Purpose: Bass Clef Reading and Notation forms the foundation of this unit which explores a range of commonly used Bass Line Patterns within a variety of different types, styles, and genres of music from different times and places.  
Pupils begin by exploring the various meanings of the term ‘bass’ before looking at the Bass Clef and the names of the notes in the lines, spaces and ledger lines on the Bass Stave.  Instruments and voices which use the Bass Clef are referred to throughout the unit.  
Bass Line Riffs, as short, memorable, repeated Bass Line Patterns are explored as pupils realise and perform some famous Bass Line Riffs from Bass Clef Notation from the genres of Rap and/or Hip-Hop.
Pupils then explore Walking Bass Line Patterns in the genres of Jazz, Blues, Rhythm and Blues and Rock and Roll, constructing a Walking Bass Line using Chords I, IV and V using notes of the chords (root, third and fifth) and ‘extra’ Passing Notes, performing a Rock and Roll-style song constructed on a Walking Bass Line and using Bass Line Riffs.  
The concept of prolonging a Bass Line chord by performing the notes separately, using Arpeggios, Broken Chords and Alberti Bass Line patterns, are explored through a range of music from different genres including Classical and Modern Solo Piano Music, Surf Rock, Popular Songs and Rock and Roll, all with short, structured performing, composing, and listening and appraising activities. 
Finally, pupils explore “pedals”, and how a Bass Line note can be sustained or repeated over a long period of time, as a pedal note, exploring their use in Baroque Music, Organ and Keyboard Toccatas, Jazz, Popular Song and Film Music.
 
Outcome: Pupils will understand how the Bass Clef is used as a form of musical notation and identify musical instruments and voices which use the Bass Clef.  Pupils will know and understand the construction of commonly used Bass Line Patterns, using these when performing and creating music and understand the importance of a Bass Line in terms of texture and harmony within a song or piece of music.   
 
This fully-resourced KS3 Secondary unit comes complete with 6 fully-resourced lesson plans, each containing a Lesson Plan, Worksheet and PowerPoint Presentation with all embedded audio files (also available separately as MP3 and WAV files).