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walking bass

American

[beys] / beɪs /

noun

(in jazz piano) a left-hand accompaniment consisting of a continuous rhythm of four beats to the measure, usually with a repetitive melodic pattern.

walking bass British

/ beɪs /

noun

jazz a simple accompaniment played by the double bass at medium tempo, usually consisting of ascending and descending tones or semitones, one to each beat

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

But that song where you meet Trevor and Craig, we wanted a walking bass, we wanted horns.

From Salon • Oct. 26, 2023

His instantly timeless songs traverse funk-soul brotherhood, with walking bass lines, jangly chords, percussive wallop and a vocal tone that drips with Cali cool.

From Washington Post • Oct. 16, 2022

A walking bass beat underpinned a panoply of unexpected, jazz-inflected directions.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2019

Its opener, Eubie Blake’s “Memories of You,” starts out with a pulse like pulled taffy, but soon a walking bass line emerges and we’re in knowable terrain.

From New York Times • Jul. 28, 2011

But then his right arm mysteriously disappeared, leaving him with nothing but a boogie- woogie walking bass.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023