Bilbo

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='564000' date='Aug 9 2009, 09:03 AM']So I always used to say to the bands that if The Beatles could play to 50,000 people at Shea Stadium in 1965 without any monitors, then they should be able to play brilliantly to 50 people at The Barfly (or wherever) with or without being able to hear themselves on stage and without complaining![/quote] Fortunately, the Shea Stadium audience couldn't actually HEAR the Beatles so, whatever their on-stage monitoring, any detrimental effects on their playing woudl have been irrelevant.

You probably need to warm up more before you hit the hard stuff. Also, I agree that using the amp to create volume and power rather than your fingers can help.

If you want to break the scale practice up a bit, try learning some 12-bar be-bop heads. One a week at first, rising to one a day eventually. Or look for saxophone pattern books (try [url="http://www.jazz-o-matic.com/Default.aspx"]http://www.jazz-o-matic.com/Default.aspx[/url] as a source. You will need to transpose to bass clef but there is a mountain of stuff here>) But, as I said, there is no substitute for the grind.

No. There is no quick fix and it is a hard slog. And its boring and it takes a long time. It is taking shortcuts that messes people up. There aren't any and don't believe anyone that tells you differently. Get on with the work and be patient. It will bear fruit, I promise.

Swear by them. Never dropped a bass since I started using them several years ago. Also fit them to my guitars. They are easy to fit (5-10 mins at the outside - only need a small screwdriver and possibly a small spanner depending on the style of lock).

The Dave Grusin CD of 'West Side Story' is top drawer. I love it from the moment it starts to the moment it stops. Fantastic players across the band, great playing, great arrangements. Gloria Estafan's 'Tonight' is beautiful. Dave Valentin (and Grusin) on 'I Feel Pretty'. All stunning stuff. All for £5.69..... [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/West-Side-Story-Dave-Grusin/dp/B000001YO7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1249380878&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/West-Side-Story-Da...0878&sr=1-1[/url]

Paul Laurence Dunbar Chambers Junior. Try transcribing anything off any of the 300+ LPS he recorded with Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Gil Evans.... the list keeps going.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='559341' date='Aug 3 2009, 04:08 PM']I do have one comment and I think you're man enough to take it, I would play less notes in the basic groove, less is more, make the simply played stuff [i]really[/i] count. I can say that with no shame as it's something I have to constantly tell myself. And as the great Mike Walker said to me: "chops can be the devil in disguise, whenever I get on a train to planet sh*t I always sing my ideas, that way it's music not finger movement" Other than that though mate, really nice [/quote] I have that one in the back of my mind all of the time, Jake, but sometimes the old 'its not happening, play some more notes' self talk rears its ugly head and, wham, here comes the diarrhoea. But, yes, you are right. Reticence is its own reward.

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='559304' date='Aug 3 2009, 03:42 PM']Can't you get that bass a bit higher up, like a violin? [/quote] I have to have it up that high because of my stomach. Otherwise its a pedal steel bass

All the best actson Later with Jools Holland are the older folk. Them pesky kids are all clearasil and testosterone (and that's just the girls!)

Jake raising some interesting points and the majorlabelartists response is collusive (don't worry, I'm not having a go but 'that's just the way it is' is a cop out). If you go and look at a lot of artists from around the world, i.e. non eurocentric performers, there are some great examples of young people working with older musicians to wonderful effect. This contemporary occidental obsession with youth culture is actually self defeating (particularly as most of the sessions guys on the cds released by these 'young' artists' are actually well established professionals, many of who are 40, 50 or even 60 +). Try YouTubing Marissa Monte or look form some flamenco cantaores. The old folks have got a lot to offer us kids PS didn't want the gig anyway

Someone put this onto YouTube (my first visit!). To be fair, this was Gary Leach, the drummer's, first gig after only one rehearsal and he had never played the tune before. The sax player, Myke Clifford, was only two gigs in as well but I think its getting there. And a (very short) bass solo to boot (don't get too excited)! [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSwHtKCi0Kg"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSwHtKCi0Kg[/url] ps bad intonation or an iffy note? Shall I start a poll?

Haven't read the whole thread but here's my fourpenneth I did the 'downsize' last year after feeling tired of humping the Eden Metro once too often. I got hold of two GK MB112 cabs and used an old SWR Electric Blue head to drive them. It was ok for small jazz gigs etc but about two months ago I just got to the point where I realised that I was compromising my sound and not enjoying the results. So I got the Eden back out and only use the GKs for rehearsals etc. I am happier for it. I think it may have something to do with the number of gigs you do. Humping heavy gear once a week is easier to cope with than 4 times etc.

[quote name='jakesbass' post='558974' date='Aug 3 2009, 08:54 AM']+1 I have a transcription of that somewhere, very melodic...[/quote] Wrote it out myself once. Don't know where it is now, though! Its not actually hard to play at all but its just a lovely solo. Like Jaco's melodic theme in 'A Remark You Made'; perfectly simple and simply perfect.

Jimmy Johnson on Allan Holdsworth's Panic Station from his Metal Fatigue album. Just a great melodic solo.

I have put a load of transcriptions on the forum under 'theory and technique': Dave Holland, Ron Carter, Milt Hinton, Steve Swallow, Gerry Mulligan (in bass clef) and some others. May be more challenging than some of the classical stuff that tends to be pattern based and repetitive (IME)

A stranger to integrity (that's posh for crook)

Writing a biography, particularly on someone who was well known to people who are still living, is a minefield. I compare it to doing a jigsaw where the pieces are hidden all over the world, each piece has a picture on both sides and there is no lid to refer to. Every piece of information you are presented with comes to you as a ‘fact‘. It is the biographer’s job to ascertain its veracity and this is sometimes very easy. But, with a a lot of the stuff you review, there is no ‘smoking gun’, no proof that remains. Rumours become anecdotes become ‘I was there and I saw it’. People who love your subject want him portrayed in a good light and miss out the bad bits. Some, often those who love him the most, won’t discuss him at all. Others who were wronged by the man may want to vent their spleen. Someone who knew him peripherally want to ‘big up’ their part in his story. Some people even tell you they were married to your subject when they weren’t. The subject can even distort things himself by introducing people as brothers, cousins, daughters etc when they are not related. Everyone has a vested interest and you, in the time available, have to screen these contributions and decide what is real. As I was/am putting the final touches to a biography of a celebrated bass player, I was beginning to experience increased anxiety about the responsibilites I felt in trying to present the ‘truth’, even when I cannot really see it and am operating merely on a balance of probablilities. I shared my anxieties with a friend who said simply that the only thing worse that an inaccurate biography is no biography at all. If you write something that contains inaccuracies, then let others respond with a book of their own. You must do what you can to ensure the highest level of integrity in your work but, ultimately, you are only sharing your research. If it proves to be inaccurate, let others who ‘know better’ (but who may have chosen not to share, as an interview subject or writer) write a better book. Milkowski wrote a book. If Metheny or Ingrid Pastorius thinks it is inaccurate, let them write another. I will read that too.

A lot of it is context - the chord preceding it and the chord to which it resolves. Unless you know that, you can call it what you like because it won't really matter

Spent first 23 years of my life in Cwmbran and did my first jazz gigs in Cardiff in 1988. Family still there. Welcome.

Sounding like Jaco is and always was a fool's errand (even when I was trying it). Yes it's great but it was great because it was fresh and exciting. Now its superficial and tranparent. Birelli should know better. I prefer his playing on The Super Guitar Trio cd [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Super-Guitar-Trio-Live-Montreux/dp/B000QJMSUK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1247753349&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Super-Guitar-Trio-...3349&sr=1-1[/url] PS didn't watch the clip - can't on my work PC.

There are other variations on the second four bars but they are only substitutions using cycle of fifths so, if you are not a jazzer and trying this for the first time, I'd stick to Doddy's changes. Also, for you Moondance bit, try A, C, B, E intead of A, B, C, B as it resolves more naturally and is a bit more interesting. Just an opinion. PS Moondance is probably the worst record ever. If you want to know what jazz is about DON'T use that as a guide

Firstly, you don't necessarily have to practice along with anything. Your long established practice of playing along with the original won't work particularly well when you get into jazz which is, after all, an improvised music. If the players on the recordings you like played the same tune again, THEY would play it different so why wouldn't you. Here are some options: Play the chords into a tape/PC and play along with it. Use something like Band In A Box to programme in a sequence and style that suits the tune you want to practice. Find a guitarist or piano player that also wants to learn these tunes and play along with them. Use some Jamey Aebersold PlayAlongs and turn the volume on your stereo hard left so isolating the piano and eliminating the bass. This is probably your best bet in terms of working to a familiar pattern. Hardest of all is playing and practicing the tune on your own, in isolation to the chords, trying to imply the harmony with your lines only. By far the best method but very hard for a beginner. Get a teacher who can point you in the right direction. It doesn't have to be a bass teacher, jsut someone who can play jazz.

Jake's right. The purpose of sight reading practice is to sight read not to learn the piece. If you learn the piece, however superficially, you are starting to play it be ear and not actually to read it. Ploughing through is good because that's what the discipline requires. Stopping to correct errors will get you fired off a gig I agree that there is considerable merit in learning to read rhythms and dots sepearately in the early stages. Reading rhythms is actually a lot easier than you think and you can learn a lot quite quickly before bringing in the notes. My problems start with key signatures. A massive percentage of jazz is written in F, Bb or Eb or C, G and D so a b major key signature gives me the willies - accidentals are also an isues if there are too many of them. Main point is that there are NO quick fixes for this. To lear to sight read like Ready Freddy Washington will take years (I know a guy who is what I call a ten-finger reading painist and he reckons it took him 15 years to get it sorted). PATIENCE (a swear word in contemporary society) is the key. PATIENCE!

[quote name='chris_b' post='536483' date='Jul 9 2009, 02:41 PM']It's pointless to write out the dots for Whole Lotta Love or Communication Breakdown! I will probably write the dots for a particular rhythm pattern that I need reminding of in an original number, but I won't write the dots for the whole song. What I currently do doesn't require that.[/quote] Depending on what's happening, you can get away with an awful lot if you have good ears and a generally wide experience of genres. I have done more than a handful of gigs over the years where I don't know any of the songs until the guitarist starts playing (Hey, Pete Young - remember that gig you saw me at with Gione? No charts, no knowledge of the tunes but a room full of happy punters!!!)! I once did a piano/bass duet with a guy who played solid for 90 minutes without stopping, segueing every tune into the next without asking if I knew them or not. For the record, it sounded like it! In practice, a chart with the form and any details/stabs/stops/breaks written out generally does the trick for me and the results are generally impeccable.