Jazz for Beginner Bass Players: Navigating the 1-6-2-5 Chord Progression
Hello, bass lovers!
If there’s one thing that most of us aspire to do, it’s to play a walking bass line. It’s the defining characteristic of many jazz standards, sophisticated blues bass lines, and clever songwriting, so of course, it’s something that we need to learn. Whether you’re a beginner bass player or someone who has been playing for years but hasn’t attempted jazz bass lines, this may be a great way to get you started.
Where can I hear it?
Most of us are familiar with walking bass lines in reference to jazz standards, and for good reason. From “Better Get Hit In Your Soul” by Charles Mingus to “Freddie The Freeloader” by Miles Davis, walking lines can be heard on the radio, on Spotify playlists, at high school jazz band concerts, and at local jazz jams.
Some of the players who are particularly well known for their walking bass lines are Ray Brown and Paul Chambers (you can learn about them in my book, Bass Players To Know: Learning From The Greats).
What is a 1-6-2-5 Chord Progression?
Before we start walking, we need to get comfortable with the chord progression. Let’s say we’re playing a song in the key of C. Play a major scale and identify notes: C, D, E, F, G, A, B.
Since the D is the 2nd note in the scale, we refer to it as the 2 chord. The chord quality will be determined based upon the rules of diatonic harmony (this where we build a chord on each note of the scale using only the notes in the key).
In the key of C, the chords will be:
1 – C Major
6 – A minor
2 – D minor
5 – G Major
Just so you know, many people use roman numerals to write out the chords, especially if they have a background in formal music education. Major chords have an uppercase letter, minor chords a lowercase letter.
To write this common jazz progression in Roman numerals, it would look like this: I – vi – ii – V
Jazz for Beginner Bass Players: Playing a 1-6-2-5 Progression with Root Notes
Getting comfortable with the changes
Once you’re comfortable playing the roots of the chords, let’s start integrating other notes. We’ll begin with finding the fifth of the chord—this allows us to add a bit of variation and happens to make a lot of musical sense! Here’s why…
When you play this chord progression, you’ll discover that the fifth of the chord is a whole step away from the root note of the chord you’re going to. Magic!
C Major (1 chord)
Root note = C and 5th= G
The 5th (G) is a whole step away from the next chord, A. How about them apples? The same rule applies to the other chords in this progression.
A minor (6 chord)
Root note = A and 5th = E
The 5th (E) is a whole step away from the next chord, D.
D minor (2 chord)
Root note = D and 5th = A
The 5th (A) is a whole step away from the next chord, G.
G Major (5 chord)
Root note = G and 5th = D
The 5th (D) is a whole step away from the next chord, C.
Jazz For Beginner Bass Players: Walking Bass Line in a 1-6-2-5 Chord Progression using 5ths
Using chromatic guide tones in your bass lines
Now that we’ve learned the roots and 5ths of the progression, let’s throw in some chromaticism. Using a half-step approach note allows you to:
Integrate a healthy dose of dissonance
Sound more “jazzy” or sophisticated
Pull the listener’s ear toward the next chord in the progression
Showcase your knowledge of half-step voice leading
We’ll start by approaching each chord with a half-step below, meaning we’ll play one half-step below the root of the next chord. Mini tension-resolution all over the place! Our ears want to hear the dissonant (or non-diatonic) note resolve a half-step higher.
Play the root note of the chord on beat one and the approach note on beat two. Then, we land on the root note of the next chord on beat three. It looks like this:
C - G# (the half-step below the 6 chord) - A - C# (the half-step below the 2 chord) - D - F# (the half-step below the 5 chord) - G - B (the half-step below the 1 chord) - C
Jazz For Beginner Bass Players: Walking Bass with Half Step Below Approach Notes
Next, we’ll start by approaching each chord with a half-step above, meaning we’ll play one half-step above the root of the next chord. Our ears want to hear the dissonant (or non-diatonic) note resolve a half-step lower.
C - Bb (the half-step above the 6 chord) - A - Eb (the half-step above the 2 chord) - D - Ab (the half-step above the 5 chord) - G - Db (the half-step above the 1 chord) - C
Jazz For Beginner Bass Players: 1-6-2-5 Walking Bass with Half Step Above Approach Notes
Wrap Up
If you’ve ever wondered “how to write a bass line” this is how... you fit together root notes, chord tones (such as the fifth), and approach notes in a way that is natural and improvised.
While walking lines are typically referred to within the context of jazz bass playing, some of my favorite blues songs, such as “Sittin’ On Top Of The World” and “Ain’t Nobody’s Business What We Do,” use this particular chord progression during the turnaround (the last few bars of the progression).
Want the walking bass line tab and notation from these videos? Shoot me an email and I’ll send it your way! If you found this content helpful and want to kick your musical journey into high gear, consider taking bass lessons with me! I’m currently accepting new students.