Voice Leading

Today on @yamahamusicusa #silentbass and @laklandbasses Friday, we continue our discussion on "What Do I Practice". Today, bassline construction. More specifically, Voice Leading. Now, this term always gets me in trouble. Some think I'm talking about super complex harmony (though it can go there if desired) and others think about the medieval voice leading taught in school (ugh, nighmares). Simply put, voice leading is understanding that each instrument playing a line or chords in a song make up a group of moving voices and those moving voices spell out the harmony and progress thru the tune. The movement of these voices from chord to chord or section to section gives the music continuity and the listener something to follow. Now, this can be done in many ways, but today we will talk about harmonic options. As I said above, voice leading can be simple or complex, abrupt or smooth. Ur goal is to understand how it works and apply it as u see fit. Ok, how? Take a song u like, get the chords, and write all associated notes with those chords (arpeggios, pentatonics, etc.). Start to construct a simple, original bassline. Try to choose different notes to lead from one chord to the next. Use different scale degrees and pitches. Make the transitions smooth, abrupt and/or octaves apart. There is really no wrong answer here, provided u stay within the harmony. Each choice will be "different" putting ur line on a journey thru the chords. The more you explore, the more ideas u can develop. Next, start adding more notes to make the line flow even more. Make some simple, some complex, some a mix. Then add a rhythm and tempo. You will be amazed how purposeful, creative, original and musical your basslines will sound. Take an existing bassline and do the same. See if u think u have improved on it. Maybe..maybe not. Either way, you will learn something. As always, I invite your insights. #yamahamusicusa #pirastro #glasserny #uptonbassstringinstrumentcompany #laklandbasses #sitstrings #tsunamicables #philjonesbass #basslessons #remotelessons