You know a lot by now! Some of the material, especially in the last two chapters, may seem extremely convoluted and theoretical — or just plain hard!But don't worry; you really do know just about all you need to know about theory. In all fairness, there are many more topics that one could study. Especially missing is a study of traditional classical music theory. However, the electric bass is not a classical instrument; therefore, advanced classical theory would not impact your playing all that much. If you'd like to check out how this theory is implemented by bassists, simply listen to modern jazz. The topics discussed here are universal. In fact, all jazz bassists build lines and solos using this harmonic information. Some of the theory you learned about in Chapters 17 and 18 may seem arcane and boring to you. However, when it comes to constructing bass lines, these really are important concepts. For instance, if you are playing Latin, salsa, traditional country, thoughtful pop, avant-garde, funk, fusion, jam band music, or progressive rock, you will probably, sooner or later, need to deal with these kinds of chord progressions. It's better to deal with them with poise rather than to fall on your face because you've reached the limits of your musical literacy.

In this final section of the chapter, you'll see a thirty-two bar jazz etude to both read and improvise over. When you solo, be sure to apply your knowledge of chord functions, arpeggios, and scales. Start out slow and practice this etude over and over. This may be the beginning of your first serious attempt to play like a real jazz bassist! You can do it!

Figure 18-10. Jazz etude “Be Bop Drop”