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Bass Line Creation
The 1 b7 6 5 Bass Line Pattern - Part 1
Guest teacher series

The 1 b7 6 5 Bass Line Pattern
Part One
By Ed Mikesell
Timescape Therapeutic Massage

Building a solid bass line is a lot like building a house.  A band is only as strong as the foundation the bassist creates for it. In this lesson I'm going to show you a common bass line used in the blues and rock that centers on the Dom 7th sound.  This sound is related to the Mixolydian mode. You can think of it as a major scale with the 7th scale degree lowered one fret.

Major Scale

Major Scale

Major Scale, Lowering the 7th Degree
Major Scale - lowing the 7th degree

Mixolydian Mode

Mixolydian Mode

 

The line is built on the 1 b7 6 5 and played in the key of A.

Bass Line Scale Functions

Bass Line Note Names

The 1 b7 6 5 Bass Line Pattern - Part One
Video Bass Lesson