Bass Lines?!?!?!

K¥O Beatz

K¥O Beatz

京
I have trouble doing basslines on my work. I dont know exactly how to do them & if somebody could help me & explain to me how to make basslines I would much appreciate it.
 
What are you having difficulty with exactly? It's really just another melody that's either a riff of it's own or loosely follows the song's chord progression. The easiest way would be start with the root notes of the chords and build from there...
 
krushing said:
What are you having difficulty with exactly? It's really just another melody that's either a riff of it's own or loosely follows the song's chord progression. The easiest way would be start with the root notes of the chords and build from there...
Click to expand...


I mean as far as how long each note should be held and when you switch to the next chord/note.

For example do you change chord/note every time a kick hits.
 
Bass line theory is a bit more complicated than that, but in a nutshell, there are three techniques that hardly ever fail:

  1. Every time there is a kick there is a bass note.
    • It can be long or short
    • It can be the same note whilst it is still the same chord
    • A note from the same chord can be used instead of the root (naming) note of the chord
  2. Play on the one (the first beat of the bar)
    • Short or long duration
    • Same note as long as the chord stays the same
    • A note from the same chord can be used instead of the root (naming) note of the chord
  3. Play a more rhythmic line that syncs with the kick but has additional notes to the kick line
    • Short or long duration
    • Same note as long as the chord stays the same
    • A note from the same chord can be used instead of the root (naming) note of the chord
    • scale runs or non-chord notes to join up the chords

[MP3]http://www.bandcoach.org/audio/bass-line-examples.mp3[/MP3]

I've been playing bass since 1977 and the above three techniques have made it possible for me to be successful whenever confronting new music in the studio or live. One of my favourite tricks when working with a drummer I don't that well is to stand where I can see his kick foot and nail what he is playing on the kick.
 
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Basslines usually cover the 1st, 4th and 5th note of scale in whatever key you're playing in. Once you get comfortable with those three notes, you will naturally explore ways to embellish it.
 
i really suggest you to look in youtube tutorials...im sure u will see a lot of useful videos about how to create your own basslines...and it also depends in which genre do u want to create bassline ;)
 
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