The Art of Walking Bass - 'Sequences'

[bassrockbob]

Hi all.  I have just started reading 'The Art of Walking Bass' by Bob Magnusson. There's a ton of info in there, but I'm puzzled by one of the concepts that he introduces early on - 'sequences' (p 13). He states that 'making a sequence from the three tones of a triad is a great way to create melodic interest...' but he doesn't (as far as I can see) actually provide a full definition. It appears simply to be a rough shape that is repeated, but the examples he gives are a mix of thirds and fourths, so not a specific interval.

 

Can anybody nail this for me? Bob are you out there?!

[ChrisDev]

It's not about intervals, but the notes from a triad. He makes a sequence with the notes from a particular triad, C in the examples.
The brackets in the examples show the sequences.

Let's number the notes in the triad
C = 1
E = 2
G = 3
C = 4

Ex1
G C - E G - C E
here it's a 2-note sequence. You take one note of the triad en play the next note of the triad after that. Then you start on a different note of the triad followed by the next note, etc
3 4 - 2 3 - 1 2
G, 1 step up => C
E, 1 step up => G
C, 1 step up => E

Ex2
A 4-note pattern
G E C G - E C G E
3 2 4 3 - 2 1 3 2
G, 1step down => E, 2 steps up => C, 1 step down => G
E, 1step down => C, 2 steps up => G, 1 step down => E

Ex3
Again a 4-note pattern
E C G E - C G E C
2 4 3 2 - 1 3 2 1
E, 2 steps up => C, 1 step down => G, 1 step down => E
C, 2 steps up => G, 1 step down => E, 1 step down => C

Hope this helps

Edited December 23, 2017 by ChrisDev

[Steve Woodcock]

@ChrisDev, as 'step' refers to a movement by an interval of a second I think your response would be clearer if you replaced that word with 'chord tone' instead. Otherwise, all good!

[ChrisDev]

12 minutes ago, Steve Woodcock said:

@ChrisDev, as 'step' refers to a movement by an interval of a second I think your response would be clearer if you replaced that word with 'chord tone' instead. Otherwise, all good!

@Steve Woodcock It's not an interval of a second, but from one triad note to another, e.g. C to E = 1 step, C to G = 2 steps

[bassrockbob]

@ChrisDev many thanks for that, I get it now. 

[ambient]

18 hours ago, ChrisDev said:

@Steve Woodcock It's not an interval of a second, but from one triad note to another, e.g. C to E = 1 step, C to G = 2 steps

A 'step' in music traditionally refers to the movement of an interval of a major second or a tone, half a step is a semi-tone. This is what Steve Woodcock is referring to. In music, possibly in many other things too, what we say might actually have a different meaning altogether, hence Steve's reply.

[ChrisDev]

2 hours ago, ambient said:

A 'step' in music traditionally refers to the movement of an interval of a major second or a tone, half a step is a semi-tone. This is what Steve Woodcock is referring to. In music, possibly in many other things too, what we say might actually have a different meaning altogether, hence Steve's reply.

I know what a step traditionally refers to, and I understood what @Steve Woodcock was saying. I just replied with what I meant with "step" in this particular case.

English isn't my first language and "step" was the best I could come up with. Any suggestions for replacing the word "step" here?