Is is OK if the notes in the bass line don't match the chord progression?

This Saturday I'll be leading a group of experienced players in an all-day structured jam session. The goal is not to learn a bunch of new tunes. The goal is to practice a bunch of cool back up ideas.

We'll be focusing on chord progressions and experimenting with different rhythms.  Single notes, root arpeggios, open chords, compact patterns, drones, boom-chucks, down beats, off beats, snippets of harmony ... we intend to try it all! But right now I've got bass lines on my mind.

There are four basic ways for a bass line and a melody line to interrelate:

• contrary motion - movement in opposite directions
• parallel motion - movement in same direction and at same interval, e.g. parallel thirds or sixths
• similar motion - movement in same direction but at different intervals
• oblique motion - one line (usually the bass) sits on the same note while the other (the melody) moves up or down. Think 'drone'.

Bass lines are fun to play and add pizazz to a piece of music. They suggest movement, giving direction to a tune. There are a variety of ways to go about establishing a bass line, but the idea often intimidates players who are new to arranging and playing backup. Here's an easy way to get started:

• Know the key of the tune
• Play a descending scale that starts and ends on the root of the key.
• Believe it ... this works in a lot of tunes!

For example, consider the standard fiddle tune, "Whiskey Before Breakfast". It's typically played in the key of D. Try this in the last four measures of the B part. Go to the lowest D scale on your instrument. While someone else is playing the melody line, you play the D scale backwards ... | D - C# - | B - A - | G - F# | E - D - | ...single notes on beats 1 and 3. Notice the notes of the bass line are exactly the same as the notes of the melody line on beats 1 and 3. (You should be playing the bass line an octave below the melody.) This is a type of parallel motion. Two lines moving together on a unison note creates a powerful sound ... most effective in small doses.

This idea often works throughout an entire A or B part of a fiddle tune. In fact, it will work throughout the entire B part of Whiskey Before Breakfast. Go ahead. Give it a try! (Hint: You'll be playing that backwards D scale twice.)

Now, I know somebody out there will be paying attention and will notice that when you apply this idea to a larger portion of a tune the notes in the bassline do not always jibe with the notes suggested by the chord progression. Yes, it's true. Sometimes a bass line will contain notes that don’t actually belong in the chord progression. It's an accepted exception. The bass line takes precedence. Those odd notes will have some relation to the chords!

So, the answer to the question is 'yes' ... it's ok if the bass line doesn't exactly 'fit' the chord progression. Go ahead ... experiment. Know the key. Start somewhere and MOVE, even for a few notes. Trust your ear. Have fun!

CTO ... Finale NotePad, Your FREE introduction to musical notation software

Many of my students are beginning to apply their own ideas to tune arrangements. Yippee! That means I'm doing my job! But once a person starts having ideas, the challenge becomes how to remember those ideas. There are several approaches. Pick one that works best for you!

• Record yourself using one of many available recording devices.
• Develop a personal type of short-hand to describe ideas in a way that jogs your memory.  Keep a notebook of ideas, or write the notes directly onto printed music sheets from which you've learned the basic tune.
• Write out your musical ideas by hand using blank music staff paper.
• Write out your ideas using computer software designed especially for notating music, i.e. word-processing for music.

Of course, there are many products out there. Research them for yourself. Personally, I got started many years ago with the free Finale NotePad. While the free version does have its limitations, I have to say it has served me well. I can't imagine teaching without it! Recently, I upgraded to Finale PrintMusic. It has way more bells and whistles, and allows me more control in formatting the page.

I've always printed out copies of sheet music as needed, but more and more I'm finding the need to make files available to my students through email and the web. This year I'll be encouraging my students to download the free version of NotePad so I can easily share my sheet music files via the internet. And BONUS ... with an electronic file, not only can you read the music, but NotePad will play the music back to you with high-quality sound.

Check This Out ... Download Finale NotePad today. It's your FREE introduction to musical notation software. Discover how easy it is to put your musical ideas into print, to hear your ideas played back, and to share written music with your friends ... and with your teacher!

Silence as Technique in Music

One of the challenges and creative thrills in playing the hammered dulcimer is coming up with your own arrangements. If anyone had told me 15 years ago that I would be arranging my own music I would have laughed in disbelief. But it happens. As you learn your way around the instrument - practicing scales and chords, increasing your repertoire, accumulating ideas from other player's arrangements - you fill up your own bag of tricks. You develop opinions about what you like to hear and what you like to play. Out of this, your personal style emerges.

Now, the "bag of tricks" can be quite complex. But today I have one thing on my mind ... fill notes.

One arrangement idea is to fill "space" in a tune using arpeggiated chords, pieces of chords, pieces of scales, drone notes - or some combination of all these things - as "fill notes". The technique can be very effective. It creates a full sound. The instrument is laid out perfectly for it. It's fun! AND ... it's easy to get carried away. Don't overdo it! Plan for "empty" spaces.

• Let the tune "breathe". It will give you (and your listener) the opportunity to breathe.
• Give the melody its own space. The melody is THE thing and should always come through loud and clear ... or at least more loudly than the accompanying notes. Avoid crowding the melody by surrounding it with too much fluff. 
• Leave some notes out. While it might be instructional and useful to your practice to fill every eighth note division of time, it's often more pleasing to the listener to leave some space. You'll find that even some melody notes are dispensable. It's OK to eliminate notes that are not critical to the bare bones of the tune.
• Use dynamics. It's never too early in your playing career to start thinking about dynamics, i.e. playing more or less loudly. Lighten up on the fill notes to allow the melody to shine through.
• Record yourself and listen with a critical ear. Can you hear the melody?  Is it too busy? Is there room to breathe? Are you satisfied or worn out in the end? Make adjustments.

Good luck incorporating more "space" into your arrangements.  Here's one jazz musician's take on The Role of Silence in Music .