3rd Above 3rd Below?

[Nickthebass]

On 24/08/2020 at 20:16, stewblack said:

This is what I need to know. 

I am studying a Jamerson score and annotating the notes. So say he starts with R(oot) O(ctave) R 3rd 5th R. All is well, but then he plays that E and G below the root C and I am blithely still calling them 3rd and 5th but I don't know if I should be. 

As a Jamerson specific point - one detail to keep an eye out for is open strings. He was an upright player by background and (I gather) you tend to play more open strings on upright to facilitate position shifts - in particular at the bottom of the neck. 
 

That open A on the score is an example. There is also one in the intro to Bernadette. There is an open D as a passing tone when descending from an Eb chord to a Db. 
 

Also if it helps to get the sound of chromatic approach notes into your lines when you’re playing in flat keys (as a lot of Motown tunes are). For example moving from Eb to Ab - if you use an open A before landing on the Ab it’ll sound like you’re a jazzer implying a classic chord substitution.

TLDR: If the score gives you an A, D or G there is every chance that it wants an open string - especially if you’re in a flat key. 

[stewblack]

1 hour ago, Nickthebass said:

As a Jamerson specific point - one detail to keep an eye out for is open strings. He was an upright player by background and (I gather) you tend to play more open strings on upright to facilitate position shifts - in particular at the bottom of the neck. 
 

That open A on the score is an example. There is also one in the intro to Bernadette. There is an open D as a passing tone when descending from an Eb chord to a Db. 
 

Also if it helps to get the sound of chromatic approach notes into your lines when you’re playing in flat keys (as a lot of Motown tunes are). For example moving from Eb to Ab - if you use an open A before landing on the Ab it’ll sound like you’re a jazzer implying a classic chord substitution.

TLDR: If the score gives you an A, D or G there is every chance that it wants an open string - especially if you’re in a flat key. 

This is a really useful tip. I had heard about this part of his technique and try to incorporate it into my playing. It facilitates swift movement without compromising timing 

[Nickthebass]

3 hours ago, stewblack said:

This is a really useful tip. I had heard about this part of his technique and try to incorporate it into my playing. It facilitates swift movement without compromising timing 

His approach is heavily rooted in jazz walking bass. It’s just played with different rhythms and in a pop context. It’s that jazz language in pop music that was such a revolution - and marks Motown out as different to the contemporaries at Stax and Muscle Shoals which were a bit straighter R&B.

Edited September 7, 2020 by Nickthebass