Ska and reggae bass patterns

dekker · Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2002 10:49 am Post subject: Ska and reggae bass patterns

I’m new to the bass but a few friends and I have got a band together just for fun. Trouble is, is that past just playing root notes I’m a bit lost.
One of my friends has got together a ska song that’s D to F (four beats each chord) and D,C,G for the chorus. It seems to me that if I just play root notes throughout the song it wont be very ska. I know it’s a big ask but does anybody know a walking pattern that I could use or could somebody point me somewhere that looks at walking bass patterns, the places that I’ve found so far haven’t really helped.

many, many thanks

pereek · Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2002 12:05 pm Post subject: Ska and reggae bass patterns

-----------------|---------------|
-----5-7-8-7-5---|---------------|
-5-7-----------7-|----1-3-4-3-1--|
-----------------|-1-3---------3-|

mess around with that. add some hammer ons here and there. maybe try it on off beat
but yea have fun with it