Introducing Basses & Practice Tips
Paddy Milner introduces the left-hand basslines at the heart of boogie-woogie, starting in the key of C and showing how to transpose them to F and G across the 12-bar form.
What's in the course
24 lessons (2h 1m) · 2 free
01. Introducing Basses & Practice Tips
You are here2:23
02. Building Boogie Basses
Free lesson6:22
03. Developing Basses Further
8:57
04. Minor Basses
3:02
05. Walking Basses
7:05
06. Getting Creative With 8-To-The-Bar Basses
5:33
07. Jimmy Yancey Style Latin Basses
2:07
08. Developing Your Own Basses - Rhythmic Ideas
6:04
09. Developing Your Own Basses - Harmonic Ideas & Suitcase Blues Study
8:08
Lesson transcript
Exploring Left-Hand Basses
We're going to look at tons of left-hand basses, focusing on:
- Common Boogie Woogie Basses
- Creative Ways to Develop Your Own Basses
After all, those original basses came from somewhere; they didn't just appear by magic. It's always good to move the music forward and do your own thing with it.
Basses in the Key of C
What we're going to do is look at basses in the key of C. I will provide you with some bass lines. While I won't always show you these on the different chords within the key of C, you need to be able to transpose the basses from the chord of C to the other chords in the 12-bar structure, which would be F and G.
Transposing Basses
I suggest trying to play these basses in as many keys as possible. I have actually written all these bass lines down in the accompanying PDF, so they're all available for you to check out.
The Importance of Practice
Now, we need to talk about the practice of these basses. It's very important that you get your left hand as solid as possible, and I'm afraid that just comes with repetition.
Developing Independence
You have to be able to play these bass lines while your right hand can be independent. As a fun analogy, think of it like scratching your head or rubbing your tummy!
Smooth Chord Changes
A common place where people get stuck is during the chord changes. They might have the bass going great, but when it comes to changing chords, they hesitate and then fall back in.
To improve this, getting those chord changes as smooth as possible is vital. Here are some tips:
- Think Ahead: Anticipate where your hand needs to go.
- Moving up to G
- Coming down to F
- Returning to C
Try to achieve fluency, even if that means literally going around the same 12-bar progression with just the left hand for 15, 20 minutes, or even half an hour, until it feels totally comfortable and natural.
It's so important for this style!
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Paddy Milner is recognised as one of the leading blues piano players in the world - he is currently keyboard player of choice for Sir Tom Jones, following several years with the late, great Jack Bruce - but he is also a superb original songwriter and a distinctive singer. Just read the praise from the likes of Dave Brubeck below! His playing was featured on the soundtrack for the hit 2019 film 'Rocketman'.
He has twice won the award for Best Keyboard Player in the British Blues Awards, and he holds a long-standing residency as a founder member of the Ronnie Scott's Blues Explosion at the world-renowned Ronnie Scott's club.
His current group LONDONOLA plays homegrown British music with a strong dose of New Orleans spirit, and his collaborative group JAWBONE goes from strength to strength following the release of their self-titled debut album.
- "I love it... there's a guy who can really play the piano" - Dave Brubeck
- "I highly recommend it. Somehow things start to feel much better!" - Jack Bruce
- "The best blues piano player in Europe..." - Blues Access, USA
- "Impressive & original" - The Times
- "Dazzling" - The Independent
Across his courses, Paddy breaks down authentic blues shuffle, slow blues, boogie-woogie, rock 'n' roll and New Orleans piano - right down to three classic boogie-woogie songs - so you can learn these styles from one of the very best in the business.
