Bass Lessons HQ

The Boogie Woogie pattern is one of the most pervasive bass lines in Blues and Rock and Roll. It’s the foundation for literally thousands of lines. So, it’s pretty important if you want to play Rock or Blues.

This lesson is the first in a series that will cover the basic Boogie Woogie patterns, then look at ways to use and extend those patterns. This lesson introduces the main four notes used in Boogie Woogie. Check out the video, and use the sheet music as a guide. As always, first learn the notes in order, but not in time. Next, play along with the slow version, until you’ve got it down. Remember to increase tempo slowly so that you maintain perfect accuracy. Finally, you can play along with the regular tempo version.

In the video, I show you the notes, one at a time, followed by demos at several speeds, starting with the slowest tempo and returning to normal speed. I don’t offer any variations yet; there are a few more lessons to go through before I do that.

Watch on You Tube

As you can see, the sheet music and TAB provided show the pattern played across a 12-bar Blues. Because Blues songs can have a dozen or more verse (including solos), I strongly suggest that you work up to the point that you can play the 12-bar at least ten times in a row perfectly. This will prepare you for playing this pattern with a band.

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As always, have fun, and…

Aim High – Play Low

Lane

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