In part 10 of this series on chromatic approaches to triads, we’re approaching our minor triads using double chromatics from below each chord tone.

Double chromatic approaches are one of the most useful pieces of chromatic vocabulary you can develop (as i’ll be illustrating in the next couple of weeks with some bass line breakdowns) and the more fluid you become with them, the more you will be able to integrate them into your own lines! One of the things I love about them is the really strong ‘pull’ they have towards the chord tone that makes for really effective harmonic resolutions.

Without further ado we’re going to look at a couple of useful exercises to develop basic fluency and an example bass groove. As always, the PDF and the backing track i’ve used can be downloaded below!

Chromatic Approaches Part 10 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Part 10 - Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the additional bonus groove!

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In part 9 of this series looking at chromatic approaches, we’re looking at using single chromatic approaches from both directions to minor triads!

Combining approaches to the chord tones from both directions gives you some very useful (and powerful) tensions against the chord, and we’ll look at an example groove i’ve written to demonstrate.

Enjoy!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.9 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.9 - Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the additional bonus groove!

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Hope you’re all well, here is the latest installment in my series of lessons on Chromatic Approaches, this time focused on a single chromatic approach to minor triads from above.

As with the other lessons in this series, we’ll be digging into both some exercises to build fluidity and some example lines i’ve written for you to illustrate how you can use them!

As always, the PDF and the backing track i’ve used can be downloaded below!

For those working on groove 2…take your time with that final fill idea! ;)

Chromatic Approaches Pt.8 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.8 Track

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This is a short tutorial on one of a number of fills i’ve been writing that use the chromatic approach ideas we’ve been looking at in recent lessons.

It’s a fairly straightforward 16th note pattern, the real keys are the chromatic approaches and the way the line is phrased!

This is the first of what may be a whole series of tutorials on little pieces of vocabulary, so please let me know if you dig this!

Enjoy!

PDF and the backing track are below!

Chromatic Approach Fill Idea

Chromatic Approach Fill Track

This is the second in my series of song tutorials, this time focusing on the incredible bass work of Anthony Jackson in Chaka Khan’s ‘Clouds’ from the record Naughty.

That entire album is a bass masterclass but there are some ideas in Clouds that really stand out!

I’ve already released a transcription of this tune (which you can find below so without further ado, let’s dig into the details!!

Clouds WM

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In this lesson we’re taking our single chromatic approach ideas and starting to apply them to minor triads, specifically approaching the chord tones of our minor triad from a single chromatic note below.

As with the previous parts of this series, we’ll be digging into both some exercises to build fluidity (especially as the minor triads sit differently under the fretting hand to the majors) and some bass lines i’ve written for you to illustrate how you can use them!

As always, the PDF and the backing track i’ve used can be downloaded below!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.7 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.7 - Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the additional exercises and bonus groove!

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Hope you’re all well! This is the final installment of this series looking at Major triads, and we’re now looking at combining double chromatic approaches from both directions!

Combining the chromatic approaches together we can get some really interesting ideas going so we’re going to get straight into the example groove, and for my subscribers, the second groove is a fun one ;)

Enjoy!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.6 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.6 - Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the additional bonus groove!

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Hope this finds you well, this weeks lesson builds on what we looked at last time only now we’re approaching our major triad from a double chromatic (two half steps/two frets) above!

As I mentioned in the last lesson, this sort of vocab is something I heartily recommend working into your vocabulary and playing, it an incredibly useful and powerful tool to have and is a way you can rapidly expand a bass line/idea beyond your basic chord tones.

We’ll look at a couple of exercises that build on our last lesson and a new groove idea to put them into practice.

Enjoy!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.5 Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.5 - Track

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Welcome to part 4 of this series covering chromatic approaches to triads! In this lesson we’re going to stick with our major triads and start looking at approaching the chord tones using double chromatic approach.

Double chromatic means that we’re approaching the chord tones from two half steps (in order), and I would argue that this is a CRUCIAL piece of harmonic vocabulary to nail down and (as i’ll show you in some future bass line breakdowns), they are EVERYWHERE!

Without further ado we’re going to look at a couple of useful exercises to develop basic fluency and an example bass groove. As always, the PDF and the backing track i’ve used can be downloaded below!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.4 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.4 - Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the additional bonus groove!

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This is the first of what will hopefully be a long series of tutorials of some of my favourite bass lines/songs, and we’re starting with the Dream Theater song Scarred from the album Awake (1994)!

Awake (for me) features some of John Myung’s best bass work and along with Scenes From A Memory, Falling Into Infinity and Change Of Seasons represents a real halcyon period for Dream Theater. The tapped intro from Scarred was one of the first things I tried to learn when I switched to 6 string bass and having done a complete playthrough on a recent session (linked below), I thought i’d also do a quick tutorial for you all!

PDF with notation/TAB is available below. Enjoy!!

Scarred - Basic

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the additional groove breakdowns!

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In this lesson, we’re going to take the single chromatic approach notes to our major triad that we’ve discussed in the previous two lessons and combine them!

We’re going to do this through dissecting an example groove I’ve composed and taking a look at which approach notes have been used and where. The backing track is the same one used for the previous two sessions so if you’ve already got it, grab the PDF and you’ll be good to go!

PDF is available below. Enjoy!!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.3 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.3 - Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the additional bonus groove!

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Welcome to part 2 of this new video series on chromatic approaches to triads. In this lesson we’re going to look at approaching the chord tones of the major triad from a single chromatic note above.

The single chromatic above the chord tone introduces a different sort of tension to the chromatic note below, it’s a little more ‘outside’ and as such can introduce a very cool, interesting sound to your bass lines! We’ll look at a variation of the cycle of 4ths exercise we looked at in the previous lesson and I have some new groove examples for you too.

PDF and backing track are available below. Enjoy!!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.2 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.2 Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the exercise expansion and the additional bonus groove!

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This is the first of a new video series i’ve put together covering the use of chromatic approach notes to triads, both within a given chord and using them within a wider progression/moving through chord changes!

Chromatic approaches (and chromaticism in general) are an incredibly powerful tool to have in your locker of vocabulary and as such I would encourage players of all levels to become proficient in their use!

In this first lesson we’re going to look at approaching the notes of the major triad from a single chromatic note below the target chord tones. We’ll look at a couple of useful exercises to develop basic fluency and an example bass groove. As always, the PDF and the backing track i’ve used can be downloaded below!

Chromatic Approaches Pt.1 - Basic

Chromatic Approaches Pt.1 Track

For those of you who are paid subscribers, you’ll need the expanded PDF linked below for the exercise expansion and the additional bonus groove!

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Hope you’re all well! This is a short tutorial covering an exercise that I use on a daily basis to help with my basic level of technical fluency with both the left and right hands. I know it as the ‘X’ exercise because when you work through a bar it looks like you’re drawing an X on the fingerboard. Here i’ll show you not only the basic version of the exercise but several ways in which is can be expanded and modified to get a LOT of additional mileage from it!

Without further ado, let’s get going!

The X Exercise Basic

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This lesson follows on from last week’s where we were using broken 3rds to get more mileage from our major scale. This week, we’re stepping it up to broken 6ths!

Broken 6ths not only introduces us to a more angular sound and approach, there are also various technical benefits to be had through working on it such string crossing AND string skipping, both in the fretting and plucking hands.

Enjoy!

Dexterity Using Scales - Basic

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In this lesson we’re talking Major scales, and an exercise that can help you get a lot more out of them by challenging you technically, getting you to see the scale as something other than 8 notes in linear order and helping you with interval recognition! So if you’re a little bored with your scale practice, check this out!

Scales In Broken Intervals Basic

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Welcome to another lesson on building vocabulary! This time we’re looking at a Stevie Wonder tune featuring the great Nathan Watts on bass and tune in question is Do I Do! There are lots of fantastic Stevie bass lines out there but for me, this line stands head and shoulders above them as Nate’s greatest bass cut, because it has everything you could possibly want in a bass line!

I’m focusing in on a particular little pentatonic nugget here (and how we can develop it!) but I urge you to go and check out the uncut version….trust me, you’ll be glad you did!

Enjoy!

Building Vocabulary - Nate Watts

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This lesson is an introduction to one of my musical loves, the six string bass. If you’re new to the six string or are considering getting one and are wondering where to start or how to work with the extra strings, this lesson is for you!

Here we’ll look at the basics, string crossing and work on your absolute fundamentals, which are all essential to getting the most from the instrument! I’ve got some lessons in the pipeline that will expand upon this and give you some more musical examples to work on but this is your starting point.

P.s - If you’re a five string player looking to incorporate your additional string, a lot of the same ideas will also apply!

Enjoy!

Six String: An Introduction

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Following on from the lesson I put out where we looking at some Anthony Jackson vocabulary, this lesson looks at a particular fill Stu Zender plays in the outtro of the song ‘Scam’ from the Return Of The Space Cowboy record.

The whole line for that song is absolute gold (i’ll drop a transcription of it at some point!) but when I was going back through that record recently this fill Zender plays really stuck out.

Having transcribed it, I thought i’d talk about how you could take an idea like this and work it into your own vocabulary!

Enjoy!

Building Vocabulary - Zender

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In this lesson I thought it would be fun to take a look at some Thundercat! He’s an absolute monster of a player and some of his tracks feature some really pretty chordal ideas in them including this one, Tron Song. His tunes often feature multiple bass tracks (on the studio versions) so here we’re focusing on the line that has ALL the chords in it!

I’ve recorded this lesson on my 6 string but it’s doable on a 5 String (B-G) if it has 21 frets so i’ve included notation/TAB for both. It’s an intricate part and some of the shifts can be a little tricky but it’s a fantastic study in moving harmonic shapes/ideas around the instrument!

Have fun!!

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