Singing basslines is the most direct way to learn the sound of a chord progression and a primary practice to improve your aural skills. The practice is so effective because it creates a kind of feedback loop to your ears. As you listen to your voice produce a bassline, you learn how it works with the key, chord qualities and even the melody if there is one. As a result, you internalize the sound and function of the bass movement and memorize chord progressions with greater ease.
What is Singing Basslines?
Singing basslines is the most direct way to learn the sound of a chord progression and a primary practice to improve your aural skills.
Why is Bass so Important?
The bass has the strongest influence on the harmony of a song.
For example, try the following: change the bass note of any root position chord in a chord progression that you know. Change it to another chord tone, either the 3rd or 5th. At first, it will probably sound ‘wrong’ but if you hang in with it, you will likely find something new to work with because the bass note defines the sound more than any other. Therefore singing basslines is the best place to start when trying to understand a chord progression.
Try the experiment in reverse. While many of the chords in common progressions feature the root as the lowest note, you will often find chords with other notes in the bass (in inversion). When you do, try substituting the root and hear the effect.
How Can I Learn to Accurately Hear Basslines?
The aural skills that you will develop by way of the study concept Harmonic Basslines, are the result of a step by step method for learning what to expect when singing basslines and/or listening to chord progressions. Through a combination of singing and listening activities, you will learn to recognize common chord sequences and chord qualities.
Singing Basslines...Some Thoughts:
When I was a music education undergrad at Jersey City State University, aural skills was my nightmare course and Dr. W. was my nightmare professor. For four semesters, Dr.W. doled out dictations and homework assignments without a hint of humor.
He would sit at his desk in what looked like a cloud of frustration and challenge us to sight sing examples from the classic, Music for Sight Singing by Robert W. Ottman. As could be expected, the melodies became harder as we advanced into the text.
However, singing basslines or even the discussion of the function of the bass was completely absent from our class activities. It wasn’t a beautiful thing.
Teaching at Berklee College of Music
It was during my time as a full-time faculty member at Berklee when I began the process of creating my method, Performance Ear Training.
On the other side, I had teachers outside of the university that told me I had to learn to ‘hear’ the qualities, intervals, tensions and chord progressions. They said, singing basslines was of utmost importance. But how was I to do that? Did I have to learn to sing the exact line that a bassist played on the recording? A clear answer never came.
In the end, I managed to pass Dr. W’s class by doing my best to memorize the ever more difficult solfege melodies. Over time, after years of learning tunes and working as a musician, I began to function quite well by ear on an intuitive level.
Imagine my surprise when, at a Berklee College of Music interview, I was asked if I’d like to teach ear training? It was only after I’d accepted the position that I began to analyze the process of teaching aural skills and Dr. W served as my negative model during my first year. For example, whenever I became stuck with any aspect of my lesson planning, I’d ask myself, “What would Dr. W. do?”
And then I’d do the opposite.
Harmonic Basslines
It was during my time as a full-time faculty member at Berklee when I began the process of creating my method, Performance Ear Training based upon a set of Study Concepts that form the foundation of my text.
Harmonic Basslines is one of those study concepts. And yes, there are many others, i.e. Tension Melodies, Straight Line Exercise, Harmonic Tonal Tensions, Phrase Superimposition, Growing Melodies and Cycle 4 Intervallic Exercises.
As I said, Dr. W. never challenged us to sing basslines, so it was a given that I had to find a way to convert the moving vertical structures of harmony into the limitations of the human voice. Unless we’re talking about Tibetan throat singers, most folks sing one note at a time. As a result I came up with a proven system called Harmonic Basslines that I’ve taught to aspiring musicians all over the world.
