S C OT T S BA S S L E S S O N S .

C O M

THE GROOVE
ARCHITECT
Building Bass Lines in 5 Styles
Scott Devine
THE GROOVE
ARCHITECT
Building Bass Lines in 5 Styles
Scott Devine

WORKBOOK SCOTTSBASSLESSONS.COM
COURSE BOOK: THE GROOVE ARCHITECT - BUILDING BASS LINES IN 5 STYLES 3

Introduction
Creating your own bass lines isn’t just a fun challenge—it’s
one of the most essential skills you can develop as a bass
player.

In this workshop, Scott Devine breaks down his practical and flexible
framework for building bass lines from scratch, whether you’re jamming
with friends or holding down a groove on stage.

You’ll walk through five progressive levels of bass line creation, each
adding a new layer of musical depth—from simple root notes to full
arpeggios with chromatic flair. And to show how adaptable this system is,
Scott applies the same chord progression to five different musical styles:
pop, blues, reggae, rock, and funk.

By the end, you’ll have a clear toolkit to work from—no guesswork, no

overwhelm. Just a creative process that works for any chords in any genre.

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COURSE BOOK: THE GROOVE ARCHITECT - BUILDING BASS LINES IN 5 STYLES 4

Know Your Chords!

Throughout this workshop, Scott uses a classic I–V–vi–IV progression
in the key of C major:

C major → G7 → A minor → F major

This well-loved progression forms the foundation for every style

“As bass players, we
and level covered in the lesson. As you move from root notes to
play chords too—we
chromatics, the harmony stays the same—but the bass lines evolve in
just do it one note at
complexity and character.
a time.”

To help you visualize it on the fretboard, here are the triad arpeggios
for each chord:

C G Am F
œ œ œ œ
? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ
5 2

¤
2 5 5 2 3
3 2 5 3 0 3
3 5 1

And once you have the triads memorized, you can add the sevenths
for the next level of complexity:

Cmaj7 G7 Am7 Fmaj7

? œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ œ œ œ
œ œ
4

¤
2 5 3 2 5 2
3 2 5 3 0 3
3 5 1

Finally, if you'd like to play the 2-note chords on bass as Scott

demonstrates, here they are (optional):

C G Am F
w w w
4
?4 w w
w w w
9 4 5 2

¤ 8 3 5 1

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COURSE BOOK: THE GROOVE ARCHITECT - BUILDING BASS LINES IN 5 STYLES 5

clock 10:28

Example 01

Anthemic Pop – Roots Only

Let’s start simple. This line uses only root notes—but played
with intention.

Try using palm muting, octave jumps, or letting notes ring out. It’s a great
reminder that playing fewer notes can still sound huge.

clock 11:00
C G A‹ F
? 44 ™™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ ™™
œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ
™ ™
¤ ™ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ™

C G A‹ F
5
? ™™ w ™™
w w w
™ ™
¤ ™ 3
3 5 1
™

continued
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COURSE BOOK: THE GROOVE ARCHITECT - BUILDING BASS LINES IN 5 STYLES 6

Example 01 (continued)

C G A‹ F
9
? ™™ œ ‰ œ œ Ó ‰ Ó ™™
œ œœ œ ‰ œœÓ œ
‰
œœ
Ó
™ ™
¤ ™ 3 3 3
3 3 3 5 5 5 1 1 1
™

C G A‹ F
13
? œœœœœœœœ
œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ

¤ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

C G A‹ F
17
? œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ

¤
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3

C G A‹ F C
21
? œœœœœœœœ
œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ œœœœœœœœ w

¤ 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
3

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COURSE BOOK: THE GROOVE ARCHITECT - BUILDING BASS LINES IN 5 STYLES 7

clock 15:32

Example 02

Blues – Roots & Fifths

Here’s that classic root–fifth combo, laid into a triplet shuffle groove.
“The root and fifth
This feel shows up everywhere from blues to early rock—and it’s also a solid is so powerful—it’s
been the foundation
way to tighten your timing and left-hand control.
of a million songs.”

Bluesy / Shuffle Feel

C G A‹ F
? 44 ™™ œ™ j ™™
œ œ œ œ™
j œ j
œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ™
j
œ œ œ
™ ™
¤ ™ 3 3
5
3
3 3
5
3 5 5
7
5 1 1
3
1
™

Ϫ
C G A‹ F
5
? œ™ j œ™ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ œ™ œ œ œ œ
œ œ œ J J J
7 9 5

¤
5 5 5 7 7 7 7 3 3 3
3 3 3 5 3
3

C G A‹ 3 F C
9 œœ œ œ
? œ™ œj œ œ j
œ™ œ œ œ ‰ œ œ ‰ œœœ œ™ œ œ œ
j
œ œ ‰œ œœ
3 3
3
9 5

¤
5 7 7 7 3 3 5
3 3 5 7 7 3 3 3 3
3 3 3 3 5 0 1 3

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clock 17:30

Example 03

Blues – Triads
Adding the 3rd of each chord to the mix of note choices
gives us triads: root, 3rd, and 5th.

In the example below, we have the same bluesy shuffle groove, but with
a bass line outlining the full triads.

Bluesy / Shuffle Feel

C G
? 44 ™™ œ. œ
j
œœ œ œ. œ œ. œ j œ. œ
œ. œ œœ œ œ. œ
™
¤ ™ 3 3 5 7 7
5 5
3 3
3 3 5 7 7
5 5
3 3

A‹ F
3
?
œ. œ
j
œ œ. œ œ. œ œ. œ j œ. œ ™™
œ. œ œœ œ œ. œ
™
¤ 5 5 7 8 8
7 7
5 5 1 1 3 5 5
3 3
1 1
™

continued
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clock 21:18

Example 04

Reggae – Triads (Root + 3rd + 5th)

This reggae-style line outlines the full triads—root, third, and fifth—while
locking into a “one drop” groove. You’ll want to dial in some big, beautiful
tone and keep the feel relaxed.

Reggae/ Shuffle Feel

C G
? 44 ™™ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. Œ ‰ j œ œ œ ™™
¿ ¿ ¿ .
™ ™
¤ ™ X 3 3 ™
2 2 5
2 2 5 5
X 3 3 X 3 3
.

A‹ F
5
? ‰ j
œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ Œ ‰ j œ
¿ ¿ œ œ œ œ . ¿ œ œ.

¤ X 5 5 8 8
7
X 1 1
0 0 3
X 1
3
1

C G
9
? ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑
¿ ¿

¤
2 2 5
3 3 2 2 5
X X 3 3

A‹ F
13
? ‰ j œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ Ó œ. œ
¿ œ œ ¿ œ œ œ œ .

¤
3
7 0 0 3 3
X 5 5 8 8 X 1 1

continued

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COURSE BOOK: THE GROOVE ARCHITECT - BUILDING BASS LINES IN 5 STYLES 10

Example 4 (continued)

C G
17
.
? œ œ œ œ œ œ ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑
¿

¤
2 2 5
3 3 3 2 2 5
X 3 3

A‹ F
21
? ‰ j
œ œ œ œ œ. Œ ‰ ¿ œ œ œ. ‰ j œ œ œ‰ œ œ‰ Œ
¿ J ¿ œ œ œœ . J J

¤
X 7 3 3 3 3
7 7 0 0 3
X 5 5 8 8 8 X 1 1

C G
25
? ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑
¿ ¿

¤
2 2 5
3 3 2 2 5
X X 3 3

A‹ F
29
? ‰ j œ .
œ Œ ‰ j œ œ œ ‰ j œ ∑
¿ œ œ ¿ . ¿ œ œ œ œ .

¤ X 5 5 8
7
X 5
7
5 X 1 1
0 0 3

C G
33
? ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑
¿ ¿

¤
2 2 5
3 3 2 2 5
X X 3 3

A‹ F
37
? ‰ j œ œ .
œ ∑ ‰ j œ Œ ‰ j œ
¿ œ œ ¿ œ œ œ œ . ¿ œ œ.

¤ X 5 5 8 8
7
X 1 1
0 0 3
X 1
3
1

continued

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Example 4 (continued)

C G
41
? ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑
¿ ¿

¤
2 2 5
3 3 2 2 5
X X 3 3

A‹ F
45
? ‰ j
œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ ∑
¿ ¿ œ œ œ œ .

¤ X 5 5 8 8
7
X 1 1
0 0 3

Behind the beat w/ palm muting

C G
49
? ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑
¿ ¿

¤
2 2 5
3 3 2 2 5
X X 3 3

A‹ F
53
? ‰ j œ œ .
œ ∑ ‰ j œ Ó Œ œ
¿ œ œ ¿ œ œ œ œ .

¤ X 5 5 8 8
7
X 1 1
0 0 3 3

C G
57
.
œ
? œ œ œ œ œ ∑ ‰ j œ œ œ œ œ. ∑
¿

¤
2 2 5
3 3 3 2 2 5
X 3 3

A‹ F
61
? ‰ j œ œ œ. ∑ Œ Ó Œ
œ œ œ œ œ.
œ œ œ
¿

¤ X 5 5
3 3 7
1 1
0 0 3 3

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clock 26:14

Example 05

Rock – Full Arpeggios (Add the 7th)

Now we’re building full seventh chord arpeggios. Yes, you can use these
in rock! This line weaves through root, 3rd, 5th, and 7th in each chord,
using the same progression but with more color and contour.

C G A‹ F
œ œœœœ œ œœ œœœœ œ œ
? 44 œ œ œœœœœ œ œœœœœœ
w/ pick

¤
10 10 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 5 5 3 3 2 3 2 3 2
3 3 7 7 7

C G A‹ F
5 œ œœœœ œ œ
? œ œ œœ œœ œ œœ œœœœ
œ œœ œœœœ

¤
10 10 9 9 5 5
3 3 5 3
3 3 3 5 5 5 5 5 1 1 1 3 3 3

C G A‹ F
9
? œ œ œ œœœœ œ œœ œœœœ œ œœœœœœ œ œœœœœœ

¤
10 10 10 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 5 7 7 5 5 3 3 2 3 2 3 2
3 3 7 7 7

C G A‹ F C
13
? œ œ œ œœœœ œ œœ œœœœ œ œ
œ œœœœ œ œœ œœœœ ˙Ó

¤
10 10 9 9 5 5 5 5 5 5 7
3 3 7 3
5 5 5 3 1 1 1 3 3 3

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clock 33:44

Example 06

Funk – Add Chromatics

Now let's reach for the notes in between. This example adds chromatic
approach tones into the mix—sliding or walking into chord tones for that
funky flavor. This level is about feel, movement, and a little attitude.

C G
? 44 ™™ œ œ ≈ œ #œ œ œ
œ œ ≈ œ #œ œ
Ó
¿ œ œ ¿ ¿
™
¤ ™ 3 3 5 6 7
X 3
3
X X 3 3 5 6 7

A‹ F C
3
? ≈ œ œ#œ œ œ ≈ œ œ ≈ œ#œ œ œ ¿ œ œ ¿ ¿
œ œ œ ¿ œ œ œ ≈ œ#œ œ Ó

¤
5 6 7
7 7 3 3 5 6 7 3
5 5 5 X 3 1 1 3 4 5 X 3 X X

G A‹ F
6
? œ œ#œ œ œ ≈ œ#œ œJ ‰ Œ ™™
œ œ ≈ œ#œ œ
Ó œ œ ≈ œ ¿œ œ œ bœ
™
¤ 3 3 5 6 7 5 5
7
5 6 7
7
5 X 3 1 1
1
5 6 7
™

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clock 40:00

Example 07

Funk with a Little Extra Sauce

This example keeps the same basic structure as the previous funk line,
but adds in just a couple special moves. The main one being the F note
"shake" on the 10th fret in bar 2. Slide from the 10th to 11th fret and back
again quickly to get this sound.

C G œ Ÿœ~~ œ œ
? 44 œ œ ≈ œ #œ œ œ œ ¿ r ≈ œ œ ¿ ≈
¿ ¿ ¿ œ œ ¿ R œ
Ÿ~~
12 10

¤
5 3 X 12
3 3 5 6 7 3 X
X X X 3 3 X 3

A‹ F C
3
? ≈ œ œ#œ œ œ œ ≈ ¿ œ ¿ œ œ ≈ œ#œ œ ≈bœ
nœ#œ œ Œ Ó
œ œ ¿nœ œ œ œ

¤
5 6 7 5 6 7
7 7 1 3 3
5 5 5 X 3 X 1 1 3 4 5 X 3 5

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Wrap Up & Final Thoughts

Bass line creation isn’t about having more chops—it’s
about knowing how to use what you already have.

Scott’s five-level framework gives you a flexible, musical path forward:

“This is the juicy
— Start with the root
stuff when it comes
— Layer in fifths, thirds, and sevenths to bass line creation.
— Spice it up with chromatics Push the other
stuff down the line
— Apply it all across styles, from pop to funk
until you’ve got this
under your fingers.”

The most powerful part? You don’t need a million notes or modes. You
just need to understand chord tones—and how to groove with them in
context.

So next time someone says, “Let’s jam on C to G to Am to F,” you’ll know

exactly where to start. Whether you go simple or complex, your choices
will be intentional.

Take your time. Loop each level. Try it fingerstyle, with a pick, muted,
syncopated, or sparse. This process isn’t just for practice—it’s for play.

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