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Home Guitar Technique Walking Bass Notes

Walking Bass Notes

January 17, 2012 By jeanw 6 Comments

Walking Bass NotesWalking Bass Notes

A common technique used to write songs is with using walking bass notes. It’s a style of writing music for literally hundreds of years. I think of the very famous Pachelbel’s Canon in D that dates back to the Baroque period in the 1700’s. Pachelbel uses a repeating descending bass line throughout the piece.

‘As A Deer’ is a well known worship song that uses a descending bass line in much of the song. There are several ways to write and make song arrangements. In the video below you can learn the walking bass notes for a number of different keys. I’ve filmed a 6 minute lesson for you. This is also in one of the Video Newsletters but I thought it might be easier to find on the website to have the lesson stand on it’s own, too. The video shows some walking bass notes in major keys, but it also works for minor keys.

If you would like to learn and apply many ways to write songs, you might enjoy our Guitar Music Theory course. I hope you enjoy the lesson. If you would like to learn more about Finger Picking, check out our Mastering Finger Picking course.

The Walking Bass Note Video

Filed Under: Guitar Technique, Music Theory

Comments

  1. SERIT says

    May 16, 2014 at 10:52 pm

    One to learning gutter for own playing at our church.

    Reply
    • jeanw says

      May 17, 2014 at 4:47 am

      That’s fantastic Serit. That’s a wonderful goal.

      Reply
  2. Don Roberts says

    May 17, 2014 at 3:05 am

    Hi Jean,
    When you are playing a progression in walking bass notes: C C/B Am7 Am7/G F F/E Dm7 G7 C,
    What is your picking sequence on the bottom strings with the index, middle, and ring finger?
    Is it index picks g, middle picks b, ring picks little e?

    Thanks,
    Don

    Reply
    • jeanw says

      May 17, 2014 at 4:46 am

      Yes. That’s it exactly… index on the 3rd string, middle on the 2nd string and ring finger on the 1st string.

      Reply
  3. T2Rudi says

    May 18, 2014 at 7:07 pm

    Hi Jean,
    The walking Bass Notes.
    This will really help me in my worship music ministry.

    Thank You,
    T2Rudi

    Reply
  4. Jim Cochell says

    February 23, 2016 at 4:22 pm

    Thanks for the directions in playing these patterns. This series of notes and chords are very useful especially when getting familiar with the guitar.

    Reply

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