Arrrgghhh...stuck in a chordal tones rut with my improvisation...

[PhilGould]

Seriously, this is starting to really wind me up. I'll start by saying that bass is my third instrument, and I'm no Geddy Lee on it either. I'm probably more like Alex Lifeson...

 

The problem I have with bass is this: ask me to learn the basslines to a song and I'm fine. I can even sight-read sheet music. But the problem comes when I try and improvise. Partially as I'm absolutely crap at it.

 

I've learnt a hefty whack of music theory, to quite an advanced level, and yet I'm still stuck. I seem to end up with the same pattern of playing chordal tones with passing tones thrown in to make it sound smooth across the chord changes.

 

Seriously, what do I do?!

[sunburstbasser]

Why not start over a little simpler? Pentatonic scales are your friend, you just have to know how to use them to make them sound cool. In any key, you have three major, three minor and one dominant scale. So that equates to three major pentatonics, three minors, and the Locrian mode. Make yourself a backing track that stays on just one chord, like a G Major. Now, try soloing over it using A Minor pentatonic, B Minor pentatonic, and E minor pentatonic. The notes of each one will fit the G Major chord. Some really awesome guitarists do this, like John Scofield and Scott Henderson, and Jaco did it too. Henderson breaks it down here:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sm_VSjadCiU

 

For more bass-specific parts, try a tritone sub. Anytime you have a dominant chord, you can substitute another dominant chord a tritone away. This is common in jazz, but in a more funky setting this is how the bassline to Jamiroquai's "Love Foolosophy" works.

[PhilGould]

Thank you sunburstbasser!

[sunburstbasser]

Happy to help.