Jazz:

Taylor Made
Walk This
Way!
This month, we're going to learn how 11-1
to play a walking bass part under
r-·To~n
o,J 1 '•'-'
,,, ,_,,,
To:JRI-'IL' -
11-1
•:• For more
a chord melody arrangement. information
Lesson by Martin Taylor about Martin
Taylor's COs
and concert
he questions that I get is your two performances,

T asked the most about my bass strings, write to: PO

guitar playing revolve
around walking bass
lines under chord melody
arrangements. Bearing this in mind, I
thought I might devote a column to
the subject just so that you can see
exactly what is going on!
The idea of pla:-ing an
accompanying bass part 1moving or
otherwise) to a solo piece is nothing
new, of course. Neither is it peculiar
to jazz - classical guitarists take this
kind of thing in their stride from the
word go, for instance. But nothing
ties a solo arrangement together
better than a bass line which flows
under the chord arrangement.
For learning the examples on the
GTCD, I would advise the following
route; first, learn the bass part and
only then worry about inserting the
chordal stabs on top. I've
constructed a bass line to a simple
blues progression similar to the one
we've been looking at in previous
columns and, to learn it. all you need
Box 8403,
the A and E. This
Maybole,
calls for a fair amount
Ayrshire
of 'vertical' movement on
KA19 7YB
the guitar (ie up and down
the neck) and it may take you a
while to feel comfortable with all the
various position changes. But stay
with it; slow things right down if
necessary, and you'll soon find that
a natural 'flow' starts to take place.
Ex 1 is a fairly basic blues
pattern which features a walking
bass with chordal stabs on top.
respectively. Of course, this isn't
Fingerstyle facts a hard and fast rule; melody parts
•:• Walking
bass
•:• This kind of 'polyphonic' are nearly always played by the
A term applied to
approach to playing solo jazz index and middle fingers a bass line
guitar is best executed using a irrespective of strings! played on every
variation on the standard classical •:• My own approach is only semi- beat of the bar.
guitar right hand fingering. In orthodox, but it works for me. It's This gives the
general, the thumb looks after the probably best to adapt the above part a 'loping'
bass strings with the index, fingering concept to suit your own effect - hence
playing style, and I include it here 'walking'!
middle and ring fingers looking
after the G, B and E strings mainly for guidance.

Ex1 Simple walking bass line with chordal stabs

--

f II
J:l=J )' gliss I. } ., I ., l ... ~ } ... ~ }

._
~-- ~i r i i r r r l_!r)
s co co co co co MU
E
~ ft
B
G C.7 '7 ::: !:!
D
A
E
~-
I J-\
- ft
- - ,.,,
Gmaj7 Bm7 Gmaj7 C7 Em7

April1998 Guitar Techniques tt 71

 GTCD Thack 18

~
j) } )~j
gr
~ lo.. } .. I ~ ~ lo.. }
..
I ., "'1

~
r I I r -
. ~i r #f - -
i
-
i i i i
co s co co co MU
E
B
G ~

D
A
A
~ ~
" " ., " ., ... .,
E
3
" "
07 F~m7 Gmaj7 09 Gmaj7 Bm7

r
_l_j_ ~J ... } } ~
t:j "'
) } I I I l
17\
L

E
B
~
i
~
r r
co
i r
~
r '1' I

co
u MU
L: pi (~~r: ---
r--r
~
G
D
A
E
.,
" .. ,.,
" ... n
"
:.,

"i
~
-,;
~
-,;
~
~

____
-;.;'-" ~:;.
};A
,~,

6
C7 Em7 07 F#m7 Bm7 Bi>m7 Am7 Gmaj7

The chordal stabs are too short for the ear impression that quite a lot is going on - and 'Rngerstyle facts'). Ex 2 keeps the idea
to really give them much harmonic we haven't added any melody part so far! I pretty much the same, but the bass line is
significance. Their rhythmic effect is another would advise using your thumb to play all a little more varied, adding more interest to
thing, however. The offbeat quality of the the bass notes, leaving your first and the bluesy feel of the proceedings.
'harmony part' gives the listener the second fingers to play the stabs (see

Ex2 Taking it a step further

t ~
n =J Jl gliss ,.,_ ,.... ~ ., I ., ., 1\ } ., 1\ }

@_ -
p- ~r
-
r ~r
~u i ~i i ~r

s co MU co co
E .,
B " :;
"
-
G
D v
:;
~
A
.,
E "
G7 C9

jf ., ~ } ., lo.. } .., l. ~ } ~ lo.. } ~ I

~
r ~r 9r , . ~t -
~r
i r ~t{u
-
i i i i
co co co co
E
B " :::
G
D " .; -;; ;;
~

A
E
~ v ~

-"-
"
3
09 G7 G7

72 • Guitar Techniques April1998

 Jazz·
GTCDTrack 18

II ~ ~ } ~ }_ j,. } ., ~ ~ ~
_h. }_

.
"'-
"' "'
,, .
~
r r vr ~~}r
r i
-
-
-
vr ~r I
co co co
r i
co co
E
B
., -"-
G "- _i:_ --"-
0
-
~ ~

A "
-
~ ~ ~

E
6
C9 09 G7 07

II II . I.. } ~
"'
J "'
.., ~ } I }
"'
h} .. h } .. J! } "' ~J ..,
.
@,; !
r vr I
r i r vr 9r ~r r I I
r r w
E
co co co co co MU
B
G :::
:.,v •n n n ;:-
0 -...- ;; _ii ;.;. :;.
•n -"- Lll_ Lll_ _y
A
E Lll_ n
9
G9 C7 07 Gmaj7

II If ., ~ } . f } .. ~ } .. ~ } . h} . ~ . -
@) I I I
"r r i r "r ~r
I I
r LVI T -~r
E
MU co co co co co
B
G ~:- ::-
0 >n' ;.; ;; ;; ;;.
•n \' n tn •n ..--.
A
E -"- "-
.._ ;, n tn "' " ., ,.,,
13
Gmaj7 C7 07

Those off beats in the bass part I usually In our final example, I'm going to break recommend that you familiarise yourself
play with an upstroke with my thumb - the rhythm up a little, altering the with the bass part first and then put the
highly unconventional, I know, but rapid straightforward 4/4 feel to produce a more stabs in later.
downstrokes would do just as well. interesting effect. Once again, I'd

Ex 3 Bass line with more rhythmic interest

.r:I=J Ji
g/iss
I I

p-- r L_____3__j
r
s MU
E~--------------~---------------------------------------+--------------------------~
6~--------------~----------------------~~~--------------+---~~~----------~~------~
G~--------------~-----4----------------~~~--------------+---~~~----------~;:~------~
0~--------------~------a---------------~~--------------+---~~----------~~------~
A~----------~~~~----------~---4--------~r-----~~~-+~"~---------------------·~~
E~----------~---J_~~~----------------------------~------~--------~"~---"-~----------~
G7 C9 C9/E

April1.998 Guitar Techniques • 73

 GTCD '&aek 18

,------3-
JO I ~ L ~ ~ I ~ ... ~ ~ ~ .., ~ }
"' 1'l ~

r· P~r r li r
- Tl

vr~r~r
._j
VD ~r
~3
____J
co
r LEr
'--~ co
'---3----"
E
8 ';; ;; ';; -:
G
-:: ..; ';; ;;
- ..
------
D ,
A
~

" ... " " --"'-

__,_
E
3
" "
09 G7 G7

' JO .. ~ } .. ~ .l .., I ~
__._ l _M . ~ ..,

E
•
G~r ~rif F~EfT·~3___1
L---3___1 r -~wrr·
L-----3~
-
p r
MU
-
VD ~r
u
... __,_ ~

;;,"
B __._ ;:
G " ::;
D
A
E
6
~v

'n
,_, ~

-------~-
u " ~
~' - ,_
'" -
C7 C9/G Am7 09 G7

II JO • 1.'4 ~ }
.. bi ~ }
"" .J .. .., ~ }
• ~ • ~ .
-._)
I
r pr 'i I i
'--3----"
r p I
t
----"3----"
r ~r r l.....J I
D
co MU MU
E
8
G
.": ::
;; ;;
D
A
E
on
~- ~-

D
U\
_Q --"' '-"
;;,
"' '-"
·- On\

I'
9
G9 C7 C7/G 013

,-------3-
~ ~ I I } J }

I =
.J I
0~
MU
r CO
E~--------,--n--------------_,------~--~--~
... -------------.,--------+-----~------------n----------4
B~-------4;G-ft------------~,~~~--~~--~----------~---------4-----~~--------~;:~--------4
G~-------4G-------------~~------~~--~-----------..;~--------+-----~~--------~ft~--,n--,----4
D~-------4~--------------~------~~--~-----------&---------4----~----------~--~----~

~t===~~=====«•n;=~n=~~~-==========~==ta====~-==~==~~~~~~:j~======~===~~=====:===n~:j
12 \UJ -
G9 07#9 (~9) G7 C9 C9/E

JO ... ~ } . ~ } I I I l I

._) -
r LJ (._.J'-'LJ r: ~r r
-
r~r
co
E
8
G
D
~

;: "
;:
'"
~

~
"
~
.-----.
~------ _}i£{
}V{
.•,
A
"-----"'~
~ v
-,; --':' -.,-~_};;{
E .__..
15
Am7 09 Bm7 B~m7 Am7 Gmaj7

If the exact positioning of the chordal stabs inserting a few at a time into your own Next month, we're going to look at a bossa
looks a little daunting in the 'music notation, version. Never fear, I'm sure you'll soon get nova rhythm part - with a suitable bass
try listening to the GTCD version and the hang of things! part, naturally! •!•

Anrii1~~R