Two chords. Endless possibilities.Jon Liebman
December 15, 2025

A bass groove doesn’t have to be harmonically complex to feel good. Sometimes the simplest ideas work the best.

This week’s Essence of Groove video takes a closer look at the “one–four” progression and how it shows up in all kinds of music: rock, soul, funk, reggae… different styles, different feels, same basic idea underneath it all.

I’ll show you how just two simple chords — the “one” and the “four” — are all you need to lay down a good, solid bass groove. Once you get the feel of it, you’ll start hearing it everywhere.

Watch the video, then leave a comment below with your takeaways.

Let’s play bass!

— Jon