The EASIEST walking bass line formula EVER (in under 5 minutes)

[@Praxama]

this is a combo we cant beat, love you both and please never stop grooving and showing us the grooves

[@devinebass]

I'll be a bass nerd for LIFE :)

[@JohnStoffel]

Thank you both. I just jammed out to Autumn Leaves for about an hour. I can’t remember the last time I enjoyed playing bass this much, but I think you just kickstarted something inside of me that’s been dormant for a long long time.

[@IanMartinAllison]

Day maker

[@alecrisser12]

I'm not going to lie, I didn't realize that these two guys are different people until just now. Now that I think of it, I was wondering why the guy switched between a British and American accent.

[@IanMartinAllison]

Incredible 😂

[@tomjez]

They're not different people, it's just AI. Don't be fooled.

[@FunkInTheTrunk]

@@tomjez😂 it all makes sense now

[@KaltOhm]

Ian playing a Pbass, Scott playing a Jbass... the world is not the same anymore...

[@shipsahoy1793]

That actually sounds about right..

[@JAK0449]

Scott has always been à huge jb fan..he explained how pb came very late in his arsenal...like me hé was repulsed At first during years before starting to love Them...so to me,see Him with a jb seems normal...nevertheless im also surprise Ian is on p

[@IanMartinAllison]

WHAT IS HAPPENING?!

[@KaltOhm]

@@IanMartinAllison 😅

[@shipsahoy1793]

@@IanMartinAllison I was thinking the same thing lol 👨🏻

[@alexanderlyon]

LOVE IT! I really appreciate teachers who can break it down into simple chunks of learning. This one video alone could help you do a passable job in most walking bass situations if you only knew the route chords but didn't even know the song that well.

[@IanMartinAllison]

YES! This was a big unlock for me.

[@devinebass]

@@IanMartinAllison Me too ;)

[@philipmatsick9274]

Never understood jazz. Now I think I could give it a shot. Mind blown.

[@IanMartinAllison]

🙏🏼❤️

[@ricinro]

"If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know." ... Louis Armstrong. I guess it is a lifelong journey.

[@chingonbass]

It's just a bunch of dude playing a bunch of notes, it's way over rated.

[@Komatik_]

Walking bass is good stuff in so many ways. It keeps the bass in the background support spot where it needs to be for modern band lineups to make sense, but is more interesting and expressive to play than many other standard support lines, and caters to small flourishes tremendously well.

[@iancombs857]

FINALLY IT MAKES SENSE.

[@edesbalazs]

Sometimes you catch a video, where you have the right amount of context, and it adds just the right amount of new info you need. This was one of those, thanks!

[@demogis]

Ok, after watching Scott's videos for years, this one really hit the right way. I've been playing bass since about '95 - mostly self-taught. This video was the clearest representation of creating walking bass lines I have ever seen. If this is what we should expect in the courses, I am sold. I signed up for the jazz accelerator this morning. I'll report back my impressions after I complete the 15-week series.

[@1DerekMiracle]

Well??

[@aoleksy66]

@@1DerekMiracle I think he didn't make it back alive from the course

[@Terrible_Peril]

so I'm a slacker, but with some ability I don't deserve (turns out it may be a spectrum thing) and this just literally unlocked a whole thing for me. just hearing "chord tone, chord tone, chord tone, chromatic pass, target" was like bbbwhoooshshhhhh universe asplode. ya know? sometimes it just takes hearing an idea framed a certain way and it just jives with the brain and fits right in there matrix style. time to buy that upright bass hahaha

[@IanMartinAllison]

This makes my entire day.

[@devinebass]

Time for me to buy an upright too ;)

[@oskarvonderluhe8]

I joined a jazz band for the first time half a year ago, after playing rock for about 50 years and knowing very little about walking bass. This is a great five-minute summary of what I learned during this time. Very well done!

[@SirsMadamsEntertainment]

I'm a member of scott's bass lessons BUT i also play bass trombone for big bands.. one of my jazz instructors in college had a great phrase when improve or things didn't sound good.. "happiness is only a half-step away"

[@Zuluwhiskey6]

That’s the most beautiful bass I’ve seen Scott play…ever. Tone monster!

[@devinebass]

It's a 1978... the year I was born! :)

[@Mrmikey0909]

@@devinebass I have '78 Jazz too and it's my favourite to play.

[@SteveTheBassGuy]

Jazz really is the key to a deeper understanding of bass and music in general. The pedagogy is already there just needs to be applied to your playing. Always great work Scott!!

[@devinebass]

Cheers, Steve :)

[@book3100]

Yes. Back in the day, they used to hammer you on learning all your arpeggios, i.e. chords. That plus learning the Nashville numbers, you're gold man.

[@3DCGdesign]

this is very advanced. not easy. I love it, but not for a beginner. If you find yourself saying things like "flat third" and "chromatic bass below your target" you are far beyond "easiest". Autumn Leaves (Clapton version) is the first song I learned to play on bass - 20 years as a guitarist).

[@robcorba8893]

as a beginner iam lost

[@thecolourrose9022]

Agreed

[@johnterpack3940]

What are you talking about? They literally explained everything in the most basic beginner language. "Chord tone" is as basic as it gets. And "chromatic" is also a basic term. Even if "chromatic" is unfamiliar, they explicitly said it was a half-step. And if you don't know what "half-step" means, then you are somewhere below beginner. Calling this "very advanced" is absurd. "Flat third" is advanced? What? I don't even play and I understood every bit of this video.

[@3DCGdesign]

@@johnterpack3940 I've taught people guitar lessons, and can tell you, if you understood every bit, then why don't you play? You'd be better than most people that have asked me to teach them. It's easy for me to understand but a beginner would be lost. I've had people that play piano pick up guitar very quickly but people who don't have any music background would be very confused. I'm guessing you've had piano lessons or music lessons of some level. If not, then you are a natural and should definitely get into playing some instruments.

[@johnterpack3940]

@3DCGdesign Anyone watching this video will have some understanding of music. Why else would they be here? And chords are the most basic thing. How could you possibly know what a chord is, but not know what a 3rd and 5th are? These may not be things you learn on day one, but they certainly aren't "very advanced". Odd time signatures, polyrhythms, and syncopation are advanced.

[@oscarlenain7116]

I know you guys live nowhere near each other but this duo thing is SO GOOD. Please do more videos together!

[@devinebass]

Thanks Oscar - we're actually planning on doing WAY more in this style :)

[@brettmarlar4154]

This might be a bit more advanced than the formula given here. But on the V7 chord, I would start on the G and move down a whole step/tone to F (7th), the E (6th but is also the 3rd of C which hints at what chord is next) to the D (5th) which resolves nicely to C or the I chord. Ray Brown did this a lot.

[@ronallen2458]

Hey Scott - Ian is a ray of sunshine. I’m so glad he has been contributing this past year both on SBL and in videos. I love his enthusiasm. I didn’t actually think anyone could be more enthusiastic about music than you are! You guys should do waaay more videos together.

[@pauljsmith2113]

How did I never learn this until now?! Brilliant in its simplicity.

[@thebassist]

Lifetime member on SBL, learning so much groovy stuff each day. Love it 🎸😎

[@enoodle]

WOW thank you this makes practicing arpeggios and chord shapes exciting and inspiring

[@andrewpappas9311]

I remember having to learn that kind of stuff in high school while playing in the jazz band (I was the sole guitarist/bassist in the band), I still remember struggling with the notes at first but the “chord tone, chord tone, chord tone, passing note” is a really great way to think about walking bass lines in general

[@ajdoesbass]

Sometimes the less produced videos are awesome! Love having the mix of the high quality content that is very produced and the stuff like this with much less editing

[@VeitLehmann]

I never thought about it that way, but it's what I do instinctively! You can even spice it up a little more by not targeting the root with the passing note, but maybe the 3rd or 5th. And, of course, you can also walk in steps, especially works well with Autumn Leaves. But that passing note before a chord change, that's something that I'll almost always find myself using.

[@devinebass]

YES... works GREAT on Autumn Leaves!

[@Anteksanteri]

Elliott Smith does this on a lot of his guitar playing. Angeles is a decent example. Another common thing you can repeat on both guitar and bass is "root | oct | fift | passpass" where each bar sign "|" signifies a beat. It's just a way of making a very very common root fift bassline a little bit more interesting and that end specifically is reached instinctively by all of the best fingerstyle guitarists even if they don't know any theory.

[@kane62898]

I did a double take. I’ve waited years to see these guys in the same room!!!

[@RabbiVannL]

More, More, More...like this! Outstanding, Scott.

[@devinebass]

MORE... LOTS MORE on the way, Vann :)

[@thierrypaulltbs]

Thanks for consolidating my bass teaching ! Now i’ve got two internet stars in a youtube clip who says the same as me ! And also you can go from chord tone - chord tone - passing tone - passing tone and even : chord tone - pass - pass - pass, if you want… tell me if i’m wrong

[@marcmistermarc]

This was so easy to understand and really useful to me. 🙏

[@devinebass]

Awesome Marc :)

[@charlesmcgehee3227]

The very first thing I taught myself when I started playing. Very validating presentation! Thanks as always.

[@juannlohan3943]

Wow, it's a "light bulb oe'r the head" moment for me, Scott & Ian!! I'm a beginner and this DOES sound jazzy, so cool! THANKS!!!!!!!!

[@thefool2007]

Brilliant formula. Thanks.

[@kevinskovers]

This is the best, easiest approach to walking bass lines I've ever seen. As always, Scott brings it in!

[@yigitcengil2465]

Omg they are actually different people!!

[@alexandergreiner8838]

At the very first glance, I didn´t realize who is who.... But: I didn´t know "the formula" although i´m playin´ Bass for other 30 years. Thank you for that "lesson" ! Brilliant!

[@bugsunplugged]

Tip taken from a different YT bass channel: If the next chord is major - use the chromatic passing note BELOW the chord. If the next target chord is minor - use the chromatic passing note ABOVE the chord. BOTH approaches work, but this sounds (to my ears) a little better in context.

[@rizz_razzle_boi369]

In 5 minutes you broke down walking bass lines better than some people do in 30 minutes!!!

[@IanMartinAllison]

THANK U

[@gwawd]

Wow! Very simple and useful. Thank you!

[@emilywallacehandwovendesigns]

Thank you for explaining this in such a simple and accessible way!

[@mrbungle7586]

Thanks Wonder Twins. 👍

[@SlimShady-nv4mq]

Thanks a lot, Scott and Ian! This video was really helpful!

[@camoswald6752]

I'm still advocating for Ian to be put in the intro sequence

[@SigmaChirality]

Great teaching combo, learned a lot.

[@absoluteai41]

This formula just made it click for me. Thank you!

[@JimmyTanglesRecordingCo.]

FIRE 🔥 LESSON!! WISH I HAD THIS YEARS AGO, REALLY HELPS UNLOCK THINGS! THANK YOU BOTH 🙏🏾

[@corentinmeury3902]

Thanks guys ! Very useful lesson

[@lmartinho]

I saw the light with this video. Thank you so much 🙏

[@Froi97Freixo]

We LOVE this couple bro

[@astrog7361]

wow, such a helpful video! Thanks!

[@devinebass]

Glad it was helpful!

[@RobKandell]

Good lesson. Thank you.

[@eddiefisher2498]

Great vid and tech though u guys work great together

[@justynfogarty6209]

wow it is soooo cool seeing ian and scott in the same room!!!! also funny how ian is on a P and scott is on a J haha!

[@taynehenry6924]

The two Bros together at last on the same KZbin screen. More please! Love all this content you're doing recently, it's really inspiring. Props to Ian too with that P-bass :)

[@analogpro7]

Never thought of a chromatic prior to chord change. No idea why but thanks so much!!

[@nicolasrichard6300]

Excellent guys !

[@mattthegreeter9074]

Great lesson guys, thanks! Ian was my gateway into this channel. I saw his Imposter Syndrome spiel that hit me straight in the guts and then he demoed on Instagram the Way Huge Electronics Atreides, which has now become a solid part of my setup... That was a one-two punch and I've been coming back ever since! Keep up the great work fellas!

[@IanMartinAllison]

Cheers Matt 🙏🏼

[@devinebass]

@@IanMartinAllison YES... awesome, Matt :)

[@gsimongear]

Great content, thanks so much! The amount of fun you guys have when learning and teaching music is contagious - it gets me excited to go grab my bass!

[@ricinro]

very helpful and makes great sense! I guess considerations to keep intervals small or spread out depends on if the walking bass is more melodic, as if in a solo, or harmonic to contrast with with the melody.

[@devinebass]

Exactly!

[@RossCampoli]

They’re bass brothers down to the matching glasses

[@songoflovemetalofficial]

thanks this is what i needed to play jazz improvisation

[@BlondeVoyage12]

Nice green screen/CGI effect there Scott. The other you with American accent looks so realistic.

[@j.rhodes1025]

Thank you guys!

[@devinebass]

Thank you for watching!

[@Alexander-oh8ry]

What about a non-chord note on beat 2 and things like 6ths or 7ths on beat 3? What about line clichees? This video is a stable way to start, but there are more things one can do. Also, I wonder if a chord switch on a weak beat "counts" as a strong or weak beat in terms of what notes to play on it. And how do rules change for chords longer than 4 beats or in 3/4 for example?

[@betterbaggage]

This makes perfect sense to this square classical guy. Love it. Thanks.

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@LuckyJack99]

Love it as always mates ! 🤙

[@johnhood7098]

Beautiful!

[@gustavohman5811]

Nice. What's your goto formula when there are two (or more) bars of the same chord in the progression? How do you make those interesting?

[@IanMartinAllison]

Great question. Try mixing up the order of the chord tones you play and once you have your arpeggios locked down, incorporate the seventh degree as well!

[@gustavohman5811]

@@IanMartinAllison Thanks for the reply. The challenge (imho) is making it not sound like a blues line.

[@Kahann0]

walk linear (no big interval jumps) in just the scale of the chord, e.g. a dmin for 2 bars (doesnt matter in which key) you walk a dmin scale and hit chord tones on the strong beats. just one way ofc :)

[@rubbadubdub6543]

I’ve been playing guitar and bass for nearly 40 years and I still don’t understand music theory. No matter how I try, my brain just doesn’t work fast enough to relate the numbers and/or letters to the actual playing experience. It takes me about 2 minutes to work out the 1, 3 and 5 notes in a key. Any hints and tips gratefully received.

[@recursiv]

Really no substitute for just doing it over and over until you can do it fast. It's like learning a multiplication table.

[@daryllcornier4509]

This is brilliant ❤

[@devinebass]

Cheers!

[@twinsmm1]

Cool! Great lesson.

[@zubrhero5270]

Man, I love American Scott and English Scott! Man, I love English Ian and American Ian! (Delete as appropriate)

[@chrisreynolds3204]

These guys are great!

[@sean6749]

this shit changes the game

[@devinebass]

🧡🧡🧡

[@gernblenstein1541]

Brilliant.

[@JP-jy7sk]

Curious about the right hand glove?

[@robertmansell3667]

The Bass Brothers do it again! So simple right.

[@damienscanlon5585]

I know that you all like using A major with this combo. But shouldn’t it be A minor if it’s the 6th of C major?

[@davidgiloliva6463]

It's a substitution. A7 is the 5th of D so it puts a motion to Dmin. For example, if you use G7, it will naturally go to C (major or minor). The same with any dominant 7th chord.

[@Pocoloco415]

What a wonderful way of looking at walking bass. Can we talk about two chords per measure now?

[@BassDad77]

IMA repping Montana. Nice!

[@IanMartinAllison]

Born and raised!

[@derekblake8782]

Great lesson gents!

[@slawaschwed]

Supreme education ❤

[@imanimason5858]

GREAT VIDEO!!!!

[@bafoolagan4273]

3:47 the sigh of joy when I realized I understood

[@Jlightrappin]

ty so much

[@ravifkhan1970]

AMAZING

[@greedygringoprospecting6941]

major you can use major or dominant ,minor use minor. as long as you have no bad notes.

[@RobertWadlow292]

I like the walking bass line in Steely Dan's Bodhisattva. Maybe you'll do a video on that

[@joeywho534]

Keep the cymbals splashy and let’s that bass line for a walk.

[@tailsfox45]

You guys are so cute together, you seem like you're really vibing

[@Teakeett]

He, that's the bass I have also! Nice Marcus Miller Sound.

[@TheStarlitfuse]

Someone tell me is the 5th a chord tone? Because I saw a vid saying it isn't

[@vinayr535]

Totally digging how you guys have swapped your accents.

[@devinebass]

🤣🤣🤣

[@solo624]

Crazy how close you both look alike

[@barttylugo3053]

Appreciate the sesame street delivery.

[@mr.bluenotedoobop]

That jazz bass 🤤🤤🤤🤤

[@Mrpsblobsoflowendmung]

The brothers bass 😂😂🤣

[@Mitsch76]

Eeeem....isn't it Scott-> PBass and Ian->JazzBass??? Switched basses, he? ;-)

[@dadachase]

Skip to 1:00.

[@stefanolai508]

I want the same truck cap!!!!

[@devinebass]

💛💛💛

[@chickenlickin3820]

Is it the focal dystonia glove Scott?

[@chickenlickin3820]

i just looked at your video about your focal dystonia in 2016, i am suprised i still remember that far ago lol.

[@natty7412]

yes, he's still using it because his condition