| Bass music theory is what you must know to | | | | understand some of the great players thinking |
| improvise with jazz chords and scales. As one of the | | | | because they don't have a truly innovative and |
| key building blocks of learning the bass and music, | | | | clarifying explanation of underlying principals of the |
| music theory is a subject that you will need to delve | | | | theory being used. As a player, you want to be able |
| into serious at some point in order to become the | | | | to play lead bass over as many different musical |
| type of player that can solo and improvise of all kinds | | | | styles and chord progressions within a style as |
| of chords changes with jazz and any other style of | | | | possible without being limited by your missing and or |
| music as well. | | | | traditional explanations of music theory that have not |
| For example, since generally more than three tones | | | | given you the satisfaction of understanding or ability |
| are used to construct jazz chords due to the extra | | | | to express yourself as much as you desire to do so. |
| chordal notes which are inherent to the nature of the | | | | |
| jazz style, you will need know that scales come in | | | | Learning your bass music theory for jazz will apply to |
| many names and alterations. This means that there is | | | | all other musical styles as well. Many times for |
| a great deal of music theory to be understood in | | | | example, classical bass players can read music great |
| regards to improvising with them. Beginners will never | | | | and have excellent technique playing classical pieces |
| have a clue as to what to do at all unless they can | | | | on their instrument, but they often lack the great |
| just rely on their "ear" for playing, because there is | | | | world music theory which holds many of them back |
| going to be a lot of music theory to learn and they | | | | from being free to improvise. Or some jazz bass |
| might as well get down to the business of learning | | | | players have great ears and have learned many licks |
| right away instead of waiting for some easy way. | | | | and progressions and solos, but they feel very |
| However, more importantly it is the intermediate and | | | | inadequate in understanding what they are playing or |
| advance player who must get beyond the limited | | | | in being able to perform with a confidence that they |
| knowledge of theory, the traditional concepts and | | | | know what they heck they are doing. Bass players |
| the memorized applications that have no underlying | | | | will eventually recognize how rewarding and fulfilling |
| logical explanation to them. | | | | not only learning music theory can be, but also when |
| One can simply memorize and use certain concepts | | | | they get the right system of teaching innovative and |
| for soloing and improvising and there is nothing wrong | | | | modern theory, they will be able to actually use it in |
| with that except for the fact that it is very limiting | | | | more ways and styles of music than they can |
| for the bass player because they can't go beyond a | | | | imagine. |
| certain level of creative expression or even | | | | |