Chords for GENIUS Trick Every Pro Bassist Uses

[E] Paul McCartney, [D] James Jamison, Victor Wooten, [Gb] Jaco Patron, Carol Kane, Hootie Coleslaw,
John Eccles, Marcus Daniel, Sietsema, Andrew Steele, [Bb] and Richard O'Brien.
They all use this genius trick that makes [Ebm] sure their [Eb] bass lines go from ordinary to extraordinary.
And in [Bb] this video, you'll see just how easy it is to start doing this for yourself,
even if you're just a beginner.
Plus I'll show you two ways that Motown
legends take this trick even further.
And all you need to get started is just three frets.
This [D] video is brought to you by my [E] 21-day beginner bass challenge.
Link in the description.
But before we even get to the super fancy stuff, we need to talk about the simplest version
of this trick.
Imagine you [Ebm] need to play over an Eb minor [Ab] chord going to an Ab7 [B] chord.
You might
play something [Eb] like this.
[Ab] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
[Bb] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [Ab] _
[Bb] But if you're using this trick, you'd play something more along the
lines of this. _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ [Db] _ _ [Bb] _ _
_ [D] _ Way, way cooler, right?
[Eb] Now this is not [G] a hypothetical bass [Ebm] line by the way.
[Bb] This
is a very [Eb] real bass line played by Nate Watts on [Db] Stevie [Ebm] Wonder's I Wish.
So what's going on here?
In that [Cm] first example, I [Dbm] used the I [Ebm] Wish bass line for the first half, _ _
[Abm] but then on the Ab chord, I [Bb] just played the root over and over.
But what Nate Watts does
is use something I [Ebm] call the 3 fret rule.
[Ab] Over the Ab chord, he plays the root, and then plays this.
_ _ [Eb] _ _ [C] He's going 3 frets [D] below the [Eb] next chord, he's going to his target chord,
and [Bb] simply playing each of the notes.
This is the trick.
Whatever your target chord is,
_ [D] _ [Bb] you simply approach it by 3 frets.
In [Ab] this example, we played the [C] Ab, and then 3 frets below
[Eb] the Eb, [Ab] but you can [Eb] also go from 3 frets above as well.
Check out this Paul McCartney bass line
[Dbm] without [E] using the 3 fret rule, _ _ _ _ _ _ and now with the 3 fret rule. _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ He's staying on the same [G] E chord,
so that's his [E] target.
You can have a target chord where it's just the same chord, but then he goes
3 frets [G] above his E, _ _ and [Gb] then just falls into it [E] _ note by note.
Without the 3 fret rule,
it's kind of like hearing _ _ _ _ _ things in Technicolor.
So how do you know whether to go 3 frets above
the target chord or 3 frets below the target chord?
That's a great question, but before we
answer that, I want to show you how 2 absolute Motown legends take the 3 fret [F] rule to a new level
without [E] necessarily needing to know all the intricacies of music theory.
First, here's one
of their lines [F] played without the 3 [C] fret rule. _ _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ [F] _ _ _ [C] _ _ _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ _ [G] Here's the same bass line with [C] the 3 fret rule. _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ [G] _
_ [C] _ _ [F] _ _ _ _ _
[C] Here's what's actually on the recording by them adding their own unique twist [B] on the 3 fret rule.
_ [C] _ _ _
[F] _ _ _ [Am] _ _ _ _ [C] _
_ _ [F] _ _ _ [Am] _ _
This [C] is such a genius [F] idea and it's so simple.
If you [C] don't know this bass [G] line, it's [C] Carole
playing on Joe [F] Cocker's Feeling Alright.
All she's doing in [C] this bass line is playing the 3 fret rule,
but in between [F] each note, she's replaying the note that's 3 [G] frets below the [C] target.
_ _ [F] _ _ _ [C] In this case, the target chord is that C chord and she's yo [E]-yoing back and forth to the note
that's 3 frets _ [A] below that A.
So she's going _ _ [B] 2 frets below, [C] down to the A,
and back up to the target chord.
[A] _ _ [B] _ [C] _ _
[G] It makes the line [C] super bouncy like a kangaroo [F] riding a
pogo stick on a trampoline, right?
[G] But it's not like [C] she's doing anything super fancy here [F] concept
wise.
She's just modifying that 3 [C] fret rule.
This Carole K method [F] is definitely something
that you could do for [C] yourself.
But what about this other bass legend and their method?
[F] Here's
one of their bass lines over that [Am] same chord progression funnily [C] enough, but without the 3
fret rule.
_ _ _ [F] _ _
_ [C] Then the same [Bm] line with the 3 [C] fret rule. _
_ _ [F] _ _ [B] _ _ [C] And now let's listen to what actually
gets [F] played over the [C] recorder. _ _ _
_ _ [B] _ _ [C] _ _ _ _
_ _ [B] _ _ [C] In case you don't recognize this one, this is the Motown [Bm] classic
Heard It Through The [C] Grapevine, this version by Gladys Knight and the Pimps, and of course,
the [B] bassist on this one was [C] James Jamerson.
As far as I'm concerned here, this is [B] genius.
He's
putting [C] the 3 fret rule on the off-beat, _ _ [B] but instead of just hanging [Bm] on that awkward B or
going to that [Bb] C [C] _ _ [E] early and having a bit of a premature [B] articulation, he [D] actually goes above
the target chord, in this case 2 [C] frets or a whole step above the target chord,
and then slingshots back down and resolves everything [F] on beat 1.
_ _ [B] _ [C] _ _ _ Again, it's still the 3 fret rule, [E] same [C] idea, same concept, but just a slight variation that
you can also [B] use whether you're [C] approaching from below or above.
Just go ever so slightly
[Bm] past your target [C] chord and then use that slingshot idea to bring it back [B] down to the target chord.
[C] _ _ So how do you know whether to [B] fall into your target [C] chord from above,
or scoop into it from [B] below?
Check out some [C] of these examples [E] and see if you can spot the [C] pattern.
_ [F] _ _ _ [D] _ _ _
[A] _ _ [B] _ _ [Db] _ _ _ _
[D] _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ [Db] _ _ _ _
_ [Gb] _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ [E] _ _ [Gb] _ [D] _ _ _
[C] _ _ [D] _ _ _ _ _ _
[C] _ _ [D] Can you [C] tell what's going on?
The [Dm] first 2 where the target chord was a major or dominant 7 chord,
we scooped up [D] from 3 frets below, and the last 2 examples where the target chord was minor,
we fell into it from 3 [Eb] frets [Dm] above.
This is our rule of thumb.
Will this rule of thumb work [D] every
single time?
No.
[C] It's [D] about as reliable as a hand [Eb] that's all thumbs.
[Gb] _ _ _
_ [D] That's not a good [C] analogy,
but it's not an ultra-reliable rule.
[D] In fact, I wish [C] the very first example [D] we used in this video,
it doesn't fit this rule of [Ebm] thumb, [Ab] but _ _ [Bb] _
_ _ [Ebm] _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _
[Bb] _ _ [D] _ [C] without getting too [D] into the weeds of the music theory,
this is a decent guideline to get started.
And even though the 3 fret rule can help make your bass lines way more interesting,
it isn't going to be any help if the core ideas of your bass lines don't work with the rhythm
and harmony instruments.
[C] That's why you should watch this [D] video next because it'll [C] show you the
2-step [D] instant bass line formula [C] that will guarantee your bass lines simply work and [Dm] sound
great.
One [C] more thing, the 3 fret rule is [A] just one of the topics I cover in my [D] 21 Day Beginner
Bass Challenge, so if you want to go from rank beginner to being more than competent on your
bass in [G] 21 days, just click the [N] link in the description. _ _