SUMMARY
If you want to learn how bass incorporates into music, this is the blog for you!
CLASSROOM
Notes:
- Bass line is the foundation
- Long held bass notes caught on
- They used to not use bass
- Tonality- what makes music different
- Bass had a big impact
- Mostly melody up, bass down
- Root is often used at the bass line
- Bass lines help carry the song
LAB
Step 1: Watch How to write Chromatic Notes in Hookpad (some bass lines are based on chromatic scale)
Step 2: Watch 3 ways to use Hookpad’s MIDI drag-drop feature (you can create basslines and more and export to Soundtrap and other DAW – digital audio workstations)
Step 3: Try making a bassline to a chord progress or melody line.How was this activity?
This activity was okay, I really enjoyed learning more about the chromatic scale in HookLab. I did struggle with exporting the MIDI file because legit nothing was going right.
PRACTICE ROOM
Step 1: How To Add Bass Notes
Step 2: guitar TABS for his exercise
Step 3: Practice one of the exercises
These exercises were really enjoyable and somewhat easy to catch onto. The first exercise was really cool and not too hard.
Profile in Excellence
- Check out these two videos about amazing bass player Carol Kaye
Profile in Excellence
- Check out these videos about the best bass player, ever, James Jamerson
- What really made James Jamerson so great?
- Visual of James Jamerson’s bass line for the Stevie Wonder song –For Once In My LifeScreenshot from Vulf at YouTube
OUTSIDE / JOURNAL / IDEAS
When walking I was thinking about how bass really is in everything and really carries the song. I realize that out of everything in a song, bass is one of my favorite parts. Bass is really unique in a song and it’s amazing.
STUDIO
I tried to think of possible bass lines to do from songs I listen to and I tried to find it by ear.
WHAT I LEARNED and PROBLEMS I SOLVED
I learned a lot about bass and I got a better understanding of bass. I did struggle with some of the guitar exercises but eventually I got a hold of it.
ACTIVITY EVALUATION
Content (The WHAT)
Rating: OK – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – HIGHLY ENGAGED
Rating: 5
I just really was intrigued by how the bass fits into everything.
Process (The HOW)
Rating: OK – 1 – 2 – 3 – 4 – 5 – HIGHLY ENGAGED
Rating: 4
The activities that engaged me most were the guitar exercises and getting to experiment with creating bass lines.