Table of Contents

About the Author ........................................................ 4 Chapter 7: Rhythmic Variations.......................... 43

Acknowledgements .............................................. 4 Straight Eighths and Quick Fours.................... 43
Possum Blossom...................................................... 43
Introduction .................................................................. 5 Eighth-Note Triplets .......................................... 44
Rough Bounce.......................................................... 44
Part 1: Getting Started ........................................ 6 The Shuffle Feel................................................... 45
Chapter 1: Music Notation .................................... 6 Too Hot to Bowl ..................................................... 46
Tablature (TAB) .................................................... 6 Saturday Morning Blues.................................... 47
Fretboard Diagrams ............................................. 6 Friendship Blues ...................................................... 48
Standard Music Notation .................................... 7
Chapter 8: Pattern-Based Bass Lines ................. 49
Chapter 2: Getting Comfortable One-Bar Patterns ............................................... 49
with the Bass ......................................................... 14 Transposing Patterns ......................................... 49
A Note About Equipment ................................ 14 Transposing Patterns to IV and V ................. 51
Using an Amplifier .............................................. 14 The Real Veal .......................................................... 52
Holding the Bass ................................................. 15 Old Dog, New Trick ............................................... 53
Tuning the Bass ................................................... 17 Open and Closed Fingerings ............................ 54

Chapter 3: Basic Technique ................................. 19 Chapter 9: 7th Chords ......................................... 55

Basic Right-Hand Technique: Dominant 7th Chords in the Blues ................ 58
Getting a Good Sound .................................. 19
Left-Hand Technique ......................................... 22
Chapter 10: Scales ................................................. 59
Learning the Fretboard ..................................... 24
The Major Scale .................................................. 59
The Major Pentatonic Scale ............................. 60
Chapter 4: The Major Scale ................................. 26
We Fit Together Real Nice .................................. 64
Scale Degrees ...................................................... 28
The Mixolydian Mode Over a
The Major Scales ................................................ 29 Dominant 7th Chord ....................................... 66
Breezin’ Blues .......................................................... 67
Chapter 5: More Music Theory .......................... 31 Mixed, Not Shakin’ ................................................ 68
Intervals ................................................................ 31 The Minor Scale .................................................. 69
Key Signatures ..................................................... 32 The Minor Pentatonic Scale ............................. 70
The Circle of 5ths .............................................. 33 The Blues Scale ................................................... 71
Harmony ............................................................... 34 Patterns and Licks Using the Minor
Diatonic Harmony .............................................. 36 Pentatonic and Blues Scales.......................... 72
Modes of the Major Scale ................................. 37

Part 2: Playing the Blues ................................... 39

Becoming a Total Blues Bassist ........................... 39

Chapter 6: The 12-Bar Blues Form.................... 40

Four-Bar Phrases ................................................ 40
Playing a 12-Bar Blues ........................................ 41
Easy Does It ..............................................................41
Be There or Be Flat .................................................42

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 Part 3: Variations .................................................. 74 Chapter 17: Blues Styles ........................................ 97
Chapter 11: More Rhythmic Variations ............ 75 Acoustic Blues ...................................................... 97
Cut Time .............................................................. 75 Vacuum Cleaner Bag .............................................. 97
Checking if My Train’s on Time ......................... 75 Electric Blues ........................................................ 98
Syncopation.......................................................... 76 Crash Blues ............................................................... 98
Billygoat Rock .......................................................... 77 Funky Blues .........................................................100
The Clave Rhythm.............................................. 78 Funky Metamorphosis......................................100
Candy Don’t Want Me No More ...................... 79 James Brown-Style Funk ..................................103
Anticipation .......................................................... 80 I Would If I Could.............................................104
Cowbell Burnout Blues .......................................... 80 Jazz Blues .............................................................105
Syncopation Exercises ....................................... 81 Jazz Cat Blues ..................................................106
Time .................................................................. 82 My Kinda Blues.................................................107
Oh My, A Blues! ...................................................... 83 This Bird Has None ............................................. 108
Uptempo Shuffle ................................................. 84 Politically Correct ..............................................109
Showing Off My Lady ............................................ 84 I’s a Blue Dog ........................................................ 110
The Blues Is Everything ....................................... 111
Chapter 12: Turnarounds .................................... 85 Structure of a Jazz Performance ....................112
Double-Stop Turnaround ................................. 86
Little Arms Blues ..................................................... 86 Part 4: Advanced Techniques ........................113
Chapter 18: Guitaristic Techniques ..................114
Chapter 13: Chord Substitutions ....................... 87 Hammer-Ons and Pull-Offs.............................114
Common Substitutions ..................................... 87 Bends ....................................................................115
Hot for Substitute ................................................... 87 Soloing and Improv ...........................................116
More Substitutions ............................................. 88 Blues Bass Blues ...............................................116
Some Sunny Sunday .............................................. 88 Double Stops and Chords ...............................118
Freddie’s Greenery............................................119
Chapter 14: Non-12-Bar Forms ......................... 89 Shuff-a-Luff-a ......................................................... 121
Eight-Bar Blues .................................................... 89 Tapping.................................................................122
Lonely Little Inn ....................................................... 89 Tapping the Blues.............................................122
16-Bar Blues ......................................................... 90
Leafing Through the Pages .................................. 90 Chapter 19: Reading Guitar Music ....................123
Treble Clef ..........................................................123
Chapter 15: Minor Blues ...................................... 92 Guitar TAB .........................................................123
Relative Minor ..................................................... 92 Mapping the Guitar Fretboard
Parallel Minor ...................................................... 93 onto the Bass ..................................................124
12-Bar Minor Blues ............................................ 93
The Pill Is Wrong .................................................... 94 Chapter 20: Fretless Bass ....................................125
Slides .....................................................................125
Chapter 16: Extended, Altered, Vibrato .................................................................125
and Augmented Chords...................................... 95 Sing It Suzy! ........................................................... 126
Extended Chords ............................................... 95 Conclusion ..........................................................127
Altered Chords ................................................... 95
Altered Dominant Chords ............................... 96
Augmented Chords............................................ 96

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 Two Other Ways to Notate Shuffle Rhythms
The following example uses the same rhythmic feel as the that all eighth notes should be played with a shuffle feel.
j 3

one on the previous page, but it is notated differently. The You might also see the notation or œ œ
Swing 8ths notation above the time signature alerts us in some books.

Track
13 Saturday Morning Blues
œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ
Swing 8ths
Bb
? b 44 œ œ œ œ œœ
F F 3 3

œ œ œ œ œ œ
3

T 3 3 0 0 0
A 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 0 0 0
B 0 3 1 1 0 3
1 1 1 1
1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0

œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ
Bb
?b
4
F 3

œ œ œ
3 3

T 3 3 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0
A 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 3
B 0 3 1 1 1 1
1 1
1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0

?b œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œœ œ œ œ œ œ œ œœœ
7
F 3 3 C

œ œ œ œ œ œ
3

T 5 5 2 2 0 2
A 3 3 0 0 0 3 3 0 0 0 2
B 0 3 0 3 3 3
1 1 1 1
1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 2 2 4 4 1 1 1 0 1

œ œ Bb
œ œ œ œ
?b œ œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ œ œ bœ œ œ œ nœ œ
œ Œ
10
F C7

3 3 3
3 3

T 3 3 0 0 0 0 3 (3)
A 0 3 3 3 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 2
B 1 1 4 4 4 3
1 1 3 3 0 0 0 3 0 3 3 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 4 4 4 3 2 0 3

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 “Billygoat Rock” demonstrates three different rhythmic
techniques that are typical of blues, rockabilly, and early
rock ’n’ roll. The first four bars feature breaks (also known
as hits, or kicks), rests that create silence for the singer or
soloist to stand out. This example also uses two types of
syncopation. In measures 5–11, the bass line emphasizes
the “&” of 2. Finally, in measure 12, the bass rests on the
downbeat (beat 1 of the measure) and emphasizes the
> = Accent. Emphasize this note.
“&” of 1.

Track
39 Billygoat Rock
Swing 8ths

? 44 œ
C

Œ Ó œ Œ Ó œ Œ œ Œ œ œ œ œ
> > > > > > > >

T
A
B 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

? œ. œ œ œ œ. œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
F C

J J œ. œ.
5

J J

T 2 (2) 5 2 (2) 5
A 3 3 2 (2) 5 2 (2) 5
B 3 3
2 1 4 2 1 4 2 1 4 2 1 4

? j j œ œ œ
G F C G

œ œ œ œ œ œ œ. ‰ œj œ œ œ œ œ œ ..
9

œ. œ. J

.
.
T 0
A 0 2 (2)
B 2 (2) 0 (0) 3 3
3 1 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 1 0 1 0 3 3 2 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2

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 Jazz Blues
“The Blues Is Everything” is a jazz blues in the style of
“All Blues” by Miles Davis. “All Blues” is a track on Kind of
Blue, one of the most popular jazz albums ever. It features
the earthy bass playing of Paul Chambers. “The Blues Is
Everything” is in an unusual time signature.

Track
67 The Blues Is Everything
Swing 8ths

? # 64 œ œ œnœ. œ œ œ œ œ œnœ. œ œ œ œ œ œ nœ . œ œ œ
G7

œ. J J œ. J J œ. J J

T 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 2 0
A
B
3 3 3
2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0

?# n œ . œ œ œ bœ . œ œ œ œ œ œ bœ . œ œ œ
œ œ
G7 C7
œ œ œ œ œ. J J œ. J J
4

œ. J J

T 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 2 0
A 0 2 0 3 0 2 0
B 3 3
3
2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0

?# œ œ œnœ. œ œ œ œ œ œnœ. œ œ œ ˙ ‰ œj ˙ ‰ b œj
7
G7 D7

œ. J J œ. J J

T 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 0
A
B 0 1
3 3
2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 1

E b7 # 9 D7 # 9
? # b œ . b œj œ œ . j œ œ œ œ nœ . œ œ œ œ œ œ n œ . œ œ œ ..
10
G7

œ œ œ œ. J J œ. J J

.
.
T 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0 2 0 0 2 0 3 0 2 0
A
B 1 0 0
0 3 3
1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 1 0

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