Pick up notes, skips, drops
Lesson time: (2min 25sec)
Bruce Gertz breaks down three walking-bass devices: pickup notes (or skips) that lead into the next beat, and the drop - a sixth down to the third of the chord - with demonstrations of each.
Free lesson
This lesson is part of the course Contemporary Bass Guitar Grooves
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Lesson transcript:
Pickup Notes in Walking Bass
Okay, now another thing in a walking bass style that I call a pickup note.
What Are Pickup Notes?
I call them that because they seem like the pickup note to the next beat. Some people call them skips because they feel like you're skipping:
- 1, 2, and 3, 4.
- Ta dum, 2, 3, 4,
- ba boom, 2 and D and 4.
So, if you think of yourself as walking, physically walking with your body, it feels like a skip on the eighth note.
Summary of Pickup Notes:
- They can also be referred to as skips.
- They create a rhythmic feel in a walking bass line.
The Drop Technique
Another thing that people use on bass in walking is a drop.
- Usually, it's a sixth drop down to the third of the chord.
- For example, in a C chord, it would be like:
- 1, 2, 3, 4.
- Like that.
Example:
- Here it is again:
- One, two, three, four.
- It can also occur on the end of beat 1:
- 1, A, 2, A, 1, 2, 3, 4.
You can put them in different places.
About the instructor
Bruce Gertz is an award-winning bassist (acoustic and electric), composer, educator, and author. He is a professor of bass at Berklee College of Music, where he has taught since 1976. Bruce is the recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Performance Award Grant, the Massachusetts Cultural Council Musical Composition Award, and numerous outstanding bassist awards from the Boston Music Awards, A.S.C.A.P. Plus Popular Awards, and multiple recognition awards from the International Association of Jazz Educators and the Jazz Education Network. Bruce also serves on the board of directors of the International Society of Bassists. He has performed and recorded with such artists as Gary Burton, Jerry Bergonzi, John Abercrombie, Joey Calderazzo, Kenny Werner, Mick Goodrick, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Billy Hart, George Garzone, Mike Stern, Larry Coryell, Joe Lovano, Cab Calloway, and Count Basie, among many others. In Contemporary Bass Guitar Grooves, Bruce puts all of that experience to work for you. You'll learn to build solid, swinging bass lines and lock into authentic grooves across funk, jazz, and fusion, so you can hold down the bottom end and walk into any band situation with confidence. His extensive discography and additional information can be found at www.brucegertz.com. read more