This article is written by Toru Hoshino, a jazz bassist and instructor based in Japan who teaches online lessons to students worldwide. In this article, he breaks down how to build a walking bass line over the chord progression to “Isn’t She Lovely,” a tune that comes up often at jam sessions.
Contents
A Walking Bass Line for “Isn’t She Lovely”
Here’s a walking bass line that works well over the “Isn’t She Lovely” chord progression, with a full play-through video.
The tabbed performance starts at 2:14.
There are three things I focused on when building this line.
1. Building Around Chord Tones
This line is built mainly around chord tones — the root (1st), 3rd, 5th, and 7th of each chord.
There are countless ways to choose notes when building a walking bass line, but when you build around the chord tones that anchor each chord, the line locks in naturally with the rest of the backing without ever feeling out of place.
2. Using Chromatic Passing Tones
On beat 4, a note a half step below or above the root of the next chord is called a chromatic passing tone.
Example using a chromatic passing tone in bars 3–4
Example using a chromatic passing tone in bars 22–23
This is a very commonly used technique for smoothly connecting one chord to the next in a walking bass line.
3. Using Ghost Notes
I also worked in some ghost notes here and there throughout this line. They’re more often associated with slap playing, but adding ghost notes here and there in a walking bass line gives it a stronger rhythmic feel — a more “percussive” quality.
Example using ghost notes in bars 13–16
Example using ghost notes in bars 29–30
Practicing “Isn’t She Lovely” with iReal Pro
“Isn’t She Lovely” isn’t included in iReal Pro’s “JAZZ 1400” playlist, but you’ll find it inside the app’s “Stevie Wonder 30” song set. From the Forums tab inside the app, go to POP, ROCK, BLUES, then select Stevie Wonder, and tap Stevie Wonder 30 to add the whole set. It also includes “You Are the Sunshine of My Life,” “Overjoyed,” and “Superstition,” among others.
→ Read more about how I use iReal Pro for practice here.
That covers how I approached building a walking bass line over the “Isn’t She Lovely” chord progression. I hope it gives you something useful for your own practice.
If you’ve read this far, building strong walking bass lines is clearly something you care about — and getting feedback on your own lines is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone.
Want Personalized Feedback on Your Playing?
This is exactly the kind of thing that’s hard to fix alone — and where having a teacher makes all the difference.
At Line on Bass, I offer an online lesson service where you send me a video of your playing, and I give you specific, detailed feedback — every single day if you want.
Students from around the world are using this to fix exactly these kinds of issues and steadily improve their jazz bass skills.