A bass in half notes results in a rhythmic clarity and it grooves when played "in

time". You usually use the root note and the ffth of a chord. When you change
the chord every half measure you play root notes of course.
You can also just try to get into the songs and practice them, then refne them
later on.
Chordpiano-Workshop Part III
Lesson 27
Where the bass notes come from and how you handle them
Bass notes are usually chords taken out of the chord that's current in the given
bar. The root note of this chord is usually the frst bass note. This also means
that bass notes help you identify chords faster.
On top of this bass notes can also be taken out of the musical scale the chord
belongs to. The walking bass in quarters notes is a good example for this, but we
will talk about it in greater detail later. You will also fnd lead notes or transition
notes leading to the next root note or to the next chord.
Many bass notes, played on their own, sound really good if you play the keys
low. Should chord notes no longer suffce, you can add notes from the musical
scale that the chord belongs to.
Of course there are hundreds of bass rhythms for all musical styles. Let me give
you some examples.
Bass accompaniment in half notes
_
_
,
,
,
,
,
,
F

,
,
,
,
B
,

,
,
,
,
,
,
,
C7

.
F

Root note F
Fifth C
Root note B
b
Fifth F
Root note C
i i i
i ii
Fifth G
Structure songs with chords 41
_
_
,
,
,
,
,
,
F
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
B
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
,
C7
,
,
,
,

.
F
,
,

If you play a walking bass you move through chord bars and scale bars in quar-
ters without using the pedal. Walking bass fts blues and jazz very well.

Root note Root note Lead note Lead note
Chord- or scale notes
_
_
,
,

.
.
.
,
,
,
,

,
,
,
.
,
5
,
3
,
1
,
2
F7
.
.
.
,
,
, ,

,
,
,
.
,
3
, ,
4
,
1
, ,
4
B
,
7
.
.
.
,
,
,
,

,
,
,
.
,
5
,
3
,
1
,
3
F7
.
.
.
,
,
,
,

,
,
,
.
, ,
2
,
1
,
2
,
4
F7
_
_
,
,
5
.
.
.
,
,
, ,

,
,
,
.
,
3
,
2
,
1
,
3
B
,
7
.
.
.
,
,
, ,

,
,
,
.
, ,
2
,
1
,
2
,
3
B
,
7
.
.
.
,
,
,
,

,
,
,
.
,
1
, ,
2
,
3
,
1
F7
.
.
.
,
,
,
,

,
,
,
.
,
2
, ,
3
,
4
,
5
F7
Chordpiano-Workshop Part III
Walking bass
Example of a walking bass for blues
Structure songs with chords 42
Chordpiano-Workshop Part III
If you want to learn more about:
- Where the bass notes come from and how you handle them
- Bass accompaniment in half notes
- Walking bass
Then click here and fnd out using the Chordpiano-Workshop
Structure songs with chords 43