Fretboard Accelerator Programme aka the Gary Willis book thread

[Al Krow]

On 10/07/2020 at 21:10, Prince_phil said:

We could have a competition to see who sticks with the Gary Willis book the longest?:)

You know you've won this already, You've had yours 15 years 😂

[JohnDaBass]

9 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Gents you've missed out...

It's ten! 😁

Keep it quiet and DON'T tell Scott, or he'll unleash a tsunami of emails.😂

[Al Krow]

Haha - we need @Stub Mandrel to add in "aka the Gary Willis book thread" into the title. Who would have guessed? 😁

Although that won't be keeping things quiet...

My copy has arrived, I'd best at least open it given the peer pressure on this thread that's already been applied

[toneknob]

Going to see what all the fuss is about.

[naxos10]

'Meanwhile, can anyone explain what "a linear approach" is, as mentioned in the title of Mr Willis' book? easy words only please.'

 

Toneknob, have a look at the Phil Mann lockdown video's on the Ashdown site. He talks about the linear approach, cycle of fourths and other processes. I think there are 4 videos in total covering fretboard progressions.

Edited July 13, 2020 by naxos10
Name added

[miles'tone]

On 12/07/2020 at 17:34, toneknob said:

I'm sure Scott Devine would approve

Meanwhile, can anyone explain what "a linear approach" is, as mentioned in the title of Mr Willis' book? easy words only please.

 

"A linear approach" is explained by Gary as the way we bass players have to outline the chordal harmony of whatever musical piece we're part of.

Guitarists and pianists have "a vertical approach" as in they stack the chord tones and play them all together simultaneously. We bass players play them one note at a time as our lines move through the form and the changes in a linear fashion.

The book's aim (along with complete fingerboard familiarity of course) as far as I've read, is to enable us to let the chord progressions be heard in our playing without actually 'strumming chords'. 

It looks to be a brilliant book. Perfect for where I am right now anyway.

I hope that makes sense as I'm really tired at the moment!

Edited July 13, 2020 by miles'tone

[Al Krow]

On 19/06/2020 at 15:59, Stub Mandrel said:

Am I the only person concerned that Scott Devine is going all out trying to get me to sign up for an online FAP?

Oh dear, this whole thing seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Anyone who's in touch with Scott should maybe let him know so he can nip it in the bud: such negative publicity on TB is not going to do SBL any favours give the size of the US market.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/scam-alert-scotts-bass-lessons.1442084/

PS - thanks Stubby for amending the thread title to make the GW takeover explicit! Speaking of which, I really must open that book up before 2023 and it has lain there dormant for 3 years...

Edited July 22, 2020 by Al Krow

[toneknob]

39 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

PS - thanks Stubby for amending the thread title to make the GW takeover explicit! Speaking of which, I really must open that book up before 2023 and it has lain there dormant for 3 years...

I'm on page 13 already!

[Woodinblack]

mine hasn't turned up yet, I accidently ordered it from america. It is due this week

 

[toneknob]

Did someone mention Chuck Sher's Bass Soloing Concepts here? My copy of that arrived today. Now that'll be 2023 before it gets much of a look-in.

 

[Al Krow]

2 hours ago, Woodinblack said:

mine hasn't turned up yet, I accidentally ordered it from america. 

Lol!!

[toneknob]

Question for the nascent GW students (or indeed those more experienced). I'm doing the lesson on page 13, Passing Tones, playing three chord tones then a passing tone to the next chord tone of the following chord (looping around Cm7 - F7).

Say I'm starting on the third of the minor 7 chord, then descending. So that's Eb, C, Bb. What's my next move? Either

1.  another Bb then A on the downbeat (although the Bb is "wasted" to borrow from the terminology on page 14), or

2. G (which is another chord tone of Cm7, so no passing note here) then down to F for the downbeat?

I imagine the answer is "whatever sounds good" or "it depends". Curious as to your feelings about it though.

 

[Dad3353]

I'd play a 'B' or a 'C#', either when moving up from Cm7 to F7, or coming down from F7 to Cm7 (more likely the 'C#' going up and the 'B' when going down...).

[toneknob]

Thanks, what I meant was specifically about Cm7 to F7, starting on the m3 of the Cm7 and descending with three chord tones then a passing tone. Eb, C, Bb, then what? (carrying on the descending motion to a chord tone of F7)

[Dad3353]

'E' would work, taking us to the 'Eb' of the 'F7' chord..? 

[Stub Mandrel]

Going down, E then up to the F

Going up, D then the F

Based in what sounds right.

[toneknob]

Turns out the answer is on page 21. We're in the key of C now and the ii-V pattern is Dm7-G7. Same thing is happening though, we're descending through the ii and there's no space for a passing tone between beat 3 of the ii chord and beat 1 of the V chord. (This time it's C and B, previously it was Bb and A). GW says "you can see the direction has to be interrupted since a passing note is not possible between C and B", and he plays D Db C Bb, then B A G Gb as the first four beats of the V chord.

So back to my original question, there's no space for a passing tone between the Bb of the Cm7 (the ii chord) descending to the A of the F7 (the V chord), so the descending pattern has to be interrupted. So the answer is Ab - I'd play Eb C Bb Ab, then A F A Bb.

 

[Reggaebass]

I haven’t got this far yet, but it’s sounding tricky, what have I let myself in for 😁

[lownote]

Reverting briefly to the FA element in the thread title, my last word on Scott's Fretboard Accelerator programme is "I'm out". If you have enormous superhuman capacity for tortuous practice routines then the FAP is FAB, not doubt, and you will be the next Jaco.  I'm lazy, old and have a short interest span.  I'm so out I'm outer than an out thing.  You might love it.  I'm off to watch paint dry. 

[Skinnyman]

Just ordered a copy of the GW book.

Arrives tomorrow.

Past experience suggests I will probably open it in 2025.

Unless we get locked down again. Then I'll be all over it like a tramp on chips.

[toneknob]

I've got to the end of the first section (page 20-ish onwards), and it kind of feels like I'm playing endless almost-chromatic lines, missing out the odd note for a whole note step here and there. Anyone else?

 

[JohnDaBass]

1 hour ago, toneknob said:

I've got to the end of the first section (page 20-ish onwards), and it kind of feels like I'm playing endless almost-chromatic lines, missing out the odd note for a whole note step here and there. Anyone else?

 

Snap 😎

Bought the Charlie Parker book for bass, which has some really tasteful riffs.

Edited August 4, 2020 by JohnDaBass
Error

[Woodinblack]

Book finally turned up. Guess I have to try and get into it now!

 

[SteveH]

On 01/07/2020 at 14:40, miles'tone said:

Ah..

Your chord tones are the 1,3,5,7 of whichever scale you're looking at.

The first inversion is just playing it 3,5,7,1

Second inversion is 5,7,1,3

Third inversion is 7,1,3,5

I know at first it all sounds high falutin but it's not at all.

Inversions are great because it keeps you off just doing mainly the root thing and they make you harmonise in an easy way that sounds more clever than it really is! 😄

Totally get that now, thanks for the explanation.

[Reggaebass]

Just starting page 9 , so far so good 😊