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The double bass in folk music


saxobass
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Hi all. I have mostly played double bass in jazz groups, large and small, but have recently been asked to perform with folk musicians. Any guidance available? Perhaps there is a book to be read, or a source of any kind! I don`t really know where to start.

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[quote name='guyl' post='448461' date='Mar 29 2009, 12:05 AM']Clean your ears out - those folkies aren't into sheet music.

"it's in D..2,3,4"[/quote]
Quite true! Sometimes in G. :rolleyes:
Listen to loads of stuff for ideas; Danny Thompson has to be the N0.1 destination, but lots of good players around.
If you already play jazz you probably have an ear for vibe, so just go with the flow - they'll tell you (as they did me all those years ago :) ) if you're overplaying.
Have fun!

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Sometimes in A too. What sort of folk is it you'll be playing, traditional, instrumental, songs? Keep your playing simple. Probably just first and fifth until you pick up the vibe, 2 or 4 to the bar. If it's traditional folk tunes there will be a lot of notes being played by the fiddles, whistles, etc. so keep your playing simple otherwise it all gets a bit muddy. Follow the guitarist's chords and you won't go wrong and just listen.

Edited by BassBus
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Hi, Just noticed this thread, and coincidentally I have just finished a rehearsal with our acoustic ensemble this evening.
We play a fair variety of songs, most of which could be considered folk.
The set up is me on doulble bass, 'lead' acoustic guitar, vocalist and another rhythm guitarist who also plays mandolin and banjo.
This gives me a fair bit of freedom as to what I do. Mainly it's simple root note patterns for the more traditional type of tunes (e.g. bluegrass), but there is sometimes scope for walking-bass type lines with bluesier material, or even slap bass with some of the faster pieces. I am also planning to learn to play with the bow, which will give me some more options for the slower/quieter pieces.
I would think that if you have played jazz and have a reasonable ear then playing folk shouldn't be too hard. I have been able to get by OK with mainly listening to a verse or chorus or so of an unfamiliar song and then joining in. Just get the other musicians to tell you the key the song is in before you go for it (sometimes they forget to tell you which makes life interesting).
If you play guitar you may be able to work out the chords by watching the guitarist's hand on the fretboard - I have found that this helps.
Generally I try to keep things simple as far as possible though.
I'm not an expert by any means - I got my double bass about a year ago after several years of playing guitar and then bass guitar. I went to the local folk club and when they discovered I played bass (even though at that time I was fairly useless - not much better now!) I was made very welcome! It's been great fun and I hope you enjoy your playing as much as I have.
Almost forgot - I've got a DVD of Todd Phillips which has been very helpful in getting me started.

Hope this helps.

Adrian

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Wow....great response. Thanks everyone. Yes, I`ve played mostly modern jazz for a long time, although mostly on baritone sax over reecent years, so I suppose I`ve got some sort of an ear!
Really want to broaden out before I`m too ***** old, and I really fancy some of that John Martyn stuff, so I`ll give it a go. P.S......do they go in for any of that wicker man stuff?.....just in case they don`t like me I mean....lot of volatility in a bass! :)

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I've been playing Bluegrass now for a short while, one of the genres I never got to in my youth.

Like the previous chaps have stated, keep it simple, keep your ears wide open, and like the others say, if you can watch the guitarist hands all the better.

Have fun.

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There aren't too many upright bassists in the traditional music world. I can only think of two: Sharon Shannon's band has a double bass player whose
name I can't remember, and Clannad had one whose name I can't spell, but it's something like Ciaran O Braonain!

Going a bit further afield, the double bass is an essential part of many Finnish folk music bands, along with fiddles and harmonium. JPP are a brilliant band in that style. [url="http://www.myspace.com/thejppband"]http://www.myspace.com/thejppband[/url]. Just found this amazing link: [url="http://m.folk.ee:8080/ramgen/2004/JPP.rm"]http://m.folk.ee:8080/ramgen/2004/JPP.rm[/url].

Also Czech music and Hungarian string bands. And then there's bluegrass.

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[quote name='pete.young' post='449868' date='Mar 30 2009, 08:26 PM']Going a bit further afield, the double bass is an essential part of many Finnish folk music bands, along with fiddles and harmonium. JPP are a brilliant band in that style. [url="http://www.myspace.com/thejppband"]http://www.myspace.com/thejppband[/url]. Just found this amazing link: [url="http://m.folk.ee:8080/ramgen/2004/JPP.rm"]http://m.folk.ee:8080/ramgen/2004/JPP.rm[/url].[/quote]
Good call on that Pete. Haven't heard them before but they are great. That's how to play bass in trad folk too.

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[quote name='pete.young' post='449868' date='Mar 30 2009, 08:26 PM']There aren't too many upright bassists in the traditional music world. I can only think of two: Sharon Shannon's band has a double bass player whose
name I can't remember, and Clannad had one whose name I can't spell, but it's something like Ciaran O Braonain![/quote]
Hah .. there's thaasands of us! :)
The one thing that got to me, having finally got onto double bass in 2001 after years of mooting the idea, was that I suddenly realised it was trendy. :rolleyes:

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[quote name='hubrad' post='450539' date='Mar 31 2009, 02:36 PM']Hah .. there's thaasands of us! :)
The one thing that got to me, having finally got onto double bass in 2001 after years of mooting the idea, was that I suddenly realised it was trendy. :D[/quote]

:rolleyes: ...and it's great fun

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In addition to the god-like Danny Thompson, you should check out Ali Friend for a more modern take on folk double bass. You'll find him on Beth Orton's Trailer Park and Central Reservation albums and also with a band called Clayhill.

Otherwise, the 'less notes, more space' approach has always worked for me - folkies love that sort of thing.

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I am truly transmobugrelated by all this. Loved the Seth Lakeman stuff. Been standing cool on the west coast of jazz for years and didn`t realise (or had forgotten) what else was out there. Thank you, thank you and keep it coming. Incidentally, glad to hear the KISS principle being lauded (`Keep It Simple, Stupid`). Usually required never to play one note when sixty three can be achieved, and I`m so p***** o** with that!

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[quote name='yorick' post='451362' date='Apr 1 2009, 12:24 PM']Transcribe some Fairport Convention.[/quote]
AFAIK all Fairport is electric bass, so I'm not sure how relevant that is to upright players. You'd be better off listening to Oysterband's cello player, who is really a bass player with a huge attitude.

Back to bluegrass- the best bluegrass bass I've ever heard was Country Gazette.

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I've played with a few folkies of various sorts, but it's such a broad genre that it's impossible to suggest one approach. It can vary from having a fairly free rein with people doing their own interpretations of traditional songs and tunes, to playing Scottish dance tunes where doing anything different to the accordianist or pianists' left hand will get you dirty looks! It's surprising that more double bass doesn't pop up in folk music - to my mind it's the natural accompaniment to other acoustic stringed instruments, and really adds something...

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