matching a bassline with drums?... but how would i get my scale?

R

RhyanCrisis

New member
i know i can do this by trial and error... but after i have my drum pattern (kick, snare, Hh etc) and i'm trying to do a bassline (which i know is supposed to be in a scale) how would i go about picking the scale for my bassline to go in?.... does it depends on other instruments i add in afterwards?... or is there a technique you guys use? or what
 
The more important thing about the bassline is locking it in time with the kick. However, if the kick you are using is sort of an 808 type sounding kick and has a pitch - you may have to double check on the pitch of your bass line to make sure you don't get any competition (or "beating") between two frequencies. I tend to change the way I arrange and develop songs to help keep my attention, but usually I will add in the other instruments before adding the bass. Alot of times, you won't have any ideas on what your bass should sound like until you have your actual chords figured out.

Usual sequence for me:
1. Record a cool riff (midi or audio)
2. Find a drum beat that accompanies the riff
3. Create accompanying chord progressions that will go along with it.
4. Create the bass line.
5. Start sweetening the song by adding in fill ins and transitions
6. Keep adding as many parts as possible.
7. When you have all of the parts that you need for the song, start adding and subtracting those different parts (arranging) from different regions of the song - helping the listener be still interested.
 
The bass-line needs to accompany the melody while accenting the kick drum. The scale you choose should be based on your melody and chord-progression surrounding the melody. Starting simple and then adding in layers can help spark creativity too.
Or ask a bassist.
 
I agree, it makes everything much easier if you do the chords before the bass. You can also do the chords before the drums too if you want. A lot of songs are written on acoustic guitar or piano and the drums and bass added in later.

Writing with the bass first will still leave things a bit open as to how the chords will go - whether they will be major or minor for example. Not a common way to write, but you can certainly come up with some good music this way if you want to try.

There are many different ways to come up with music and it's more a matter of finding out what works for you.
 
RhyanCrisis said:
i know i can do this by trial and error... but after i have my drum pattern (kick, snare, Hh etc) and i'm trying to do a bassline (which i know is supposed to be in a scale) how would i go about picking the scale for my bassline to go in?.... does it depends on other instruments i add in afterwards?... or is there a technique you guys use? or what
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Hi Rhyan,

I am going to address this to you as best as I possibly can.

You are asking the same question about each phase of your production (except for drums of course): what is the scale used for the bassline, what is the scale used for the melody, what is the scale used fr the chords, what scale are lead synth's for club songs usually in?

I have a simple answer - they are all in the same scale/key.

What you need to do now is determine a work-flow that lets you do this all at once.

I will offer you some simple steps:
  • Determine your key/scale before you do anything else
  • Choose a tempo
  • Create a scratch drum track to work against - simple kick, snare and hats
  • Develop your chord progression or your melody - either is fine,
  • Develop your melody or chord progression depending on the above step
  • Write your bass line
  • Delete your scratch drum track
  • Develop a new drum track to emphasise the rest of what is happening
  • Mix, effect, eq, compress, limit to your hearts content

This list is not meant to be definitive nor is it meant to be restrictive - rather it is a framework which you can build your tracks around.

Some parts require additional knowledge which you should rightly seek out and ask questions about.

BC
 
If you keep the bass off the snare and change the kicks time too 1/3 it gives it a awesome boppy feeling, Also can be quite a trip hop sense
 
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