SUMMARY
Today we learned about the importance and nobleness of the bass. What did we learn? What else did we do? Perhaps reading on may be considered.
CLASSROOM
Watch How Bass Works (47 minutes)
- Compositions were, and still are, typically developed from the bass
- Many genes were inspired by each other by their bass motifs and riffs
- The bass has immense power of driving any song
- There are many kinds of bass lines
LAB
Step 1: Watch How to write Chromatic Notes in Hookpad (some bass lines are based on chromatic scale)
Step 2: Watch 3 ways to use Hookpad’s MIDI drag-drop feature (you can create basslines and more and export to Soundtrap and other DAW – digital audio workstations)
Step 3: Try making a bassline to a chord progression or melody line.
I was able to confirm my discoveries with the hooktheory and implement it in the mini-project I did to experiment with one of the old compositions I made.
PRACTICE ROOM
Step 1: Watch How To Add Bass Notes [Guitar Strumming Lessons] by Tomas Michaud
Step 2: Download the guitar TABS for his exercise (PDF)
Step 3: Practice one of the exercises
This was a great way to confirm and refresh my mind on my skills regarding my guitar skills. This exercise went very well!
Profile in Excellence
- Check out these two videos about amazing bass player Carol Kaye
Profile in Excellence
- Check out these videos about the best bass player, ever, James Jamerson
- What really made James Jamerson so great?
- Visual of James Jamerson’s bass line for the Stevie Wonder song –For Once In My LifeScreenshot from Vulf at YouTube
OUTSIDE / JOURNAL / IDEAS
Choice 1: Explore Carol Kaye and James Jamerson’s Profiles in Excellent. These are two bass players who are credited with creating some of the best bass lines! Then go for a walk and think of the funky work they created.
Choice 2: Flip through the Quizlet on Bass Composition Techniques flashcards a couple times.
From my knowledge of the importance of bass, bass adds emphasis, grandness, and wholeness to a piece. A bass is required for a quality chorded harmony since it adds more structure to the chord or a song.
Write a brief reflection on your mental meanderings.
STUDIO
We played around with playing the low E string on our guitars and created a simple three-note-ish bassline. We even tried different plucking tempos to great the groove. Many played Smoke on the Water which is always a fun riff to play, regardless of skill level.
I had fun messing around with the bass strings of the guitar. I played around with some riffs I know off and ended up using the E minor blues scale to compose a funky bass! I even played it on the bass guitar and had loads of fun with the improvised riff.
CONTROL ROOM
Record the bass line you developed in the studio.
I played around and experimented with soundtrap with my bass line. However, I wasn’t very satisfied with it so I deleted the file.
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
Today we were able to explore how the bass works in musical composition. The many bass lines that could be implemented evolved as time went on. We learned that the bass is a highly imperative asset to music, giving rhythm and direction, assisting the rest of the parts. Bass is the foundation. Utilizing what we learned, I got a good head start with learning the bass. At the end of the day, I was able to continue on my independent project for a cover I’m working on. I was able to get close to halfway finished towards sheet music completion. Afterward, I hope to start practicing my compositional cover and get to recording in a few days.
ACTIVITY EVALUATION
Content (The WHAT)
Rating: OK – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – HIGHLY ENGAGED
Rating: 5
The videos and lectures helped me explore better, giving more of a background for deeper understanding. I really enjoyed how I was able to have solid preparation for my exploration.
Process (The HOW)
Rating: OK – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – HIGHLY ENGAGED
Rating: 4
I engaged most in exploring the electric bass guitar and learning about bass lines. I really enjoyed learning a new instrument, despite my minor struggle with the thick strings.