Bookers' Bass Bounce

Exploring Booker's Brilliant Left Hand Technique

Great. So let's look at one thing that Booker did brilliantly and very uniquely: his left hand.

Introduction to Booker's Style

Let's explore some of his basses. To start off, we'll focus on one that he kind of used on Junko, Partner three, four.

Basic Left Hand Technique

Here's the basic left hand for it. He does create some other variations on that, so let's break it down.

What's Happening?

What's he actually doing there? It's several things at once, and that's what's so brilliant about Booker's left hand style, which I guess is derived from that Jelly Roll spirit of trying to recreate the whole band on just the piano.

Elements of the Bass Line

So, what's he got going on?

• He's kind of got the bass drum feel, similar to what you might think of in a marching band.
• On top, he incorporates what you might consider the snare, adding an awesome percussive element.

Throughout, there's this anticipation of the beat, which again, drives this music forward. This influence is something that Jelly Roll Morton was very instrumental in bringing.

Dynamic Bass Line Example

This little bass line, something leading up to the fourth, sounds like this:

1. 1, 2, 3, 4

You can hear it's a nice, rich, dense bass that's really driving the music forward. This can be heard throughout his work, particularly on pieces like Pop's Dilemma.

Stretching the Range

In the context of Pop's Dilemma, when it goes to the 2, 3, 4, etc., you've got that same driving force. Here, he's actually stretching up to the 10th, whereas on Junko, it's often just up to the octave.

Classic Booker Bass Line

He may sometimes go up to the 10th as well, but essentially, it's the same idea.

• Funky Rhythm: I've got that kind of really funky thing with that bass line, just having a bit of fun there, putting in a little tenth, which you can do as well.

So there you have it: a real classic Booker bass line that he uses on many tunes.