Instantly create good sounding jazz bass solos with minimal music theory and very

little thought.
A streamlined thought process for approaching jazz bass solos, allows you to focus
more on the delivery of your musical statement.
When your mind is free, you can groove harder, articulate your phrases with more
drama, and just have more fun with improvising!
Simplify your thought process for your jazz bass solos and automatically start
delivering notes that make your solos sing.

Simplify Your Jazz Bass Solos Into

The 3 Primary Sounds
One of the most effective and efficient ways to approach your jazz bass solos,
involves simplifying your perception of chords.
Start perceiving the sound of each chord, in a chord progression, as belonging to
one of the 3 primary sounds.
The 3 primary sounds found in any chord progression, are:
1. Major sounds (1, 3, 7)
2. Minor sounds (1, b3, b7)
3. Dominant sounds (1, 3, b7)
Examples of Major Sounds: Cmaj, Cmaj7, Cmaj7#11, Cmaj6, Cmaj9
Examples of Minor Sounds: Cmin, Cmin7, Cmin/maj7, Cmin7b5, Cmin6, Cmin9
Examples of Dominant Sounds: C7, C7#11, C7b9, C13, C7b13, C7b9b13, Calt7,
Diminished chords, Augmented chords
No matter what extensions are notated for a chord (ie: b9, 9, #9, 11, #11, 13, b13),
only concern your ear if the sound you are hearing is a Major Sound, a Minor Sound,
or a Dominant Sound.

Implying Dominant Sounds In Your

Jazz Bass Solos

It is a common practice to imply a Dominant Sound over a static Major Sound or

static Minor Sound.
The purpose of implying a Dominant Sound is to simply create more movement in
your line. Implying a Dominant Sound will create momentary tension, prior to
resolving back to the static chord sound.
Movement may be needed when you are soloing over static chords. At some point
after exploring the over sound of a static chord, the ear will need something else to
maintain its attention.
Implying harmony over static chords will momentarily catch the ears attention, prior
to resolving back to the static chord sound.

Quick Explanation Of The Application

Of Diminished Chords In Jazz Bass
Solos
Diminished chords create a partial Dominant Sound. Adding a specific note will
complete its Dominant Sound.
If you want to imply a Dominant Sound in your jazz bass solos, then you can include
a diminished chord arpeggio.
For example: A C diminished chord (C, Eb, Gb, Bbb) with a B on the bass will
create a B7b9 sound. An Eb diminished chord (Eb, Gb, Bbb, C) with a D on the bass
will create a D7b9 sound. A Gb diminished chord (Gb, Bbb, C, Eb) with an F on the
bass will create an F7b9 sound. A Bbb diminished chord (Bbb, C, Eb, Gb) with an Ab
on the bass will create an Ab7b9 sound.
Notice, that by simply playing a bass note that is a half-step below any note of the
diminished chord, a dominant 7b9 sound is created. The root note of that Dominant
Sound you just created, will be that bass note.

Quick Explanation Of The Application

Of Augmented Chords In Jazz Bass
Solos
Augmented chords also create a partial Dominant Sound. Adding a specific note will
complete its Dominant Sound.
If you want to imply a Dominant Sound in your jazz bass solos, then you can include
an augmented chord arpeggio.
For example: A C augmented chord (C, E, G#) with a Bb will create a C7#5 sound.
An E augmented chord (E, G#, C) with a D will create an E7#5 sound. A G#
augmented chord (G#, C, E) with an F# will create a G#7#5 sound.
Notice that by treating any note of an augmented chord as a root note, and adding its
b7, you will create a dominant 7#5 sound.
Focusing your efforts on the 3 primary sounds will simplify your thought process
tremendously. With minimal music theory and minimal thought process, your efforts
can focus more on your delivery (dynamics, groove, articulation, and phrasing).

What Notes To Focus On For Your

Jazz Bass Solos
The ear primarily hears the melodic movement on the downbeats. Therefore,
emphasize chord tones (roots, thirds, fifths, sevenths) on the downbeats. Natural
Ninths and Natural Sixths can also be played on downbeats. These tones simply add
color to your lines. However, maintain the majority of your focus on the chord tones.
Altered tones (b9, #9, #11, b13) are mainly used to create movement in your lines,
because those notes gravitate toward resolution. Therefore, when tension in your
line is needed, or when additional movement in your line is needed, simply begin to
introduce altered tones.

Linear Jazz Bass Solos That Create

Major and Minor Sounds
For Major and Minor sounds, mainly use diatonic notes to connect the primary
melodic movement that is being played on the downbeats. Non-diatonic notes will
often be derived from an implied Altered Dominant 7 sound.
Introduce non-diatonic notes when a Dominant Sound is needed to create more
movement in your line. Weaving Altered Dominant 7 sounds into your Major and
Minor lines will create sweet notes that grab the ears attention.

Linear Jazz Bass Solos That Create

Dominant Sounds
For Dominant Sounds, chromatic leading tones can often be explored to connect the
primary melodic movement.
The Dominant Sound is very tolerable with the use of chromaticism.
In a sense, the Dominant Sound, sounds chromatic.

Simple But Highly Effective Tips For

Creating Freedom In Your Jazz Bass
Solos
Always remember, the ear hears the melodic movement occurring on the strong
beats. Harmonic clarity exists in the strong beats.
Arpeggios quickly define and create harmonic clarity. However playing your entire
jazz bass solo with arpeggios gets tiring, because the line ascends or descends too
quickly. Create variation by adding lines derived from modes/scales, or by adding
chromaticsim.
Decide on a mode that you will use for all of your major scales and minor scales. The
notes in this mode/scale will be used to connect your chord tones. This will slow
down the direction of your line.

If you pace your jazz bass solo in terms of speed (fast, medium, slow), your lines will
maintain interest. Arpeggios are fast speed. Scales are medium speed.
Chromaticism is slow speed.
If the changes are moving quickly, do not concern yourself with trying to add more
movement by implying a Dominant Sound in your line. Focus on harmonic clarity.
If the chords are static (not moving for long periods of time), then you can explore
adding more movement, by implying harmony (ie: a Dominant Sound) in your line.
Simplify your perception of chords. Is the chord you are hearing a Major Sound, a
Minor Sound, or a Dominant Sound?
Freedom from thinking will provide you with more freedom to explore other
aspects of music, such as groove, articulation, phrasing, and dynamics. You
can focus less on the notes and more on the delivery of your musical
statement.