A simple way to learn
How To Write And Read Music For The Bass
Writing bass notes is very easy. Above are a lot of symbols which are used in writing ANY kind of music. Symbols which I indicated were most important for you to first learn were the Bass Clef, the quarter note, the half note and the whole note. Also the staff, the five lines and spaces on which the notes and Bass Clef are to be placed.
What are these things?
Definition: stave: the lines upon which notes are written.
Definition: staff: the five lines, with the spaces between them, upon which notes are written.
Definition: Bass Clef: a symbol set at the head of the staff to fix the pitch or position of one note, and thus of the rest of the notes. The F clef. Fixes the position of the note, F, on the fourth line from the bottom or the second line from the top of the staff.
Definition: quarter note: a note equal to one quarter of the duration of a whole note. In many common meters, 4/4, 3/4, 2/4, the quarter note is the unit of the measure.
Definition: half note: a note equal to one half the time value of a whole note.
Definition: whole note: in common (4/4) time, a note held for four beats.
Add to this list,
Definition: eighth note: a note equal to one half the duration of a quarter note.
Definition: sixteenth note: a note with one half the time value of an eighth note.
Definition: rest: an interval of silence between two notes.
Definition: dotted notes: a dot after a note (or rest) prolongs its time value by half: i.e., a dotted half note is equal in duration to a half note plus a quarter note. A dotted quarter note is equal in time value to a quarter note plus an eighth note.
Definition: tie: a curved line joining two notes of like pitch that are to be sounded as one note equal to their united time value.
Definition: slur: a curved line under or over two or more notes, signifying that they are to be played 'legato' or in a smooth and connected manner with no break between the notes. They needn't be of like pitch and there can be more than two notes.
Definition: key signature: the chromatic sign or signs (sharps or flats) placed on the staff at the beginning of a piece after the time signature.
Definition: time signature: the figures or numbers which are placed on the staff at the beginning of a piece which indicate the measure. 3/4 means three quarter notes per measure. 4/4 means four quarter notes per measure. 9/8 means nine eighth notes per measure.
Definition: measure: one of the groups of tones (notes) or accents included between any two primary accents or beats, between two sequential short vertical lines crossing the five parallel lines (the staff) on which notes are written.
Five blank measures with a Bass Clef and a time signature at the beginning of the first measure.
Definition: sharp: the sign # means 'sharp' or one note or half-step higher.
Definition: flat: the sign, 'b,' means 'flat' or one note or half-step lower.
Definition: natural: neither sharp nor flat. That state to which a note reverts after it has individually been designated in the body of the piece as sharp or flat. For example, a note which has been played natural (neither sharp nor flat) up to that moment in the piece, and is then designated sharp or flat (# or b), reverts back to its 'natural' state the next time a 'natural' sign is displayed with that note. This is different from notes played sharp or flat for the entire piece as designated by the key signature in the beginning of the piece. Also, notes which are designated to be played sharp or flat by the key signature can conversely be designated as 'natural' for a time.
Symbols
Most of the notes which can be played on your Bass are shown in this diagram:
G ________________________________ 0__2__4__5__7_ 9_10__12________
D _______________________0__2__3__ 5__7_ 9_ 10_12 14 15____________
A ______________0__ 2__3__5_ 7__8_ 10_12 14_ 15____________________
E _______0_1_ 3_ 5__7__8_10 12__13_15_____________________________
~~~~~ E F~G~A~B~C~D~E~ F~ G~A~B~C~D~E~F~G~~~~~
Many of these notes can be played in several positions or at several frets on your fretboard. They can be played at these positions as shown in Tab, above.
Bassically (intentional misspelling), since you know how to count time either by your internal feelings of time or by tapping your foot, you already understand the ideas of half notes. Whole notes are just a multiple of half notes (2x). Quarter notes and eighth notes are just fractions of half notes. A half note takes twice as long (duration) as a quarter note. An eighth note is half as long (in time) as a quarter note. Rests follow the same mathematical ratios.
In front of the staff is the Bass Clef symbol and the time signature. The time signature need only be written once and fixes the key until it (may) change later in the piece. Let's say, 4/4, four quarter notes per measure. Then you write on the correct line or space between each line the bass notes you want to play or have someone else play, let's say for the first measure, the notes C, E and G, the three notes of a C major chord which you can play as a three note chord-based bass note sequence. Let's also say that the fourth note is no note at all which you can indicate by a quarter note rest.
PRINT OUT A FEW PAGES OF BLANK STAFFS. Write a Bass Clef sign at the beginning of each staff and a time signature right after the Bass Clef on the first staff. As an exercise, using a soft pencil, write on some of these staffs the notes for each of the chords in the section on harmonization, Cmaj, Dmin, Emin, Fmaj, Gmaj, Amin, Bdim and finally, again, Cmaj. This would be eight measures, 4/4 time, with each fourth note being a quarter note rest. Write the three notes of the first measure and then the vertical line which divides the measures. Then write the notes in the second measure. Write a measure at a time. Measures can look unequal in length. Play what you've written by looking at the staffs, notes and rests and playing them on your Bass. For variety, change the measures around randomly.
If you can do this you're well on your way to both reading and writing Bass music.
A day later, do a similar exercise but substitute some half notes for some sets of two quarter notes. For instance in the first measure play C, E and G but make the E note a half note (twice the duration of the quarter notes) and have no rest in the measure. Rewrite all the measures on some new staffs. Play them by looking at (sight reading) the notes on the staffs.
Mix it up. Play a quarter note, a half note, two eighth notes and no rests. Using your eraser change them on the staffs or rewrite them on new staffs. Play them by sight reading them.
Note: every measure must in total account for four quarter notes, in a 4/4 time signature, regardless of how they're broken up. For example, four quarter notes (or) a half note, a quarter note and two eighth notes (or) three quarter notes and a quarter note rest . . . fractions - get the idea?
Pick a chord progression, say, a I IV V or a ii V I (or one of your favorites), each chord-based bass note sequence getting one or two measures, and play around with that for five minutes using mixes of quarter, half and eighth notes with rests of your choice. These notes and rests will be the most common ones that you'll use a lot of the time. Write your notes and rests out on some new staffs. Play them again by sight reading them.
Try including some whole notes and some sixteenth notes (which are pretty fast) and changing your rests appropriately. Write your new notes and rests on some new staffs. Play them by sight reading. Write and play.
Try writing some quarter note rests and some half note rests and then some bass notes around them. Write out your new Bass line on a new staff. Play it by sight reading. Write and play.
Try writing some eighth note rests and then some bass notes around them. Write out the new lines, etc. . .
By this time you'll begin to see some patterns which, by repeating them, will begin to look like rhythms. See 'Rhythm,' below.
When you get this far you have understood the basics of writing and sight reading Bass music. At this point you can go to any of the articles or columns in the Bass magazines and sight read and play the Bass parts which are given as examples.
These magazines are: "Bass Player" (bassplayer@musicplayer.com), "Bass Guitar Magazine" (bassguitarmagazine.com), "Bassics" (bassics.com), "Guitar World's ________" (guitarworld.com), "Double Bassist" (doublebassist.com).
Although I have used the word, 'Rhythm,' many times up to this point in this manual I have not tried to explain it in a definitive way until now because it was first necessary to give you an understanding of the musical elements which are part of it. Many of these elements, the combinations and sum of which form the greater concept of rhythm have been carefully defined in previous 'Days' in order to give you the building blocks to more fully comprehend a greater musical structure. Others like 'measure,' 'whole note,' 'tone group' and 'time values' are explained for the first time.
The following definitions, all related to rhythm are difficult to comprehend as a group. You must try, though, because rhythm is the basis for all music. So, please, read and re-read them as a group. Over and over. Reflect back and forth between each of the definitions and relate each of the terms to the other terms. This group of terms forms a larger concept, the concept of rhythm which is a major key (pun intended) to understanding what music really is. It implies history and concrete mathematics as well as the musical body language of 'flow,' and drums, chords (groups of tones) and scales ((related) pitches). When you deeply understand this little group of ideas you will comprehend the essence of music.
Rhythm is about the subdivisions within the beat and the time values or durations of notes and rests. The definitions below are the musical tools which are used to create rhythms.
Definition: rhythm: cadence.
Definition: cadence: the repetitive rise and fall of sound. The repetitive emphasis of one sound among several.
Definition : rhythm: Greek for 'flow.' In literature, rhythm refers to the pattern of sound established in either prose or verse through pauses and stressed and unstressed syllables. In music it's the measured or accented movement of similar tone-groups; that is, the effect produced by the regulated and systematic grouping of tones both in their accentuation and in their succession as equal or unequal in time value. A rhythm is, therefore, a tone-group serving as a pattern for succeeding identical groups. Your bass tones are part of that group.
Rhythm is the measured and regulated tempo of groups of tones, 'tone-groups,' whose individual components are accentuated or not according to some scheme of equal and unequal durations (time values).
Definition: measure: a group of accents included between any two primary or heavy accents or beats. A measure is sometimes called a bar.
Definition: accent: a stress or added emphasis given to a tone. In Rock accents are emphasized and reinforced by the drummer but YOU can do the same. This is one of the reasons why Bass Players and Drummers often work together, to create and reinforce accents.
Definition: tone: a musical sound of definite pitch.
Definition: pitch: the highness or lowness of a sound.
Definition: beat: a movement of the hand (or foot) in marking ("beating") time (clock time) (as would a Conductor or Blues Musician).
Definition: time: the division of the measure into equal fractional parts of a whole note, thus regulating the accents and rhythmic flow of music.
Definition: regulate: to control; to adjust by rule or custom in the interests of order or discipline. Sounds like something to rebel against but in music, it's not. Maybe Rock musicians substitute one type of order for another? One more to their liking?
Definition: whole note: a note (tone) held for four beats (duration).
Definition: movement: tempo.
Definition: tempo: rate of speed; movement.
Definition: tone group: a group of tones.
Definition: time value: the length or duration of time (clock time) that a given note is held.
Definition: duration: the length of a sound (in clock time).
Definition: system: anything formed of parts placed together to make a regular and connected whole working as if one machine (e.g. a system of pulleys, the solar system): the body functioning as one whole: a set of organs that together perform a particular function (e.g. digestive system): the universe. A customary plan, method of procedure. Systematic: pertaining to, or consisting of, system: formed or done according to system.
Music is a system. Of feeling and thought.
A Bass Player creates rhythm using the time values of his or her notes and rests.
You, the Bass Player, a Musician, create rhythm with your knowledge of time division.
WHY did I want you to learn to write and read bass music? So you could compose Bass material on the blank Bass staffs of the lead sheets of songs that I've written for you to use as exercises in writing music for the Bass.
Go to the Lead Sheets section, pick a song and print it out. Apply your new abilities to composing Bass lines for entire songs by writing on the blank bass staffs the chord-based bass note sequences of the notes found in the chords written above the melody (Treble Clef) measures. Then muck about with your notes by adding connecting notes in the scale or out of it (put the sharp (#) or the flat (b) sign in front of them if necessary and also use the 'natural' sign). Vary the quarter notes with eighth notes and half notes and rests of various durations until you get bass lines that you like. Erase the notes and rests that you've changed and write in the new ones. This is where the fun is! And this is how you compose for the bass.
Definition: Treble Clef: a symbol set at the head of the staff to fix the position of the G note and thus of the rest of the notes on the staff. Also called the G Clef. Fixes the note G on the second line from the bottom of the staff, one line higher than in the Bass Clef. Usually music in Treble Clefs sounds at least an octave higher than the notes in Bass Clefs.
It would help to have someone play the chords in a rhythm while you play around locating bass notes and rests which sound best but if you don't have some one to do that you can at least compose in the abstract by writing on the blank staffs the notes and rests that you think would be appropriate. You can check out your compositions when you get together with other musicians.
Composition or composing is a very detailed, time consuming practice and not everyone has the patience and concentration for it. However, doing the few exercises above can teach you to sight read which can be a critical skill if you want to do studio work or freelance work AND if you want to make use of all the information available to you in the Bass magazines (which are a lifelong source of learning because new articles are published every month).
Why not just use Tab? Because Tab is very limited. Tab can't display the interplay of harmonies and melodies and rhythms which are easily apparent once you get the hang of writing and reading Bass music. You will begin to see the relationships with the other music on the page, with Treble Clef notes where melodies and harmonies are written. There are other clefs, too, which are similarly written, for voices and other instruments . Even if you never become a composer this is one of the places where the glory of music is revealed! You can not help but become more deeply influenced and knowledgeable by gaining an appreciation of and insight into written music.
Other Keys
Other keys are denoted by adding sharp signs or flat signs just to the right of the Bass Clef symbol and time signature. They tell the sight reader to play all those notes as sharps or flats. For example:
Key of Gmaj has one sharp, the note F#
All F notes are to be played as sharps
Key of Emaj has 4 sharps, the notes F#, G#, C# and D#
All these notes are to be played as sharps
Key of Bbmaj has 2 flats, the notes Bb and Eb
All these notes are to be played as flats
A lot of written music is presented in the key of C which has no sharps or flats. This makes writing easier and faster. Sight reading, too. The key of the piece is left to the musicians to transpose to whatever key they choose.
Use your Pocket Dictionary of Musical Terms to learn the meanings of any additional symbols. . . . . to learn the meanings of any additional symbols. . . . . to learn the meanings of any additional symbols.
Circle of Fifths (and Fourths) and a great warm-up exercise !
Below is a diagram of the Circle of Fifths.
You can use this as a reference for the numbers of sharps and flats in different keys as well as which notes to sharp or flat. Also, it's a good exercise device: play the full (seven tone) scales or the pentatonic (five tone) scales, major and minor, of each slice of the pie in sequence going around the circle. First travel clockwise (for the Circle of Fifths) and then counter clockwise (for the Circle of Fourths) starting with the twelve o'clock position. Use all your knowledge including your understanding of inversions to keep your notes as low as possible for the most part. Play all over the neck and jump octaves, higher or lower, whenever you feel like it. Use connecting notes. Use your fingering techniques! This exercise will lead you to discoveries of new ideas for bass lines!
For example, the notes and positions of a Cmaj pentatonic scale would be: C, D, E, G and A, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. Then the notes and positions of a Gmaj pentatonic scale would be: G, A, B, D and E, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 6. And so forth around the Circle.
Using the full (seven tone) scales, the notes and positions of a Cmaj scale would be: C, D, E, F, G, A and B, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 ,6 and 7. Then the notes and positions of the Gmaj scale would be: G, A, B, C, D, E and F#, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7. And so forth around the Circle.
Using the inner Circle of minor keys, the notes and positions of a Cmin pentatonic scale would be: C, Eb, F, G and Bb, 1, b3, 4, 5 and b7. Then the notes and positions of the Gmin pentatonic scale would be: G, B, C, D and F, 1, b3, 4, 5 and b7. And so forth around the inner Circle.
You can see which notes are sharped or flatted (for the key or scale to which you're referring) by looking at the magic Circle. For example, Cmin is shown in the inner Circle as the relative minor of Eb maj and the notes that are flatted in the Cmin scale are Eb, Ab and Bb.
As an abstract exercise you could WRITE OUT the bass note sequences of the full (seven tone) scales or the pentatonic (five tone) scales, major and minor, as you go around the circle of keys. Change the key signature at the beginning of every second measure. When you're done writing out the twenty four measures, play them by sight reading. If you can do this you're a musical genius! F U CN DO THS U CN GT A GD JB!
After examining this magic Circle you can see why Musicians write mainly in select keys, usually C, F, G or Bb and their relative minor keys, Am, Dm, Em and Gm - to avoid the keys with tons of sharps or flats in them.
