Okay, when we last met we got into areas like time signatures, common structures/lengths of song sections, and achieving dynamics in moving from one part of a composition to another. We also outlined the importance of the bass line in writing a song. This month, we'll get a little more into some specific bass ideas, and talk about constructing a melody for our "hit" song.

Conventional Bass & Beyond

Though I shared with you my personal feelings about the role of the bass in songwriting last month, bear in mind that I'm also speaking as a bassist, which you may not consider yourself to be. With that in mind, I'd like to offer some simple pointers on traditional bass concepts for you to consider.

In almost all circumstances stylistically, the most potent note for the bass role is simply the root. This means the note C on a C chord, the note D on a D chord, and so on. Even in a jazz bassist's walking line, the first note on a chord change will almost always be the root. The next logical choice, beyond the root, is usually the fifth (G on a C chord). Latin music, such as sambas, bossa-novas, etc, often features interplay between bass roots and fifths (as does country & western), though the root clearly remains the most important. There are exceptions, however, most notably in a lot of pop music written over the past thirty years or so.

You'll recall my mentioning, at the end of the first article in this series, the use of optional chord personalities and flavors? Well, one of the most effective ways of achieving this is by using something other than the conventional root bass. For instance, in the key of C you might wish to try an F chord with a G bass (F/G), a G with a C bass (G/C), a C with a D bass (C/D), a Dm with a G bass (Dm/G), and so on. Another common and effective device is to keep the bass on the same pitch while the chords shift harmonically above it. Classically this is called a pedal bass, while rock and pop guitarists have often referred to the technique as a droned bass. Whatever you choose to call it, the use of an unusual bass note in your song can really succeed, at times, in breathing life into even the most simple chords and progressions.

Bring On The Melody!

No, we haven't forgotten about you. You know what really amazes me? In all these centuries of western music, composers have been using the same twelve tones and harmonic concepts for everything from Bach to the Beatles, yet originality seems to spring eternal. I guess when you end up putting all the parts together, determine a feel and tempo for your creation, and add lyrics to a popular composition (not currently my forte, incidentally), there's still a lot of elbow room.

I mentioned before that it's a good idea to be aware of basic scales prior to composing, but in all actuality I end up thinking about them as a last resort for coming up with my melody. I'll just play the chord progression and try to hum what comes into my ear. This succeeds in keeping my intellect and technical prowess as a guitarist/bassist out of the picture, and I usually end up with a pretty catchy melody that way. It's not a bad idea to be aware of what scale governs the key that you're operating in, but only long enough to toss some ideas back to your ear. You want the melody to sound good, right?

Language, Time, & Experience

Language. Yes, there's that word again. You know, even though my dad and I were both late starters to the composing field, you'll recall my saying just how much arranging we'd done prior to original writing? I think that there's a lot to be said for exploring the music of other notable songwriters. Besides enjoying their compositions, just think of how much language you'll eventually end up absorbing in the process. Countless chord progressions, melodies, bass lines, etc, just waiting out there for you to discover them.

When fellow musicians ask me about my influences as a blues or jazz musician, I proudly cite them, and can easily show that evidence every time that I play my instrument. As a matter of fact, I frankly admit that I'd be nowhere as a player without those influences. You know where I'm going with this line of thinking, right? I thought so.

I feel very humble about my songwriting, but the time & experience that I've gained from playing the music of so many fabulous songwriters continues to influence me in both a broad and creative direction. It'll do the same for you, too. Just write. And play. And write. And play. And... Good luck!