How to Write a Magic-Trick Bass Line • Music Theory from Eminem "Houdini"

 

How to Write a
Magic-Trick Bass Line.

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial
includes MIDI + WAV file examples

 

 

 

Intro.

 

As you probably know, Harry Houdini (né Erik Weisz) was a Hungarian-American magician who was especially famous for his seemingly impossible escape acts. He was also the inspiration behind Eminem’s recent song “Houdini”. This was the lead single from his new album “The Death of Slim Shady”, and it was a huge hit!

 

Eminem’s lyrics are controversial at the best of times, so we’re not here to comment on that element. But, regardless of what we all think of his potty-mouth, there’s magic and illusion bubbling up from the bass line in this song. So what’s causing the magic? Well, Eminem* creates two musical illusions by using a melodic sequence, as well as a non-diatonic note. It’s simple yet super effective, kinda like the musical equivalent of that classic pull a rabbit out a hat magic trick.**

 

If you’re new to these techniques, a melodic sequence is when a segment of the melody is repeated at a higher or lower pitch. It creates the illusion that you’re listening to something fresh yet familiar at the same time, because the notes are different but the contour is the same. The other technique Eminem uses for his magic trick is a non-diatonic note, which is just a note that’s not in the scale.

 

So, inspired by “Houdini”, here’s our 5-step method for writing a magic-trick bass line that creates a captivating sonic illusion. But first… let’s pull a nice cup of tea out the hat!

 

 

*There are other people who co-wrote “Houdini”, but for brevity we’ll just be saying Eminem.

**If you have a pet rabbit, please don’t try this at home. Well, unless you want poop in your hat!

 

 

 

Step 1. Scale

 

Open your DAW, leave the time signature on 4|4, but change your tempo to 127 BPM. Next, create a four-bar loop on your bass track, with a 1/16 note grid.

 

“Houdini” is in the key of A minor, which is all the white notes on the piano from A to A. We’ll be using A minor for our example in this tutorial, too.

 

A natural minor

 

 

A natural minor (root note highlighted)

 

 

There’s a couple tweaks to this scale. We’ll cover one now, and the other in Step 5.

 

The first tweak is that Eminem actually uses the pentatonic version of A minor. If you’re new to the minor pentatonic, it’s the same scale but without its 2 and ♭6.

 

So, delete the B (2) and F (♭6) from your A minor scale. The remaining five notes are the A minor pentatonic, and that’s what we’ll be working with for this bass line.

 

A minor pentatonic

 

 

The minor pentatonic scale is a favourite in blues and funk, but it can be used in any and all genres. For example, lots of those heavy Rage Against The Machine riffs are in the minor pentatonic scale. Its simplicity makes it incredibly versatile!

 

 

A minor pentatonic (root note highlighted)

 

 

 

Step 2. Arpeggio+

 

Alright, it’s time to get creative! So, the first thing you’re gonna do is write a one-bar arpeggio, i.e. play the Am chord one note at a time. You can start on the A, C, or E, and play them in any order. If you like, you can repeat a note or two.

 

The only guideline here is to use lots of rests. There’s two reasons for this. Firstly, you’re gonna smooth out your contour with some non-harmonic notes next, i.e. notes that are not in the chord (that’s D and G over Am). Secondly, rests add energy to a bass line. It sounds counterintuitive, but it’s true. Try both ways and compare. Use shorter notes with rests (like ours below). Then extend the notes to make them longer and don’t use any rests. You’ll hear instantly: rests add energy!

 

By the way, for maximum energy, use 1/8 notes and 1/16 notes for your arpeggio. Also, Eminem starts his bass line on an off-beat. This is a great hack for surprising your listeners right outta the gate, because beat 1 hits and there’s no bass, but then suddenly it comes in on beat 1+. We did this too, but you can start on another off-beat (i.e. beat 1e, or beat 1a). However, if you prefer, you can start on beat 1.

 

 

Our Am arpeggio in bar one (root note highlighted)

 

 

Now it’s time to create a more interesting contour. No diss to Eminem here, but he doesn’t do this. He only uses the harmonic notes (A, C, E). The teacher in me wants to give him a B grade for that. Good, but not great. It would’ve been more captivating with a non-harmonic note, or two. But hey, if you want your song to appeal to hundreds of millions of people, then keep it very simple. It’s your choice.

 

 

To read the rest of this tutorial, please buy the PDF. Supporting our work helps us keep teaching. Thank you :)

 

 

 

Download PDF Tutorial 

 

 

 

 

Lastly, are you new to music theory? Or are you experienced, but you want a refresher? Then download our FREE BOOK (link opens in new tab). It only takes 30 minutes to read, then you’ll have a solid theory foundation that you can instantly apply to your songwriting and producing. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ray Harmony
Multi award-winning college lecturer