Walking bass one note per beat

Root on one

The first rule of walking: play the root of the chord on beat 1. The band hears where the harmony is, and the soloist can play anything over it. In Walking blues in F each bar starts on the root: F, B flat, F, C.

Chord tones and approach notes

Beats 2 and 3 use the notes of the chord, third, fifth or seventh. Beat 4 is the approach note: a half step above or below the next root, so the line slides into the next bar. Look at the E at the end of the B flat bar: it leads into F a half step higher.

Through a ii-V-I

Autumn Walk walks C minor 7, F7 and B flat major 7, the ii-V-I in B flat, and ends with C sharp to lead back to C. That progression fills jazz standards; the comping that goes on top is in the jazz guitar and jazz piano lessons.

Walk with a light swing and an even sound on every beat: the walking bass is the time-keeper of the band.

Learning the fingerboard

To walk freely you need to find every chord tone quickly. Learn the notes of the E and A strings first: they hold the roots of almost every chord you will play. Then learn each arpeggio as a shape: a major seventh, a minor seventh and a dominant seventh, starting from a root on the E or A string. Sing the line as you play it; walking bass is a melody, and singing keeps it moving forwards. Once you can walk a blues in F and a ii-V-I in B flat, try them in other keys by moving the same shapes along the neck.

Play along with recordings, or with a simple swing drum loop at 120 BPM, and keep the quarter notes absolutely even in length and volume. Jazz bass players say the line should feel like walking, steady and unhurried, never rushing towards the next bar. Accent beats 2 and 4 very slightly to make the line swing.