06

Walking
Beginners
Level
Bass 01
With Ian
Scott
Martin
Devine
Allison

06. Half-Note
01. Jazz Rhythms
Primer
SCOTT SBASSLESSO NS. CO M

& ‘Johnny Cash’

COURSE BOOK
COURSE BOOK: BEGINNERS LEVEL 01 — COURSE 06 1

Lesson 1
Half-Note Rhythms
Understanding rhythm is a crucial element to playing the bass guitar, and
to groove. What’s the groove? It’s what makes you want to move. Let’s
continue our look at rhythms, this time with the half note (also known as a
minum).
“If you’re movin’,
you’re groovin’!”
The beat in a measure is, generally speaking, represented by a quarter
44
note. A note that lasts for two beats is referred to as a half note—in time,
it lasts for half of the measure, or for the duration of two quarter notes.
hQ
hQ
(It’s also half the duration of a whole note.) It’s represented by an open
notehead and a stem that can be above or below the notehead on the
or
standard notation staff. Playing half notes from the start of the bar will
mean you only pluck on Beats 1 and 3:

Half Note

Example 01 Half Notes

? 44 ™™ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ™™
Beat: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 etc.
™ ™
¤ ™ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 ™

Half-Note Rests
Just like the other note types, there’s a corresponding half-note rest. Half-
note rests are also easy to identify, since they’ll be the only thing in half of
a measure; they’re indicated by a small rectangle that sits on top of a line
(usually the middle line). As before, in the TAB staff a rest is left blank.

Half-Note Rests

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 COURSE BOOK: BEGINNERS LEVEL 01 — COURSE 06 2

LESSON 1 (continued)

Next, let’s incorporate some half-note rests into a simple line. We’ll “play” the
rests from both the beginning of the measure (Beats 1 and 2) to the second
half (Beats 3 and 4). Then we’ll play two consecutive half notes:

Example 02 Half-Note Rests

? 44 ˙ Ó ˙ Ó Ó ˙ Ó ˙ ™™ ˙ ˙ ™™
Beat: 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
™ ™
¤ 3 3 3 3 ™ 3 3 ™

Finally, we’ll add some drums to the mix, using the “Funk 6” drum groove
from the SBL Groove Trainer app. Do your best to lock in with the bass/kick
drum, which is also playing on Beats 1 and 3:

Example 03 Half Notes & Half-Note Rests

Funk 6 (SBL Groove Trainer)

Play 5 times

? 44 ™™™™ ˙˙ ™™™
™
?4 Play 5 times
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ Play 5 times
? 44 ™™ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
™™
™ ™
(2:43) Together*
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
¤ ™ ™™ 33 ™
(2:43)

™™
(2:43)
¤
3 3 3 3 3 3 3

¤ ™ 3 ™
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Example 04
™ ™
™™™ ˙˙ ∑˙˙ ™™™
? ∑ ˙ ∑˙
? ˙˙ ˙˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
™™ ˙ ∑˙ ™™
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ∑˙ ˙ ˙
™ ™
? ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙(IAN) ∑ ˙ ˙ ˙
YOU
™ ™
Together (IAN) YOU

˚ 33 3 3 3
™™
3 3 3 3
™™
˚
3 3 3 3

™ ™
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

˚ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Play 3 times
3 3 3 3
Play 4 times
™ ™ ™ ™
™™™ ˙˙ ∑ Ó ™™™ ™™™ Ó ∑˙˙ Ó ˙˙ 4 times ™™™
Example
? ˙˙ ∑ Ó05 ˙˙
? ∑ ∑ Play 3 times ∑ Play 4 times
Ó ˙ Ó
Play 3 times
Ó Play
™™ ˙ ∑ Ó ™™ ™™ Ó ∑˙ Ó ˙ ™™
Ó ˙ Ó
™ ™ ™Ó ™
? ˙ ∑Ó ˙ Ó ˙ Ó
™ ™ ™ ™
Ó Ó
˚ 3
™™
3
™™ ™™
3
™™
˚
(IAN)
3 YOU (IAN)
3 YOU (IAN) 3 YOU

™ ™ ™ ™
3 3 3 3 3 3

˚ 3 3 3 3 3 3

*As in Course 05, Ian encourages you to trade measures back and forth. Rather than leave the measures blank
where Ian plays (while you are resting) is written in smaller, grey notation. That notation is not meant for you to
play, but rather help you follow along.
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COURSE BOOK: BEGINNERS LEVEL 01 — COURSE 06 3

Lesson 2
Putting Rhythms Together
At this point, we’ve covered three different note types, and their
corresponding rests: quarter notes, whole notes and half notes.
Now, we’ll put them all together.

Example 01
Pop 1 (SBL Groove Trainer, 110 BPM)

Moderatly fast q � 110

YOU (Rest)
? 44 ™™
YOU (Rest)
∑ ∑
w w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
™
(IAN) YOU (IAN) YOU

¤ ™ 3 3 3 3 3 3

YOU (Rest) YOU (Rest)

™™
Play 3 times
? ∑ ∑
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ w w
™
(IAN) YOU (IAN) YOU

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
™

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Repeat as needed
? ™™ ™™
 w w ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
™
¤ ™
COURSE BOOK: BEGINNERS LEVEL 01 — COURSE 06
3 3 3 3 3 3
4

LESSON
? 2 (continued)
∑ ∑
Play 3 times
™™
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ w w
™
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
™
Example 01 (continued)
Pop 1 (SBL Groove Trainer)

Repeat as needed
? ™™ ™™
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
™ ™
Together

™ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
™

YOU (Rest) YOU (Rest)

? ∑ ∑
œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ w w
(IAN) YOU (IAN) YOU

3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

“When you’re doing these

examples and exercises, just
enjoy them, and know that
when you do them, your band is
going to be so happy with you.”

Notes:
— Your goal should be a nice, consistent, even sound in every note you play.

— Make both fingers sound similar as you alternate pick with your index and middle fingers;
it’s very important to be consistent (to the best of your ability).

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COURSE BOOK: BEGINNERS LEVEL 01 — COURSE 06 5

Lesson 3
“Johnny Cash”
Now let’s put the three note divisions and tablature reading to work in a
playalong influenced by the one and only Johnny Cash and his song “I Walk
the Line.” Our tune, coincidentally titled “Johnny Cash,” features outlaw-
country-style bass playing.

ProTip
If you have the opportunity to examine the music before you play it, scan it, and locate
any spots you feel might give you trouble. Be sure to practice them a little beforehand!

Please see next page for “Johnny Cash”

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COURSE BOOK: BEGINNERS LEVEL 01 — COURSE 06 6

LESSON 3 (continued)

Johnny Cash
beginners-level1-course6-johnny-cash

Moderately fast Country q � 148

C F
? 4 ˙ œ ˙ ˙
b4 ˙ œ œ œ ˙ ˙

¤ 3
3
3 1 0
3 1
3
1
3

C
?b ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙

3 3 3 3
1 1 3 3

F C
9
?b ˙ œ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ œ ˙ ˙

3 0 1 3 3
1 1 3 3

F Bb F
13
?b ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ œ œ ˙

3 0 1 1 0 3
1 1 3 1 3 1

C F
18
?b U
˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙ w

0 1 3 3 3
1 3 3 1 1

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COURSE BOOK: BEGINNERS LEVEL 01 — COURSE 06 7
Moderately fast Country q � 148
C F
? 4 ˙
LESSON 3 (continued)
b4 ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙

¤ 3
3
3 1 0
3 1
3
1
3

Notes: C
? ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
b ˙ ˙ ˙
— The quarter-note descending figure in Bar 2 is called a walk down—it “walks us down” to
˙
the first fret of the low E string, string 4.

— The “letters”
1 above3 the bars are1 actually chord
3
symbols3 that we as
3 bass players can use 3
3

as “guideposts” to show us how the tune flows, and tell chordal/harmonic instruments what
chords to play. (We’ll discuss the importance of chord symbols in relation to bass playing in
F C
future
9 courses.):
? Moderately fast˙ Country q � 148 ˙F ˙
b ˙C ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙
?b 4 ˙ œ œ œ œ ˙ ˙
4 ˙ ˙ ˙
3 0 1 3 3
1 1 3 3

¤ F
3
3
3 1 0
Bb 3 1
3
1
F
3

13
?b ˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ œ œ ˙C œ œ ˙
— In?the
b very last measure
˙ of the ˙tune, you’ll˙see a fermata—a
˙ “semi-circle with a˙dot in the
˙ ˙ ˙
middle”—which means you should hold that note until otherwise directed, for example by a
3 0 1 1 0 3
motion from
1 a band director
1 or another
3 band member:1 3 1

3 3 3 3
1 1 3 3
C F
18
?b U
œ ˙ ˙ ˙
9
˙F œ ˙ C˙ ˙ w
?b ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙
0 1 3 3 3
1 3 3 1 1

3 0 1 3 3
1 1 3 3

— Position your fingers so you do not have to shift your hand position in Bar 2. For example,
F 4 for the first and second notes (both
use finger Bb on the third fret but on different strings),
F
13
rather than the second then first, which will require an uncomfortable position shift to play
?b ˙ œ œ ˙ ˙
the second note of Bar 2 (fret 1 of the third string.) Although this will necessarily result in a œ œ ˙
˙ ˙ ˙ ˙
slight gap between notes, which is fine for this style of music.
“You know what the
— Roll back your TONE
3 control almost all the
0 way1 and rely on your 1neck pickup
0 only (turn the 3 enemy of groove is?
1 1 3 1 3 1
VOLUME knob of your bridge pickup if you have one) to produce a “warmer, chocolate-y Discomfort. If something
sound.” feels uncomfortable, it is
C F
— Pluck
18
closer to the neck if you want to get an even warmer sound. U challenging your groove.”
?b ˙ ˙ ˙
˙ œ œ ˙ ˙ ˙ w

0 1 3 3 3
1 3 3 1 1

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S C OT T S B A S S L E S S O N S . C O M