Chords for Bass Improvisation: Groovin' Riffs & Licks

_ _ _ [Eb] _ _ _ _ [Bbm] _
[Fm] _ _ _ _ [N] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ I think _ they're coming, you know, show me a little bit from this song, show me how to do this. _
_ _ Well, part of that is good, you know, part of learning Elixir is good, it's almost like, I heard a friend of mine do it this way.
So it's almost like when a child is learning how to talk, the first thing they do is they imitate what they hear,
and then eventually they learn what the word actually _ _
_ _ _ [Bbm] means.
I just did that with myself, you know, I have a two-year-old son now, so.
_ _ _ The thing about just only learning Elixir alone is that you're not really learning _ musically, _ you know, what is put into the development of this work.
_ The problem with just learning Elixir was not really, _ you're learning it in a certain context, and therefore the only way you're able to apply it is in that same context. _ _ _
Like, you know, you know. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Probably the only way you'll try to apply it is the way you learned it.
So let's say, you know, if the song was at 100 BPM, you know, and then I know a friend would do it,
you _ know, _ _ _ and that song, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.
Well, what if you, um,
_ _ _ progression is similar, but the tempo is completely different.
Let's say it's 6-8, let's say it's at 70 BPM, you know.
_ _ _ Progression is similar, you could apply, theoretically, uh,
Uh, _ _ to be honest, there wasn't a lick, it was a better song.
It's, uh, my approach to teaching licks is not so much to simply, uh, you know,
I'll play something, you can see that's the new guy, he's got a lick.
But, uh, my, my emphasis is on learning what the lick is based on.
Um, and when it comes to improvisation, even solo, you know, _ let's, let's kind of break that down for a second.
Let's look at, um, playing the groove, improvising on the groove, and then soloing, or full-blown improvisation.
They all kind of lead, you know, to each other. _
When you're playing a _ composition, um, pretty much what you're gonna play off the top, you know,
and you want, um, the first thing people want to do is say, well, how do _ _ _ _ I_
Improvising on the groove is simply understanding more about the groove, you know,
and then, um, soloing over the, you know, over the groove is simply knowing more about the improvised groove.
So, like, each, you know, it's like a step, you know, leading to the next.
_ All a solo really is, or all a lick really is, or [Gb] all a lick really is, is simply you [Bb] expanding upon the groove.
Uh, and there's different [D] approaches, you know, to playing licks, and there's some people who will just randomly go for licks.
_ [Bb] So, the song is playing, you know, and they're doing the groove, and they just, you know, just take off, you know,
and let their, just do a lick, and then jump back down into the groove.
Um, _ _ and the problem is that [Eb] the licks a lot of times [Gb] aren't relevant to what's going on musically.
[N] So, the way I try to approach, um, soloing and licks and, you know, all these things is really,
is to simply understand two concepts.
_ Um, there's two important things, and, um, with creating a rock band, I look up, you know,
_ and that is, I would say, number one, the progression underneath the lick,
and then number two, the [Bbm] rhythm, you know, and the timing underneath the progression.
[N] Right, so, um, you can, the rhythm of the groove, you know,
or, you know, _ _ _ _
[G] _ _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _ _
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[Db] _ _ [Eb] _ if you're playing like, you know, just a simple groove [Bb] like that, something straight ahead,
um, the next step would be like, [Bbm] kind of, I guess, um, [D] improvise a little bit on the groove, right?
[B] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
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_ _ [N] So, basically, trying to improvise on the groove, basically, using what's already good,
and then just standing on the same rhythm, you know, and you need to solo over that same groove.
Obviously, I don't have a beat, you know, or a band,
I take the same concept and look at what I'm already playing, and just simply just build it. _ _ _ _
So, for more details, um, band, show [Bbm] up now. _ _ _
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[Bbm] _ _ [Gb] _ _ [Bb] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Bye.
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