The first thing most bassists walk: three dominant 7th chords over 12 bars.
Notes in order: F, G, A, Gb, F, G, A, Gb, F, Eb, D, E, F, A, Bb, A, Bb, C, D, B, Bb, Ab, F, E, F, Eb, D, E, F, G, A, G, C, Bb, A, B, Bb, Ab, F, E, F, Eb, C, B, C, G, Bb, C.
How the line is built
- Beat 1: the root of each chord, on the beat the chord arrives.
- Beats 2 & 3: chord tones (3rd, 5th, 7th) or steps of the chord's scale.
- Beat 4: an approach note, a half step above or below the next root, or its 5th.
- Two-feel: root and 5th in half notes, the way a bassist plays before walking.
About the Walking Bass Line Generator
Guitar Tool Hub's walking bass line generator writes a walking bass line over a chord progression and shows it as bass tab. Choose one of 6 progressions — 12-bar blues, jazz blues, major and minor ii–V–I, the I–vi–ii–V turnaround and a circle-of-4ths cycle — in any of the 12 keys. Each line follows the rules walking bass is taught with: the root on the downbeat of every chord, chord tones and scale steps in between, and a chromatic or 5th approach note into the next chord. Play it back from 50 to 220 BPM, watch each chord's notes on the bass neck, switch to a two-feel of roots and 5ths, and generate a new line with one click.
- 016 progressions: 12-bar blues, jazz blues, major ii–V–I, minor ii–V–i, I–vi–ii–V, circle of 4ths
- 02All 12 keys, with sharp or flat note names
- 03Walking (four quarter notes a bar) or two-feel (roots and 5ths)
- 04Bass tab with the chord symbols and note names
- 05Playback at 50–220 BPM, with loop
- 06Each chord's notes shown on the bass neck as it plays
- 079 tunings for 4, 5 and 6-string bass
- 08New line on demand
Frequently Asked Questions
A walking bass line moves one note per beat, usually four quarter notes to a bar, stepping through the chords of a song. It is the standard bass part in jazz and a common one in blues, swing and rockabilly. The line lands on each chord's root, fills the beats in between with chord tones and scale steps, and leads into the next chord with an approach note.
Pick a progression and a key. For every chord the generator puts the root on beat 1, chooses chord tones (the 3rd, 5th or 7th) or steps of the chord's scale for beats 2 and 3, and plays an approach note on beat 4: a half step above or below the next root, or the next root's 5th. Among the patterns that follow those rules it picks the one that reaches the approach note by the smallest step. Press New line for a different line that follows the same rules.
Play one note per beat and land on the root of each chord on beat 1. Fill beats 2 and 3 with notes from the chord (the 3rd, 5th or 7th) or steps of its scale, and on beat 4 play a note a half step above or below the next root so the line leads into the change. Start with a 12-bar blues at a slow tempo: generate a line, play along with it, then press New line and try another until you can make up your own.
Six: the 12-bar blues, a jazz blues with ii–V turnarounds, the major ii–V–I, the minor ii–V–i, the I–vi–ii–V turnaround, and a circle-of-4ths cycle (ii–V–I–IV–vii half-diminished–III–vi). Each one can be played in any of the 12 keys.
A two-feel plays two half notes per bar, usually the root and the 5th, instead of four quarter notes. Bassists often play the first chorus of a jazz tune in two and switch to walking later. The Two-feel style here plays the root on beat 1 and the 5th on beat 3.
An approach note is the note just before a chord change that leads the ear into the new root. The most common are chromatic approaches, a half step above or below the target, and the target's 5th, which works like a small V to I. Approach notes are why a walking line sounds like it is going somewhere rather than just outlining chords.
Yes. Pick a 5-string or 6-string tuning and the line is rewritten for that instrument: the range starts from your lowest string, and every note is placed on the string that keeps your hand in one area of the neck.
Yes. The walking bass line generator is free and runs in your browser, with no account or download.