R&B Bass explores the evolution of bass playing techniques from the early “jump blues” period through the Motown era, and focuses on how you can incorporate these techniques into your own playing. The course begins by examining the rhythmic and harmonic characteristics of early R&B through the use of practice exercises involving steady syncopation, arpeggio patterns, and modulation. You’ll study the key ingredients of an effective R&B timbre, from the proper equipment to the right techniques, such as muting the strings to deliver a punchier sound. The course delves into individual artists and their “trademark” concepts—from Duck Dunn’s use of repetition and root and fifth lines, to Willie Weeks’ melodic lines and rhythmic variation, to Chuck Rainey’s motif development, to James Jamerson’s infectious syncopation and use of harmonic devices like chromatic approach notes to create forward motion. You’ll learn classic R&B bass lines from songs like Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On,” Donny Hathaway’s “Everything is Everything,” and many others, and how to internalize the concepts used in these songs and make them your own. The goal of the course is to give you the tools made famous through R&B music to expand your bass playing in the context of a professional, live music performance or recording session.

By the end of the course, you will be able to:

• Understand the evolution and key elements of R&B music
• Play quarter, eighth, and sixteenth notes with rhythmic syncopation
• Use modulation, adapting songs to different keys on your instrument
• Play root and fifth bass lines, in addition to arpeggio and chromatic patterns
• Achieve an R&B timbre on your bass
• Embellish a motif or theme with rhythmic and tonality variation
• Play bass lines from R&B greats James Jamerson, Jerry Jemmott, Chuck Rainey, Willie Weeks, Duck Dunn, and others
• Apply concepts of repetition and contrast to our own playing, in order to create improvisational bass lines more effectively

Syllabus

Lesson 1 Defining R&B Music and Working with Time

Lesson 2 Creating Your Own Bass Lines with Timbre, Shapes, and Personality

Lesson 3 Learning from the Masters, One Concept at a Time: Duck Dunn

Lesson 4 Willie Weeks and Chuck Rainey: Rhythmic Variation, Theme Variation, and Repetition

Lesson 5 James Jamerson, Ray Brown, Ron Carter

Lesson 6 Midterm Project: Aretha Franklin’s “Respect”

Lesson 7 Rhythmic Syncopation: Getting Comfortable Playing on the Upbeats

Lesson 8 Famous R&B Bass Solos

Lesson 9 When to Play, When to Embellish

Lesson 10 Melodic Bass Lines

Lesson 11 Integrating Classic Bass Lines into Your Own Playing

Lesson 12 Review and Final Project

Requirements

Prerequisites and Course-Specific Requirements