatic approach that lead tothe target note’. Thsis typical ofthe bebop style. a Upton tt 4. To create variety inthe rhythanle movement, Hintsn makes intelligent ane functional use of triplets, which reereat the baste feelingof swing You can now test these basic techniques in the following way: try to create a purely chordal walking-bass line based on the notes ofthe triad and connect, where possible, the chords by dircetional intervals: lf step (semi-tone), whole step (tone), up fourth or down a fifth, The following example shows a walking bass that follows these criteria on atypical 12-bar blues harmonic structure (Note that the example isallinthefrstposition) or eo 6 a & wn 07 a? e A oo ow oan I the nestatticle, we will discuss these and other fundamental aspects ofthe walking bass in more depth. Inthe meantime, ‘experiment with ereatine your own bass Iie inthe samme way on blues and other standard tunes you like. Ths isa yoo! way of ‘mastering the use of triads, not as separate blocks or isolated arpeggios, but onnected toa continuous, uid line. And remember: Histon tothe great masters s much as you ean. EH as ee ers ee ee Seer Soe aes ee ee _ Sasaese yes ee Seca attest Se ee ae oe) oe cet ae eee | acheter sore a sane eure ieraney Bass)