Okay, so I’ve been listening to “All Blues” by Miles Davis like a million times, and I finally decided I had to learn how to play it. I mean, that bassline is just iconic, right?
First thing I did was pull up the sheet music. I grabbed my bass and started plunking around, trying to find the notes. It’s mostly in G mixolydian, which, honestly, I had to look up. I’m still kinda fuzzy on modes, but I get the basic idea.
The Walking Bass Line
The walking bass line is the heart of this tune. Paul Chambers, man, that guy was a genius. So I spent a good chunk of time just working on that. It’s not super fast, but it’s got this swing to it that’s tricky to nail.
- I started real slow, just playing the root notes of each chord. G7, C7, you know, the basic stuff.
- Then I started adding in the fifths and octaves. That’s where it starts to sound like a real bass line.
- The tricky part was getting the rhythm right. I had to listen to the recording over and over, trying to internalize that feel.
The Head (Melody)
Once I felt okay about the bass line (not perfect, but okay), I moved on to the melody. That’s where Miles comes in with that beautiful, muted trumpet.
- The melody is surprisingly simple, note-wise. It’s mostly just a few notes, repeated and varied.
- But the phrasing! That’s where the magic is. Miles plays it so cool and laid-back.
- I tried to mimic his phrasing as best as I could, using my ear to find it.
Putting it Together (attempting!)
Then came the hard part: trying to play the bass line and the melody at the same time. My brain nearly exploded.
- I started by humming the melody while playing the bass line. That helped a little.
- My fingers felt clumsy.
- I recorded myself playing it, and… yeah, it was rough. But it was a start!
Practice, Practice, Practice
So, that’s where I’m at. I’ve got the basic structure down, but it’s going to take a lot more practice to get it sounding smooth and bluesy. I listened to some other versions too. I’m not giving up, though. I’ll keep at it until I can at least play it without sounding like a total mess! My next step is for sure going to be watching a whole bunch of videos of bass players better than me, and breaking down some of the things they are doing.
