How to Write a Memorable Bass Line • Music Theory from Röyksopp "So Easy"

Hack Music Theory

How to Write a
Memorable Bass Line.

Free PDF Tutorial
includes multitrack MIDI file

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Intro.

Yes, your lead melody is important. But a great bass line has the power to make or break a section. Despite that fact, though, most producers approach their bass as an afterthought. Think about it. How many songs’ bass lines can you remember?

Almost all the bass lines we hear in the new releases each week are not really bass lines, they’re bass frequencies. If a producer merely plays each chord’s root note as their bass line, that’s not a melody (“line” is just an informal word for melody).

In order for it to be a bass line, it needs to be an actual melody. We’re obviously not saying that your bass should play a catchy melody like you’d want on the lead synth or vocals. But, it does need to contain the characteristics of a well-written melody, which will also make it memorable. And that’s a good test for yourself. The day after you’ve been writing, can you remember the bass line in your head?

A great example of a super memorable bass line, which doesn’t steal any attention away from the lead melody, can be found in the song “So Easy” by Norwegian electronic duo, Röyksopp. If you haven’t heard this song, have a quick listen, it’s the opening track on their brilliant album “Melody A.M.” from 2001. The song actually begins with both their bass line and lead melody playing, and while the lead is crazy catchy, the bass below is 100% memorable as well, without ever taking any attention away from the lead melody. It’s truly brilliant!

In this PDF you’ll learn the characteristics that make their bass line so memorable, as well as our 4-step method for writing memorable bass lines. But first… Tea!

Step 1. Half & Half

Set your tempo to 104 BPM and leave your time signature on 4|4. Then create an eight-bar loop on your bass track, and set your grid to 1/16 notes. When you analyse Röyksopp’s bass line, one of the most obvious characteristics you’ll notice is that half of it isn’t there, or so it seems. In other words, they use a ton of rests! So many, in fact, that their bass line consists of about half notes and half rests.

That’s a rather counterintuitive approach to bass, as it’s the foundation upon which the music is built. If half your foundation isn’t there, then surely you’re heading for trouble, right? Nope. Their clever use of rests ensures their bass line stands out because it’s different. But, as it’s not even there half the time, it’s not taking attention away from the lead melody. On that note, their lead is the opposite. It consists of longer connected notes, with no rests other than where they phrase it.

Okay let’s get to it! So you’re gonna start by writing a two-bar rhythm on C, the root note. But remember, you want about half of it to be rests. Also, all the notes should be short, so use a combination of 1/8 notes and 1/16 notes. And don’t be shy with the syncopation! If you play too many notes on the beat, it’s going to sound stiff and rigid. Those off-beat accents are gonna bring your bass line to life.

Two-bar rhythm on root note, C

When you’re happy with your lively two-bar rhythm, copy and paste it into bars three and four. Now, delete beat 4 in the fourth bar. You’ll find out why in Step 4.

Two-bar rhythm copied and pasted (highlighted) with beat 4 in fourth bar deleted

Then for variation, make one tiny change to a note towards the end of bar four.

Tiny rhythmic variation created at end of fourth bar (highlighted)

Step 2. Anchors & Arcs

The next thing you’ll notice about Röyksopp’s brilliant bass line is that it begins with three punchy on-beat root notes, before taking off to a bunch of other notes.

They repeat this pattern every two bars. That anchors the bass line into their key’s root note, as well as providing a rhythmic anchor. Every couple bars their bass briefly anchors melodically (to the root) and rhythmically (to the beat), before it ventures off to explore. And that exploration creates a melodic “arc” (i.e. contour), which we’ll get to in Step 3.

For now, you’re gonna select the first few notes at the beginning of bar one and bar three to function as your anchor. You can choose two, three or four notes, but don’t do more than that, otherwise you won’t have many notes left for your arc.

So, keep your anchor notes on C, then move all the other notes an octave higher. This separation is just a sketch for now. We’ll move those high notes into their arc in the next step. Even though your bass line is currently playing the root only, it should still sound energetic and full of potential. If it doesn’t, perhaps you’ve got too many anchor notes. So try a different combination of anchor and arc notes.

Bass line separated into “anchor” and “arc” notes (highlighted)

Step 3. Arc & Arc

Currently your bass line is still pretty much a rhythm, but this step will transform it into a memorable melody!

As you can see from the MIDI above, you’re going to have two different arcs. Your first arc will start towards the end of bar one, and finish at the end of bar two. As always, you can do whatever you want, but here are a few guidelines:

Use a huge range. You don’t have a lot of notes here, and there’s a bunch of rests already. So to increase the impact of those few notes you have, be sure to cover a big range from your lowest to highest notes. Röyksopp’s bass line has a whopping range of 17 semitones, which is absolutely massive! We did the same, as the impact this makes is phenomenal. We encourage you to try to make your arc this high too.

Also, large intervals are great, and essential in order to cover a range of this size. But, try to make your contour as smooth as possible. In other words, in between those big jumps, use as many small intervals as you can. This will ensure it sounds like a cohesive and flowing melody, not like a cat jumping around on your bass.

And by the way, Röyksopp uses the C Dorian mode here, so we’ll use it too.

C Dorian mode

1	2	♭3	4	5	6	♭7
C	D	E♭	F	G	A	B♭

There’s two vital caveats, though. Don’t use E♭ (♭3) in your arc. You can use all the other notes, but not E♭. Not yet. You’ll find out why in Step 4. It’s a brilliant hack! Also, be sure to use B♭ (♭7) in your arc. If not your first one, then definitely your second. You’ll find out why in Step 4 too. It’s a super creative twist in the tale.

Bass line with first “arc” written (highlighted)

Right, now it’s time to write your second arc, which will start towards the end of bar three and finish at the end of bar four. And same thing here. To create a flowing melodic contour, use a combination of big and small intervals. That’s the only way to cover such a large range in a smooth way. Röyksopp actually repeats their first arc here with a little variation. You can do that too, if you want.

We decided to use this second arc as an opportunity to turn our two-bar melody into a four-bar melody. We did this by writing a similar arc to our first one, but using slightly different notes. This means that when bar three comes around, our listeners are expecting a repeat because it starts out the same as bar one (with those three roots), but then it goes somewhere new. And not just somewhere new, it goes to our highest note, i.e. our climax. Now our melody is four bars long!

This addition is a great hack for extending a melody’s longevity, as the shorter a melody is, the quicker it will become boring. If you also decide to do this, though, then use a motif (i.e. a short idea) from your first arc to write your second arc. We repeated the descending three-note motif from our first arc, but in our second arc we started it a note higher. This creates repetition and variation at the same time.

Bass line with second “arc” written (highlighted)

Step 4. Mode & Mode

Okay this is the step where your bass line is gonna be magically catapulted to a whole nother level! Yes, it’s sounding good already, but with the hacks in this step it’s gonna become truly memorable. So what makes something memorable? Well, it has to stand out in some way, as our brains are hardwired to notice unusual things.

I always use the example of names. If you meet someone and his name is Dave*, it’s much easier to forget their name than if it was Spatula. And yes that’s a name. My brother went to university with a guy named Spatula. True story! That was over 20 years ago, and I never even personally met him, but how can you ever forget a dude called Spatula?! Alright, are you ready to Spatula-up your bass line?

*If you’re David, we’re sorry for using your name as an example, but please know that Davids are especially important to us, as that’s the most common name in our Apprentice Network.

Firstly, copy and paste your four-bar bass line into bars five through eight.

Four-bar bass line copied and pasted (highlighted) into bars five through eight

Now, do you remember in Step 1 when you deleted the notes in beat 4 of bar four? Well, you just pasted that gap into your eighth bar, and that’s where a little magic is gonna happen now. So, add some notes in there. If you have space in beat 3 too, start there. Whatever you do, be sure to end on an 1/8 note on E♭ (♭3).

Small variation added to end of bar eight (highlighted), ending on E♭

You’re obviously wondering what’s up with having to end on the ♭3 (E♭)? So do you remember in Step 3 where we told you not to use E♭ in your arcs? Well, your bass line doesn’t play the mode’s 3rd note until the very end. And as you know, the 3rd note is what determines whether something is in the major or minor family.

So what does this mean in a practical sense, for your listeners? They’re gonna be (subconsciously) feeling your bass line as more Mixolydian* than Dorian. Well, until the very last note, when suddenly… Surprise! You pull the rabbit out the hat and reveal that your bass line is actually in Dorian. This magic trick creates modal ambiguity, because until that last note, your bass line could be in either mode.

*Need to brush up on the modes? Use our 3 hacks in the Songwriting & Producing PDF.

You see, the major 3rd is more consonant than the minor 3rd, so if you don’t play any 3rd note at all, your listeners’ brains will automatically fill in the major 3rd (in their imaginations). It’s like if I write the incomplete word: computr. Your brain has no problem filling in the missing vowel (e) and reading the word “computer”. Same with scales/modes. If there’s a missing note, our brains will fill it in with the most consonant option. So, your listeners will be imagining a major 3rd all the way through (i.e. C Mixolydian), but then on the very last note, BOOM! It’s Dorian.

The only difference between Dorian and Mixolydian is their 3rd note:

C Dorian mode

1	2	♭3	4	5	6	♭7
C	D	E♭	F	G	A	B♭

C Mixolydian mode

1	2	3	4	5	6	♭7
C	D	E	F	G	A	B♭

Quick disclaimer. Röyksopp actually plays E♭ (♭3) in their melody over the top, so our ears do in fact hear their bass line in a Dorian context. But, it makes for a way cooler hack to start our song with only bass and drums, so the ♭3 is a big surprise!

Lastly, on top of that magic trick, Röyksopp also borrows a note from the parallel Ionian mode (i.e. C major scale). If you’re new to the term “parallel”, it’s just the fancy word for another mode with the same root. And we call this borrowed note “non-diatonic” (or “chromatic”), which means it’s not in the scale/mode we’re in.

Röyksopp plays B, which is the major 7th, and acts to further muddy the modal waters. Playing that major 7 (B) helps to trick the ear into thinking the 3rd will also be major. It’s brilliant! As we mentioned above, though, they spoil the surprise by playing the minor 3rd in their melody over top, but if you start with only bass and drums, this major 7th will really trick your listeners into expecting the major 3rd.

So, somewhere in your bass line, move two or three notes to the 7 (B). We moved three notes that were on B♭ up to B. If you also have a bunch of B♭ notes, you can do that too, but leave at least two or three on B♭. With that, you’re done! Sit back, hit play, and enjoy your memorable bass, also known as Spatula music ;)

Final bass line with borrowed 7 (highlighted) from parallel Ionian mode, i.e. C major scale

Make Music You LOVE.

I know you want to be a confident producer who finishes songs, and loves the results. In order to become a confident producer, though, you need decades of knowledge and experience. To gain that knowledge, you need a good teacher. To gain that experience, you need decades of practice. That’s overwhelming!

I understand that searching for a good teacher is frustrating. Most courses are taught by YouTubers who are not qualified in music, and are not qualified teachers either. The few who are qualified in both, have no industry experience. I feel your pain. Truly. Most of my music teachers were bad. That’s why I studied music and education in order to become a lecturer, and why I created Hack Music Theory.

Also, over my 30+ years of composing, I developed a unique method called Song-Whispering, which I’ve used to make music with multiplatinum Grammy winners. In my one-of-a-kind online apprenticeship, you’ll learn my method and turbocharge your music with my decades of knowledge and experience.

Enroll Now and stop wasting years of your life learning from bad teachers and trying to get better through trial-and-error. Transform into the confident producer you would be in 10+ years now, and start loving your music!

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer, teaching since 1995

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