A walking bass line was used extensively in Baroque era music, but is also used in Jazz. It is a bass line that moves steadily in a rhythm contrasting harmonically to that of the melody. Baroque variations use the walking bass line to establish the aural foundation of the piece which is then used to drive the harmonic melodies above; Bach’s “Goldberg Variation” is the prime example of this. One bass line, creatively modified here and there, drives 30 melodic variations. This is not easy, especially when you’re talking about polyphonic music. Each bass note limits what can happen above in the melody. The “Goldberg” is especially lovely because the bass line Bach used comes from a lovely Saraband, which by Bach’s time had become a stately court dance with just a slight hint of the eroticism from its folk history. The Saraband begins and ends the variations, a virtuoso display of creativity such that the final version brags in a motherly way, about how all its children, the variations that came from the womb of the Saraband.
All this is to say that everyone’s life needs a bass line that drives their understanding of life in this world. “Facts” are simply dots on a page; it is the bass line that provides the context for the dots and allows the music to be created. Thus, one should choose one’s bass line carefully because it will shape how a person perceives and organizes that person’s world, be it harmoniously or not. Given this realization, the first efforts at understanding need to focus on the fundamental questions: Is reality purely material? Was there a first cause, and was Thomas Aquinas correct that we should name the first cause “god”? Is nature essentially good, bad, or indifferent? Is there a reason that I’m here? The answer to these questions will form the walking bass line of one’s life, so judge carefully so that your life develops in a manner that allows you to flourish.
Blog 96: We all need a walking base
A walking bass line was used extensively in Baroque era music, but is also used in Jazz. It is a bass line that moves steadily in a rhythm contrasting harmonically to that of the melody. Baroque variations use the walking bass line to establish the aural foundation of the piece which is then used to drive the harmonic melodies above; Bach’s “Goldberg Variation” is the prime example of this. One bass line, creatively modified here and there, drives 30 melodic variations. This is not easy, especially when you’re talking about polyphonic music. Each bass note limits what can happen above in the melody. The “Goldberg” is especially lovely because the bass line Bach used comes from a lovely Saraband, which by Bach’s time had become a stately court dance with just a slight hint of the eroticism from its folk history. The Saraband begins and ends the variations, a virtuoso display of creativity such that the final version brags in a motherly way, about how all its children, the variations that came from the womb of the Saraband.
All this is to say that everyone’s life needs a bass line that drives their understanding of life in this world. “Facts” are simply dots on a page; it is the bass line that provides the context for the dots and allows the music to be created. Thus, one should choose one’s bass line carefully because it will shape how a person perceives and organizes that person’s world, be it harmoniously or not. Given this realization, the first efforts at understanding need to focus on the fundamental questions: Is reality purely material? Was there a first cause, and was Thomas Aquinas correct that we should name the first cause “god”? Is nature essentially good, bad, or indifferent? Is there a reason that I’m here? The answer to these questions will form the walking bass line of one’s life, so judge carefully so that your life develops in a manner that allows you to flourish.