Can’t Get Past The Root In Your Bass Solos? Try This And EXPLODE Your Creativity

►► FREE: Stop struggling with your scales and modes on bass and discover EXACTLY what to play in nearly any situation. Download the Ultimate Guide To The Modes For Bass here → becomeabassist...
Have you ever thought that when you improvise, your playing was a little bit boring? A little bit too predictable?
One thing that a lot of bass players struggle with is breaking away from playing the root of the chords when we improvise. It makes sense that bass players would cling to the root like their lives depended on it. After all - playing the root is what we do most of the time.
When it comes to improvising on bass though, things change. If we keep hammering the root, it just sounds like we’re playing the same old bass line we always play.
But how do actually do this? Well, it’s a matter of adding new sounds to your vocabulary - just like speaking. If you only knew how to say a few sentences, you’d probably just use the same words the whole time.
But if you had a massive vocabulary, you could say whatever you wanted in whatever WAY you wanted to. It’s the same with improvising.
That’s why in this lesson, I’m showing you a process for consciously adding in new sounds one-by-one. You don’t have to go from only knowing the roots to playing absolutely everything in the chromatic scale. We’ll just start with adding one note that ISN’T the root and then go from there.
There’s no secret to adding these new sounds to your vocabulary - you just have to do it and do it deliberately. The process I show you in the video is a great place to get started, but if you want to take things further, then I have to recommend my Ultimate Guide To The Modes For Bass.
When you know the modes, instead of targeting one specific note over every chord, you can actually have a whole family of notes that you KNOW are going to work.
And because each of the modes lines up with a specific chord, the modes are one of the best way of outlining harmony using scales.
To get the jargon-free guide to the modes on bass, just go to this page:
becomeabassist...
Fill out the form and I’ll send the guide straight to your inbox. It’s 100% free and 100% fun.
If you have any questions, just leave them in the comments below.
Good luck with the lesson and happy playing.
Cheers,
Luke
P.S. Here’s that link one more time:
becomeabassist...

[@johnwilkerson1535]

The best bass instructor I have ever found. And all around nice guy. Has always answered any emails really quick And you gotta love a Spector player

[@BecomeABassist]

You're too kind John! Thanks a bunch.

[@stubser]

I appreciate your work and love your videos, thanx!

[@BecomeABassist]

You're welcome - and thanks for watching!

[@honorefarias2592]

Luke is always a delight to listen to your videos.

[@luxien7681]

Simply taught, very helpful and motivating.

[@lorenniwa1984]

Far out! Very excited to come across this method to add flavour to my bass lines....if I could double thumbs up I would👍🏾

[@jeffreyvaningen4930]

Can i play triads

[@caryheuchert]

Beautifully presented vid, Luke! Simply explained as usual :)

[@gavinhobbs3831]

Awesome , your fantastic and thanx for all the free tutorials it's kind of you to put it out there.. Im stuck at home with end stage liver disease so me and my acoustic bass all day every day..... Thank you. Cheers...

[@pablotrobo]

There is always the music to embrace the flow of life. Practice, listen, explore and above it all, enjoy..Now is the time. Big hug, my fellow human.

[@theawesomebacon1458]

How are you

[@eaf27]

I think I heard a version of Adam Neely's "the lick" in the solo. 7:02. very nice video sir. soloing is definitely an area of struggle for me. though it's more of a stuck in one position problem. keep up the good work and thank you for sharing the knowledge.

[@davmakesmusic]

hahaha just so you know, "the lick" has been around looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong long before adam neely was alive

[@eaf27]

@@davmakesmusic I'm aware of "the licks" origins I just referred to it as Mr. Neely's because he is quite popular on KZbin and I believe that he brought it to the attention of more younger musician/bass players that are less into jazz and this is a bass video so I felt it might get people to look him up. If you just type "the lick" into the search box Adam is the 3rd video that comes up for me. But you are correct to point that out.

[@pdalmao]

hiya luke! not sure if you read the comments on your old videos but i may as well comment haha. is there anywhere i can get the backing track for this? it sounds great but i can't seem to emulate it anywhere!

[@lunglengtharmi7527]

You mention in your video like " the third" i dont understand which and what third you're talking about .plizz help me i want to about the third you are speaking about in this video. Looking forward from you

[@foljs5858]

He means the third note of the chord up from the root. E.g. in C major chord, root is C, and the third is E. The third is 4 semitones up from the root in a major chord. If a song has the chords C, F, G then their roots are C, F and G (the root note is the note with the same name as the chord), then their thirds are for C it is E, for F it is A, and G it is B.

[@dragonitehunter6431]

Always found your videos so helpful, I would recommend someone to go to ur channel if they want to learn bass thank you again luke (:

[@florenceantwi5054]

Great video

[@markhinde710]

Your lessons are so practical and applicable. Its probably just because of where I am in learning/playing of bass and guitar but dude, your teaching style fits me.

[@BecomeABassist]

That's great Mark! I'm always happy to hear that. Thanks so much for checking out the videos - I really appreciate it.

Luke, thank you very much for this lesson...I'm leaning bass with a personal teacher, but i have learn the modes more from you than with my teacher and now you just gave me a better view on improvising iver the chords..wow👍🏽i'm about to drop out the teacher, but will stick there because of the reading music notation... Thank Luke🙋🏾‍♂️🇵🇷

[@kogabear1]

Wonderful video. I've found that most people I play with don't understand the bass so when I play something other than the root even though it is musically correct in all aspects, I'm accused of hitting the wrong note. About that time I noodle out Mary Had a Little Lamb or something.😂

[@alexgallegos9818]

So I can understand..... Might be even wrong... If you can use the 3rd instead of the root.. D to F and so on.. Does it mean that your changing the root completely or is that where theory comes in..??? I'M confused...

[@4EverLearning757]

Wow. Great video. Thanks for putting this together.

[@jimcooper7925]

Luke thank you for taking the time to make me and everyone else a better bass player. Have a Merry Christmas Jim

[@discussionfortherightway.9725]

A bit unusual to use a non-diatonic sequence to teach improvising

[@terrycox2063]

Luke, that would be following the melody not so??

[@justdoyourbass5013]

this is what i'm looking for, very nice Luke!

[@DMNEVERLOSE]

Is there a backing track available for this?

[@DR-nh6oo]

I wanted to give this two thumbs up! Just what I needed, my jamming partners will be so happy!

[@oldmangleking4812]

i dont get it, you are using chords down at the higher frets, i used notes in the first 5 frets

[@dougsmith4798]

Yep this is great and has really got me thinking. Thanks

[@ora_isnt]

Am I able to download this track?

[@scottyshepardthesmoothdeep3081]

Great information Luke as always! Thank you so much for all you do for us and all your information you provide for us! Thank you.

[@BecomeABassist]

No worries at all Scotty. I'm happy you're getting something out of it all!

[@dbarz]

I'm trying to get to the boring way right now lol

[@ryanjohnson117]

Mr, Luke?? Thank you so much!

[@lettuceboy2382]

This guy is a great teacher

[@johnwilkerson1535]

Have been telling others as well

[@beverlyvance7993]

That sounds so cool.

[@ryanjohnson117]

Thank you, Mr. Luke

[@redt-rex3808]

My fave bass teacher

[@azrikamaluddin8121]

Thank you,sir..

[@williammorson1535]

Thanks Luke, this is ground breaking for me it's giving me a lift from usual predictability and potentially boring playing.

[@14chstr]

This is how I play, on the roots hahaha... You're best bass teacher here in YT. You really walk the beginners to play out of roots.

[@espadaYdaga6426]

What key is this? Sorry, but I'm still a little confused. Love your videos, BTW. The best tutorial video that fits my style of learning.

[@memesoldimu5418]

Great video.But i have a question.We use 3rd notes of all scales.But can we use one of them 4th other one is 5 th?

[@prvtlongarm]

Sounds to me like you’re just ripping the lead same as guitar

[@BecomeABassist]

I guess I hear it differently Robert.

[@eddiemcknight1206]

Thanks Luck! the way you explained the 3rd`s is simple and something I`ve been trying to get through my thick skull for a long time. It finally clicked. Thanks again!

[@kensharpe5545]

Have really enjoyed your common sense approach to explaining how to become a better bass player. Your techniques have helped me immensely and want to say thanks to you Luke my friend.

[@chrisstorrier2709]

Great lesson ... but could you leave the chord progression notes, and alternatives notes longer on the screen... saves having to write them down... not all of us have good memories for one reason or another... 👍

[@MrOgynist]

Again, playing my Spector while you teach.

[@amanluke9287]

very awesome videos very helpfull for step by step increasing level on bass guitar

[@dikoman516]

Why didn't you explain how to find the fifth, third and so on...

[@BecomeABassist]

That's covered in this video @DikoMan: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b6m8ooxtZ82re5Y

[@terryrandall9431]

Great Lesson, I really like your videos Luke.

[@ebkp50]

Love it Luke thanks mate very informative as usual 🎵🎶🎤

[@EphemeralProductions]

❤️❤️. Cute. And good video that I will use!

[@longsnapper5381]

Great lesson ,Luke. Many thanks.

[@djkebbe]

Great easy too learn lesson !

[@maryannciuffreda3236]

Great lesson! It really helped me. Thanks Luke.

[@longsnapper5381]

Great lesson ,Luke. Many thanks.

[@ramonyeh4596]

Luke, I’m not getting the download

[@stevesam1982]

Can use this for lead 😊

[@BecomeABassist]

Absolutely @Steve Sam!

[@estarling8766]

''...Makes sens right?! Once you wrap your mind around these two steps, that's when the magic can really start.'' @ 9:15 Great. Thanks Luke.

[@BecomeABassist]

No worries! I'm glad you like it.

[@sportjunk70]

Thanks for the tutorials and you time spent, a question if I can, why at(4.15) when playing 3rds, from A7 do you play C#? It does sound good, is there a technical reason, or just because you can? I notice G7 went to B. Many thanks

[@leviuzodike9061]

sportjunk70 Maybe you’re thinking of Am7. The third of Am7 would be C, but A7(A major with the flatted 7th[G]) has a third of C#. Yeah normally you’d play Am in the key of C, but the practice track is playing A7.

[@sed1679]

how do you get the 3rd of the notes??

[@markbarkntrunk102]

Awesome it’s a new thing for me

[@NoahThul]

Thanks, this is a badass video!

[@rhymsnsargam9415]

thank you very much

[@moamin.aljaro]

You need an Oscar and a Grammy at the same time

[@giarusai83ss]

Very Nice! Thanks 👍🏼

[@danpaulo29]

Great tips. Anyway where did you get the background music that u play?

[@BecomeABassist]

I usually just search for something that will work for whatever video I'm working on and if there's nothing that fits 100%, I'll just make my own using Garageband. This one though I found right here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6evg2B9hZV9oNU

[@czipendejs]

great thank you :)

[@elidoubleday8080]

This video is so helpful

[@TheStobb50]

Thank you I really appreciate what you do, when I’m doing solos are you I generally refer to the relative minor scale

[@BecomeABassist]

Thanks David! And totally - the relative minor is a great choice to get some different sounds in there.

[@skiphoffenflaven8004]

Thanks, yeah?!

[@BecomeABassist]

You're welcome, yeah?!

[@hank3266]

Dear Luke. again a very useful exercise. Thanks mate !

[@BecomeABassist]

No worries! Happy you found it useful.

[@karlos_taylor]

Things is I've also seen videos that say you should always start on the root?

[@BecomeABassist]

It all depends on context. If you’re playing a super simple 8th note punk bass line, then if you don’t play the roots, it’s going to sound weird. However, if you take that idea and try to improvise with it (what this video is about), then you’ll end up being kind of predictable and boring.

[@taytaytay871]

Thanks

[@jemeboysarda5575]

WOw..

[@rakai1234]

Thanks👍👍

[@janetarnold5464]

Good video, very helpful. Thank you!

[@BecomeABassist]

Awesome Janet - that's what I like to hear!

[@timsterkhim653]

Best KZbin bass teacher hands down thank you

[@BecomeABassist]

Haha! Thanks so much Timster Khim! I really appreciate that.

[@DanielLizzama]

I enjoy your teaching method Luke.

[@BecomeABassist]

Great to hear Daniel! I really appreciate you watching all the videos!

[@LameCarrot]

Actually, starting off with the 3rd or 5th, will it cause a clash in music if playing in a band setting with singers, etc? Won't it resulted in something like inversion? (I am a guitarist learning to play bass hence am confused by a lot of stuff done in bass playing).

[@BecomeABassist]

@LameCarrot - this is specifically about soloing on bass. You're right that if the bass plays something other than the root in the bass line, it can create an inversion, but those rules don't apply so much in a bass solo.

[@avnersad5560]

@@BecomeABassist what if i play not solo.not the root and not even on exacly when the chord change(but only after every 3'd chord that changes),all in key ofcourse.is that make sense?

[@dennisneo1608]

that C# sounds so dissonant first time.

[@hans-joachimbierwirth4727]

Well, C# should sound dissonant in C. We have either no A7 but Am7 or we are not in C.

[@owmr]

thanks mate! really helpful!

[@BecomeABassist]

Great to hear! Glad you're into it friend.

[@joethorsen6357]

5:36 we are in C please explain

[@foljs5858]

A "key" or "scale" (e.g. C major here), is a series of notes a song is based on (to put it simply). The key of the song determines what notes sound good to play when you play that song, and what chords can go with them. This is in very simple terms, the reality has more nuances, but you can find those out later. E.g. for C major, the notes are C, D, E, F, G, A, B and then the same repeated an octave up. To get a basic understanding of this, you need to watch a video with an intro to music theory. "scales", "keys", the "C major scale" are good keywords to look for.

[@MrBlowncat]

🙌

[@cherdrol]

Very helpful. Thanks!

[@BecomeABassist]

Thanks for checking out the video!

[@Twisted_Haze]

BASS

[@carltongregory3556]

You have just explained this so much better than Mark on Talking Bass Thanks

[@sbhattacharjee3469]

Love your teaching

[@BecomeABassist]

Thanks so much friend - I really appreciate it.

[@sbhattacharjee3469]

How to start with bass I was a guitarist..

[@dansaunders1655]

7:02 *_L I C C_*