Importance of the Bass
When you’re listening to a song on the radio, TV, phones or on your favorite album, what you should be listening for is what the bass player is doing... the lowest note... the root note. (All of these names are different ways to say the same thing). You’re basically listening for the keynote of the chord at this point, not necessarily the chord itself.
I know this can be difficult with so much going on in the song. There may be multiple keyboards, organ, horns, strings, percussion, etc. I totally understand. But everything is working on top of the bass. It’s not important right now what else is going on. Just follow the bass! If you have to get some really good earphones with “bass boost,” get them! If you’re a little technical and know how to adjust your EQ to make the bass louder, do it.
Finding the bass will lead to understanding what patterns are at work. For example, if I hear the bass in a song going from C to E to A to D to G to C, and I’ve determined the song is in the key of C major, I’d immediately convert these “letters” into “numbers”:
1 – 3 – 6 – 2 – 5 – 1
The numbers represent the universal pattern... not the letters. Numbers allow you to think of patterns irrespective of any given major key. Letters confine you to one particular key like “C major.”
using letters to define movement
I know this can be difficult with so much going on in the song. There may be multiple keyboards, organ, horns, strings, percussion, etc. I totally understand. But everything is working on top of the bass. It’s not important right now what else is going on. Just follow the bass! If you have to get some really good earphones with “bass boost,” get them! If you’re a little technical and know how to adjust your EQ to make the bass louder, do it.
Finding the bass will lead to understanding what patterns are at work. For example, if I hear the bass in a song going from C to E to A to D to G to C, and I’ve determined the song is in the key of C major, I’d immediately convert these “letters” into “numbers”:
1 – 3 – 6 – 2 – 5 – 1
The numbers represent the universal pattern... not the letters. Numbers allow you to think of patterns irrespective of any given major key. Letters confine you to one particular key like “C major.”
using letters to define movement
using numbers to define movement
And I’d probably sing the bass notes out as well as I play them. Instead of singing “C - E - A - D - G - C,” I’d sing “1 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1” as I hit those notes. (It is a good idea to make this a habit every time you learn a new pattern.) Over time, this will get the sound of this pattern in my head so that when it occurs again, I might actually know all the tones without having to pick each one out. And as I get really good, I will even predict where the bass is going even while the song is still on the “3rd tone” of the scale, for example. (In other words, if I just hear the 1st tone of the scale going to the 3rd tone... I’m already preparing my mind for the 6th tone next... and if the song goes to the “6th tone,” because I’ve heard this movement before, I’m already preparing for the “2nd tone” next...
...Now, it may not always happen this way but more likely than not, it will. And by doing this with song after song, you’ll build up a repertoire of patterns that you’re able to recognize by ear and play on demand without having to learn anything new).
This question naturally arises next.
“So once I figure out the bass is using this pattern, ‘1 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1,’ what’s next Harold?”
Great question! This is where we turn to what we call “Diatonic Chords.”
...Now, it may not always happen this way but more likely than not, it will. And by doing this with song after song, you’ll build up a repertoire of patterns that you’re able to recognize by ear and play on demand without having to learn anything new).
This question naturally arises next.
“So once I figure out the bass is using this pattern, ‘1 - 3 - 6 - 2 - 5 - 1,’ what’s next Harold?”
Great question! This is where we turn to what we call “Diatonic Chords.”