Making up your own rhythms

Now you need to find some other rhythms to play along with this chord progression. The key is to listen to the drummer, especially to the rhythms being played on the bass drum. You don't have to play exactly what they are playing, but you are going to use that as your guide. You have to do some experimentation and find some rhythm that fit the feel of the song.

The example below follows the bass drum rhythmic pattern.

get crescendo MIDI player

Now try and elaborate on this basic feel. Just jump in and give it a try.

get crescendo MIDI player

Now try the same chord progression, only played in some different styles. Each style will require different rhythms. Listen first, and then try and duplicate the feel of the band.

There are plenty of bass players (with recording contracts, and lots of money) that do not extend the sounds of the instrument beyond just playing the roots of the chords. Don't be one of them. Think of this as the first step and not the whole story.

Page 2, Where to play the roots, and what rhythms to use

Page 1, The basics