This lesson I cover diatonic and chromatic approach notes. These are a great way of getting started on building your own bass lines because you don’t have to get too caught up in all the arpeggios and scales.
What Are Approach Notes?
An approach note is used to approach another note from a tone or a semitone away. They allow us to weave our way through a chord progression melodically and can add interest to the bass line for more variety.
Diatonic Approach Notes
Diatonic approach notes are tones that fall within the scale of the key you are in. We can use the scale degrees either side of our target chord as an approach note.
Let’s start with a chord progression in C major:
C | C | F | G
Firstly, play through this progression using root notes to get a feel for the sound.
Next, add an approach note to lead you into F. This can be either E or G as they are both next to F in the major scale.
You can also add an approach note leading to the G, but as you are already on F then it will have to be A.
Try playing around with as many different combinations of approach notes as you can find. The more you experiment then the quicker the sound of each one will stick in your head.
Chromatic Approach Notes
Chromatic notes are easier to work out than diatonic approach notes as they are always a semitone above or below the target note.
To add chromatic approach notes to the chord progression from earlier, you simply need to take the two notes either side of each chord.
So to begin with, we can approach F using the E again as it is a semitone away. We can also approach it with an F#.
F# can also be used to bridge the gap between F and G. This diminished 5th/augmented 4th has quite a bluesy sound and is a key component of the blues scale.
I continue to love your “Don’t Panic!” approach. I haven’t been playing very long (2.5 years) and I learn something from every lesson, whether I know the topic or not.
Really great lesson for some (like me) who want to practice playing along with recordings, but hesitates when trying to spell a chord ( most scores are not limited to C, F, and G.)
This a great way to use the chord symbols to get through a new song or any song we don’t know the arpeggios for. Thanks another good lesson. As you point out, I was familiar with approach notes, but had not thought how they could get me through a tune and not sound lame.
HI, MARK GREETINGS FROM MEXICO CITY,THANK YOU FOR YOUR GREAT TEACHING .IT’S BEEN A GREAT HELP FOR ME.I HAVE A QUESTION THAT I HAVE TRIED TO UNDERSTAND ,BUT I CANNOT.FOR EXAMPLE IF A MUSICIAN TELLS YOU THAT WE ARE PLAYING A SONG IN THE KEY OF C,D,E,ETC.WHAT KEYS AM I SHOULD BE PLAYING?
THIS HAS BEEN MY MAYOR PROBLEM.PLEASE HELP ME HOW TO PLAY IN EVERY KEY THEY SAY WHEN WE ARE PLAYING ,BECAUSE I SAW MY FRIENDS AND WHEN SOMEONE ELSE SAY C,D,E, MAYOR AND MINOR THEY DON’T HAVE PROBLEMS THEY PLAY VERY WELL EVEN IF THEY HAVEN’T BEEN PLAYING TOGETHER, PLEASE, PLEASE I REALLY WANT TO LEARN THAT THANK YOU VERY MUCH BLEESINGS
Aprende las notas en el bajo y practica la escala mayor empezando en la nato correspondiente a la clave. Esto es si van a tocar en C, la escala de Do mayor. Si te piden tocar en D entonces la escala de Re mayor. https://www.talkingbass.net/bass-chords-arpeggios-ear-training/
Thanks Mark! Sharing is caring!
I have read numerous definitions of chromatic and diatonic approach notes but a question remains, can an approach note be both diatonic and chromatic? Most definitions imply that a note is either chromatic or diatonic, but what about approaching C with a B when in the key of C? In that case the B is both “within the scale of the key” and “a semitone above or below the target note.” I realize this a semantics, but words matter when communicating. Thanks!
If you are approaching C Major then that B note IS diatonic ( In scale CDEFGABC) but if you are approaching C from let’s say G then it is an approach from below. The C is dominant (C7) and that B note is the BEBOP note (Major 7) as in C Brbop Dominant. CDEFGAA#(B)C..