The Two Note Transfer

One of the biggest things that can make any musician feel ‘stuck’ is having to improvise for the
first time. As bass players this is something we do all the time when we are both creating and
jamming bass lines.
The Two Note Transfer is a simple framework that allows you to create and improvise your
own bass lines on the fly.
It’s based around the idea of using two chromatic notes (or half steps) to either approach the
next chord from above or below. Using two half steps is a killer concept because you do not
need to worry about any music theory. Putting two chromatics quickly in succession has the
effect of ‘fooling the ear’ so notes that would ordinarily ‘clash’ sound good. Give it a go!

Example One: The Two Note Transition From Below

The Two Note Transition takes place on the beat 4 or the last two 8th notes of each bar. The
example shows it starting from a whole step below.

Example Two: The Two Note Transfer From Above

This time we are approaching from above. As I mentioned in the video tutorial music is an art
and not an exact science and The Two Note Transition in bar 2 (going from the G to the Bm)
does not sound strong. However, the other 3 transitions sound fabulous!

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Example Three: Mixing Things Up v1
The real magic comes when you start to integrate the transitions from above and below. This
is much more typical of what we as bass players would choose to play on a gig.

Example Four: Mixing Things Up v2

In this example we have mixed things up once again. On a gig you will probably vary between
each transition as the mood takes you. Make note, that I have stayed away from transitioning
from above to the Bm, to make the bass lines sound as strong as possible.

One last thing…

If you want a more ‘spacious’ bass line, you may choose to just to play one long note at the
start of each bar (instead of six 8th notes) and then play the transition on beat 4. This sounds
very cool in a breakdown for example.
Good luck!
James

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