“What’s a good way to practice walking bass?”
“I want to learn walking bass, but I don’t know where to start.”
This article is for exactly that — and the answer is, start by copying a full chorus note-for-note!
So here’s a full walkthrough with a free tab transcription included.
Contents
Full F Blues Transcription
Here’s a full chorus transcription over an F blues.
If you’re into jazz, it’s easy to get caught up thinking everything has to be about improvisation and theory.
But if you genuinely don’t know where to start, just being able to play something that sounds the part is valuable in itself.
It’s a short 12-bar form, so it shouldn’t take long to memorize.
For now, just look at the score and play through it a few times until you can get through the whole thing.
Once You’ve Got the Transcription Down
Once you’ve memorized the transcription, try playing it along with an actual tune.
As for which tune to use,
“Bags’ Groove” is a great choice. (There are plenty of blues tunes out there, but this one’s relatively easy to play along with.)
If you listen closely to the bass, you’ll notice it’s moving around quite a bit, and it doesn’t stick to the transcription above at all. As you’ll hear, the track runs over 12 minutes.
That said, since it’s an F blues, you can loop the transcription above as many times as you like and it’ll still basically work.
You can keep playing the same bassline through the improvised solo sections after the head, too — give it a try along with the recording.
Don’t Have the CD? Looking for a Good App?
If you don’t have the recording, or you’re looking for a good app for this —
there is one.
You can start using it right now if you have a smartphone.
It’s called iReal Pro, a backing-track app that gives you drum and piano accompaniment while letting you freely adjust the tempo as you practice.
Here’s what the backing sounds like. Playing bass over this lets you practice in something close to a real ensemble setting.
Tempo 80
Tempo 100
Tempo 120
It’s incredibly useful, and I use it for my own daily practice too.
The video at the top of this article was also recorded over this app’s backing track.
Once You’ve Played Through It a Few Times, Try Real Improvisation!
Once you’ve played through the transcription enough times to get a feel for it, I’d love for you to try building your own walking bassline by ear from a chord chart like the one below.
It’s not always obvious how to actually approach that at first, but it’s a skill you can build step by step with the right practice routine.
Thanks for reading today!
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.