Bass Lines You Should Know: Week 1

‘Glide’ by Pleasure Featuring Bass Player Nate Philips

This lesson contains:

• A Video Demonstration • A Lesson Outline Document • A Downloadable Mp3 Playalong Track

This week we’re featuring a great bass line by Nate Philips in the song ‘Glide” by Pleasure. In this lesson we’ll study and analyze the excerpt from the video performance, accompanied by transcription in both notation and tablature. Let’s get started! It is important to analyze anything you transcribe against the harmony. Doing this is an important step for you to get inside the players head and figure out where they were coming from in terms of the note choices they made. This way we can learn how to create our own lines in an effort to establish our own voice as a musician.

In the Tony Grey Bass Academy we are dedicated to helping and guiding you throughout your journey to creating your own voice on your instrument. We’ve designed an entire curriculum specifically to help you practice and think creatively.

 About The Bass Player Nate Philips is a great legendary bassist from Portland, Oregon, USA. He started playing professionally at the age of 13 and has gone on in is illustrious career so far not only to play on countless recordings live and in the studio, but also having produced and written for several top acts and companies such as: Pleasure, George Clinton, Disney, Tower Of Power, etc.

 

His performance credits range from Stevie Wonder, Art Blakey, Freddie Hubbard, George Duke, Joe Sample, Bob James, George Benson, David Sanborn, Grover Washington, Patti Austin, Peabo Bryson and many, many more. Nate Philips is well known for co-founding the highly acclaimed group Pleasure as one of the group’s writers and producers. In this weeks lesson we’ll be breaking down and analyzing his classic bass line on the Disco Standard ‘Glide’ by Pleasure.

 

The first step to being able to play or read any piece of music is to be able to clap out the Rhythms. Written music is basically made up of 2 parts, The Rhythms and The Pitches. Bass Lines like this are full of syncopated notes and if you’re not very fluent with reading then taking your time to learn the Rhythms first will really help you solidify the groove in your minds ear before you start adding the Pitches.

For more information on our Sight Reading Courses please visit the academy at www.tonygreybassacademy.com

In the video demonstration I’m showing you how to clap out these Rhythms. In this lesson document we’ll be analyzing the Notes against the Chords. Section A Bar 1

 

Bar 1 is played over the Cmaj7 Chord.

• Beat 1-2 contains the Root of the Chord and its octave followed by the 5th and its octave. Octaves are typical in a Slap Bass Line and in the genre itself (Disco).

• Beat 3 starts with a Ghost Note followed by a Root up the Octave. A Ghost Note is a pitchless percussive note.

• Beat 4 is the Root followed by a ghost note on the open A String. Bar 2

Bar 2 is played over the B-7 and the F7 Chord.

• Beat 1-2 (B-7) contains the Root of the Chord and its octave. • Beat 3 (F7) contains the Root of the Chord and its octave. • Beat 4 contains Ghost Notes on the “and” of beat 4.

Bar 3

Bar 3 is played over the E-7 Chord.

 

• Beat 1 The E-7 Chord starts with an approach to the Root of the Chord with a b7th degree.

• Beats 2-3-4 focus on the b3rd degree of the Chord. Bars 4-5-6

Bars 4-5-6 are all played over the E-7 Chord. Bar 4 contains a b7 pick up to bar 5. Bar 5

• Beat 1 starts with an approach to the Root of the Chord with a b7th degree. • Beat 2 contains a Chromatic Approach to the b3rd. • Beat 3-4 focuses on the 3rd degree.

Bar 6 (1st ending)

• Beat 3-4 is really focusing on the next Chord (Cmaj7). This is a Chromatic Approach to the Cmaj7 back at the top of the form.

After the 1st ending the Groove returns to the top of the form until the 2nd ending.

 

Bar 7 (2nd Ending)

Like the 1st ending this bar is really focusing and anticipating the Cmaj7 at the top of the Form.

• Beat 2 contains Ghost Notes on the “and” of beat 1. • Beat 3-4 is a common fill using the Major Pentatonic sound (in this case C Major

Pentatonic) along with Ghost Notes.

Again, after the 2nd ending the Groove returns to the top of the form until the 3rd ending. Bar 8 (3rd Ending)

The 3rd ending is exactly the same as the 1st ending.

 

Bars 9-10-11-12

From here the groove continues all the way through to the B Section Bar 9 Is a repeat of Bar 1. Bar 10 is played over the B-7 and the F7 Chord and just contains the Roots of the Chord.

Bar 12

• Beat 4 The last 8th note is an anticipation of the E7 Chord and the start of the B

Section. A Double Stop is played over the E7 Chord. A Double Stop is 2 notes played together. In this Case the notes are an Interval of a 10th apart. The Root (E) and the 3rd (G#) above the Octave.

B Section Bar 13-14

Bar 13-14 is played over the D7, B7 and C7 Chord.

 

The first 2 bars of the B Section are all Double Stops that contain the interval of a 10th (the Root and the 3rd of the chord). Bar 15

Bar 15 is played over the E7 Chord.

• Beat 1 is the Root of the Chord. • Beat 2-3 Beat 2 starts out with a Ghost Note pattern containing the note C# which is

Tension 13; however, it’s part of the Chromatic Approach to the b7th on Beat 3. Once you hear the C# resolve to the D it lets our ears know it’s intention. Beat 3 ends with the Root making this phrase really great and interesting.

• Beat 4 contains 2 Double Stops. This is a very common riff over a Dominant 7 Chord. The first Double Stop (C# and G) is only used to emphasize the Chord Tones D (b7) and the G# (3rd). This is called a Chromatic Approach To Chord Tone and it creates tension/resolution to the line.

Bar 16

Bar 16 is played over the E7 Chord.

 

• Beats 1-2-3-4 are an E Major Pentatonic Riff. In Beat 2 the line runs up the E Major Pentatonic Scale starting from the 5th degree (B). Once it reaches up the Octave to the C# the line emphasizes the 5th degree with a triplet on Beat 4 moving between the 5th and 6th degrees. It’s a Scale Approach From Above To Chord Tone.

From there the B Section just repeats.

Recap When you break down this Bass Line you can really see why it sounds so great. It uses so much great information in such a subtle way.

• Approach To Chord Tones Patterns • Pentatonics • Ghost Notes • Triplets • Hammer Ons • Double Stops • Great Rhythmic Variation

 

Listen to the original recording of this track and pay attention to Nate Philips’ sound. He has a very clear way of playing and articulating the groove. It’s all about the conviction and intention of the groove that really makes this a masterpiece. Once you understand all this stuff and can really feel it, start experimenting with some of these ideas to compose your own grooves. Try playing variations along with the Playalong track. I hope you enjoyed this weeks Bass Line breakdown! Don’t forget that every Monday I’ll upload a new video for you to try and name the featured Bass Player and Track where you’ll have an opportunity to win a FREE MONTH inside the Academy along with some great giveaways from sponsors such as Aguilar Amplification, Fodera Bass, DR Strings, TC Electronics, and more! Stay inspired! Tony Grey