Working out iconic bass riffs
I can recreate iconic bass riffs by ear.
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- Year 9
Working out iconic bass riffs
I can recreate iconic bass riffs by ear.
Copyrighted materials: to view and download resources from this lesson, you’ll need to be in the UK and
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Bass guitarists in pop and rock styles often work out iconic bass riffs to help develop their skills.
- The bass riff in Under Pressure is very famous and creates a pedal by repeating the same pitches as the chords change.
- The bass riff in Feel Good Inc. is more complex as it is syncopated and has more varied pitches.
- To work out a bass riff, the key is to hear it on its own, break it into small chunks and work out notes one-by-one.
Keywords
Riff - a short, repeated musical idea that forms the basis of a pop song; it is often in an accompanying part
Pedal - a continuous (usually bass) note which stays the same whilst the chords change
Interval - the distance in pitch between two notes (e.g. a 3rd)
Common misconception
Bass parts are normally simple and just play the lowest notes from the chords.
In some cases this is true, but in many cases bass lines are interesting patterns and can often be defining features of songs. This is true for both Under Pressure and Feel Good Inc.
Equipment
DAW, MIDI keyboards
Licence
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