Myths about teaching can hold you back
- 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
- 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
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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.
To help you plan your year 9 music lesson on: Working out iconic bass riffs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 9 music lesson on: Working out iconic bass riffs, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom.
Explore more key stage 3 music lessons from the Working out pop hooks and riffs by ear unit, dive into the full secondary music curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
DAW, MIDI keyboards
Licence
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