Improv with Bassline
Goal
Using only white keys, improvise melodies in the RH over a bassline in the LH, landing on stable scale degrees in sync with a metronome.
Vocabulary
• bassline = sequence of low notes
• rest = silence
Essential Knowledge
• Stable scale degrees (135) are defined by the bass/lowest note. Scale degree 1 is the bass note, and scale degrees 3 & 5 are every other scale note above that.
• When the bass note is moving (bassline), the scale degrees move with it.
Tips
• The 3 notes of a triads are usually the 3 stable scale degrees, though other types of triads exist that involve other scale degrees (like sus4, add2).
PLAY THIS
1. LH: 2-4 note looping bassline in whole notes at 80bpm
2. RH: 135 in any order/octave in half notes, then quarter notes, then eighth notes
3. RH: 1234567 in half notes, then quarter notes, then eighth notes, then turn off metronome and use any rhythms