Walking Bass is a term used predominantly in Jazz, Blues and Country Music. It describes an even pulse of quarter notes used in a balanced combination of small and large intervals. During this process the harmony should be outlined. Knowledge of chord tones and scale tones is crucial. Also of great benefit is the knowledge of all notes in all positions on your instrument. Refer to the section on the names of the notes on the fingerboard if necessary.

I will deal mainly with the concept of how leading notes set up or prepare approached chords. This approach to walking bass is based almost entirely on the concept of forward motion in music. Forward motion could be a note, a group of notes, a rhythm, or combination thereof, which compellingly leads on to the next note, chord, phrase, or section.

Here are some basic guidelines for walking bass:

• Use primarily root notes on the first beat of each bar.

• Use primarily leading notes to connect chords.

• Occasionally chords can be connected with non-leading chord tones or non-leading scale tones.

• Play a steady pulse of legato quarter notes for Modern Jazz and staccato quarter notes for Traditional Jazz (or any suitable note durations).

• Attempt to play the last note of each bar and the first note of the next bar in one hand position. This makes you think ahead and ensures a smooth transition between bars.

Walking bass is a very involved area in music theory.

See also:
Leading Notes
Chord Scale Lines
Time Signatures
Turnaround Patterns
Shortest Distance Walking Lines
Modal Walking Bass
Embellishments

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