Walking Bass

Chord route

Four-string bass: E–A–D–G. Piano uses the same bass pitches; guitar sounds one octave higher.

Color Coded shows every position of the current chord across the full bass or guitar neck, including open strings. The map follows chord changes and stays complete when you scroll the neck. Note colors match the Chord route boxes; shared tones show a segment for each distinct exercise chord. The blue playback outline keeps those colors visible. Turn Color Coded off to show only the lesson fingering.

Scroll over the neck or use Neck position to move along 22 frets. Playback follows the sounding note.

The circle marks every chord used by the complete exercise in grey; the current chord is black and named above the wheel. Its centre follows the current key. Outer, middle and inner rings group major/dominant/suspended, minor, and diminished chords. Hover a segment for all its exercise chord names.

Load a progression in the Starting key, or a saved Triad Exercise preset in its original key. Play in applies the complete progression in the selected keys and interval order, preserving internal key changes. Each chord lasts one bar. Choose a lesson for its bass-line technique; loaded Triad Exercise chords retain their triad qualities, without guessed sevenths. Saved presets are shared in this browser with Triad Exercise, not uploaded.

For arpeggiation of one chord, choose lesson 13 or Harmony → Selected chord, choose Chord quality, and use Starting key as its root. The chord repeats for four bars per key. All techniques, directions and Play in routes can use that selected harmony. Switch Harmony back to a lesson or loaded Triad Exercise progression at any time.

Swing amount is now 0–100% intensity, not the duration of the first note. At 0%, eighths are even; at 100%, the split reaches a relaxed 60:40 at slower tempos and becomes more even at faster tempos. This avoids the rigid 2:1 triplet/shuffle sound. Laid-back feel separately places the whole line slightly behind the steady pulse, up to 45 ms or 8% of a quarter beat, whichever is smaller. This is a predictable practice model, not a universal jazz formula. Quarter notes remain evenly spaced, with subtle phrasing; no echo notes are added. Eighth-note line generates moving notes rather than duplicating the originals. Original lesson rhythm bypasses both feel controls. Count-in and bar/loop lengths remain unchanged; final release is kept inside the route. Audio, highlights and MIDI share the performance timing. Try Swing 60–80% and Laid-back 50–75%, then adjust by ear. Swing ratios · Swing timing and phrasing.

Mixed line direction alternates ascending and descending inner-note routes by bar, approaching the next root from below and above in turn. Roots still anchor beat one. Root-only and two-feel studies keep their simple note choices. The alternation continues across key changes and restarts with the route when looping.

Build jazz bass lines from steady roots to connected chord tones, chromatic approaches and complete forms. These original exercises are listening and time-feel studies, not fixed bass parts for particular songs.

Ready.