When it comes to jazz, you're entering some pretty deep terrain. But don't fear, you've already learned so much! Remember that your best tools for jazz lines are arpeggios, scales, and chromatics. If you fully exploit these tools, you'll have many great options for bass lines at your disposal.

In jazz, angular, unpredictable bass lines can be a plus (unlike in pop where bass lines have to sound fairly safe harmonically). Alternate bass notes are much more common in jazz. Breaking up the rhythm in daring ways is also encouraged. Remember though, it's still important to keep impeccable time, and you must always strive to create a great groove.

One of the ways jazz bassists get that daring sound is by employing leading tones and other chromatic devices in seemingly nonharmonic ways. In other words, the chromatics used on a given chord may have more to do with where you'll be next rather than where you are now. Thus, they might appear to conflict with the current chord you're on. Traditionally, a leading tone is the seventh scale degree of the diatonic scale. It is called a leading tone because it sets up or leads into the tonic with great emotional necessity. The leading tone is also the major third of the V chord. In Chapter 17 you will see the connection between the leading tone and the V chord. For now, simply recognize that the leading tone is a powerful precursor or catalyst to the tonic.

In jazz, the leading tone may appear a half step below the tonic of the chord — just like a traditional leading tone — or a half step above the tonic of the chord. Again, the reasons for this will become apparent in later chapters. Nevertheless, using leading tones in jazz as a stepping stone to a chord root creates the same emotional urgency as previously mentioned. Since most jazz walking lines are based on quarter notes, this leading tone will appear mostly on beat four. As for beats two and three, additional chromatics can be used to preface the leading tone and its subsequent root. By studying and playing Figure 14-9, this should become easier to understand.

Figure 14-9

Using leading tones and chromatics above and below the root

Of course, this idea needs to be fully integrated into what you have already learned about walking bass lines in jazz. In Figure 14-10 you will combine together many of the jazz concepts you've learned so far. In this musical example, you will play a walking bass line comprised of leading tones, scales, arpeggios, chromatics, and alternate bass notes.

Figure 14-10. Putting walking bass lines together with all you've learned