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A Remark you Made


ericlemes
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Hi all,

I'm absolutely new to this forum and just joined because a trade I made with a member (very successful one by the way). I'm an experienced non professional player and more or less play for fun on rock or jazz bands. Recently playing with some jazz jams, bands around Oxford and enjoying a lot.

Recently I bumped in a slightly problem with this tune. I've bought a Vintage fretless Jaco Pastorius tribute bass (I don't have that big demand for fretless, despite the jazz gigs) which technically has 20 or 21 frets (or fretlines, I don't have the bass here to confirm).

I found this tab here (http://www.bigbasstabs.com/weather_report_bass_tabs/a_remark_you_made.html) which seems more or less accurate and.... unfortunately I ran out of frets to play higher notes. And a whole tone bend at that position of the scale doesn't seem very possible for me.

Does anyone has an idea what exactly is used to play this tune? A different tuning or maybe a different bass?


Cheers,

Eric

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[quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1490106767' post='3262198']
He used an octave divider for some things... probably this.
[/quote]

I was looking for some videos, and most of the Octave/Octave divider effects only creates a lower octave. I'm not sure about this...

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I thought the top note was an Eb?
Accessible on any 34" Fender, so no need for an Octave Pedal.

It's been a long time since I played this, but I don't seem to remember running out of frets or lines
on my Fender Jazz Bass.

Just been having a listen. Apart from the lovely playing from a Jaco,
I forgot what a terrific solo it was from Wayne Shorter. :)

It's funny how you miss things over the years. Just noticed the harmony line that
Jaco plays along with his Melody at 04:22. :)

http://youtu.be/boNCY0Ai44M

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Hi Eric,

I'm guessing you mean the unison line with the saxophone? The notes higher than the Eb are played as artificial harmonics, you can see it in great detail in the clip below:

http://youtu.be/F02mBkBoMQw?t=1m42s

By the way, no bends - all articulations are either slides or hammer ons.

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[quote name='Stickman' timestamp='1490114593' post='3262293']
Hi Eric,

I'm guessing you mean the unison line with the saxophone? The notes higher than the Eb are played as artificial harmonics, you can see it in great detail in the clip below:

http://youtu.be/F02mBkBoMQw?t=1m42s

By the way, no bends - all articulations are either slides or hammer ons.
[/quote]

I just to listened to the live version you posted. It's slightly different from the studio version?
On the studio version he doesn't play the unison harmonics line after he hits that top Eb.
Well, he does play a long harmonic, with a pizz Eb (x2) underneath.
Unless I am hearing it wrong (on my iPad), then my apologies, and carry on...:)
(I am drivelling on about the first unison section, at around 02:00).

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[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1490119349' post='3262364']
They don't sound like harmonics on the studio version. I'd be very surprised if he didn't play with tunings a lot. I know he did it for Portrait of Tracy.
[/quote]

Haha....you beat me to it.

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[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1490119537' post='3262367']
I just to listened to the live version you posted. It's slightly different from the studio version?
On the studio version he doesn't play the unison harmonics line after he hits that top Eb.
Well, he does play a long harmonic, with a pizz Eb (x2) underneath.
Unless I am hearing it wrong (on my iPad), then my apologies, and carry on... :)
(I am drivelling on about the first unison section, at around 02:00).
[/quote]

It's been a few years since I last played this so I just grabbed my bass to check and I stand by my comment they are false harmonics - you can hear it in the attack at the very beginning of the note, there is a slight 'thud' before the note rings out; the notes I am talking about are the F, hammering on to the G then back to the F at 2:08, the slide to C is [i]not[/i] a harmonic, but the following F is. I'll write this out in notation and post it here if I have time later.

I haven't compared the live version - I just posted it as it showed the technique used - but I would expect this to be different to the studio cut, it is jazz after all ;)


[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1490119349' post='3262364']
They don't sound like harmonics on the studio version. I'd be very surprised if he didn't play with tunings a lot. I know he did it for Portrait of Tracy.
[/quote]

Again, I haven't played Portrait in a long while, but I recall that is in standard tuning. Of course this isn't to say that he didn't use alternate tunings - Black Crow is tuned down to Eb for example.

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[quote name='Stickman' timestamp='1490147986' post='3262685']
As promised, here is my transcription of the unison line:

[attachment=241304:A Remark You Made.png]

*Diamond shape note heads indicate artificial harmonics
[/quote]

Thanks for that.
I have just had a good listen and yes, you are correct.

Some double tracking going on as well (unless it's a Bass Synth).
In the second bar of your chart, there are some long root and inversion Bass notes that enter (Gmi7 onwards...)
Also, did you catch the sneaky (9th) Bb harmonic on the second beat of the third bar ?
Things I haven't really noticed before. :)


[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1490167496' post='3262700']
I posted the whole transcription here seven years ago. ;)
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/83558-a-remark-you-made/page__fromsearch__1"]http://basschat.co.u...__fromsearch__1[/url]
[/quote]

You just cleared up a mystery in my household.
My older boy started to learn this Weather Report tune a few weeks ago.
He was using this/your chart for a guide. I hadn't a clue were the PDF came from.
Now I know. A seven year old download !!
:D

Edited by lowdown
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[quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1490181672' post='3262894']
In the second bar of your chart, there are some long root and inversion Bass notes that enter (Gmi7 onwards...)
Also, did you catch the sneaky (9th) Bb harmonic on the second beat of the third bar ?
Things I haven't really noticed before. :)
[/quote]

In the right channel? Both things you mention are Rhodes piano.

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[quote name='Stickman' timestamp='1490147986' post='3262685']
As promised, here is my transcription of the unison line:

[attachment=241304:A Remark You Made.png]

*Diamond shape note heads indicate artificial harmonics
[/quote]

Dude, you solved the mystery. Thank you very much, now I have a very good reason to work on artificial harmonics.

Thank you very much for your time and dedication ;-)


Cheers

Eric

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Or just get a fretless with a two octave neck! I suspect that's why I have never noticed this before.

Really interesting thread about one of my favourite Jaco tunes.

Thanks for posting.

Now away to checkout Black Crow for non standard tunings!

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