Hello revolutionary music makers, I’m Kate Harmony, this is Ray Harmony, and welcome
to Hack Music Theory, where we help you make great music that stands out. And if it’s
your first time here, please help yourself to our free book “12 Music Theory Hacks
to Learn Scales & Chords”, which you can download from our website. Alright, it’s
time to open your DAW to hack music theory. But first… tea!
The new single “Be Nice” from The Black Eyed Peas (which was written by Adam Friedman
for the Songland TV show), has a super fun bass line that’s not only the central focus
of the song, but it’s also perfect for conveying the super positive message behind the lyrics.
So what makes this bass line feel so good? Well, there’s a few things, like the fact
that it’s built around an ascending line, which is literally uplifting. But far more
interesting than that, is the fact that the bass line is in a minor key. And as you probably
know, major keys are usually used in feel good songs like this. So how do they make
a minor key feel so uplifting? Easy, they made the song for dancing, and when we move
to music, we feel good. So to get people dancing, they used lots of syncopation in their bass
line, and that makes it really funky. And by the way, syncopation is when you accent
an off-beat. Also, most funk bass lines are actually in minor keys, cos funk’s favourite
notes are the 1, the ♭3 and the ♭7. And lastly, to emphasise all those off-beats in
the bass line, the drums accent all the 1/4 note beats by playing the classic four-on-the-floor
groove.
Alright, now you’re gonna learn how to use this theory to make your own version. And
for the example in this lesson, we’ll be using our version that we made earlier. So,
start by setting up two bars of 4/4, with your grid set to 1/16 notes, and your tempo
set to 105 BPM. “Be Nice” is in the key of F minor, so we’ll use it too.
STEP 1. SYNCOPATION
Funkiness is all about syncopation. So to get people moving to your bass line, you have
to accent lots of off-beats. If you don’t, it’ll sound rigid and stiff, and that ain’t
gonna get anybody dancing! And for that reason, the best place to start writing a funky bass
line, is with the rhythm, and more importantly, syncopation. And remember, great bass lines
have a balance of notes on the beat and notes off the beat. So don’t just play everything
off the beat thinking it’ll make your bass line extra funky, you gotta spank some of
those 1/4 note beats as well! In our example, we’re playing beat 1 and beat 3 in each
bar, and then everything else is syncopated.
And by the way, if you want our ultimate hack for funky bass lines, along with a MIDI file
example, then check out our Songwriting & Producing PDF. It also contains hacks on how to write
great chord progressions, melodies, and more MIDI examples as well! You can download the
PDF from HackMusicTheory.com
STEP 2. TWO LINES
Right, now it’s time to turn your rhythm into a bass line. And what’s cool about
the bass line in “Be Nice”, is that it’s a 2-in-1. What I mean by that, is there’s
actually two clearly defined lines playing together (obviously playing one-at-a-time
though). The upper line carries the melody, while the lower line holds things down with
one note (in the original, that note is C, the 5). And writing two lines like this will
make your bass even more funky, as it mirrors the slap bass technique often used in funk.
Now, as with many of the songs we hack, the vibe and the production are super cool, but
when it comes to the actual music, the songwriters and producers often choose to sacrifice longevity
for popularity. And for the record, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, because
the value of music is different for everyone. If music has extrinsic value to you, then
you’re making music as a way of achieving something, like a hit. On the other hand,
if music has intrinsic value to you, then you’re making music purely for the joy of
creating art. And this song is the perfect example of music that was made for extrinsic
value, as it was written to be a hit. So, in their bass’ upper line, they simply ascend
note-by-note through the scale. This makes it instantly appealing, cos the first time
someone hears it they already know where it’s going, and the average person likes music
that sounds familiar. The downside to writing predictable music though, is that people get
tired of it quickly. But, if you’re aiming for a hit that doesn’t matter, because you
only need it to be trending for a few weeks. If you’re like us though, and you’re happy
to sacrifice popularity for longevity, then write an upper line that people won’t be
able to guess where it’s going on their first listen, as that will keep them coming
back again and again!
Alright, now let’s have a listen to our feel good bass line. But just before the playthrough,
if there’s an artist you’d like us to hack, please let us know. Thanks for watching
(or listening, if you’re on the podcast), and we’ll see you next week!