Stratus - Billy Cobham

[Oscar South]

Hey, I'm playing this in a gig coming up and am playing a solo in it, I've got the song down and what I've been playing for the solo so far sounds alright (generally just playing around the mid range of my bass, messing with rhythms and accents and a few Bm blues scale runs) but I'd like to work a few different ideas into it. Has any one played this or other stylistically similar songs? The song is pretty much based around a Bm blues for the whole thing, what scales, chords, ideas etc. would you work into it?

Here are a few videos of the track:
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v13P7e2EsRQ"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v13P7e2EsRQ[/url]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ae3l12PM2c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ae3l12PM2c[/url]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL2J0XOVJWY"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mL2J0XOVJWY[/url]

and here is some mostly accurate sheet music:
[url="http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/stratus%20score.pdf"]http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/134504/stratus%20score.pdf[/url]

Thanks,
Oscar.

[synaesthesia]

Do the physical stretch and play it in Bb in standard tuning on a 4 string. IIRC the original recording was in Bb with Leland Sklar on bass.
This tune , however, is forever etched in my memory for a stunning performance by Billy Cobham with Brian Bromberg live at the Jazz Cafe, London in 1991.

[Oscar South]

I'd have no prob doing it in Bb but the band knows it in B already. My personal favourate recorded version is The Stanley Clarke one that I've attached.

[62P-Bass]

I was fortunate enough to play this tune with Billy Cobham at a masterclass at Drumtech in 2006. I've attached an audio of recording - not great quality, but reasonable enough to get the idea. It's with John Wheatcroft on guitar and Simon Carter on keys.

For solo/fill ideas, it's B minor pentatonic/blues scale heaven! If you want some alternatives, you can try superimposing different pentatonics - in this case F sharp minor, or C sharp minor. This will introduce some of the upper extensions to the chord, but allow you to use a familiar shape. This sort of thing is best used for a short while to create a bit of tension, before falling back into the regular minor penatonic.

If you want loads more tension, try playing G melodic minor over it! You've got to be real careful though and make sure you resolve it well.

Andrew

P.S. There is a video from that masterclass where we're playing Red Baron here:
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaGHVcE5mDM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaGHVcE5mDM[/url]
Apologies for the terrible syncing - Billy looks like he's clapping on the beat!

Edited February 28, 2009 by 62P-Bass

[stonecoldbass]

Lovin the jeff beck version there, mainly for the beastin bass vibe and vinnie going nuts for the whole track!!!
heh

[Alun]

[quote name='62P-Bass' post='421627' date='Feb 28 2009, 12:33 PM']For solo/fill ideas, it's B minor pentatonic/blues scale heaven! If you want some alternatives, you can try superimposing different pentatonics - in this case F sharp minor, or C sharp minor. This will introduce some of the upper extensions to the chord, but allow you to use a familiar shape. This sort of thing is best used for a short while to create a bit of tension, before falling back into the regular minor penatonic.

If you want loads more tension, try playing G melodic minor over it! You've got to be real careful though and make sure you resolve it well.[/quote]

C melodic minor will also give you an "out" jazz sound, as will D pentatonic minor. F#minor pentatonic is a favourite of mine over this kind of thing too, as Mr 62 mentions.

Is anyone playing the groove while you solo? If not, you might want to start out with the bassline and begin changing notes or rhythmically displacing it before moving into melodic ideas. Marcus Miller is great at this approach on groove solos. Maybe think about how a drummer might approach it - starting with the groove and adding to it gradually until you're going nuts

Cheers
Alun

[The Funk]

The song's so simple you can do whatever you like for your solo. There's nothing really to worry about. Just solo in your style.

[Oscar South]

[quote name='The Funk' post='427380' date='Mar 6 2009, 05:25 PM']The song's so simple you can do whatever you like for your solo. There's nothing really to worry about. Just solo in your style.[/quote]

Soloing isn't really my style .

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm going to have a good look at all this tonight.

[Golchen]

Ahhh, love that stuff. Especially when the late great Tommy Bolin was on guitar.

[The Funk]

[quote name='Oscar South' post='428138' date='Mar 7 2009, 06:11 PM']Soloing isn't really my style .[/quote]

For bass solos you can always do what you'd normally do but with a few more embellishments.

[KevB]

[quote name='Golchen' post='428180' date='Mar 7 2009, 07:34 PM']Ahhh, love that stuff. Especially when the late great Tommy Bolin was on guitar.[/quote]
This reminds me of way back in the days of usenet when I contributed to alt.music.deep_purple and people would rave on about Bolin and that you really needed to get as copy of Spectrum to hear what he was about. So I did. Still couldn't work out what the fuss was about I'm afraid. Half decent blues player when not drugged to the eyeballs but for jazz-rock fusion type stuff I'd still go for Beck or even Moore any day. Each to their own and all that though...

Edited March 8, 2009 by KevB

[Golchen]

[quote name='KevB' post='428379' date='Mar 8 2009, 03:38 AM']This reminds me of way back in the days of usenet when I contributed to alt.music.deep_purple and people would rave on about Bolin and that you really needed to get as copy of Spectrum to hear what he was about. So I did. Still couldn't work out what the fuss was about I'm afraid. Half decent blues player when not drugged to the eyeballs but for jazz-rock fusion type stuff I'd still go for Beck or even Moore any day. Each to their own and all that though...[/quote]

Yeah, I get where you are coming from, it's all subjective at the end of the day. History does seem to revere Bolin as one of the better players in his day though. Gary Moore did some great stuff with Colloseum II, but he has admitted that he was way out of his comfort zone and winging it!

[lowdown]

[quote name='Oscar South' post='421339' date='Feb 27 2009, 09:19 PM']I'd have no prob doing it in Bb but the band knows it in B already. My personal favourate recorded version is The Stanley Clarke one that I've attached.[/quote]

Just curious here.
Are we allowed to post original tracks up here on Basschat.? [ copyright/broadcast rights etc ]
There have been a couple of things i wanted to put up by various artists in the past,
but was not sure....Mods?

Back OT....
I love that Live version. [ SC ]



Garry

Edited March 8, 2009 by lowdown

[OldGit]

[quote name='Oscar South' post='428138' date='Mar 7 2009, 06:11 PM']Soloing isn't really my style .

Thanks for the advice everyone, I'm going to have a good look at all this tonight.[/quote]

I'm looking at this one too ..

For getting solo ideas if you are new to it, use a tape recorder (or MP3 recorder these days eg the Zoom ones)
Sing along to the track fro a few days, bass solos, melody, horn solos etc just to fix it in your mind then play the track, sing your solo ideas over it and record the result (a bit like people do on YouTube bass play-alongs where their instrument is clearly heard but the track is still there)
Then play it back and learn to play your sung lines (the best ones anyway) on the bass.
Your voice is not as limited as your fingers and you will (hopefully) just naturally fit into the modes and scales used on the track.

[molan]

I like watching Tal Wilkenfeld jamming on this one with Beck live at Ronnie's:

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zah06PvnVio"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zah06PvnVio[/url]

Bass is a bit low in the mix but she's obviously enjoying playing it lots without any fancy stuff - just holding the groove and working it