How To Solo Over Chord Changes On Bass With Bulletproof Confidence [Guide Tone Method]

►► FREE: Get the tabs, notation and practice tracks for all the exercises and guide tone lines in this lesson → becomeabassist.com/how-to-imp...
Today’s bass lesson is all about how to solo over chord changes; how to improvise on bass in a way that you’re outlining the changes. Do this right, and the chords will just ‘pop out’ at you.
You know as a kid, I freakin’ LOVED Pink Floyd. I mean, I still do - but 14-year-old Luke was super into the Floyd, but there was one song that I loved more than any other.
Comfortably Numb
Man - I couldn’t get enough of that song. I listened to it on repeat for months! I remember trying to download live videos of the song on my 2003 dial-up internet and leaving it running overnight, and even then it would take multiple days until I could finally watch it.
Every time I listened to nearly any version of the song, every hair on my body stood up on end. And there was no place this happened more than in David Gilmour’s first guitar solo of the track.
Something about it just captured my attention - the way his solo just seemed to ‘fit’ with everything else that was going on in the song mesmerized me. It also wasn’t a total shred-fest like a lot of other guitarists I was listening to at the time.
There was a precision about every note that just felt incredible, and at the time, I didn’t know why. I didn’t figure it out until years later when I actually looked at what he was playing in his solo and how it related to the chords he was playing over.
Instead of picking the pentatonic of the key and going to shred-town like so many other guitarists, David Gilmour was actually outlining the chords of the song he was playing over.
If there was a D chord, he’d play the notes of a D-chord in his solo. When it changed to an A-chord, he’d switch up what he was doing to match. And of course he was playing with incredible time, tone and feel.
This was so different to the ‘pick-one-pentatonic-and-shred-it-to-death’ approach I was so used to hearing (and trying to play myself), and it seemed so obvious after I realized what was going on.
Of course playing the notes of the chords is going to work! I just hadn’t thought of it.
Today though, I want to show you how you can use this idea of outlining chords to create beautiful, melodic bass solos or even entire melodies - almost like David Gilmour.
You’ll learn:
→ What exactly ‘guide tones’ are and how to find them
→ How to use guide tone lines to create solos where you’re always hitting the butter notes
→ Why knowing your guide tones is almost like having Google Maps for your bass solos
Now I move pretty fast in the video, so if you want the tabs and notation for all the guide tone lines I talk about in the video, plus the actual backing track I’m using, make sure to head here:
becomeabassist.com/how-to-imp...
Just fill out the form on that page, and I’ll send you everything I used in this video 100% free. You can use it all to start making your own bass solos that are not only incredibly melodic, but where the chords just pop out at you.
Good luck with the lesson and happy playing!
Cheers,
Luke
P.S. Make sure to download the tabs, notation and backing track from the lesson right here:
becomeabassist.com/how-to-imp...
It’s totally free.

[@PeeMc96]

Great as always! I love how you don't hide your mistakes. Makes me feel better knowing even the pro players sometime make mistakes.

[@BecomeABassist]

Haha! I'm definitely far from perfect.

[@WardDickens]

Excellent! This is something I'v e been wondering about, that is how bassist find something without using the roots every time.

[@BecomeABassist]

This will definitely help with that Ward. I also have a video specifically about 'avoiding' the roots and getting beyond them that you might find helpful: kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKTUdIZ6ra-ImbM

[@beefnochicken]

This is a game changer for me. I've plateaued until this little revelation. Thanks, Kp

[@radiearnaldo142]

Thanks luke. I subscribed to your BAB a long time ago and slept on my bass for quite some time. Now im catching up on all the lessons

[@BecomeABassist]

Well welcome back! Hope you find what you're looking for in the lessons!

[@josephsumner6287]

These videos really have me wanting to pick up my bass again.

[@rossfinazzo]

This is exactly what I am working on, building confidence over the bass neck on spotting guide tones over jazz tracks. I am focusing on thirds only for a while with low metronome and playing tunes over all keys, will move to seventh when I'll feel more comfortable.

[@Shane_Keating]

Thank you! Subscribed and turned on the notification bell. I have learnt 11 bass lines today because of lukes videos.

[@MainishWolf]

I appreciate this channel. This video gets straight to the point.

[@russianbear6384]

Really appreciate how you leave in the small errors

[@scottyshepardthesmoothdeep3081]

Awesome stuff brother 💙 😎 I love it

[@waynejedynak9443]

Thanks Luke! Most helpful.

[@robinkoutakis7020]

Great lesson!

[@johndeal1624]

Thanks Luke! This gives me much to think about.

[@BecomeABassist]

Awesome to hear John! Hope it helps!

[@445lancaster]

Thanks, Luke. That was very informative and helpful.

[@BecomeABassist]

Glad you got something out of it Jim!

[@darrenbanton8929]

Nice mate!

[@DanielLizzama]

You will be always the best Luke.

[@BecomeABassist]

You're too kind Daniel!

[@ChuckLazer]

Nice Lesson, Luke. Good stuff.

[@BecomeABassist]

Thanks so much Chuck! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jeanguerrier6459]

Thank you

[@alfredoprochnik7014]

Thanks Luke! Really helpful.

[@BecomeABassist]

That's great to hear Alfredo. Thanks for watching.

[@MD-jt8dj]

Thanks Luke!

[@BecomeABassist]

You're welcome Marcus!

[@michaelbrendzel7018]

Very informative and well layed out. If I'm understanding correctly, it requires one memorize: (1) notes in the key/scale/mode, (2) quadads for each note in the scale. I doubt I could remember all that. Even less likely that I could recall it quickly enough while playing. Is there a good way to "map" this (e.g., relative fret positions), that might also be able to be transposed?

[@pastushi2883]

Well I was asking myself the same, wish he would 've replied to this one...

[@ojkerty3110]

Thanks Luke

[@BecomeABassist]

You're welcome OJ!

[@maks886]

Bass maps to me: TURN AROUND NOW!

[@simplybass70]

Great info ,cool shirt

[@BecomeABassist]

Haha! Nintendo for life!

[@rajievetanck1831]

great as always. couldnt find backing track.

[@BecomeABassist]

It gets sent in the email when you sign up on the site Rajieve along with the PDF of the exercises.

[@khayree]

👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾

[@dennisb_9549]

Why is the seventh of Bbmaj7 an A and not Ab/G# and the seventh of Ebmaj7 a D and not Db/C#?

[@BecomeABassist]

It's because they are Major 7 chords, so they need to have the major 7th. Ab is the minor 7th above Bb and Db is the minor 7th above Eb and if you used those notes over those major chords, you'd end up with dominant 7 chords instead of major 7 chords. I've got a video about all that stuff right here: becomeabassist.com/advanced-chord-symbols/

[@michaelstewart3328]

Luke....you're looking a wee bit scruffy LOL

[@BecomeABassist]

I'm definitely rocking my quarantine haircut these days. Haha!