Bass Line Techniques
This lesson will introduce some of the popular bass line techniques that can be incorporated into any Blues fingerpicking bass line.
Right Hand Muting
Right hand muting is achieved by lightly resting the butt of the right hand on the bass strings near the bridge of the guitar while picking, producing a slightly muted sound to the bass note. Do not press too heavily on the strings as the note will be completely muted creating a "dead" sound instead.
The next lick uses a right hand mute. A muted note is indicated by the symbol X.
Now an eight bar Blues that employs muting. Note the use of rests in the bass.
Doubling the Bass Line
Doubling the bass line is the playing of two bass notes per beat. The two bass notes are usually played on the first and third parts of a triplet rhythm. This technique is quite difficult at first to get used to. The following example combines a doubling bass line with a relatively simple lick.
Lead-In Bass Notes
Lead-In bass notes can also be incorporated into any bass line. Lead-In bass notes are one or more selected bass notes that are played just before the first root bass note of a new chord change. The chosen bass notes are usually one or two frets before the new root bass note. This is clearly shown in the following example.
The following twelve bar Blues progression uses a doubling bass line and incorporates lead-in bass notes on some chord changes.
Bass Runs
Another interesting way to enhance a Blues fingerpicking solo is to incorporate bass runs. A bass run should be considered as a group of bass notes played in the same way a lick is played on the treble strings. The notes which are chosen to play a bass run are usually based upon the Minor Pentatonic and Blues scales. The location of these notes, for the keys of A and E, can be found by studying the diagrams in Lesson Three and Lesson Five. Bass runs are utilized in the following eight bar Blues progression in the key of E.
The next example combines some relatively simple licks played on the treble strings with a bass line that makes full use of bass runs.
