Question about fingerstyle songs and applications:

[guitarjamman]

I am trying to improve my songwriting ability with fingerstyle arrangements but am having a bit of a hangup. I have a lovely melody line, a nice chorus, and a bridge to build a formal song structure. But when I listen to it recorded, it sounds dull due to playing over the same bass note. (these are original tunes, not covers of other songs)

There is a lot going on using the D,G,B,e stings, but I rely on a continual thump on the low E and A strings to keep both my time, and to fill the lower register of the song. This leaves the song dull and lifeless, almost boring to me when I listen to it after a recording. When I compare what I have done to most accomplished guitarists on youtube, I found the common piece I am missing is moving bass lines that better fit the melody. It give a fullness to their pieces that I am completely missing.

Other than trial and error, or knowing musical theory better to understand how a bass line would better fit a melody line, are there some tricks to getting that full sound?

It seems when I run up with my melody into the higher registers of the guitar, I need the bass line to come up with it, but more importantly, walk or be alive; not be a continual thump on the A string while the melody dances. Maybe I know the answer but don't know how to put it in an application:
-Do I need to know the chord structure I want the song to incorporate, then use those as the bass notes?

P.S. Sorry for the "all over" nature of the post - trying to get all my thoughts out in one attempt.

[stanron]

Alternating bass notes are good but double alternating bass notes can be better. So standard alternating bass on an A chord would be;

E╓─────────────────┐
B╟─────────────────┤
G╟─────────────────┤
D╟─────2───────2───┤
A╟─0───────0───────┤
E╙─────────────────┘

. .1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Double alternating bass would be

E╓─────────────────┐
B╟─────────────────┤
G╟─────────────────┤
D╟─────2───────2───┤
A╟─0───────────────┤
E╙─────────0───────┘

. .1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

Runs up or down to a new chord follow the scale and end on the root of the new chord. So A to D back to A might be

E╓─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┬─────────────────┐
B╟─────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────────────────┤
G╟─────────────────┼─────────────────┼─────2───────2───┼─────2───────────┤
D╟─────2───────2───┼─────2───────────┼─0───────────────┼─0───────────────┤
A╟─0───────────────┼─0───────2───4───┼─────────0───────┼─────────4───2───┤
E╙─────────0───────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┴─────────────────┘

. .1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + . 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + . 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + . 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + .

Syncapation can add life to picking. The simplest way is to pick the bass note before the beat. Usually half a beat earlier. You have to be careful doing this. Unless you establish very clearly in advance where the beats are your listener may have a very different rhythmical experience to you.

[grathan]

What if you change some of the dgbe string tones to A and low-E tones that follow the melody using voice leading?