# Lead bass

Treat the bass as a melodic and harmonic voice — singing lines, chord stabs, harmonics, arpeggios, wah/OD concepts.

## Melodic role

4-bar Am pent phrases, slides, vibrato, groove/lead trades. Sing it first.

## Phrase shapes

Call/response across string pairs; land on chord tones.

## Chords & double-stops

Power shapes and triads with strict muting; chromatic move drills — original only.

## Natural harmonics

Nodes at 5, 7, 12; chain into motifs. See [harmonics.md](harmonics.md).

## FX concepts

Wah sweeps, OD for clarity, swells, dynamics without pedals.

## Common faults

Fighting vocals, losing beat 1, muddy stops, wah noise.

## Practice ladder

Space → phrase → stab → harmonic ending → record pocket check.

## What good sounds like

Breathing phrases, clear landings, pocket returns instantly.

## Ethics

Roles and original drills here; licensed sources for songs.

## Double-stop lab
Roll then block; chromatic move.

## Trade etude
8 bars: pocket → gallop → pent lead → harmonic space.

## Checklist
Sing, land, mute, pocket return.