Workshop 67 — Bass-Line Reharmonization: Creating New Harmony by Designing the Bass First
Workshop 66 focused on guide tones: the 3rds and 7ths that tell us what the harmony means.
Now we turn the whole process upside down.
Instead of asking:
What chord should go under this melody?
we ask:
What bass line would make this phrase feel inevitable?
Then we harmonize that bass.
This is one of the most useful arranging skills because a strong bass line can make even fairly simple harmony sound sophisticated.
The central lesson is:
Reharmonization does not have to begin with substitute chords. It can begin with a better line in the bass.
67.1Why bass-first reharmonization worksBass strongly controls:67.2Start with the simplest cadenceIn C:67.3Chromatic approachBass:67.4Another approachBass:67.5Level 1 — three-note descending bassPlay:67.6This is a model for reharmonizationWe have:67.7Level 2 — ascending chromatic bassC → C♯ → D.67.8Important reversal of thinkingInstead of memorizing:67.9Level 3 — I to IV through bassC → B → B♭ → A.67.10Analyze the feelingC: tonic.67.11Level 4 — build bass before symbolsWrite only:67.12Why held melody notes are idealA long melody note allows harmony underneath to change while melody remains stable.67.13Level 5 — descending diatonic bassIn C major:67.14Play bass alone firstDo not add chords.67.15Level 6 — harmonize each bass note minimallyUse only triads or sevenths.67.16Then enrichSame bass.67.17Level 7 — contrary motionBass descends.67.18The arranger’s questionWhen a section feels static, ask:67.19Level 8 — pedal bassBass reharmonization also includes choosing not to move.67.20Static bass can be a reharm choiceIf original progression changes roots frequently, replacing several roots with one pedal may make the passage feel:67.21Level 9 — pedal then releaseKeep C bass for four bars.67.22Level 10 — tonic pedal under IVIn C:67.23CompareF root: clear IV.67.24Level 11 — slash chords as bass designInstead of thinking:67.25Bass line:C → B → A → A♭ → G.67.26Hear the emotional changeC-B-A:67.27Level 12 — line cliché in the bassC minor.67.28This is a huge arranging ideaSometimes chord symbols become awkward because the music is really:67.29Level 13 — upper chord fixed, bass movesHold RH:67.30Bass is a reharmonizerThis is the central sound of today’s workshop.67.31Level 14 — major triad over chromatic bassRH:67.32Over BC-E-G over B gives tensions:67.33Bass-first does not mean upper harmony must stay fixedThe method is:67.34Level 15 — melody note plus bass defines possibilitiesSuppose melody is E.67.35Outer voices firstThis is a powerful arranging workflow:67.36Level 16 — create bass from melody contourSuppose melody rises.67.37ExampleMelody:67.38Level 17 — parallel bass and melodyContrary motion is not always best.67.39Level 18 — oblique motionMelody repeats G.67.40Bass-line categoriesWhen designing a reharmonization, try one of these:67.41Level 19 — circle-of-fifths bassBass:67.42But soften itBass remains:67.43Level 20 — alternate dominant and minorBass:67.44Bass is not harmony by itselfThis is important.67.45Level 21 — walking bass reharmonizationSuppose the harmony lasts one bar of C.67.46Harmonic bass vs passing bassBass notes can be:67.47Level 22 — C bass walkOver C6:67.48Bass-line reharm has a density decisionAsk:67.49Level 23 — chromatic connector into target rootWant Am next?67.50Destination-first bassExactly like walking bass.67.51Level 24 — delayed harmonic confirmationBass reaches A.67.52Bass may arrive before harmonyOr:67.53Level 25 — reharmonize phrase endings onlyDo not redo the entire tune.67.54Reharmonization is strongest when selectiveIf every beat gets a substitution:67.55Level 26 — bass as tension curveSuppose bass stays around C for beginning.67.56Intensity through bassLow sustained roots: low intensity.67.57Level 27 — bass registerSame note:67.58Level 28 — octave displacementBass line:67.59But distinguish bass line from bass riffStepwise line: often directional.67.60Level 29 — ostinato reharmLH repeats:67.61Level 30 — one-note bass reharmTake a melody normally harmonized with several chords.67.62This teaches what the melody truly requiresIf a passage works over one pedal:67.63Level 31 — reharmonization by bass substitution under same chord qualitySuppose melody/harmony is Cmaj.67.64Level 32 — tonic-family bass lineC → E → A → G.67.65Level 33 — borrowed-bass shockC-major passage.67.66Chromatic bass should have destinationRandom foreign bass notes are rarely convincing.67.67Level 34 — bass enclosureTarget:67.68Level 35 — double approachTarget F.67.69Melody and bass use the same languageBoth can:67.70Level 36 — bass motifCreate:67.71Level 37 — bass motif transpositionC-centered motif:67.72Level 38 — bass and guide-tone integrationDesign bass:67.73Practice Loop A — chromatic approachBass:67.74Practice Loop B — descending cadenceBass:67.75Practice Loop C — C-B-B♭-AFind at least three harmonic realizations.67.76Practice Loop D — fixed RH triad, moving bassRH: C-E-G.67.77Practice Loop E — melody fixed, bass movingHold high G.67.78Practice Loop F — pedal simplificationTake any tune phrase.67.79Practice Loop G — bass destinationChoose next root randomly:67.80Improvisation Challenge 1 — RH chord fixedHold one RH voicing.67.81Challenge 2 — melody fixedHold high G for eight bars.67.82Challenge 3 — chromatic descentCreate six-note descending chromatic bass.67.83Challenge 4 — pedal versus movementFirst eight bars: pedal bass.67.84Challenge 5 — no root-position chordsEight-bar progression.67.85Challenge 6 — melody and bass contrary motionWrite four bars:67.86Ear Drill — inversion or new chord?Play:67.87Ear Drill — pedal versus root movementPlay:67.88Ear Drill — structural versus passing bassPlay C harmony while bass walks:67.89Ear Drill — chromatic destinationPlay:67.90Mini-composition exerciseWrite 32 bars where the bass is designed before the chord symbols.67.91Apply it to “Happy Birthday”Instead of changing the melody, keep it entirely familiar.67.92Apply it to “Mack the Knife”This tune is perfect for bass-driven variation.67.93Apply it to “The Bare Necessities”For New Orleans/boogie:67.94The deeper theoretical lessonA chord symbol is a vertical label.67.95The arranger's four-voice mindsetWhen reharmonizing, increasingly think:67.96Why this matters for playing by earWhen you hear a sophisticated progression, do not try to identify every giant chord instantly.67.97Why this matters for reharmonizationFancy substitutes can be arbitrary.•Workshop 67 mini-test1. What does bass-first reharmonization mean?
← PreviousWorkshop 66 — Melodic Development Through Guide Tones: Making 3rds and 7ths Sing, Connecting Chords Horizontally, and Building Lines That Explain the HarmonyNext →Workshop 68 — Harmonic Rhythm as an Arranging Tool: When Chords Change, When They Don’t, and How to Create Momentum Without Adding More Harmony