A walking bass line moves in a steady stream of quarter notes, one on each beat of the bar, like footsteps. It is most often played on the double bass and is a cornerstone of swing and bebop. The line outlines the chords, usually landing on the root at the start of each new chord, and connects them with other chord tones, scale notes and chromatic passing notes. Over Dm7–G7 in C, a simple walk might be D–F–A–C, then G–B–D–F, with a final note chosen to lead neatly into the next chord.
Because the bassist supplies the roots and a constant pulse, pianists can use rootless voicings and drummers can play more freely. In jazz lo-fi, walking lines are less common than short repeated riffs, but a sampled or played walk instantly gives a track the feeling of a late-night jazz club.