Eighth notes are the workhorse of bass grooving. Two even notes per beat. Most rock, funk, and pop bass lines live here.
The pattern
Take any root note. Play it 8 times per measure, two per beat. Use alternating index-middle plucking from lesson 3.
beat: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
note: C C C C C C C C
hand: I M I M I M I M
90 BPM. Eight evenly spaced plucks per measure on the A string, 3rd fret (C). Loop for five minutes.
Add chord changes
Take the same C → G → Am → F progression. Now play eight notes per chord instead of four.
beat: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
C: C C C C C C C C
G: G G G G G G G G
Am: A A A A A A A A
F: F F F F F F F F
This is the bass line of approximately every '70s pop song.
Vary the rhythm
Once steady eighths feel boring, vary them. Drop the second eighth of beat 4: instead of "X X X X X X X X," play "X X X X X X X _". The hole on beat 4-and creates space for the drums.
Or: play roots on beats 1-2, walk to the next chord on beats 3-4. The bass starts predictable, then leads to the change.
100 BPM. Try the rest-on-the-4-and pattern, then the walk pattern. Eight bars each.
Listen to real bassists
Paul McCartney, James Jamerson, John Paul Jones. Most of their basslines are eighth notes plus thoughtful variations. Open a bass line transcription of any Beatles song and you'll see this in action.
Next: locking with the drummer. The art of playing tight with the kick drum.