This time around, we're going to apply the approach tone techniques (from our last lesson) in Turn Down, a song from an earlier Intermediate Bass column. I've written out the patterns in one chord progression - the Dm7-G7-Cmaj7 ii-V-I pattern of the first four bars. Your first assignment is to learn these three approaches in the chord progression of Turn Down.

The first approach is using ½ step approach tones to lead into the R-3-5-7 of the chord.

The second approach is to use scale tones above the R-3-5-7 of the chord. (I used Dorian-Mixolydian-Ionian for the source scales for the Dm7-G7- Cmaj7 chords here.)

Third, I combined the scale and chord approach into a triplet lick using scale above-1/2 step below-chord tone. It's pretty quick at this tempo, so practice it slowly before you try playing it with the track.

Finally, I recorded a freestyle solo using these approach tones almost exclusively. As you can hear, this approach brings you into the tonal realms of players like Jeff Berlin and Matthew Garrison. Enjoy the challenge and have fun!