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The 1-5-6-Pattern


StageAhead
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At first it was just a requested bassline, but finally I came up with a short lesson about a very famous and commonly used bass pattern.

Take A Look:

[url="http://four-strings-basslessons.blogspot.de/2013/10/weekly-basslines-122-burning-love-elvis.html"]http://four-strings-...love-elvis.html[/url]

Do you know more songs utilizing this bass pattern?

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Great! Quiet a few additions to my list. Thanks to all contributors.

A few comments:

[b]Black is Black (Los Bravos) [/b]- Here the 1-5-6-Pattern is combined with another frequent pattern that I would call 1-5-b7-Pattern. Usually the 1-5-6-Pattern is mainly used for major chords. The correspondent pattern for minor chords would be the 1-5-b7-Pattern.

[b]Time Is Tight (Booker T. & The MG's)[/b] - Excactly. Duck Dunn it again ;-)

[b]Son Of My Father (Chicory Tip)[/b] - This is a pattern utilizing the sixth and fifth, but it's different because here you play those chord tones above the root note, while the pattern that I described has them below the root.

[b]Love Really Hurts without you (Billy Ocean)[/b] - Yes, again the 1-5-6-Pattern and it's also interesting how the rhythmic patterns do resemble amongst the different songs.

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[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1381378715' post='2238222']
Isn't it also on Gaynor's version of 'Substitute', from about 3:35 on this: [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSlztAQcU1o[/media]
[/quote]

Yes! It's also in the verses, just added by a low octave of the root at the end. As I said before I think if you take a closer look to seventies disco music you'll probably find hundreds of examples.

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What are you doing awake at this ungodly hour? :) I"ve had to fix some software when other people wouldn't have been using it! Edit: You're in Germany - not quite so early there.

The first thing I do when I learn a riff is to adapt it to something slightly different. The obvious one here for me is:

1---6-5-6-5-6-5-1---6-5-6-5-6-5

(these are degrees of the scale, not fret numbers, if that's not clear from context, the 6s and 5s are lower than the root. The root is a crotchet, the 6s and 5s are quavers).

Here's a challenge: Has that exact riff above been used in songs? It certainly sounds familiar if I play it.

(Note: I must admit I haven't played all of your example transcriptions, but went straight for the general case - is it in your transcriptions? - Edit. I read them, and didn't see it there)

Edited by Annoying Twit
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Well I'm indeed an early bird, but we're also an hour up front in Germany.

The pattern you described is very similar to the patterns I mentoined, but not exactly the same as you repeat the 6-5 part more often. But it's only a little variation and I'm sure there's also a song using right this.

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Edit: I had a massive transcription fail when describing that pattern. What I was actually playing is:

1---6-5-6-1-6-5-1---6-5-6-1-6-5-

With 1--- being a crotchet, and 1- being a quaver (like everything else). This is sure to have been used before, the other one sounds awful.

You mention the 1-5-b7 pattern. Putting the two together gets the 'cowboy' bass line 1-5-6-5-1-5-6-5-1-5-6-5-b7-5-6-5

Edit: The main riff for De La Soul's "Say No Go" sounds similar-ish, but not the same. If I try to play it:

1-5h6-5-6-5-6-8 (with 8 being the octave and the 5 and six being above the root 1), then it sounds too 'major key'). But, if I play it as if it's from a minor pentatonic 1-4h5-4-5-4-5-4-5-8- that sounds even more wrong. I'm often able to work out basslines by ear, but am having trouble with this one. I thought it was a 1-5-6, but when I actually listen, it might not be.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08X5CVfL0bk[/media]

Edit: For pure 1-5-6, or at least 1-6-5, Rita Coolidge "(Your love has lifted me) HIgher and Higher"

Edited by Annoying Twit
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[quote name='Annoying Twit' timestamp='1381819251' post='2244042']
I've got something stuck in my head which appears to be 'the pattern'. It's an intro from a song from the first Blues Brothers movie, but I can't remember which one.
[/quote]
I cant turn you loose?

Edited by Hobbayne
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