I really canât transcribe it for you but I can tell you what the bass is playing.
Itâs a simple 3 chord blues progression throughout the verse and chorus. The bass is playing a pretty standard triad figure; 1 > 3 > 5 then 3 > 5 > 6 over each chord change in the progression. Sound like itâs in the key of D major so the progression would be D (root/tonic) to G (4th) to A (5th). Play the same basic pattern over each change.
The bridge begins on the 4 chord (G) then back to the root chord (D). Then to the G (4th) again, to the E (2nd) and it resolves on the A (5th). Then with a quick pickup line leading you to the D chord youâre back into the same pattern Root > 4th > 5th for the verse and chorus. Listen to it and youâll hear all of it. Itâs pretty simple.
You can also simplify the main pattern by playing just the Root > 3rd > 5th like this; 1 > 3 > 5 > 3> 5 and repeat that over each chord change. Sorry, best I can do. Hope it helps.
Laurent, if I could sit down with you for 15 minutes Iâd have you playing that bass line like a pro. Itâs actually fairly simple and repetitive over each chord change except the tail end of the bridge where it changes to a triplet figure over the E and A chords without the pattern. (E) Dah, dah, dah, dah, dah dah, dah,dah, dah, dah,dah, dah > (A) dah, dah, dah, dah dah dah dah.
If you have any friends who are experienced players they could do the same for you.
One thing about old time blues, is if you listen to different recordings and lives by the same artist, the bass line changes. So it doesnât have a set tab.
Itâs a living thing. So knowing the 1-3-5 progression, and 12 bars, thereâs some freedom in there. And thatâs the blues.
Yup. Itâs just the numeric position of the notes in a major triad or chord tone if you will. In this case the line also extends to the 6th note. Iâm using Nashville numbering here because itâs easier to express it that way and itâs moveable to any key.
Different notes will be used depending upon the key the song is being played in and the chords being played over but the numeric sequence of the notes will be the same. So over the D chord the bass is playing the D (1 Chord/root), F# (3rd), A (5th) B (6th).
Over G itâs G (IV Chord) B (3rd) D (5th) E (6th) and over A (V Chord) C# (3rd) E (5th) F# (6th). Note that the triad is made up of the 3 notes that make up each chord being played over by the bass. In the bridge section itâs an E (II Chord) and A (V Chord).
Hope this makes it a little clearer as it relates to this specific tune Laurent.
Tell you what, @Laurent, you may find inspiration from the book of Josh.
Admittedly, this isnât the exact tab for this song, but it does give you a basic pattern you can start from. Just start on D as the root (A string fret 5)
Josh does a nice job of laying out the fundamentals of blues and many rock bass lines. IME too many beginning bassists skip over this important foundational stuff looking only to get to playing songs they want to learn.
Why this is bad for you is that you may fail to understand why youâre playing what you are based on how a tune is constructed. Without knowing and understanding the âwhysâ learning more can often be stalemated.
As boring as they may seem donât overlook learning fundamental blues patterns. Youâre gonna find them all over nearly every piece of music youâll ever learn. Rock is based largely on 1 > 4 > 5 chord progressions and variations of them.
Once you get through all of what Josh is teaching here playing blues and blues based rock is gonna seem far simpler and it will allow you to expand your repertoire through improvising variations on these basic lines throughout a tune.
There is a bass tab on ultimate guitar, whether itâs correct or not is another matter. Itâs not one of the âofficialâ ones so you should be able to access it with a free account (but itâs also more likely to be wrong!). I probably didnât ought to post it here but could probably dm it to you if you want.
The great thing about blues is that accuracy is not paramount since there are so many variations of how a bass line can be played and still work with a tune.
For a two to three minute recording a studio bassist will tend to stick with the same line through out. But live while playing an extended version he can wander all over the neck playing variations on that basic line.
Thatâs where knowing extended scales, descending lines, and chromatic variations come in handy. Keeps you from getting too boredâŚLOL.
To each his own. Thereâs no reason a player canât be happy with learning only those tunes he wants to play for his own enjoyment.
But in a professional setting in a band or playing in live jams that extended knowledge is necessary to keep working or be invited to play. There are just so many times when you have to improvise a bass line around what everyone else is playing. Thatâs when knowing how it works comes in handy.
Duck Dunn is an example of a true blues bass master. While he would initially use repeated, simple chord tone patterns (1-3-5, 1-3-5-6, etc) to anchor a blues tune, his inventive use of syncopation and harmony throughout longer pieces was more akin to jazz.
For example, the note-perfect transcription of the lines he plays on âSweet Home Chicagoâ is 10 pages long! And the variety of phrases he improvises over the course of that timeless blues is stunning.
So, yeah. A 12-bar blues is quite simple in its basic form, but knowing how to creatively use a variety of chord patterns, inversions and scales allows a player to transcend boring predictability to create art.
Thank you all.
I am well aware of what I miss / what I gain understanding (or not) the theory behind a tune or simply playing tabs I find here or there !
Sometimes I want pleasure of hearing something out of my amp, sometimes I want pleasure from understanding a new thing !