A bass line over a House style groove could go something like this:

Audio Example 1

Audio Example 1 (Drums)

 

IDIOMS

RHYTHMIC:

Many bassists wince upon hearing a drum loop like the preceding, anticipating having to play quarter notes for the next 20 minutes. Although that’s one way to accompany a “4-on-the-floor” (kick drum every quarter note) drum groove, that’s certainly not mandated by such a drum pattern.

Most grooves in this genre are built around a 16th-note subdivision, and it’s helpful to imply that with the bass line. However, it might be more sparse, musical and subtle to play a primarily 8th-note-based line that occasionally alludes to the 16th-note subdivision with ghosting.

The bass line in Example 1 adds interest to the loop through rhythmic displacement, in that it’s actually a much straighter figure that has been “moved back” an 8th-note (the rhythmic pattern is being played starting an 8th-note later). The resulting feel is one where the bass seems to be playing in the holes between the kick drum. If the entire figure were to be moved up by an 8th-note (played an 8th-note earlier), it would pretty much line up with every downbeat...which would work, too, but I feel wouldn’t have been as musical.

In terms of time feel, try to line up with the feel of the drum loop or sequence...which more often than not is right in the middle (spot on).

HARMONIC:

Most House grooves don’t involve a high degree of harmonic complexity. Sticking with our meat-and-potatoes groove intervals (and emphasizing octaves) will likely be most consistent with the genre.

SONIC:

A warm and thick tone is usually going to work best in House settings. As with some other styles, synth bass is heard a lot in this genre. In Example 1, I employed the muted thumb “thud” technique (see Lesson 7) to minimize string noise, allow for quick decay of each note, and generally have a synth-like timbre.

GENERAL:

House drum loops tend to be such rhythmically-complete statements in and of themselves that the bassist can get a bit more creative than some other genres might allow without derailing the groove. That stated, use musical discernment to ensure that the bass line isn’t a distraction, and always make sure to play a part (i.e., don’t noodle!).

Strive for a high degree of accuracy (rhythmically and otherwise) in this genre; House music is driven by loops and sequencers, so listeners are accustomed to hearing metronomic rhythmic consistency for extended periods of time.