This lesson is the third in the Bass Improvisation Series that aims to provide an introduction to improvising for those just getting started.
This lesson deals with small 3 note phrases and how to get more mileage out of small 2 and 3 note fragments. This can involve breaking a 3 note phrase into three smaller 2 note phrases and also reversing the phrase and creating permutations smaller permutations.
Sequences:
3 Note Permutations
Starting On Root
131
135
137
151
153
157
171
173
175
Starting on 3rd:
313
315
317
351
353
357
371
373
375
Starting on 5th:
513
515
517
531
535
537
571
573
575
Starting on 7th:
713
715
717
731
735
737
751
753
757
Thanks Mark. This lesson has given me lots to work on.
Great ! Learning so mutch in even one day ! Many Thanks Mark
Really good stuff. Thanks
I’ve been playing bass for more that 16 years now and I must say that doing your lessons (still got a lot of lessons to do and when I will have money I will buy these lesson packs and I also did the prolly 22 free lessons and played on these tracks you provided with tab) really helped me to improve my technique, my theory knowledge, my styling, my improvisation skills (especially that) and I figured out how typical “rock bassist playing that root notes” I was and now I can do whatever I want with my bass including some tapping and a lot of slap and I can write my own basslines and bass riffs now without being afraid that they will be boring and now my bass leads in the band, not guitar, not keys, not vocals but bass is the main instrument! Thank you for that Mark and I love you so much and you are my best teacher together with D*n H*wkins (you prolly know him) and Alex from J*mPl*y – you 3 are my heroes, but YOU explained everything the best and you did the most lessons and I am so so so thankful for that, you ain’t even know, bruh! Keep it up with these great lessons! The only thing I lack and I miss is Walking Bass step by step free lessons but made simple and made in progression from lesson 1 to lesson 6 let’s say because it’s the hardest thing for me and for most bassists and the lessons you did are good but they are not as helpful as your other lessons that are perfect. I hope there will be more lessons that cover walking bass tough topic and more metal lessons (I love black metal, death metal and doom metal and I miss lessons about these 3 genres especially black metal – Mayhem, 1349, Satyricon, Absu, Peste Noire, Deathspell Omega, Leviathan – he has THE BEST BASSLINES EVER AND AUDIBLE BASS, Xasthur, Shining, Abigor – awesome basslines and not so easy are on their progressive post black metal album “Fractal Possession”, Dodheimsgard – great and not so easy basslines are on their progressive post black metal album “A Umbra Omega”, Negura Bunget, The Ruins of Beverast, Darkthrone, the sub-genre of black metal that is not so know for many people but is awesome even for people that don’t like metal in general – Black Metal/Shoegaze/Blackgaze/Ambient/Prog Rock/Post Rock/Progressive Post Black Metal/Electronic and mixed with a lot of genres and the trio of this music are Deafheaven, Alcest and Lantlos and I know you would love these bands as well as the album Fractal Possession by Abigor, album A Umbra Omega by Deathspell Omega, Leviathan albums (especially tenth sub level of suicide), Deathspell Omega Trilogy (two albums with latin names and third one is Paracletus) and Absu (albums: Tara – the best one -, The Sun of Tiphareth and also some other albums and I know you would love it as it is trash/black metal and it’s fast, creative and goes crazy and the riffs are awesome) and if you would cover some black metal style and do some riffs by these bands it would be AWESOME AS HELL and you will love these bands, just try them – especially these ones I’ve recommended to you and also death metal which is sometimes hard AF like Morbid Angel – Altars of Madness, Entombed – Left Hand Path, Suffocation – Effigy of the Forgotten, some Nile albums and of course the band Death! And doom metal like Candlemass and early Black Sabbath and ofc Saint Vitus and some stoner doom metal like Electric Wizard and also some other popular stoner bands and I think it would be a good idea to cover principles of these 3 genres of metal and do lessons on it and do lessons on playing riffs and basslines from the bands and albums I told you and maybe do one whole song maybe by these creative bands with audible and creative basslines and bass riffs like Dodheimsgard, Abigor, Absu, Leviathan, Deathspell Omega and some other bands. Think about it, my bass hero! Love you till the casket drops. Because of you I am now A MUCH BETTER BASSIST!!!!!!!
Hi Mike. Thanks for the kind words. If you want a step by step course on walking bass then the best option is the Simple Steps To Walking Bass course in the store. You’ll learn everything from the basics to advanced walking. I don’t do any ‘progressive step by step’ lessons on Youtube because it’s all there in the courses and I don’t want to be covering stuff people pay for in the free content.