min7 Arpeggio Study for Electric Bass

Continuing the series of simple down-the-neck arpeggio patterns for the electric bass.

As with all the exercises in the series, the ultimate goal is to develop an automatic awareness and instant recall of the common chord tones for each of the major chord types.   Be aware of the patterns, but more importantly, try to recognize the chord tones in relationship to each other - learn to see where the third is, or the seventh, root, fifth (or more...)  These are the building blocks for bass figures and lines - whether walking, playing an ostinato,  a tumbao, two beat, push or whatever.....

As always, practice backwards and forwards, slowly and with a metronome.  If you can, try to set the metronome as the 2 & 4.  (So adjust your tempo by cutting it in half and counting the beats of the metronome as _ 2 _ 4)

 


min7 arpeggio study for electric bass (PDF)

All material posted here is free to use for all independent learners and private music teachers, provided all credit and copyright notices are retained intact.  Educational institutions and those teaching in their employ must contact me directly for explicit written permission.

Maj7 Arpeggio Study for Electric Bass

Continuing with the series of Arpeggio Studies we have the Maj7 chords in the lower portion of the neck.

Play each arpeggio figure evenly, forward and backward until you are familiar with the fingering.

 

PDF of this file and more free lessons and exercises available on my website.

Major Triad Study for Electric Bass

To create  functional and musical bass lines that truly reflect the harmony and changes, a solid understanding of chord construction and chord families is essential.   By learning to outline all of  the basic chord types as arpeggios, we develop some wonderful skills:

1. We  begin to  recognize small fingering patterns associated with various chord types. 
2. We are comfortable executing chord patterns throughout the fingerboard.
3. We learn the to see the  various chord degrees (Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th etc) and their positioning relative to the root on the fingerboard. 
4. We internalize the sound of the chord to a much greater degree.

Practice Suggestions

1. Work on just a few keys at a time.  3-4 week is plenty if this is new material.  
2. Learn a single measure at a time before combining them into larger patterns.
3. Learn the pattern  for each measure forwards and backwards. 
4. Clean and confident technique.  Use a metronome.  Focus on control and precision, not speed.
5. Study the numbers above the staff.  They indicate the chord degree of each note.  Look for patterns. 
6. As you play the arpeggios, say the chord degree for each note to internalize the sound of the chord.

I hope you find this useful.  Cheers!

ps stop by and check out www.innervoicemusic.org - free lessons and more!

Autumn Leaves Arpeggio Study

I have high school age student that is getting ready to audition for a music performance scholarship at a small college in central Wisconsin.  He is auditioning with a guitar performance of several jazz standards.

One of these standards is the classic tunes Autumn Leaves, a tune by French composer Joseph Kosma from 1945.  The original lyrics were crafted by French poet Jacques Prévert and American songwriter Johnny Mercer wrote English lyrics in 1947.

I had previously posted a simple octave transcription of the melody in a recent post.

While Autumn Leaves is a fairly simple song, it offers a variety of choices and challenges for the beginning jazz guitarist and improviser.

When beginning to examine a piece for performance and/or study, there are several things that must be mastered.  First, the melody of the song must be learned.  Second, the student should examine the chord progression - often called chord changes, or just changes - and then analyze the changes from the perspective of first the accompanist and then the improvisor.   Odds are in most performances, you'll be called upon to do both.

Autumn Leaves Arpeggio Study (PDF)

The music I've attached to this post is an arpeggio study of the chord changes.  Before we break down the progression and analyze it, we'd better make sure we can play the tones in the chords themselves!   All instruments should be able to arpeggiate their way through the changes, and chording instruments, such as the piano and guitar, should also be able to play at least the simple form of the chords smoothly in a basic comping pattern.

I'll offer a few choruses of the chord changes as well as a detailed analysis of the harmony and techniques for approaching the solo in later posts.

This study is quite simple - merely a variety of arpeggiations of the changes that flow fairly smoothly.  The guitar tablature indicates a variety of common shapes for the basic chords in a number of positions and fingerings.  I hope you find some new positions or ideas that perhaps hadn't occurred to you yet.

Please feel free to comment or ask questions.

enjoy!