Bass Improvisation: Boogie Woogie

By Bass Levite

The Boogie Woogie!

The fast swing style is also called the "boogie woogie". I have no idea where that name came from, but that is the word to describe this style of playing amongst jazz and blues circles. The fast blues music uses the boogie woogie extensively. One christian song example where this style of playing forms the foundation of the music is "Joy in the Holy Ghost" from an early Hillsong album. Use this style for lively songs, especially those with repetitive chords.



In the video, I played it in duplets (half beat per note). The boogie woogie can also be done with singlets (one beat per note). Which one you use depends on the atmosphere you want to create and your own ability. The singlet is easier to play whereas the duplet requires endurance, but creates a more lively atmosphere. For simplicity, the tabs below are singlets (just play each note twice at twice the speed to create a duplet).


Normal Boogie Woogie
C F
-------------------2-5-2---2-5-2-
---2-5-2---2-5-2-3-------3-------
-3-------3-----------------------
---------------------------------

C G
-------------------4-7-4---4-7-4-
---2-5-2---2-5-2-5-------5-------
-3-------3-----------------------
---------------------------------

Get this rhythm in your head and keep it constant. I personally find that foot tapping helps to keep tempo too.



Boogie Woogie Variation

C F
-------------------5-2-5---5-2-5-
---2-5-2---2-5-2-3-------3-------
-3-------3-----------------------
---------------------------------

C G
-------------------4-5-7---4-5-7-
---2-5-2---2-5-2-5-------5-------
-3-------3-----------------------
---------------------------------

C - Normal boogie woogie.
F - Inverted boogie woogie, where the 5th note is played first after the root note.
C - Normal boogie woogie.
G - Ascending boogie woogie, where a 4th note is added to bridge the 3rd and 5th.

Note that at this point, no walking techniques has been added yet. If the duplet style is played, there is usually no need for walking. However, if you play a singlet instead of a duplet, then walking can liven it up more.



Boogie Woogie Variation With Walking

C F
-------------------5-2-5---5-2-5-
---2-5-2-----2-5-3-------3-------
-3-------3-5---------------------
---------------------------------

C G C
-------------------4-5-7---4-5-7-----------
---2-5-2-----2-3-5-------5-----------------
-3-------3-5---------------------3-----2-3-
-----------------------------------3-5-----

C - Note the overshoot walk to get to F.
F - No walking.
C - Straigh forward walking to G.
G - No walking.
C - C walking back to itself.




The reader might also want to try the following "boogie woogie" (not in the video). This one's commonly used if the chord goes for 2 bars.

C7
-------------------
--------7-8-7------
---7-10-------10-8-
-8-----------------


Note that in all these improvisations, there is an anchor note. The proper left hand position should be the middle finger playing the root / anchor note. All the extra notes you play lie below the anchor position. So, this is why the A or E string should be used to play the root notes. There are, of course, inverted positions, where the root note is played on the D or G string, and the extra arpeggios lie above it. The most common example of this is in folk songs (see the first series), where the added note is above the root note (nearer to you).

Personally for me, the most versatile position is for the root notes to be on the A string. This way, there is space above and below for improvisation. But it's all about personal taste and preference. Feel free to play using your most comfortable position.



"It's time to get out of the root note comfort zone!"