Nathaniel School of Music

The Left-Hand Bass Line Every Piano Player Should Know (4 Chords)

To build a left-hand piano bass line, land on the root or bass note of each chord on beat one and use passing notes, such as the chromatic climb C, D, D#, E into C7/E, to connect the chords in between.

Video lesson by Jason Zac · Intermediate · 13 min

Can't see the video? Watch it on YouTube.

Key points

What this lesson teaches

This is part two of a series by Jason Zac at Nathaniel School of Music. It takes the four-chord progression from part one and replaces the left hand's simple held roots with a moving bass line. The aim is to make the progression sound unique and grounded, and to build real hand independence. It suits players who can already play the chords in the right hand and want their accompaniment to sound fuller and more human.

If you have not worked through part one, start there first. It covers right-hand dynamics, legato, staccato, embellishments and imagining simple drum grooves, all of which this lesson builds on.

The four chords

Each chord lasts one bar, so the bass line is a four-bar line that matches the four-bar chord sequence.

Think of the bass as its own melody

A melody over these chords would usually belong to a singer. But the bass can have its own melody too, and that is what we call a bass line. Before you try to play it, listen to the bass line on its own and sing it. Singing it first makes it far easier to learn with your hands.

The time feel: swing eighths

The whole lesson sits on a swing eighth-note or shuffle feel. Count it as one and two and three and four and, with a lilting, uneven pulse. Counting this way shows you exactly where each bass hit falls within the bar.

How the bass line is built

Respect the root on beat one

The golden rule: on the strong beat of each bar, beat one, where the chord changes, the bass plays the root or bass note of that chord. On the other beats it is free to move around.

Bar one to bar two: a chromatic climb

Over C major the bass walks C, D, D#, E. The step from D through D# to E is a passing chromatic climb, and E is the landing note for the second chord, C7/E.

Approaching F, then F to F minor

From C7/E the line then approaches F for the third chord. Over the last two bars the bass moves from F major to F minor over Ab, and then leads back to C to start the cycle again.

Staccato and legato

Two of the bass hits are played staccato while all the others are legato. The first hit is always staccato. This contrast gives the bass line its own personality, so pay as much attention to the articulation as to the notes.

Adding the right hand

The right hand plays the chords with short, staccato hits, placed to line up with where a drummer's snare would land, on beats two and four. You can also bring back the right-hand articulation and dynamics from part one.

How to practise it

  1. Sing the bass line along with the recording before playing it.
  2. Play the left hand alone, counting the swing eighths aloud, until the notes and the staccato and legato hits are secure.
  3. Put the hands together starting with just the roots in the left hand, played staccato, under the staccato right-hand chords.
  4. Once that feels steady, bring in the legato notes of the full bass line while keeping the right hand staccato: legato left, staccato right.
  5. Slowly isolate any tricky spots, then put everything back together, adding right-hand snare-style accents on two and four.
  6. Use the super-slow play-along at the end of the video to practise hands together.

Tip for smaller keyboards

If your keyboard has 61 keys or fewer, set its transpose to minus 12. This drops everything by an octave so you can reach the deep bass register without needing extra keys.

Questions about this lesson

How do I make a left-hand bass line instead of just playing roots?

Play the root or bass note of each chord on beat one, then use the other beats to move towards the next chord with passing notes. In this lesson, C, D, D#, E climbs chromatically from C major into C7/E.

What rhythm feel does this bass line use?

It uses swing eighth notes, also called a shuffle feel. Count one and two and three and four and with a lilting, uneven pulse.

How do I develop hand independence for this pattern?

Start with staccato roots in the left hand under staccato right-hand chords. Once that is steady, switch the left hand to the full legato bass line while the right hand stays staccato, and work slowly on any difficult spots.

Can I play this bass line on a 61-key keyboard?

Yes. Set the keyboard's transpose to minus 12, which lowers everything by an octave so you can get the deep bass sound without extra keys.

Practise it

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