How to write a bassline for a song (the basics)

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Write a bassline

We all know singer-songwriters. Noodling away with their guitars or pianos. That’s fine an all, but we as bass players simply cannot do that. Of course, there are some geniuses like Marcus Miller or Victor Wooten who can write a bassline so sick that it hardly needs other instruments or a singer, but most of us simply can’t do that. That’s not a problem, we can still write a bassline, but we are gonna have to do that in coöperation with a couple of bandmembers. Or if you are a multi-instrumentalist, you can do it all yourself. But where to start? How do you write a bassline?

Write a bassline – listen to the music

There are a couple of things that you should know before you start any attempt to write a bassline. First of all, be aware of what your goal is. In this case we have decided to write a bassline for a song that your band wants to play. This means that a guitarist or a keyboardist might have some chords or a melody. This sets up a different situation than if you were to start writing a bassline from scratch with no reference music.

You’re gonna have to listen to whatever your bandmembers have come up with. Listen to the drums, if there are any. Is it a clean, tight rhythm? Is it grooving and full like a latin rhythm and does it allow you to melodize over it? Just try to feel the rhythm of the drums. Once you get a feeling for this, begin listening to the chords and melody. Just try to figure out what chords they are playing and begin hitting notes. It doesn’t really matter if they are wrong or right, just make sure that they are in the rhythm and try to listen to what effect they have on the composition.

Some notes may immediately sound off-key. Some may sound a bit pitchy and some sound perfect. After a while you will figure out what the root notes of each section are. Try seeing each chords as a seperate part where you can try out all different kinds of notes. But be aware of the rhythm. If it’s a really tight rhythm, keep your bassline tight and basic. Figure out for each section what is possible and what sounds right. Once you have explored all the options, it’s time to connect.

A simple progression of a song might be C, F, G. By now you might have figured out where you wanna go on the C-chord. it might be a basic set-up for a nice groove on the F. The G in this progression is the chord that sets up the return to the C. When writing a bassline you could keep that in mind and create a climax by playing some high octave notes. In a tight rhythm you can repeat a simple bassline on and on. This creates a hypnotic effect if played right.

This should get you going to create basslines for the songs of your band. It does however ask of you to be creative and to listen closely to your bandmembers. If you still need more practice, then check out the bass basics or other links in the learn bass section.

How to warm up before playing your bass

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Warm up playing bass

If you are planning to rock out on your bass then it it’s always a good idea to warm up beforehand. It doesn’t matter if you’re just going to practice or are making yourself ready for a big performance. Doing a simple warm up for your fingers is essential. There are a couple of simple benefits.

Reasons to warm up

  • Get the feeling of your strings and guitar
  • Make mistakes freely (you’re just warming up)
  • Get your fingers warmed up (literally!)
  • Make your strings a bit looser and warmer

Those are some clear advantages that should get anyone of you enthusiastic about warming up. They are also pretty logical, but the logical things are often overlooked before you’re picking up your bass before a jam session, practice session or a performance. Warming up is also a mental excercise. It relaxes the mind and gets you focused on your bass. There is no pressure of having to play right, be the fastest or making crazy melodies. It’s just moving your fingers over the fretboard and strings to get them a bit loosened up.

Excercises to warm up

There are a million things you could do to warm up your fingers. You can even do it without your bass and just mimic the movements of your fingers as you would use them on a bass guitar. Doing a warm up with your bass guitar is however a bit more convenient. So if you have it near you, try doing any of these patterns.

G|————————————–0–0–0–0–
D|————————–0–0–0–0————–
A|————–0–0–0–0————————–
E|–0–0–0–0————————————–

This particular pattern is mainly for your picking finger. You can just hit these strings without using your hand on the fretboard. Depending on your style of playing you can use your fingers, a pick or your thumb. After this you can warm up using your hand on the neck of the bass guitar. The next exercise is pretty easy and is best done when you fret every note with a seperate finger.

G|————————————–1–2–3–4–
D|————————–1–2–3–4————–
A|————–1–2–3–4————————–
E|–1–2–3–4————————————–

A last pattern to warm up your fingers with is a bit more complicated. This will help you focus on your finger movements. Of course during the warm up you are free to make mistakes, so focus on getting a nice flow going on and don’t be afraid to make mistakes.

G|———–4——–3—–2———–5——–4—–3–
D|——–3——–2—–1———–4——–3—–2—–
A|—–2——–1—————–3——–2————–
E|–1————————–2————————–

After doing all these excercises for a couple of minutes you should be ready to get into practicing, jamming or performing. Have fun and check the learn bass page for more excercises and lessons.

A Metronome. Do I Need One? Yes! And You Do Too!

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Metronome

Old Metronome

For me personally, using a metronome always felt like a chore. First I had to actually get one using either my computer, iPhone or other appliance, then I had to get it to work and have it set at the right tempo. Ok, that might not be the worst part about it. The absolute worst part of playing and practicing with a metronome for me, has always been the fact that it’s such a mindnumbing robotic sound. So every change I got, I tried to get rid of it. But is that really smart? No, here’s why.

  • A metronome makes you aware of a song’s actual tempo
  • A metronome tells you when you’re wrong
  • A metronome makes you a rhythm-machine

Explain please!

Ok, ever played a bassline of a song without any reference music? I bet you have. I mean, I do all the time. Just pick up your bass guitar and throw out a bassline of a song you really like. Well, often the tempo you play is either way too slow or way too fast. Then try setting a metronome to the actual tempo on the song. Just for fun. Then play with the metronome together. Seriously, nine out of ten times you’re suprised the bassline is so fast or slow.

This brings me to my second point. A metronome tells you when you’re wrong. So you might have gotten the tempo right from the start, but try maintaining that tempo for three minutes. If you’re not used to playing with a metronome or are not a robot by birth, chances are, you start to play slower and slower with each passing second. Playing with a metronome let’s you know: “Hey, you’re too slow, keep it up!”

So , what’s the result of all this metronome-business? Simple! If done seriously, it will turn you into a regular rhythm-robot. This doesn’t mean all your music is gonna sound fake, electronic or predictable, but rather that everything is gonna sound tight. That’s what a metronome will do for you. Your basslines, your grooves, they will all sound supertight. Even if it’s the most simple bassline ever, if the rhythm is right, you win!

Alternative to metronome?

Ok, I can understand if a metronome drives you crazy. Luckily there is a solution. Either buy a drumcomputer, use a jam track or make a jam track yourself using software for your mac or pc. This is a great alternative to using the boring old metronome. Play Bass With Me has a YouTube-channel with lots of bass jam tracks that are perfect for nice play alongs.

Looking for a metronome? Try this online metronome!

Excercise: Jam tracks for bass guitar (Blues)

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One of the best ways to actually learn to play the bass is to stop reading and actually go and play the damn thing! Well, that’s exactly what the jam tracks excersises are all about. Using the things you picked up on your journey, you just play along to the jam tracks and if possible try to record yourself. Listen to what you just played and analyze it. Does it sound good? Does it sound awful? Are you surprised or does it sound really boring?

The jam track of today is in the style of blues. This particular style is very popular with guitarists who like to produce big solos over it. The task for the bass player is to keep the foundation and keep it interesting. This jam track is in the key of A minor, which makes it perfect to get that pentatonic minor scale out again. Blues usually has a distinctive rhythm, but even then there are still a lot of variations possible.

Bass Jam Tracks

The chords in this jam track are Am7, Dm7 and Em7. They are played as a traditional 1,4,5 progression, a progression that is very common in blues. The bassline is, of course, completely open to your interpretation. You can make it funky, you can make it smooth or you can opt for a more tradition blues style. Anything is possible. The good thing about jam tracks is that you can see how the music changes when you change your style of bass playing. The music doesn’t actually change, of course, but relative to your style of playing, you’ll notice that the ear interprets the music differently. So try switching it up every now and then!

And find more bass guitar jam tracks on my YouTube-channel or check the bass jam tracks page!

Excercise: Jam tracks for bass guitar (Hip-Hop)

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One of the best ways to actually learn to play the bass is to stop reading and actually go and play the damn thing! Well, that’s exactly what the jam tracks excersises are all about. Using the things you picked up on your journey, you just play along to the jam tracks and if possible try to record yourself. Listen to what you just played and analyze it. Does it sound good? Does it sound awful? Are you surprised or does it sound really boring?

This excercise lets you play the bass over a hip-hop style jam track. Most jam tracks are in pop/rock style, which is fine, but in order to branch out it is always good to test out some alternative styles. This particular track is mostly drums, which basically allows you to do whatever you want. It however also features some chords in the key of C. So this gives you the opportunity to add some flavour to the chords.

Bass Jam Tracks

Ok, as said, this bass guitar jam track is in the key of C. The two chords that are played are a G and a Dm. The timing is not too difficult, so that shouldn’t be a problem. The real challenge for jam tracks in the style of hip-hop is to produce a bassline that doesn’t make the entire track sound pop/rock. This is of course not obligatory, as a bassist you have the power to make the track sound any way you want. But why not try and create a cool hip-hop bassline. You can inspire yourself by listening to old soul tracks which are often sampled for hip-hop tracks, but you can also go for more modern electronic hip-hop.

And find more bass guitar jam tracks on my YouTube-channel or check the bass jam tracks page!