Rufus Reid - The Evolving Bassist

7/17/2019 Rufus Reid - The Evolving Bassist

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The

Evolving Bassistby

RufusReid

A ComprehesiveMethod ln DevelopingATotal MusicalConceptForThe AspiringJazzBassPlayer

MillennlumEdition2000

lsBN0-9676015-0-9O Copyright1974by MYRIADLIMITED

P.0. BOX757 , Teaneck,NewJersey 07666http ://www.tana reid. com

lnternationalCopyrightSecured. Madein U.S.A.. AllRightsReserved



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I thank Mr.EddieHarrlsÍorencouragingand giv-lng me the initialforce in the writingof this book

Manythanks to al who helped me compile someof the ideas for the book

Thankyou to AdamLinzÍorhis great help intranscribingsome oÍ mysolos from recordings

Thankyou to RickSiglerfor creatingThe JazzFontSet

CoverDesign&Photography: Howard SimmonsPhotos By:Joann Krivinand Howard SimmonsPreÍ acePhotoBy:John Abbott

To my wifeDoris,for herdedication andsupport

Book designby RuÍ us ReidusingFinale2000&QuarkXPress



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ThisEVOLVINGBASSISTis the editionentering intothe newmillennium,the year2000. Thisedition will marktwenty-sixyearsin publication,establishing"the standard" inbass method books.Thisnew editionwillincludemore transcriptions, originalcomposi-tions, new etudes and additional waysto con-

cé ivebetter bass

lines.AdditionalhelpÍul

informationdealing withpractical,"real liÍ e''situations Í ortravelingas a professionalplay-er is givento assist the aspiringbassist. ListsoÍ ampliÍ icationequipment, electronicpick-ups, microphonesare also included.

AsI continueto travelover the UnitedStates andother parts oÍ the world,more and morepeople,especiallyyoungpeople are being introducedtoazzmusic.The study of this music,informallyandin schools,is excelling ata rapid rate all over theworld.The bass has progressed technicallymorethan any other instrumentin the last sixtyyearsbecause of technologicaladvances with string man-uÍ acturingand electronicpickups.These advance-ments haveallowedthe bass playerstechnique andmusicto exceland reallybe heard moreclearly,particularlyin the livesetting. Virtuosoplayinghasadvanced incrediblyin all formsof music.The con-temporary jazz bassist has been veryinstrumental

in maniÍ esting manyof these advances. HoWeVer,withall of the advances and inÍ ormationavailabletous because oÍ the age We now livein' the task is stillon the individualto cré ate themusic'

The challengehas alwaysbeen on the player tomake the music.You, the improvisingplayermustbe able to THINKand PLAYat the same time.Consistenthard workis needed to developthe skillsand vocabularyto improvisewell.

There isstill a needÍora bass book; one that reallyexplainshow tophysicallyplaythe bass, one lhatteaches in a simpleand concisemanner how toconstructgood soundingbass linesfromchordpro-gressions,one that explainshow toget a smoothsound, onethat discusseshow to listen, whattolistenfor, and who to listento. Withoutbeing toostylized, this methodbook willstimulatethe playerto learn how toplay what is expectedÍ romhim/heras a bass player.Whenyousay you are a "jazz

bass player,"you must be able to show bydoingwhat that trulymeans. People in the knowhavehigh expectationsbecause oítheir listeningto thegreat Masters,i.e., JimmyBlanton,SlamStewart,lsraelCrosby,MiltHinton,GeorgeDuvivier,RayBrown,OscarPettiford,PaulChambers, Charles

Mingus,Sam Jones, RonCarter, ScottLaFaro,CharlieHaden, RichardDavis,RedMitchell,EddieGomez,DaveHolland,GeorgeMraz,GaryPeacock,Buster Williams,CecilMcBee,RayDrummond,Niels-HenningOrsted Pederson,JohnClayton,John Patitucci,Christian McBride,andJaco Pastorius,to name onlya few. The standardhas been

set.lÍ one Wishesto

be includedin thelineagethat the Mastershave set, one must beseriousand workdiligently.

Agreat jazz improvisordoes not really"need"any-one to help clariÍ y whatthey are playing'Their f unc_tional knowledgeoÍ the jazz vocabulary,harmony,and rhythmwhichhas become"one"in theirthoughtprocess is all that is needed. Bass playersare the foundationof any group. Bassplayersareexpected to havea big "swingingsound," knowthe"blues,''''Í hythm changes,'' "standardrepertoire,''"jazzstandards,"play in "any key," and alwaysbe"consistent."ln a real creativesense, we arethought of as "someonehome alwaysmindingthestore." lt is quite a task, but it is part of our jobdescription.Bassplayersalso have the uniqueabil-ity to sabotage any and allensemblesif their con-centration oÍ rhythmor harmony Í ailsto be whereand what it should be. As abassist, one shoulddevelop the "mindset" that you are the onlyhar-

monicand rhythmicsubstance there is. Whendoing so, onedoes not lean on anyone elseto claÍ _iÍywhat you are attemptingto play' lf you learn toalwaysbe clear in your playing, yourconfidencewillgrowand so willyour reputation.

THEEVOLVINGBASSISTis designed to take youthrougha process to help you reach these goals tobecomethat consummatebass player. lt is alsodedicated to the student whohas difficulty findingand/or beingable to afforda regular teacher. Youwill have this toolto help you help yourselfalongtheway. I use all of lhese concepts withmy studentsand it has provenextremelysuccessÍ ul.Asyou andyour playingmature through theyears, you willdis-cover that there is always somethingmore to learnabout being a better bass player in this musicwecalljazz.

MusicallyYours,

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Potn February10, 1944,in Atlanta,GA,RufuslJReidwas raised in Sacramento,Californiawhere he playedthe trumpet through juniorandsenior highschool.UpongraduationfromSacrarfientoHighSchool, Mr. Reidentered theUnitedStates Air Forceas a musician.Alongwiththe trumpet he began to take an interest in thebass. Bythe time he hadbeen dischargedfrom themilitary Rufushad decided the bass was the direc-tionhis career was going to take. He movedtoSeattle, Washington,where hebegan seriousstudywithJames Harnettof the Seattle Symphony.RufusReidreceivedhis AssociateArtsDegreefromOlympicCollegein Bremerton, Washington,in1969. Hecontinuedhis educationat NorthwesternUniversityin Evanston,lllinois, wherehe studiedwithWarren BenÍ ieldand Joseph Guastefeste,bothof the ChicagoSymphony.He graduated in 1971witha Bachelorof MusicDegreeas a PerformanceMajoron the Double Bass.

is major professionalcareer began in Chicagoand continuessince1976 in NewYorkCity.He

has traveled, performedand recorded with manyofthe great JazzMasters.Hewas privilegedto sharemanymusicalmomentswithsome that havepassed on: GeneAmmons, KennyDorham, EddieHarris,SonnyStitt,DonByas,PhillyJoe Jones,KennyDorham,Thad Jones, MelLewis,DexterGordon,Bill Evans,Stan Getz,DizzyGillespie,and

ArtFarmer.

Concertofor SoloDoubleBassand Jazz Trio, com-posed by BennyGolsonfor Rufuswiththe WayneChamberOrchestra.lt's debut was at WilliamPatersonUniversity andit's New Yorkpremierewasat Alice TullyHallat LincolnCenter.

flufusReid has madeover two hundred andfifty

I lrecordings.Underhis own leadershiphe hasthree recordings:PERPETUALSTROLL,SEVENMINDS,and CORRIDORTOTHE LlMlTS.Rufusis also co-leadingthe group,TANAREID,withdrummer, Akira Tanasince1990. The group has sixrecordings;YOURSANDMINE,RUMOUR,PASS-INGTHOUGHTS,BLUEMOTION,LOOKINGFORWARDand BACKTOFRONT.TANAREIDcontinues to travel,performingand teachingaroundthe world.Rufusalso has two uniqueduo record-ings with masterbassist MichaelMoore,the criti-callyacclaimedDOUBLEBASSDELIGHTS,andTHEINTIMACYOFTHE BASSon Double-TimeRecords.WarnerBros.Publicationscollaboratedwith the BASSCOLLECTIVEand BASSPLAYERMAGAZINEto produceBASSDAY'97 NEWYORK.A liveperÍ ormancevideoof RufusReidand MichaelMoore isnowavailablefromthat day.

flufusReid'sextensivejazzbackgroundandI ldiscographyreads literallylikethe Who'sWho

in jazz.Parallellinghis performingreputation ishis exceptionalteachingreputation. Hisbook,THEEVOLVINGBASSIST,publishedin 1974 isrecognizedin the industryas the definitivebassmethodpublication.He hasbeen doingclinics since197'lassociatedwith the Jamey AebersoldSummerJazzWorkshops,the StanfordUniversityJazzWorkshop,and the Lake Placidlnstitute, toname a few. Thisyear concludestwentyyears onthe Í acultyof William PatersonUniversityin Wayne,

NewJersey, as Professorand Directorof the JazzStudiesand PerformanceProgram.All ofMr.Reid'spresentationsaround theworld,whether inthe nightclub,on the concert stage, or in the class-room,are cherished,memorableevents.

n January, 1997, The lnternatlonalAssociationoflJazzEducatorsawarded Rufus withtheHumanitarian Award. DOWN BEAT magazine, Missue, awards Rufusthe 1998Jazz EducatorAchievementAward. BASSPLAYERmagazine,March,1999, has a feature story on RufusReidas a legendarythirtyyear veteran who is trulycontinuing tobe THEEVOLVINGBASSIST.ufus performedand recordedwithAndre

I lPrevin,Kathleen Battleand the St. LukesChamber Orchestrain 1992. Also in1992Rufusgave two performancesof "TwoFaces",a



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GLOSSARYOFTERMS

FREOUENTLYASKEDOUESTIONS..........

6-78-1213-17HAPTER1 PHYSICALPOSITIONS...

CHAPTER2

DEVELOPINGAGREATSOUND..................... 18 - 23

ETUDE1 Open StringExercises............. 24 ' 38

CHAPTER3 GETTINGTOKNOWTHEFINGERBOARO.....39 .65

ETUDE2 Know Your Fingerboard......................................43 - 45ETUDE3 BasicScales You Must Know.............................46 - 57ETUDE4 MoreScalesBelatedTo AlteredChords............ 58ETUDE5 Approaching The TransitionArea....................... 59 - 61ETUDE6 Moving ThroughThe Fingerboard......................62ETUDE7 oné string only,Please......'. 63 _ 65

CHAPTER4 WALKINGBASSLINECONSTBUCTION.....,..66 . 115ETUDEI Getting FriendlyWilh The Piano........................67ETUDEI GoodFunctionalLinesin a'Two Feeling".......... 68 - 76ETUDE1OSimple WalkingBass1ines................................ 77 - 82ETUDE11 SimpleRhythmic Lines.......................................83 - 87ETUDE12 MoreComplexLines.................... 88'95ETUDE 13BluesLines- SimpleTo Comp|ex...................... 96 - 101ETUDE 14Lines On"RhythmChanges ...1O2"lO7ETUDE15 WalkingLineson "standard'' Progressions.......í 08' 113ETUDE 16DevelopingLatinBassConcepts....................... 114 ' 115

CHAPTERs DEVELOPTNGDEXTER|TY.........116 - 1ss

ETUDE 17HarmonicPatterns............................................. 117ETUDE18 cycle oíFiÍ ths'..... ........'........ 118ETUDE 19Dexterityin Octaves............ .. 119 - 137ETUDE20 FingerDexterity.... ................. 138ETUDE21 LetlArmPivotExercises............. 139 - 141EÍ UDE22Thumblndependence.......................142"l44ETUDE 23The sound oÍ Tenths.............. 145 - 148ETUDE24 ThumbWorkout... 149 - 150ETUDE25 Speed Patterns lnF0urths............ 151 - 152ETUDE26 AdvancedAugmentedPatterns....... 153 - 155

CHApTER6 SOLO;ST;CCONCEpTS......... 1s6 - 1s9

CHApTER7 BASSDUETS................ ....... 160 -'t7z

CHAPTER8 THANscRlPTloNsoí RECoRDEDsoLos...173-187

SELECTEDBASSDISCOGRAPHY..-. 188 - 189

157157158158158159

RUFUSREIDDISCOGRAPHY 191



GcleÍ or TreblecleÍ

F cleíor Bass cleÍ

OÍ EEIFlroÍ EaaoJo

ABCDEFGABCTIMESIGNATURES4l,b?,bb5 1 94 4 4?,8 4I I 4

The top numbermeans how manybeats per measure and the bottomis the type oÍ note'

Ouarter EighthNote TripletNoteTriplet

SixteenthNoteSextuplet

Eighth SixteenthNote NoteWhole HalÍ QuarterNote Note Note

WholeHalf Quarter EighthSixteenth

KEYSIGNATUBESKeyof G Keyof D KeyoÍ A

DottedNotes: The dot equals halÍ the valueoÍ anynote it is placedwithand added to that note length.

6

EbKeyof AbKeyoÍ Db



t- I

-

GLOSSARYOFTERMSBASIC CHORDSYMBOLS

0o C*r? Qr

Malor 7th- Amaior triadwiththe 7th scals note added. ThetÍ iangleeguals the same as themajor seventh.

Dominanl Sevenih- Amajorlriad with the major seventhlowered one halí tone.

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Qrix

Minortriad - Amaior triadwith the third lowered onehalÍloné .

aÍ or

MinorSeventh - AMinor triadwith the loweredseventh noteadded.

no7

or 0r{?

0lí #l

AugmentedSevenlh- A Majortriad with the ÍiÍthnote raisedonéhatí tone and the lowered seventhnole added.

0xr9

Diminishedtriad - A MaiorlÍ iadWith the third and

'iÍ thotes lowered onehalf tone.

HalÍ -Dimished- A Diminshedtriad with the lowered seventh noteadded. Thisis idenlicalto Minorseventh with the loweredÍiíth.

Diminished Seventh- A Maiorsixthchord with the third andí ifthnoies lowered onehalf tone

MaioíNinth- AMaiorseventhchord withninth scale note added.

DominantNinlh- ADominantseventh choÍ dWilhthe ninthscale tone added.

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DomiilantThirleenih- ADominantDominantNineSuspendedSeventh chordwith the ninth and ADominant ninechordthirteenth scale ionesadded. with the lhird toneomitted

and the í oUrlh toneadded'

shiÍ t backwardtobelow.

Shiftin directionoÍ arrow and skiptwo strings above or below.

Pizzicalo- Pulling thestrings with the Í irst,the second' or both Í ingeÍ soÍ lhe right hand.Arco- To playusing the Frenchor Germanstyle bow.

ARROWDEFINITIONS

D string

Donot liÍ tÍ inger. string below.hift í orwardto adjacent

,aL\ Astrinq

shift in directionoÍ and skip shift in directionoÍ 'arrow andskiptwo strings aboveor below. two strings aboveor below.

---) - D stÍ ing

Gliss GlissdownwaÍ d- Slidingon one string Shitt backwardto adjacentstring above.

shiÍ tÍ oMardto adjacent stringabove. Down Bow- At the Í Í ogoÍ lhe bow Up Bow- Atthe tip oÍ the bowwhichis at the righl hand.

upward- Slidingon one string

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A long downward stroke usingthe thumbon the E string and indexÍ ingeron the Gstring oÍ the right hand.

Using therighlthumb strummingacross the strings.

Apluckingmotion using therightthumb andÍ irstÍ ingeroutwaí d Í romthe bass.

7



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What kindoÍ strings do you use?

I prefer, after manyyears of experimenting,formypersonaluse, the G &D Pirastro"OLIV"and on the A&E, the D'Addario-Helicore-heavy gauge strings. I findthat they workexceptionallywellboth withthe bowand pizzi-

cato playing.The "OLIV"string is a gut stringwitha chromesteelwrapping.They willtake afewweeks to reallysettle downfor pitch,but it isworth it, in myopinion,for the sound they pro-duce. Theall steel stringswill lasta muchlonger time beforelosingtheir tone. Keepingthem cleanis easy. Keepa small clothin yourcase and clean them afteryou play fora longperiodoÍ time. lt will help keepthe lifeof thestring. lfpossible,keep one extra set of stringsÍoremergencies.Donot be caughton a gigwithout a replacement

Howdo youpositionthe bridge onthe dou-ble bass?

Thebridgepositionis extremelyimportantonthe doublebass. Thereare notcheson each ofthe 'F"holes that help lineup the feet of thebridge.The distancebetween the"F"holesandthe feet oÍ the bridge varies Í rombass to bass.It is approximately twoinches.The Estringsideof the bridge shouldgo over the sounding board.The soundpostis on the G stringside ofthebridge linedup in the same manner as thesoundingboard. It is placed one to two inchesbelowthat foot. Lookinsideyourbass so youcan clearlyunderstand. However,it is recom-mended that a qualifiedluthierdo this work.Watch him, and eventuallyyou may be able todo thisyourself.Setting the soundpostcorrect-lydetermineshowyourbass willsound.

What is a good height Í orstringson the dou_ble bass?

The string heightis very importantas it deter-mineshowmuch sound you get from yourinstrument.Strings too lowwill makean annoy-ing slapping noise whileplayingand not very

much acousticsound. Stringsthat are too highwillproducea loudersound. However,this caninhibityouragility andtake a physicaltoll just topress down the strings.There is a pointwherethe stringsare highenough to givea good fullsound, but stilllowenough to press down com-fortably.There is a great deal of tensionon theinstrument,especiallywithsteel strings.ThereÍ ore,it is importantto find the rightheightfor you and for the response of the instrument.Acousticinstrumentsare verysensitiveto cli-mate changes and sometimesmake it difficulttoplay.

Most woodbasses expandin size in the sum-mer. lt maybe very little, but it is enough thatyourhands willnotice. lf you are in an extreme-lyhumidlocalityit willbe more noticeable. lncoldweather the bass contractsand the stringsget lower. Mostorchestralplayers remedythisby havinga summer and a winterbridge.

Havingtwo bridgesis idealbut sometimesimpracticalfor the travelingmusician whomightbe in Texas one weekand North Dakotathenext. I remedy this by use of anadjustablebridge.Thisenables you to adjust the heightofthe bridgeand the strings in a matter of minutes.Havinga consistentstring height foryour instru-ment will helpyou developa consistent sound.The height of the string fromthe fingerboardatthe nut, whichis near the tuningpegs, is alsovery important.I discuss this in more detailunder Setting UpYourlnstrument. ltwillmakeyourhand positionsin the lowerareas of the fin-gerboardmore comfortable.

What kindof cords do you use?

I use cords that can be repaired.There arealways timeswhen they pullloose from the plug.Naturallyit is cheaper to solder them than toreplace the cord. Curlcords are used by most

people.However,I have been told that doubleinsulatedstraight cords make less static noise.Makesure that yourcord is not a speaker cord.Whirlwindand Monstercablesare top quality.

IBridgeplacement



Howdo you take caÍ eoÍ your bow andwhatkindoÍ rosindo you use?

The Germanand Frenchbow use thesame kindoÍhair. There is awhitehair, whichis most common,and a blackhair. The hair comes Í romhorses, andthere isalso a nylonhair. l preÍ erthe realhair. Thewhitehair is not as coarse andgivesa smoothersound than theblackhair. Youcan get a mixturehaired Í oryourbow. lt is up to you to take care ofthe bow Í or t to last. lf you leave it taut for long peri-ods of time, the hairwillstretch andit willbe difiicultfor you to tighten the bow. lf it stretches to thispoint, all you can do is have it rehaired. This meansyouhave wasted money that couldhave beenavoided.Alwaysloosen it after you finishplaying.

There areseveral types oÍ bass rosin.Most ofitcomes in grades, fromsoft to hard. Use amediumgrade for averageclimates.Let mecaution youabout leavingyour rosinaround the house. Leftnear heaters or where the sun can get it leaves youwitha meltedblob. lf you can reshape it, put it intothe reÍ rigeratorto regain the originalconsistency.Keepit wrapped in a smallplasticbag or cloth whennot inuse.

Howdo you keep your bass clean?

The instrumentshouldbe wipedoff each timeyouÍ inishplayingespeciallyafter using thebow. RosinwillÍ lakeofi the bowand make a Í ilm onthe instru-ment. lf you let it buildup it is muchmore difficult toremove. l watcheda violin makercleanmy Í iddleand his methodreally worked,so nowl, too, employthis method' Use some Í ineoil,like"3 in 1'' oil,andthe Í ineststeel Wool.Work in an areaabout twoinches in diameter. Put a littleoil onthe bass andworklightlyin a circularmotion.Be careÍ ulnot towork ina larger area as the oil willsit too long andbegin to soak beneath the Í inish.Afteryou finishthat area, wipe it completely cleanwitha clean, softcloth.Continuethis process untilyou have com-pleted the frontof the bass. lt is a slowprocess,butit Willnot harm the finishoÍ the instrumentiÍ doneproperly.Remembernot to rub hard or to use muchoilor youmay harmthe finishof yourbass.

To clean the fingerboardyou can use steelwoolandalcohol.The alcoholwillenable you to wipeup theexcess steel woolÍ ibers'Alcoholdries veryquicklyand will not harm the wood onthe fingerboard.Donot put alcoholon the bodyof the bass because it

FREOUENTLYASKEDOUESTIONS

will streakthe Í inish.UseLinseedoilon the finger-board to keep sweat and dirt from collectingsoquickly.

Howdo you take careoÍ your hands to developgood calluses?

Asyou begin to play you willdevelopblisters.Everyone'sskinreacts difÍ erently.lf youare trou-bledwithconstantlyrecurringblisters, I suggest youconsulta physician.Usuallyafter the initial blisterhas healed, the skinunderneathwill becomecal-lused.Donot peel the blisteroff, as the skinbeneath needs to toughen. To keepyourfingersÍ romgetting too hard and too callused,l suggestusing lotiondaily.Donot let yourcallusesbecomeso hard that they crackopen. That willtruly bepainÍ uland willtake a very long time toheal. l hate

pain. Don't you?MyÍ ingersare quite callused'but theydo notappear to be. Years ago,peoplecouldtell you werea bass playerby your teniblelookinghands.Perhapsit was Í romneglect, butremember thatthere was littleor no amplificationand theyplayedmuch harder lust to be heard. Muchof the time theystilldid not succeed. lfeel that a great deal oÍ thesound that you producedepends on how developed

yourcallusesare. lÍ you have a hard callus'yourpizzicatosound may tend to be more percussive.lfyour callusesare developed, but soft,you willbeable to producea smooth meaty sound.

Whydo you use a volumepedal?

Dynamicsare difficult tocontrol usingelectronics.I

use the volumepedal because it givesme completecontrolwithouthaving tostop playingfor even aninstant to adjust the volumecontrolon myamp. ltis strictlya convenlenceand something extra tocarry around,but I feel it has allowedme to adjustmore dynamicallywiththe musicat hand.

Howdo you carryyour bass when you fly?

There are twoways.Youcan put yourbass in a bigÍ iberglass trunkand ship it as baggage or you cancarry it onto the plane withyou and place it in aseat. There are several excellenttrunksthat can beobtained.Theyare extremelywelldesigned. I havepersonallyused a few types and I felt secure in thesaÍ etyof my instrument.These trunkscan be han-dled byone person, and quite easilyby two. The



one I use is calledthe KolsteinBassCarrier.lf youuse the trunkand send it through as baggage, youhave to pay for oversize andoverweight.Youmayalso send it as air freight,but it willnot necessarilyflythe same plane youdo even ifyou payextra. Toavoidpotential problems,be sure to be at the air-port at least two hours beforedeparture. Youstillmay encounter

aclerkwho hasnot

everprocessed

a bass before and need more time. Stay calmanddo not lose you composureiÍ a problemarises.

To carry the bass on the planewithyou requiresthat you purchasea ticket for it. Asof this printing,it is very rare that youcan put the bass in a seat anymore. The airlines will nowask Íor full FirstClassfare for you and the bass. lf youdo decide toputthe bass in a seat, there two ways. The bass canbe placed in an upsidedownpositionin any of thelarger planes. lt may sepm awkwardto do it in thismannerbut it is actuallysafe enough because theneck isthe strongest part of the bass. Obviously,you don't dropit on the neck. Placeit gentlyon topof one of the pillowsand strap it in using aseat beltextension.

ln most planes the seats in the coach sectionarerelativelyclose. lf you put the bass in the uprightpositionyourbridgewillprobablybe jammed

against the seat in front oÍ you. That is dangerous

lnverted seat placement

10

FREOUENTLYASKEDOUESTIONS

ifsomeone is sitting in the seat in frontof you andchooses to lean the seat back. Thispart of the bassreally needsprotection.The best place for this posi-tion, ifyou getthere early enoughto request it, isthe bulkheadseat. ln some planes this seat is nextto the emergency window,and youwillnot beallowedto placeyour bass there. The photo shows

howwellit can Í it.Thisis a perfectlyacceptableprocedureand has been usedfor manyyears,althoughall airlinepersonnelare not as aware asthey shouldbe. ln many cases you willbe allowedto board beforethe other passengers and to secureyour instrumentwithoutdelaying boardingproce-dures.

What kindof bass pickupdo you use?

I use the BARBERATRANSDUCERSYSTEMbass pickup.Thispickuphas eight transducersembedded inthe bridgewith fourdedicated to thearco soundand four forthe pizzicatosound. lt ismuch more sophisticatedin itsdesign andrequiresyou to change yourentirebridge.lt reproducesagreat, even, clear,and natural sound.

I also use the FISHMANBASSBLENDERto blendthe sound oÍ the pickupand the microphone.Theblenderis not absolutely necessary,but I do feel

that it controlsthe blendingof the pickupand micro-phone extremelywell.The blender allows metohave more controlof my sound in liveperformancesituations.Youshouldalwayshave as muchcontrolof your sound before givingit to the sound manaspossible.

ThemicrophoneI use is made by APPLTEDMICROPHONETECHNOLOGY.Thismicrophoneis exceptional.lt attaches to the side of the instru-ment and has a long goose neck for variousplace-ments. Everybass has a different "sweet spot," sothis is a great feature. lt producesan exceptionallowend frequencyresponse and youcan playat ahigher volumebefore feedbackthan other micro-phones I have used. AMTmakes two bass micro-phones.One isdedicated to the liveperformancewhich ismore focuseddirectionallyand helpsblockout the drumsand surroundinginstruments.Theother one is for use in a more controlledsettingsuch as a recordingstudio.Theyboth have thequalityof a finestudio microphone.

Barbera TÍ ansducersystem,21Loul3stÍeet, staten lsland,NY 1o3(Nwww.baÍbeÍatÍ ansducar3.com

FlshmanTransduc€s,'*.,.i*.k|ffjl3T"ld.,wilmlngton'lÚA0í 8E7

ApplledMicrophoneTechnology, lnc., P o Box&t, LlvlngstoÍ \NJ 07039

walteÍ wood.A'*,x&".Bl|ffi,l'Í j,T"'.De.e.t' cA922Í í



Howmuchpowershouldan ampliÍ ier havetoproduce a good, richsound?

Powerin ampliÍ iersis not used iust to make thingslouder,but to producea clearsound in theentireÍ requencyof that instrument.Smallamps with'l50watts of output seem to be sufficientin most jazzsituations. However,I suggest an amp that willpro-duce at least 300-500watts. I use a small,butpowerfulcustom 500watt amp made byWALTERWooDs'I use difÍ erentspeaker cabinets Íordiffer-ent situations.I own the BOSE802, SWR2-10"Goliathlland the GLOCKENKLANG2-10"com-ponent. I am prepared for allsituations. Somepeo-ple feel that you get better efficiencywith two 12inchspeakers' Remember,it is the power oÍ theamp that Í eallymakes the difference.l feel speakerchoiceis a personal preference.

Howdo you Í ind aconcept?

lÍ youare Iust beginningto get into music,learn asmuch aboulthe bass as youpossiblycan, whetherit be the doublebass or the electricbass. lf youchoose to play some classicalmusic,findsomeonewho canteach youand become involvedwith that.lÍ you want to play rock, Í indsomeone Whoisinvolvedand you become involved.lf you want toplay iazz,Í indsomeone involvedin |azz andbecomeinvolvedyourself. You haveto reach a cer-tain leveloÍ technicalabilityto playany stylewell'Then branch out to suityouÍown taste' conceptcan be aüained by listening torecords,by listeningto liveperformances,by listeningto the radio andtelevision,and by askingquestions. NoneoÍ theseconceptswillsink in unless you workat it. lt is quitedemandingto leaÍ n somethingnew. However,themusicyougrew up withwillprobablycome easytoyou. Atleast the conceptwill bethere. lÍ you

choose to playdifierentstylesor ifyou

choose toplayonly onepadicularstyle, the onlyway to suc-ceed is to learn the conceptof that style.

Howdo you practice?

lf anyone had problemslearninghowto practice, itwas me. Mostpeopleare lazy.The disciplinesneeded to concentrate onbasic Í undamentaltech_niquesneed stimulation ofsome kind.There is somuch to pract|ce, it seems diÍ Í icultto get started.l thinkthe best Way isto have someidea oÍ howyouwouldlike tosoundand whatyou wouldlike toplay.Thisis not alwayseasy, especiallyif you haven'tbeen playingvery long. Scalesand exercisesarenot the moststimulating mateÍ ialsto play. We all

FHEOUENTLYASKEDOUESTIONS

want to play wellimmediately,but it just doesn'thappen likethat. Some catchon Í ast,whileothershave to work veryhard. ln order to play your instru-ment well,everyoneshouldpass through these f un-damentalsteps. Manystudents waste timeplayingthingsthey can already play, and never taketime tobreak down the problemsthat inhibit themfrompro-gressing.

The primaryrole of a jazz bassist in a group is tosupportharmonicallyand rhythmically,and mostimportantly,to "swing."So, there is no question.Youmust practice"walking"all the timeso that yourrhythmicpulse is consistentlystrong. The groupyou playwith dependon you to do this. They

assume you can do it, even iÍ you haven't beenplayingfor very long. ( Not terriblyfair, but true.) lnadditionto your pulseand great time feeling,thenotes you choose shouldbe fromthe chordpro-gression oÍ the compositionyouhappen to be play-ing. Nowyou must learn the chord progressionsound as quicklyas possible.Thisis your priority.Nomatter what level oÍproÍ iciencyyou acquirethere willalways besome sort oÍ problemyou muststruggle with. lf you can isolateyour problemsbytakingthem outoÍ contextand workingon them in

slowmotionyou willbe able to progressat a moreconsistentpace. Donot waste time playingthings you alreadycan play.

Whenyou practicereallydepends on when you arethe most productive.Forme, it is when I firstwakeup in the morning'lÍ you practicea half hour everymorning beforeyou shower, youwillbe amazed atthe results. lt is qualitytime, notnecessarilyquan-tity. First,make up a weekly calendaroutliningwhatyou

wish to accomplishthat

week.You, alone,can

decide this. Second, choosewhat scales?Whatkey?Whattempo?Whattune? Whatregister?lfyou playany scale or chordpattern consistentlyforÍ ive minuteseveryday (fiveminutes is a very longtime doingonly onething), you will beamazed howquicklyilwillimproveyour playingand connectionwithyour instrument.Beingtrulyconnected to yourinstrumentis the ultimategoaland it willallowyouto concentÍ atemore on your immediatesurround-ings. Take advanlageoÍ this time. Breakup your

practicetime so that you don't become frustratedorbored. I try to warmup withthe bowplayinglongtones and scales. The long tones are the best todevelopbow control.Then I moveon to some read-ing material.Afterthat I willpracticethe same

11



materialwithoutthe bow NextI may try to tran-scribea bass solo from a record and attempt to playit the way it is being playedon the record. Thisisthe real eartraining. Get friendlywith thepianoI usually spend sometime at the piano tryingto playthe chords to some tunes. The piano or keyboardisan absolutemust to learn moreintimatelylhe sound

oÍ chords ingeneral and the chords of tunesthatyou are workingon. Being knowledgeableof key-board harmony will makeyourbass linesand thelearningof the tunes come togelherfaster. Asyouand your playingmature, you will find thatthe play-ers Whoyou admiÍ e usuallyhave Í unctionalknowl-edgeable oÍ keyboardharmony.Asbass players,this knowledgeis our liÍ eline. Asyousee, there aremany waysto utilizeyour practicetime. Goodluck

How DoYouBecordThe Bass ln AStudio?

Becordinga good bass sound requires two basicelemenls.The firstbeingyoursound, andthe abili-ty oÍ the engineerto capture that sound withamicrophone.The acousticpropertié soí thebass iswhat the recordingengineer is lookingfor. Thesound of the bass is verydiÍ ferenta few feel awayÍ romthe instrument than the Way Wehear playingitup close. Yourbass shouldnot have any extrane-ous sounds, such as buzzesfromopen seams,squeaks fromendpins,rattles from bowholders,etc. (Ducttape does wonders here ) The micro-phones pickup any and allsounds producedby youand your bass' The more Í ocusedyour left and righthand techniqueis, the morefocusedsound will beheard. Two microphonesare generallyused to cap-ture the bass sound. One islowat the levelof thebridge,but NOTat or n6ar the "Fholes," whichwillnot be clear. The secondone shouldbe higheranddirectedtoward the fingerboardto capture the high-er Í requencythat is being produced'

lÍ the recording isa live twotrack recording, thetwomicrophonesaÍe mixedand cannot be changedaÍ terbeing recordedif you don't likeit. lf the record_ing is a multi-trackrecording,all the sounds can bemixedagain if needed. The pickup,whichcouldbea thlrd track shouldonlybe used as back upinfor-malion.The ultimatecontrolwouldbe to have thebass isolated fromthe other instruments. lvlanygreal recordingshave beenmade withno isolationÍor the bass at all. The studioonvironmentandknowledgeand abiIityoÍ the engineer is What Willmake the difference'lÍ possible,alwaysbe eaÍ lyinthe studio to have adequate time to set up andacclimateyou and your bass to lhisenvironment.

FREOUENTLYASKEDOUESTIONSWhatBasicThingsShouldA BassistRé member?

1. Havegood rhythmicfeeling.You are thepulse oÍany ensemble.

2. Havegood constructed bass lines basedon the

chord progressions.a. use chordalapproachb. use scalar approachc. use chromaticor passingnole ápproachd. use rhythmicvariation complimentaryto

the musicalstyle3. Listenand conneclwith;

a. the pianoor whateverchordalinstrumentis used.

b. lo the drums and/or percussioninstruments

c. to the horns, if any4. Watchthe pianoplayerslett hand. Knowthekeyboardwellvisually.

5. Keepeye conlactwithall the musiciansat alltimes.

6. Besensitive to alldynamics.Learn to adjustinstantlyWithout losingthe eneÍ gyor thetempo.

7. BeAuthoritative.Be Deliberate.a. be precise, intonationis very importantb. be verypliable.

8. Bealert at all times.

9. Do not jusl playanything'HaVea r€sonfor everythingyou play.

'10. Alwaysbe on timeto allplayingsituations. Youalwayswillneed extra time to s6t up yourequipmentand warmup.

'11. Listento as much live musicas possible.

12. Listonto the recordingsof lhe gÍ eat players.

13. Join the lnternationalsociety oÍ Bassists.4020McEwen,#105, Dallas,TX75244fel 972-233-9107ext. 2O4,Fax:972-49O-4219www. jmu.edu/orgs/bassists/isb.html

14. Try to alwaysplaywithpeople who are moreadvancedthan yourselÍor at least onyourlevel.

15. Alwayshavg Í unand keé pswingingl12



HAPTERPHYSICALPOSITIONS

Beingphysicallycomfortablewithyourbass,whether it be the doublebass or the electricbass is,in myopinion,one of the most overlooked aspectsin learningabout playingthe bass. lÍ you heedsome ofmy comments onthis matter, it may helpyou delete bad habits that shouldhave been avoid-ed in yourearly stages of development.

Yourstance shouldbe as relaxedas possible.Stand withyourfeet almostin an "L"shape. See aside viewphotograph.Noticethat the bass is slight-ly tilted towardthe bodyand the side of the bass isnot touchingthe stomach area. ln order tokeep thispositionwhileplaying,you must nowlean into the

instrument. DONOTaccommodatethe instrumentby turningthe side flush againstyou. ln pizzicatoplayingyou willproject less volumeon allstringsand even less on the lowerstrings if the side of thebass is flushagainst yourstomach. ln addition,thebow willbe impossibleto playon the lowerstringswithoutmovingthe bodyor bass to accommodatethe bow. The properangle of the bass can beachievedby drawingthe bow onthe E string sothatthe arm just passes the body without movingthe

bodyor the bass. Now,whenplayingon the upperstringsin this positionyoumust lean into the instru-ment. Noticethe left shoulder in the photoof therear view. Moveinto the instrumentso that you cansee what youare doing.Practicemovingup anddown thefingerboard.Slidethe left hand up anddown.Don't worryabout playingany particularnotes at this time. The reason for this exercise is tosynchronizethe leftarm and hand motion withthebodymotionin playingup and down thebass. Asyou slideup the fingerboard,graduallyshiftmore ofyour weight ontothe right leg by leaning fonruardand pushingyour right hip backward.lfyou aredoing this properly,the neck of the bass shouldbe

leaningtowardyou so as to make yourslidetowardthe bridgemucheasier. Asyou slideback towardthe scrollof the bass, synchronizeyourhip motionwith the left arm by pushing the bass backin itsoriginalposition.Asyouslideup and down theÍ in-gerboard, do not let yourarm rest on the shoulderofthe bass. This can developintoa verybad habitand willinhibityour facilityin the higher registerasyourplayingmatures.

Side ViewStance Front ViewStance - Pizzicato



RearViewStance

It may seem insignificant,but ifyou can balanceyourbass witha relaxedbody, youhave beguntoovercomethe awkwardnessoÍ manipulatingtheinstrument.The bass is leaningslightlyinto the

bodywith the insideof the left knee against thebass back actingas one of thebalancingpoints.The other balancingpoint is angledagainst thelowerabdomenwhere it joinsthe leg.

RearViewStance - Thumb PosÍ tion

14

Front View- Balancing TheBass RearView- Balancing TheBass



HowTo Get ComfortableWithThe Bow

There are two types of bows.There isa Germanand a Frenchbow. I encourageyou to experienceboth before choosingbecause onlythen willyouknowthe real differences.The onethat you adaptto the quickestwillno doubt bethe one that youwillplay. The one that enables you to produce the bestsound is the one you shouldPlaY.

ln holding anybow you must learn to relax the mus-cles of the bowhand and arm. TheFrenchbow isheld withthe righthand perpendicularto the stickofthe bow. Placeyour hand on top of the bow so thatthe stickfits into the breakof the middlefingersatthe knuckles.

Frenchbow hand positionpreparation

Now,keepingyour wrist level, bringthe thumbunder the hand and place it at the edge of the frog.Thiswillplaceyour thumb approximatelyunderyoursecond or longestÍ inger.Nowwrap the fingersover the stick.

PHYSICALPOSITIONS

Try to relax as much as possible.DONOTgrab orgripthe bow. Justholdit enough to keep fromdrop-pingit. The weightof yourarm andthe rosinon thebow is allyou need to start the string to vibrate. Toomuch pressure willkeep the stringfromvibratingfreelywhichis necessaryfor a good fullsound.

The Germanbow is held quite differentlythan theFrenchbow. See photographs.The frog is muchwider thanthe French bowand is held in the palmof your righthand. There arethree areas of thepalmthat the bow can be held. The firstarea isclose to the thumb. Place the butt of the frog snug-ly into the fleshysection. Theend of the bow isextended over this fleshysection.Arch therest ofthe fingerskeepingthem together and position

them on the side of the bowandlet the thumblay

naturallyover the stickextendingtoward the first fin-ger. The second area is pretty muchthe same, onlythat you shiftthe butt of the frog into the middleofthe palmwhere thehand bends. Keepthe other fin-gers the same. Noticehow the hand is not as tenseas in the firstarea.

GermanBowPalmView

The thirdarea is again similar,only thatyoushiftthebutt of the frog toward the fingers.Openyourhandand place the butt end so that the side of the frogaway fromyou Í itsexactlywhere the fingersbendfrom thepalm.The stickof the bowshouldbe lay-ing across the firstknucklebone of the hand. Closethe hand, keeping thefingers togetherand some-what curved.DONOTtense up and don'tgrip the

bow. Just holdit. Thisposition,lfeel,willgain youthe best control.However, experimentwithallthreeand choose thepositionthat is the most comfort-able for you.

Frenchbow hand Position15



GermanBowAtFrog

Whicheverbow you choose to workwith,practiceholdingit and getting it comfortablein your handbefore you pickup your bass. Extendboth armsdirectlyout in frontoÍ youat the same level,lettingthe tip ofthe bowrest on the first Í ingeroÍ the leÍthand. Thissimulatesthe string. Donot lockyourelbows.Relaxthe righthand as much as possiblewithoutdroppingthe bow, but still keepingthe fin-gers in the same positionas previouslydiscussed.See photographs.Slowlyloweryourarms approxi-matelyone and one half feet keeping them levelwitheach other. Remember,do not lockyourelbows,and relax. Youshouldbe fairlyclose to the

German BowDrawn Toward Tip

positionyou wouldbe in if you were holdingthebass. BeÍ orepickingup the bass practicebowingup and downstrokes by keepingthe left hand sta-tionaryto simulatethe string. Relaxand try toachievea flowingtype of armmotion.lfyou aredoing this properly, the right hand shouldfeel nostrain - almost to the point that the bowisn't even inyourhand. lf it feels likethis to you, youare on theright track. Bydoing thisyou can walkaroundtheroom and stillbe learningto be comfortablewithyour bow. A relaxedhand is oÍ utmost importance.Practicingin Í rontof a mirroris an excellentway tosee iÍ youare doingthingscorrectly.

BowAt Frog- PalmView BowAtFrog- Front View



HOWTOGETTONEWITHTHEBOW

Pickup yourbass and put the bow on the Dstringnear the frog.The correct heightfor bowingisdeterminedby extendingyourarm withoutlockingthe elbowand placingit comfortablymidwaybetween the endof the fingerboardand the bridge.lf you have to dropyourshouldersto put the bow inthisposition,the bass is not highenough.

ls yourelbowlocked?ls yourwrist level?Areyourelaxed?Closeyour eyes and completelyrelaxsothat you can concentrateon just the weightof yourarm. Donot press down hard on the string. Theweightof yourarm and therosinon the bowis allyou need to producea good sound. Relaxanddraw thebow toward thetip of the bow in one com-plete motion witha pullingsensation.Stop.Don't

tense up. Relax.Nowwitha pushingfeelingmove

PHYSICALPOSITIONS

the bow towardthe frog in onecompletemotion.Youshouldhave noticedthat it was a littlemore dif-Í icultto produce a tone at the tip ofthe bow. Thisisbecause the distribution ofweight isofÍbalance atthat point. To compensateyoumust applymoreweightof the arm sothat youcan get enough lever-age to start the bowmoving.AÍ terstarting thestring to vibrate,release that extra weightyou need-ed to get started and let the rest of the bow contin-ue as before.The object is to obtain the samesound, up and downbow. Continuethisprocess onall thestrings.Eachstring is a differentsize whichwillrequireyou to learn the sensitivenessneeded toproducea good tone fromeach string. lfyou aregetting a scratchy, squawky sound,youare press-ing too hard. Keepthe bowleveland perpendicular

to the string at all times. lt is most helpÍ ultopracticein frontof a mirrorifpossible.

BowAtFrog BowAt Mid Poinl

BowAtTip

17



CHAPTERTWODEVELOPINGAGREAT SOUND

DEVELOPINGA GOODSOUND

What constitutesa good sound isverysubjecliveand perhaps there is noabsolute answer. l pÍ oposethat producinga desirable soundis one thal proj-ects clarity,has é nergy,and iswarmand Í ull bod-ied. Mostimportantly,we wish tocapture the lis-tener's ear. To achievethis requiresa Í ocusedapproach. Firstof all, I would like tomention thatIchoose to use the traditional term,pizzicato,Íor lackof a betteÍ term. l do not care for the term, pluck,asI do not pluckthe string. I pullthe string. You mustpull the string toproducea big falsound. TheÍ eareonly twotypes oÍ bass pizzicalosounds' Í hereisthe "thumpy"style, and the smooth"style. Thethumpyplayersounds likea doo-doo-doo-doo-sound. The smooth playersounds likea doom-doom-doom-doom-.Notice thatthe "m"soundsseems to sustain muchlonger. Thelatter approachis the more modernsound. The long sound isdesired bymost jazz players.To help these tech-niquesworkbest, yourbass shouldbe set up prop-erly to allowyour instrument to have a Í reeandopen sound.

SETTINGUPYOURINSTRUMENT

At thetop oíthe Í ingerboard,lhe stringsrest upona notched piece of ebony whichis calleda nut. lt isextremely important that the string heightat the nulbe as comlortableas possibleÍorfingering.ll

shouldnot be too highor loo low lf it is too high,obtain a tiny round Í ile froma hobby,craÍ toÍ hard-Ware store and Í ileeach notch carefully.The lowestthat one shouldgo is no lower than lhe thickngssoftwo business cards. The cardsshould Íitiuslsnug.Anylower and thestringwillbe layingon the Íin-gerboard and cause an irritatingbuzz. lÍ this hap-pens, youwillprobablyhave to have a new nulputon. Be careÍ ul whenfiling.Youcan easilyfilea |it-tl€ away, but you can't put it back afierwards.lf thisis done properlyand a buzzstillexistson some Íin-gered notes, you should haveyour fingerboarddressed by a qualiÍ iedcrattsman.

The distancébetwoen strings shouldbe uniform.HoWeVer'youshould experimentWithWhatÍ eels themost comfortable. Theadjacent photo shows lhedistanceon mybass is l-1116 inch from thecenterof the stringlo thg cent€ oÍ the next string' l findthis to be agood measurement.Stringcrossingwillbe more difficultiÍ the spaco is too Wide.lÍ thespace is too close, the stringsdon't allowÍormobil-ity oÍthe Í ingers.Notice thephoio for positioningofthe notches in the bridge. Slringheight is definitely

a personalpreÍ erence.Asyour playingdovelopsand matuÍ es,you WillÍ indWhat worksbest for you'Just makesure the sound is yourpriority.

The combinationof strings and electronicpickupshas brought lhe Virtuosityoí

'azzand classical

stringplayers to the foreground. Thepickupsavailable haveenabled the players to play wilhthestrings extremelylow andstillbe heard.lnsirumentswithvery lowstrings havelittle acousiicsound' The closer thestÍ ingsto the Í ingerboard,the less room the strings haveto vibrale.Obviously,the higher the string, the more vibration, thelouderthe bass. Generally,orchesiralplay€s t6nd to playwithvery highstrings to produce the maximumacousticsound. Obviouslythe effort needed topress lhe string down would b6mor6. ldobelievethat there isa happy mediumfor sound and beingcomÍ ortabletoo.

ll is my opinionthat the bass should and canignite

any ensemblewith energy,espociallyin creative,contemporarymusic. HoWeVeÍ ,lhisenergy cannotradiate unless a cortain amounlof engrgy is put inal the outset. Personally,l preÍ erto sacriÍ ice someof my technique Íorenergy and sound. l use theampliÍ ierto assist me. l am not totallydependentupon it. Remember thelowerlhs string, the moretechnique,the less sound and viceversus. Noticethe photo for the measurementof the G stringonmy bass to beal 'll4inchabove lhe Í ingeÍ board.MyD string is 3/8 inchabove, myAslringis 3/8 inchabovo andmyE stringis 7/16 inchabove the Íin-gerboard.



DEVELOPINGAGREAT SOUND

Measuringat the Nut Measuringstring distanceon bridge

Measuringstring height fromfingerboard Notchpositionsfor stringson the bridge

19



DEVELOPINGAGOODPIZZICATOSOUND

Letus start with the one fingertechniqueusing thefirst fingerof the righthand. Placeas much of themeat of the fingeron the stringas possible.Seesequence photographsbelow. Beforeactuallylet-tingthe stringgo, pullit to the point where youcanfeel the tension.Now,in slowmotion,let the stringroll

off the fingerby slowlypulling

the arm andfin-ger at the same time. Themotionof the arm shouldbe close to the bodywitha downwardstroke. lfyoucan imaginethe arm being a pendulumfollowthroughthis strokedownand back. Onceyou know

DEVELOPING AGREATSOUND

where that tension point is whenpullingthe string,you are in completecontrol.You let the stringgo atpreciselythe timeyou want it to and not before. lnplayingon the open strings,pullthe G stringandthe D,A,and E in one completedownward stroke.Noticeyoumust keep close to the board to achieve

this. Afterexecuting onestring let yourfingercon-tinue onto the next string below.Continuethisprocess all the wayacross the bass. Donot just pullonlywith the finger.The finger isweak whenusedalone. Use the entirearm togain stamina and con-trol ofyoursound.

One FingerPizzicato- G String One Finger Pizzicato- D String

One Finger Pizzicato- E String

0One Finger Pizzicato- AString



The two fingerpizzicalotechniqueis pretty muchthe same with the exception of thepositionof thehand. Noticein the photo that the hand is almost ata rightangle to thefingerboard.To achieve thebiggest sound possiblewith this technique,youmust keepthe hand and armclose to the bass. Do

not pullupward.Pullacross witha downwardstrokefromstring to string.Noticethe photographs.

To obtaindexterityand facility withthe two fingerwalkingtechnique,practicealternating the fingers.The idea is to make both fingerssound exactlythe


same. The second fingeris not as strong as thefirst. lt willrequire concentratedpracticeto buildstrength in that fingerso it matches the firstfinger.The executionof this techniqueis done exactlythesame as previouslydiscussed.However,the soundwillnot be quite as fullas the one fingertechnique.

Manyjazzplayersof today employthis twofingerwalkingtechnique.Aphenomenalamount oÍ tech-niquecan be achievediÍ youworkat it slowlyanddeliberately.Thistechniqueis used extensivelyinclassicalguitar playing.See photographsfor handand fingerpositions.

Two Finger PizzicatoG String TwoFingerPizzicatoD String

Two FingerPizzicatoAString Two FingerPizzicatoE String



Whenone speaks of someone who is a great play-er, they say they lovehis or her sound. Whatdoesthat mean? To me, that means many thingsat thesame time; a full-bodiedtone, the particularnotesthat are played,where these notes are placed, theintonationof these notes and the feelingprojected.

The most important is the consistencyof all thesethings combinedthat makeup that great sound.

The creativeimproviser'sgreatest asset is the abil-ity to manipulatethe harmony. The harmony iswhat makespeople listenconstantly to you. t is thesophisticationoÍ yourharmonicconcept that wi|lkeep you alwaysin the game. lt is has been myobservationthat generallyyoung playersare tooconcernedwithdisplayinga lot of digitaltechniqueand not concernedenoughabout what they playnor howthey sound. Thisis a verycommonprob-lem. Allof uswant to be able to movearound thebass withthe greatest of ease, but youmust havesome ideaof what you would liketo sound likeinthe beginning.lf you likecertain thingsabout fouror fivebassists, listencarefullyto them. Listentoand Íoreverynuance imaginableand you willbeginto understandwhat is involvedto produce thatsound. Thisis trulyhow you getstarted pursuingagood sound.Perhapsyou likethe harmoniccon-

cept of one, the intonationof anotheí the energyand creativityof another, the technicaldexterityofanother. Beginto put these elements together andyou have begun to create another great player-youThese ingredients are quite essential.

DEVELOPINGAGREATSOUND

To reallyexcelas a bassist, you must likethe wayyou sound. I'm speakingof sound YOUcontrol,notthe sound that is controlledby any kindof amplifi-cation or electronicdevices. f youare able to pro-duce a good sound based onthe variablesmen-tioned above,youwillhave a good sound with

amplification.Too many makethe mistake of think-ing that the amp willmake them soundbetter. lf you"think"a smooth, pretty, lovely, huge,strong sound,eventuallyyou willbe able to playjust that.Remember, youmust likethe wayyou sound beforeanyoneelse does. Usea tape recorder whenyoupractice. Theydon't lie. Whenyoubegin to soundgood to yourselfÍ romthe tapes, good thingsarebeginningto happen.

Youshouldalso practicewith the amp. Youmustalwaysbe in controlof what comes out. Assimilateyourworkingconditionswiththe amp. Tryto matchthe amp sound to youracousticsoundas best aspossible.Agood pickupwillamplifyall extraneousnoises and fingernciises.Acousticallywe don'thear these noises so easily, but they are presentand can be eliminatedonlyby practicingwiththeamp on. Use the bow too. Whenthe bowsound isclean withthe amp on, it's reallyclean. n order toproject a certainamount of energy you stillmust

exert it. The amp can relaythat energy, but cannotcreate it. lt allmust come fromyou.

c0

0 o Nc e?,Í

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$0oN0É NÍ ?AÍ loN

e

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Two FingerWalkingTechnique

2




Tri-CJazz Festival, Cleveland,OH1989 Photoby: FrankW. Hetherington

23




WorkingWithOpen StringsPracticeslowly witha metronomeat all times.from stringto string, listenfor an evenlybalancedRemember, these can be played withor withoutthe sound. Somestrings mayautomaticallyhave abow, and/or with the electricbass. Concentrateon quickerresponse than others. Everybass is differ-yoursound quality.Whenplayingacross thebass ent, so make the adjustments whennecessary.

llHJ=50n V n Vtaa,

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Watch yourrightarm motion to create the correöpulse whilepullingthe string.Whenreading, moveyoureye to the next measureas quicklyas possibleto be able toreact to the proper rhythm beforeyou


play the rhythm.Pay close aüention to these openstring etudes as they will increaseyoursound andreadingabillty.Whenyou add the left hand, youwillbe able toget into the musicmuch sooner.

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25

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DEVELOPING AGREAT 9OUND

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o Two eighthnotes playedin the timegivenfor one quarter note. Donot continueuntilyoucanhonestlyplay the rhythmsperfectly. Start slow andbe precise.

26




Play slowlyand concentrate onyoursound. Beveryaccuratewhen countingtime.

nnnnnnnn

\J

Beas preciseas possiblecrossingover two strings. Thiscan onlybe achievedby watching verycloselywhat the right hand or the bowhas to do.

27




o Youmust now play four sixteenth notesin the same amount of time as one quafter note or twoeighth notes.

28




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aI ta

Countout loud to yourselfifyou are havingproblemsstayingin time with the differentrhythms.

29



DEVELOPINGA GHEATSOUND

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30

Countout loud toyourselfiíyou are havingproblems staying in time with the difÍ erentrhythms.



aI

- -

OEVELOPINGAGREATSOUND

,-$--- r-5--.-$-,-$- ,-l--- r_|'---, r-$-- -N---t,-$---,-b----5---,,--b----,

Tri_ p- let Trl - p- let Trl - p- let TÍi- p- let

,_l__,_b___$__.., ,_b__ ,_b__rr_l___,r_l_t r_N___,_b_ r_l__r_b--_-,_b__

,_l____b_: r_N_____t

_b__ ,_N_r_l_-_----- --b- -N----b-'-t

,-b--N--r--N-.' ,-$--, r-l- --9---- ,-N_-r-b-- ,-b-----

.-l- ,-b-

,--N- --l------ r_b_t l-] ,-b---, r-l------t

-b----,-l-,-$"--,-l---,-N-,-l--,r-l--r-b- -b--r,-b--', -b--. r--N-

-l---,-N--,_b- r-N--l- -b---t r-$-------t

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,_b___ r__b_-_____t

,-N- --9---. ,_b_ ,_l_.__.__ ,__l_

Eighthnote triplets: Three notes playedin the space of one quaner note. Quailernote tripletsare to be playedin the space of two quarter notes or a halfnote.

31



DEVELOPTNGAGREATSOUND

,-5-- ,-5-. ,-5------- ,-$-- r-$-----L--$ ----

,- b ---- b-:,_ I ________, ,--N-------

r-5--t_I_. ,_b_ ,-9-t-$-l ,--5-----,

,-5--- -N--

,-b-

.-l--- ,-b'--.. --N-

Concentrateand beHowever, youmust

very deliberate and precise.keep yourconcentration level

Don'tbe afraidto play in different signatures.highat al times and count.

,-b- ,-l---.,,-b-

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32




HHrl=50a

&2 &3 & 4 &

These two measures sound the same, but are just written differently.

Thismeasure shows syncopated rhythm.The symbol"&"illustrates thesecond halfof themain beatpattern where these notes are tobe played.

33



DEVELOPING AGREAT SOUND

,--b----aa

I

,-N--r-b-

Practiceslowly withrhythm at all times. Remember,these can be playedwithor without the bowand on the electric bass.

34




0^n(-4 r_l________ r_$_________,_b_--_

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Countout loud toyourselfif you are having problems stayingin time with the differentrhythms.

35




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,-b-b---- ,-b-------r-b--.

__ b ______,_b___

-b-------,--b----.

36




,-b -------b -------, _ b -------r-b -----t

,-b -------_b ______,_b___________b___

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37




-N--,

Front ViewSitting- LowerPosition Front ViewSitting- MovinglJpward



HAPTEGettingTo KnowThe Fingerboard

THECLAW

I think this conceptis the key todevelopinggood

left hand techniquethatis

capableof coveringthe

full rangeof the fingerboard.The idea isthat youcontrolyourfingers to do what you want them to doat any giventime. Concentrateon not lettingyourfingers andknucklescollapseas illustratedbelow.Practice thisÍ eelingon a tab]e or anyflat surface.Keep the wristas straight as possible.Freezethefingersand move theentire arm. Concentrate

Everyone'sfingerswillcollapseto a degree.However,it can be minimalif your concentrationison the weightof the arm, not just the fingersalone.Probablythe most commonof the left hand prob-lems wouldbe the collapsingoÍ the knucklesat thepalm of the hand whichwill breakthe flowof stabil-ity needed from theentire forearm.

CollapsedClaw CorrectClawPosition

39



Afterthe practiceand applicationof the clawtech-niqueas suggested, move to a slttingpositionwithyour bass and concentrateon gettlng that samefeelingin the hand. Press down the G string with-out uslngthe thumbas shownbelow.Keepyourwrist straight and watchthe Í ormin yourfingers.YoushouldÍ eelthe energy comingfromthe shoul-der. Rememberthe entire arm and shoulderareworkingtogether as one. Practiceslidingup anddownthe Í ingerboardas illustratedin the sequencephotos,but this time withoutyour thumb. Moveinslowmotionat firstto make sure you keep the formand propermotionat the transitionarea as shownin Frames3, 4, 5. Asyou move up the Í ingerboard,imaginea pushingfeelingand a pullingback feelingwhen movingback to the lowerposition.Practiceslowlyand preciselyuntilyouare able to move thefull

lengthof the fingerboardwithone complete,

GETTING TO KNOW THEFINGERBOARD

smooth motion.Remember to lean into the bass asyou moveslowlyup and back. Notlcemy visualcontact with myleftarm. Becometotally into whatyou are doing.

Continuethis process now with the thumb,but onlyuse it Í orstability.Donot apply any dlrectpressure.ln the sittingposition,the thumb is less lmportantbut necessary nevertheless. However,in the stand-ingposition,the thumb is absolutelynecessary inthe lowerpositionsto keep the bass stable. You willnotice that wltha combinatlonof the angle of thebass and the proper balance, the thumb need onlybe there to help producegood tone. Too muchpressure between the fingersand the thumb willresult in a cramped handand the abllityto moveabout freelyls stifled.

<__ TRANSí 7tON

gerboard.Reversethe fingeringsequence whenglissingdown.Watch in a mirrorto adjust hand andbodyposture. Practiceboth pizzicatoand arco onallof the strings.Donot be impatientwiththis. Onlythrough repetitionwillthis motionÍee comfortable.

oÉ s$o conÍ r,{.Í í 'ÚsGú ss

Use your metronometo practicethis glissandoexercise in a smooth,slow,steady tempo. Usefirstfinger, then second Í inger,then all four fingersup tothe transition.The thumb and the thirdfingeris thenemployedas youcontinueup to the end of the fin-

TRANSITIoN--.+

Clawwithout thumb

40



GETTINGTOKNOWTHE FINGERBOARD

1.

-iffi

*t:.tl

2.

3.

4.

Sequence Photos MovingThroughThe Fingerboard

41



THUMBTRANSTTIONPOSITIONS

The sequencephotos illustrateplayinga chromaticscale in two octaves beginningwith"open G'.Frames 3, 4, 5 illustrate thecrucialpart of the tran-sition'Study it carefully'ln Frame4' the third Í in-ger extended is G,an octavehigher than the open

G string. Noticethe thumb is stillback on the neck.Asyou shift yourarm, release the second and thirdÍ ingersand keep yourfirstfinger downand slideitquicklyto Awithno resistance fromthe thumb.Concentrateiust movingthe arm into position.Don't worry about the thumbat this point. lt willobedientlyÍ ollowthe hand. lt should,however, betouchingthe stringas in Frame5. Continuethisprocessto the next octave. Practiceslowlytheentire Í ingerboard. Usea mirrorifpossibleto watchthe Í ormoÍ your fingersand positionof yourarm asit movesup the board. Studythese photos careful-ly. Practiceuntilyoucan do it accuratelywithyoureyes closed.Atactile feelingis very importanttodevelop on anyÍ retless,stringedinstrument.Usethe bow toclean up intonation. Rememberto keepyourelbowup and concentrateon the "claw" feel-ing.

Unlikemost traditionalbass method books, I havechosen not to use speciÍ iedhand positionsto learnthe notes and their locationson the Í ingerboard.lÍyou play chromaticallyup and down the finger-board, you will eventuallyplayall the notes presenton the bass. lÍ you playa piano startingon anynote and playeach key as it comes untilyou cometo the same note an octaveaboveor belowyou willhave playeda chromaticscale. A chromaticscaleis made up oÍ semi tonesor tones withan intervalof an halÍ step. There are thirteennotes in a chro_maticscale. Onall fretted guitars, the intervalbetween a fret is a halÍ step. Learn thesound' onthe double bass,the same notes are present, eventhough the frets are not. Thenotes are much widerapart and you must be able to hear whether ornotyou are pressing in the rightplace. lf you are not,adjust accordingly.To learn to read andknow thenoles isan easy process.Etude2 is for that purpose. Be patientand be consistent.That isthe keyto success.

lfyourstringsare tuned properlyto G D AE respec-tively,then you will hear theproper relationshipsof

GETTINGTO KNOW THEFINGERBOARD

tones across the Í ingerboard.ConÍ irmpitch withthe pianoor tuning fork.Playthe open G string andpress downthe stringapproximatelyone inch fromthe top of the Í ingerboardwith the Í irstfingerof thelefthand. On the fretted instruments,it would be

the first Í retor G sharpor AÍ lat.Adjustthe Í ingerif itdoesn't soundcorrect, and remember that spot.The second finger depressedapproximatelyaninch awayÍ romthe first is playingthe note Aor thesecond Í ret.Keepingthe hand stationary, stretchthe hand and place the fourth Í inger down approxi-matelyone and onehalÍ inches from thesecond Íin-ger or on the third Í ret'Placethe thirdfinger downalso. lt shouldmove together withthe Í ourth'Repealthis process on the lowerstringskeepingthe hand stationary andonly movingacross the fin-

gerboardin a straight line.Witha step by stepprocess up the fingerboard,shift thehand up slight-lyso that the ÍiÍst inger is now where the secondfingerwas. Continuethis processacross thestringsand up the fingerboarduntilyou reach theoctaveof the string.

lt is very important thatyou read Etude 2careÍ ullyand slowlyso that you can begin toassociate thesoundof a note to itspositionon the board. BeÍ oreputtingboth hands together in this etude,practicewiththe left hand alone sothat youcan keeptheformoÍ the hand constant. Thisis important.Seephotographsof left hand positionson page 44.Practicein Í rontof a fulllength mirror to ob'servestance, arm and hand formations.Noticethat thedistancebetween notes becomesmalleras thenotes become higher.Asyou graduallyget high-er on the Í ingerboardyou must adjust the span oÍthe hand accordinglyand truly listen Í or clarityoÍpitch.

lfyou workcarefully,you will notice where thesamenote appears on anotherstring. Repeat thisexer-cise many times observingthe posture of your lefthand. The Í ingeringsequence is veryeasy toremember, but do not go on automaticpilot.Beginto reallylistento the sound that you are producing.Rememberthat your left hand is your sound, therighthand is the sound producer.

42



G str.E ,J,J JJETUDE2

KNOWYOURFINGERBOARD

D str.J J,J, J J J J ü üJJJ12

Astr'JJ42

JJ1242 124?

üJ JJ E str.JJJJ1242

JJJJSimile

a

t-

Youmust listencarefullyto what you aro playing.lÍ you getdisoriented,start the process Í romthebeginning again.

43



GETTING TO KNOWYOURFINGERBOARD

Lefthand Position TransitionTo ThumbPosition

ThumbPositionsitting on the string44



The Í ingeÍ ingpallemand the photo illustratgthelasl four notes oÍ lhBc scale. Youwi|l notice thattha í irslí ingerplays thg note AaÍ lerplacinglhethumb on the G, whichis the exacl samaplace asthe G haÍ monic.Lookat lhe dislanceof the thumbto lhe Í irstfinger. lt is appÍ oximately1 1/2 inches.Useths G harmonicas your Í ocalpoint. Alloí the

nátural harmonicsare located in the sams place oneach string.Trust that this willnever change,andthat "A'willalso not change, and on up respective-ly. A visualand tactilesense oÍ this focalpoint isessential. Try playingthe sequence withyoureyesclosed. You'llÍ ind thatthis willgivean open doorÍ eelinginto thumbpositions.Honco,your confi-dence Willbecome more solidiÍ iedwhileplayinginall oÍ the uppeÍ positions.

Asthe photo suggests, positionthe thumb andtirst

three Í ingorson the string. Do notpÍ essdown.Donot bucklefingera.Relaxand let the controlcome from yourarm. NoW,Withoutletting thestÍ ingtouch the Í ingerboard,bounce the stringup anddown. lÍ you are doingthis propeí y,you should feelthe suspended controlí romyour shoulder. Né xt,slideslowlyup and down on thestring. Donotpress downand touch the Í ingerboard.Just ridealong on the top keeping contaclwithall the Í ingers.Repeat lhisup and downmotion many timesto geta smooth liquidÍ eeling.continuethis process onall the strings. You willnoliceas you move oveÍtothé lower strings,you must lean the leÍ tshouldermore inlo thebass and pivoton the thumb in order

GETTINGTO KNOWTHEFINGERBOARD

to keep thé exact Í orm inthe hand as on the "G''slring.Nowpress the stringdown keepingcontactWithall í ingersexcept thg littleÍ inger.Tryiodistrib-ute the weightoí lhe aí mevenlythrough thumb andfingers.Keepthe Í ormand try to not let the Í ingerscollapse.Í done properly,lhe weight oÍ your armshouldbe suÍ í iciento press down the string í or a

good sound. Practiceslidingup and downon alllhe strings in one smoothslow molionso you canconcentratson sxactlywhat the hand andarm aredoing.

Next,we praclicethe chromaticscales in oneoctave linking upthese pattems. The chromaticscalé is made up of allsemitones, sometimescalledhalÍsleps. on the piano, a halÍ step is alter-natinga whitekey witha blackkey. The onlyé xceptionis between Band c and E and F. Theseare halÍ steps. Youliterallyplayall of the notes onthe Í ingerboardwhen you playchromaticallyon allof the strings.

It is mybeliefthata noviceon the acoustic basscanqqicklyundeÍ standwhat the body must do tobecomfortable wilhihis large instrument. lt you areimmediatelytaught howto stand and physicallynavigalethe tingerboard beÍ oreplayingany notes,it willbe easier when onemust concentrateon thesound and thenotes beingplayedlater. Yourcon-í idencewillgrow as you aÍe more consistent Withthese concepts. I cannot stress this enough. Now,let's go to work on thosescales.

45



GETTINGTo KNowÍHEFII{GERBoARD

Basic ScalesYouMust KnowGhromaüc) % ) ytJt/t J% J % ) vt

-:t>

ETUDE3

241

<_

E String

ü -....+ + ->

av

at^talL

46 e



AugmentedDominantSevenths

c+7

421

Whole Tone ) ir)i r) L)L)

\\ \\

4141414 41

GETTINGTO KNOWTHE FINGERBOARD

41

g+z

42e+7

1

114

4 41?

412

41

41

41

41

41

1

\

1

\

1

\

1

\

1

\

1

\

1

\

1

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1

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1

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\\

421j+t

4\

4

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4\

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4 412 1414

42qr,

11 4 41+

41

44

4\

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4121 4

A+7

42

g+7

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-+z\t

1

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47



GETTING TOKNOW THEFINGERBOARD

ob*' \\ \\

4 2114 41 2 o: \'\t 4 \o \olb*'

423b"

(t

4 2114 41 2 4 I 414 1 41 4 t 41

't 1 4 412

+ e

41414

1 4 2t41 1

1414*-\

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241 e4)

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Major+-

)i,,Jw,)lllLh)-) e- <- + \ ' 4 r 3 4

+-\

Io:Í i::4

+<-

a a

I

sbo

Abo

48




49



GETTINGTOKNOWTHEFINGERBOARD

NaturarMinor) t)'/, ) tJ i LhJi L)



GETTING TOKNOWTHE FINGERBOARD

DorianMinorJ rJL/r)11i,,)Vt,)r)



GETTINGTOKNOW THEFINGERBOARD

HarmonicMinor) rJLÁ,)1J|% )LLh)w)

A^i'

q'#'



GETTINGTOKNOWTHE FINGERBOARD

c,"#l

Diminishedsevenths) l%J lL/L) r)',/oJ t) n)




54




HalÍ- Diminishedor MinorseventhFratFive ) % ) | i % J I i i

€Í = eti1bil

55



GETTING TO KNOW THEFINGERBOARD

DOMINANTSEVENTH JrJr)wJ,)r)wlr)



GETTING TO KNOWTHE FINGERBOARD

57



ETUDE4MoreScalesRelatedTo Basicand Altered ChordSounds

GETTING TOKNOWTHE FINGEBBOARO

0l*tt

cri'

Remember,you can forget whatyou memorizeif itisn't keptin yourmindand under yourfingers.Thenext etude isa fool-proofapproach in constructinga good, strong bass line. lt is my opinionthat there

aren't enoughTHINKINGbassists. My conceptisthat we as bassists shouldbe able to playcom-pletelyalone andrelay theessence of a song by theconstructionof our bass linealone. We don't needthe keyboardto clarifythe kindof chord.We don't

qd^

need the drummerto clarify therhythm.Youshouldbe able to swingand radiate energy allalone.Whenwe add a pianistand drummer,whoare notdependent on you, it shouldbe easy. Ourbasic iob

descriptionis to embrace the ensemble withtheclearest harmonyand rhythmpossible andnot loseour roleas the foundation.Goodchoiceof notesand theirplacementand pitch willreallymake theentire group swingand feel good.

lydian dominant

dorianscale

crb'

diminishedscale

diminished-- whole tone

58



GETTINGTO KNOW THEFINGERBOARDETUDE5

ApproachlngTheTransltionArea

/-at| - -^I attr

' Prepare elbow atthis point. Just as you shift

into lowerposition,do the same in the upper posi-tions. Movethe enlirearm to put the hand into thepositionneeded. Keepyourfingers arched. Donot move the fingers aimlesslyaround searchingfor the notes. Get that armthere and thedifficult

part is over. Be sureto practice on allof the strings,

as each string will requirea slightlydifferentphysi-

cal requirement. Whenplayingon the Aand Estrings, be sure to pivotthe entire arm so that youcan keep thearched posture in the Lefthand.

59



GETTING TO KNOWTHE FINGERBOARD

ln The Transition

CompletingThe Transition

60



Play slowlyuntilyouare able to make the transitionsmoothlyand accurately.Practiceand concentrateon the positioningof each and every Í eeling.Rememberto keep your elbowup and concentrateon the "claw''Í eeling. Thenotes in the bracketsareplayed in one position.Youshouldnot have tomoveor shlftyour arm. The only movementls done with


yourwristveryslightlyand the individual fingerdes-ignatedby the fingeringgiven.Noticehow manynotes can be played just in this onearea. Practice

on all Í ourstrlngs. The dexterity obtainedwilldefi_nltelyincreaseyourconfidenceand facilityin thethumb positions.Nowpracticeconnectingwith thetransitlon byplayingtwo octavescales.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

0,,1 -a

aaaa

aaaaa

aaaaaaaaaa

b

.. a a a aOaao:e

Dstring+

Astring

Estring

aaaaOaao

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

'iaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

aa a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a aaaa

aa a a a a a a a a a a a o a a a a a o o a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a o a o a a aa3O

aaa

aaa

aaa

61



GETTING TO KNOW THEFINGERBOABD

MovingThroughThe FingerboardThé notes inside the bracketsare playedin one lnternalizeall oÍ these sounds. Soonyou willbeposition.Youneed only to be concemedwiththe able to use these Í ingerings startingon differentlast note oÍ one bracket to the Í irstnote of the next notes chromatically' which willput you in diÍ ferentbracket. lt willoccuron the same string.Practice keys.The onlydifferenceas you move into theslowlyat Í irst.Watch and ligtento Í indexactlythumb positions,is the thumb replaces thelittle í in-where youare shiftingto. Use the metronomeand ger. Keepyour fingers arched andglidesmoothlyconcentrate onyourpitch. Memorizethese scale and swittlyon the strings whenshifting.patterns based uponspeciÍ icchordsounds.

q*i#?-

62




One StringOnly,PleaseDoublebass playerstend to playin little"Í ingeringboxes'' in the lower areaand then Í requently onlyon the G stringas they go into thumbposition.Bass guitarists té ndto play in those "boxes'' also,but all theway up the fingerboard,because it is iusteasier to execute.Let's try to liberate you to be freeto use the entire fingerboard.lÍ you wish to bemore agile in the upper positions,these one stringsetudes will helpyou immensely.Donot playa slop-py glissandowhen shifting.Concentrateon thesymmetryof sound throughout the fingerboard.

Playslowlyat Í irstand keep thosetingersarched.Rememberthe smoothfluid motionon allof thestrings.Practiceplayingslowlyand then speed upthe shift. Yourglissandonow becomes louder. Tryplayingdifierentdynamicsin this etude. Alwayspivot the left arm overto help the hand stay wellinto the Í ingerboard.The combinedweightof yourarm and hand is what keeps those notes Í ocusedwithpitch.Remember, the Lefthand is yoursound. The Right handis the sound producer.

Ifn

ft,

---1--7'63



GETTINGTOKNOWTHEFINGERBOAR

Playat slow tempoat Í irstto let your body understand what it must do.Thispage is Íor the D stringonly, please.

aa,

I l.Í

a

t-

b

alY ^

4



Nowthat youhave becomeall loosenedup playingthe glissandos,try playingall your scales on onestring.Pickone scale type to practiceeach andeveryday for only 5minutes.Neverjust start play-ing. Alwayshave a specifictempo in mind.Decidehow youare going the scales. Whatkey?Decidewhether to playin oneor twooctaves, usingquar-

te1 eighth, or sixteenth notes. Whatwill bethedynamic?Willyouuse the bowor pizzicato?lnother words, makea calendarof practiceeventsahead of time. Believeme, you willbecome moreproductiveand successfulin your efforts.Fivemin-utes is a very long time when doingone specificthing, but great strides can be madeif youdevelopa goodpracticehabit.


Now,start playing yourwalkingbass lineson onestring. Afteryouhave been successful inplayingthe variousbass lines I have writtenforyou, startalternatingwithyourown creationson one stringonly, please. Next,staft alternatingyour lineswithmy lines, firston one string,then usingallof thestrings. The ultimategoal is to sound good with

connectedarticulatebass linesin all threecircum-stances. Listenintentlyto make your linessatisfythe progressionand the executionis smooth fromthe one string techniqueto allstrings. The listenershouldnot be able to detectone fromthe other.

Below arevariousroutings foryou to try when prac-ticingyourscalesutilizing onlyone string.

G

G11. 12.

65

EA DGA DG

IIIII

EA DG

IIIIü

EA DG

IIII{

Itttt

{I

II{



WalkingBassLineConstruction

ALWAYSASSUMETHATYOUARETHEONLYHARMONICANDRHYTHMICSUBSTANCE

Developa CONCEPTCONCENTRATEon that concept.

YourCONFIDENCEwill helpyou developCONSISTENCY.

A MATURE MUSICIANIS ONEWHOHASTAKENTHETIME TOSTUDYTHETRADITIONOFANYMUSICALIDIOMBEFOREHE/ SHE CANTRULYCONCEPTUALIZETHATMUSIC

75"/o AFYOURCONCENTHA$ONls " NOT"oNYo111,1 ,,,,.- '

THISWILL DEVELOPYOUR"PERIPHERALHEARING"CONSISTENCYOFr TONE PRODUCTION

. PULSE( TIME FEELTNG)

.INTONATION

. HAHMoNlcAlí vARENEss

. REPERTOTRE. SENSEOFPHRASEAND

DYNAMICS

. ASSESSMEHTOFYOURMUSICAL SETTING

YOU

CHORDALINSTRUMENTS

P ANO

PERCUSSIONINSTRUMENTS

FRONTLINEANYHORNCOMBINATION

6



WALKINGBASSLINE CONSTRUCTIONETUDE8

GETTINGFRIENDLYWITHTHEPIANO

We now begin astep-by-step process in construct-ing strong functionalbass linesfromsimpleto com-plex. ln order to achievea good soundingline, it

musthave

agood foundation. Webeginwith the

simplest; roots and octaves,roots and fifths,androots, thirds, fifths, and octaves.

The followingchordrelationships arefound in mostsongs. lf you knowthese relationshipsyoushouldbe able to functionwithinchords of tunes you do notknowfust by hearing the relationshipsof one chordto another. lfyoualways assumeyouare the onlyharmonicand rhythmicsubstance present, youprojecta conÍ idencethat is infectious to others.

Membersof yourensembledepend on you toalways"be there," no matter what happens. Thatdoesn't seem fairsometimes, but, neveftheless,it istrue. We bass playersare not allowedto make

amistake.Bassistshave the uniqueabilityto sabo-tage any andallensembles if they are not trulyfocusedon theirprimaryrole. Yourprimaryrole isto keep good time withgood swingingbass lines. lna trulycreativeenvironment,everyoneshouldbeexploring andfeedingofÍand listeningto one anoth-er for new ideas as muchas possible.Whenthishappens properly, the resultingmusicand feelingisabsolutelywonderful.

a,

l á;\C} 's 'o;\I -,,/ 'ö 'colle laa,

,

'ó\ C} CNtA<- n>'0'} 'ú ),te,,/ ,Lh.-t/

Youmust now learn the sound of each of the chordsabove and particularlythe significantnotes shownby the arrows that makeeach a different chord.

Goto the pianoandrize their sounds.

play these chordsand memo-

67



WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCTIOETUDE9

ConstructingGoodand FunctionalBassLinesln A"TWO"Feeling

Whilereading this exercise, remember to keep fingersarched while alsowatchingand listeningtoclose watch of your left hand posture. Keepyour the sound the right hand is producing.

Roots only

sb+

gbtai Sbuil sbo

gbul $+

sbxi sbvi?

tb+

gb*i sbui?

Sbxrr $+

sbxi Sbvi?



WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCTION

ü1

Go to the piano or keyboard andget familiarwiththese sounds. Whenyou understand the sound ofwhat you are outliningas a bass playelyour lines,

ú 1 ú 1

é bffi

Thisprogression,commonlycalleda minor ll - Vprogression, is one of the most important soundsyou willencounter literallyin every kindoÍ song.

no matter howsimple,willbe satisfyingto the lis-tener. Rememberthat your Í irstlisteners are thepeople withwhomyou are playing.

sh

Ah

Playon the piano and on your instrument to inter-

nalizeits sound so that these two chordsbecome"one" sound.

é bti1

2bui1 lbr tbuil $r É bri? ilr É byil ilr

69



0r{7

When nochord symbolis shownfor the secondmeasure, it is generallyaccepted to be the samesound continued.ThinkoÍ the two measures as

one soundby using morenotes Í romrepresent that particularsound.

WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCTIO

the scalé sthat

sbui? abt

Qui? Qr

We now explore the importantll - V- | progression.Playthese chords on the piano.Play therespec-tivescales and arpeggios for each chord onyour

slt

0br.ri? qh

It

bass and internalizethe sound sothat these threechordsbecome"one" sound, an entity itself.

É bil?

sfu

70



Noticehow thissequence takesyou through manydifferentkeys, or tonal centeÍ s.Whenyoubegin tobe more experiencedplayingtunes, you will noticethat they all go throughvariousharmonictonal cen-

WALKINGBASSLINECONSTFUCTION

ters all the lime'Eventually,these tunes you leaÍnwill have only"one"sound that willseparate themÍ rom othertunes. These tonal centers will becomemucheasier to understand throughrepetition.

Qri?C7 (t drilg1 (,t í ui?glt elt tuilA?0a

álil$l ui? Q? Obri? qh Bn

gb*i eb1 Abui?Oh

Ar.ri? r Qo$

Thisis the same ll - V- I progressionwitha slightspatial difference.Notice howthe last chord still

Í unctionsthe same, but has a gth and 13th scaletones added í ormore colorto the sound.

Aui? Qa Qui? 0?

8ui1

07 It

0bui?

+,t

?r(.--,t-

<r

qh

71



Hereare three eight measure phrases using threeminormodes; Dorian,Aeolian, andMelodicMinor.Playthese chords.Listento the differentqualitiesthat each scale givesas they movediatonically.Noticethat each of the eight measures are all onesound. Don't thinkof it as eight separate measuresoÍ Dm7.Notice the linear useof the bass line.The

line shoulddepict motioneven though the sound


appears to be static. Playingon "one" soundrequirescloseattention when constructingyourbass lines.Use the identical approachwhen youplayin a Major modeas well.Satisfy thesoundFor acloserlookat the modes and their functions,please checkout THE JAZZ THEORYBOOK,byMarkLevine

0xir

0xi*?

Ovixa?

Dorian Mode

AeolianMode or NaturalMinor

MelodicMinorMode(Ascendingonly)

#t #.t -€ v U :* flt #t'/

7' P+ z, z, T 7r 7r TI

#W + L'+ W#

7r 7r v 7rÍ r-

TT T t zr

#t Í é " a, Í é t ##zr 7r zr t T T-d zr,

+zr

72



Ghord SoundAlteÍ ations

These are alterationsof the basicchords. Noticethat in these Í irstÍ our measuresthe progressionsare labeled diÍ ferently.Howeve1they mean andsound exactlythe same. Sometimesthis factismisunderstood.ln the Í irstmeasure, the notes Bband E are not iust passingnotes. Theyare Í unc-tionalnotes of the chord.Theyalso could be imply-ing passingchords that don't actually existhere, butsometimescould beplayed. Rememberthat youare not alwaysobligated to play every chordalnote


that the chord suggests, unlessyou can do it insuch a way thatit does not jeopardizethe Í low ofyour line.Asyou becomemore proficientwithyourkeyboardharmony andon the bass, eventuallyyour

lineswillbecomemore sophisticated.I cannotstress enough Íoryou to become Í unctionallyÍ riend-lywith the piano and jazz harmony.FunctionalknowledgeoÍ the iazzvocabularyand grammarisessentialÍ oryour continued growthas a jazz musi-cian.

n9

|Í ú b'cflfilÉ bul FyilÍ |5l üsbdqÚab

lo Qr0tl 0*rlII u

hn zr.r'at

I

? + +h-a,

+ L l, +?+I

73




q'lfil q'Í lí

Q'í l'í

0a

0uto'í lt|

0rnlninni?'ll4

,zi It

b+ t-- ?z *+ r- L-

t t

?+)+ - L- +?z*

|Ür h^

lo

)t^ - ll f b? + h. ?tC

74



WALKINGBASSLINECONSTBUCTION

Qxibl)Qxil c$í l9l

g$nr gu qrfi{g,^r Sbu0tl

4- Cuufitl

í brns

üoú 9

;F tl,rlla,r-

tleL.

,eÚ

#+. e??t .t P

IT.D

vu. t ,tjL. 3-

-LIh-L

7F,




Qar ",ry ú l,,oM c$#-or N

7

ln the two staves aboveand beloq the letter underthe slash designates that note to be played in thebass. ln walkinga bass lineon these chord types,you shouldadhere to the bass tone andthe chordabove. Theyaré essentiallythe same, but are justwrittendifferently.lf you don't playthe bass note,

A-i?0 oÍ 0t o.l

the sound oÍ the suspensioneÍ Í ects destroyed'These particularchordsare used a great deal in thewritingof contemporarymusic.Play

these,listen

tothem, and become familiarwiththem. I am sureyouhave heard these sounds before.

g-i?( or llo* M Qbtrt

eb "'

Cxibll 0yií lvi?Í q'í ill Inir

9 o+ 'L

é 7+I

y.,,boa,

----o?b. L-b? b+t-

a-t

lr*t't 'T:T__+A ;) .t"-

f-u

t a hh* II l- l-I

76



WALKINGBASSLINE CONSTRUCTION

Simple WalkingBass LinesEtude10, 11 , &'12illustratea gradual sequenceÍ romsimpleto complexbass lines' lt is not alwaysnecessary that you playthe root note oÍ a chord onthe first beatof everymeasure, butit worksgreatevery time. Remember,be as clearas possibleatthe outset as We are buildinga Í oundationfor thelistenerto hang onto. Thisprocess willwork. I

want you to be concernedabout whatnotes youchoose toplay Íora particularphrase. Youshouldalways havea reason Íorplayingany given note orpattern. Whenyouhave convictionin your playing,you willproject that image which isquicklynoticedby others. Prolectionof your intent isverypowerful.

The basslines I have written are togive youideasto create your own. Thiswillbe the only timein yourplayingcareer that youwillhave the opportunitytoponder and change anythingyou don't likeor want.ln a real playingsituation,you cannot stop. Yougetwhat you getand move on,likeit or not. Playthrough all of the lines severaltimes to digest eachsound. lf youhaven't written much and area slowreader, eventuallyyou willbecomebetter at both.

There is no such thing as a perÍ ectbass line. ltmust, howeversatisÍ ythe soundat all times. This

processhas six steps andwillworkon anykindoÍsong or compositionthat is givingyou problems.The ultimate goal is to help you trulylisten and hearcritically whatis comingout oÍ your bass. The endproduct willconsistentlybuildyour confidenceinwhat you do. Here is the process.

1. Write thechordsymbolsabove the stafí lineswith the structureoÍ the song on blankmanu-scriptpapé ?.start With two choruses through theprogression, but four is better. ln a real playingsit-uation, you may have toplay it manytimes.

2. Writedown a simplequarter note bass linewithno embellishmentsawayÍÍomthe bass'WhenÍ inished' checkÍorcareless errors.

3. Nextplay the lineon yourbass. Stop andchange and/or correctwhatever does notplease you or sound good to you. lt is veryimportant notto be cavalieror in a hurry to finish.Youmust be totally satisfiedand feelgoodaboutwhat you have created.

4 . Playlhisdraft WithauthoÍ ity andconviction.

5. Playat various tempos anddynamics.Usethe second chorusto includerhythmembellish-ments.

6. RecoÍ d thebass line and ]istenbackand becriticaloÍ the sound, Í eeling' andcontent.

Thisprocess reallydoes work,but you must workdiligentlyin the process. lf you do not likeyoursound, alloÍ yoursound, why should anyone elselikeit? Asyour playingmatures, you will be abletoemployvariousother patterns that willbe function-al in outlining thechord sound.

Chordal&Scalar

Scalar&chordal combined

Scalar&Chordal

Chromatic

Chordal- Chromatic&Scalarcombined

-b--.

ChromatÍ c& Scalar&Rhlnhm Chordal- Rhythmicvariations&Scalar77




Below are examplesof howyoucan start a strong yougive it some thought. Practiceat varioustem-walkingbass linebased on a chord symbol.pos. Youwillnoticethe line willchangecolor. NoteRememberthese followinglinesare onlya fewof that yourshiftsmust be fastand precise. Stay closehundredsof combinationsthat can be appliedonce to the Í ingerboardand keepthose Í ingers arched.

1. csh sb

hbr

sby

12sb\

0'n

4

017 b^,

2

nol

78

aoZb




Concentrateon your sound and intonation. Keepa consistent tempo.2.

17 sh' jt 8b'

177 sh, sb'

a

177 8b' sb'a

sb'

s7rz sb' sb'

a,

ffi

79




t

á|uiy €uila

F*xir8t



WALKINGBASSLINE CONSTBUCTION

4. Continued

í bo

0o

$t

lr

Fni?lo

0o

$t

Arui1

Fri'l

0txir

e,uil

8o

0bo

Ao

Abo

lt

Qt

1bt

8ui1

üyi1

$o

g\

Ao

Abo

F*?

lt

CI

é bl

0*xir rh

0ni?

Qrxi?

0ni?

8ui1

ü*l

a------7 l

t,

81



WALKINGBASSLINECONSTHUCTIOIII

lt

Ah

ltoq

fioq

Avi?

F*uir

0ni?

$t

7tl al)L7

-----1l----_-..-...-- -t

a 7t '_--- La-I

Ua lazI tt,

II

at-l I

.------.-------.--.--------4..

-------z

82



WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCTIONETUDE11

7t - I

ú l

fit

í lbt

lt

lt

(t1

$lt

$t

lt

lt

lt

al, I

83




---- ----Í =--,- _-f_-i----J-------j+----.|---

84




3.Ari? r Qo

85




-----r--'

86




lll'?Í Ll )

Remember,alwaysthinkoÍ the entire phrase asone completesound. Bydoing this you are able tospread the scalar patterns in many differentconfig-urations.

Notice onmeasures 2 &4 of this C minorbass line,the rhythm is writtenas a tripletpattern instead oÍthe dotted eighth and sixteenthpattern which

occursin thé other measure$.The endresultsounds the same' lt is verydifÍ icultto actuallyWriteout a feeling toa pattern. The slowerthe tempo,the more these patterns willsound trulyditferent.

I thinkyou should thinkin fouror eight measurephrases when playingmodallyor on one sound.

Whenyou phrase in this mannel you are projectingsymmetry, whichwill help themusicaldevelopment.Use dynamicsas wellas rhythmicvariationstoachievecontinuityin your lines. Eventhough thereis only onechord sound, there are many chordimplicationsthat can be made.

Noticein measures 4 &15, I am implyinga G7,

whichis the fivechordto C minor. ln measures 6,

7, and 8, notice the use of the partialscale in thirds.Measures10 and 11 illustratethe use of the Dorianscale and the HarmonicMinorscale in measures13, 14, and 15. Experimentwithallof lhese variouspossibilitieswhen writingout your lines.

87




MoreComplexLinesPracticeslovr/lyat firstuntilyou can get the shifts rhythmicembellishments.Use dynamics, especial-and the rhythmicvariations undé ryour fingers. ly at the beginningsand endingsof the eight meas_once you can play it well slowly,graduallyincrease ure phrases to aid in producinga sense of Í orwardthe tempo. Bevery definiteand accuratewiththe motionin yourwalkingbass lines.

ül ü1

$t $t

$t $t

fii $t

ül ül

$t ül

$t

l8

$t $t




2' é |uil áui1ir

Ahh

laatau - - I--"-"---a

t,




e,o

90




3. Con't.

0ni?

AboJtiui1|Ál Abobt

9l



WALKINGBASSLINECONSTHUCTION

Qar. Ani?

a

92




altJt )

93




(q')

Notice the totalsound oÍ this modal line inCmisexemplifiedthroughout.The chord symbolsin

parentheses illustratethe implicationoÍ otherhar-monicpossibilities.These alsoaid in the clarityandresolutionof the phrase. Whenyou honostlycanplayallof these bass linesin ETUDE12, go backand repeat each one andalternate withyour own

linesbased on the chords given. I also suggestthatyou tape recordyourselfand list€ criticallyto your

selÍ .Areyou able lo hear clearlyWhatyou thinkyouare playing?Doyouwant to pat yourÍ ootto whatyou are hearing?Areyour rhythmicembellish-ments clearlyexecuted? When the answersareyes, you are definitelyon the right track

94



Youhave nowfinishedmyconcept and thoughtprocess in constructinggood, solidbass lines.Thesebass lines arejust some of hundreds of vari-ations that youcan create ifyou put some thoughtto it. Take any tune and use thisprocessuntilyouare able todo it spontaneously. Writeyourbasslinesdown,away Í romyourbass if youcan. Nowplaythem. Dothey sound good?Areyou able toexecute them and simultaneouslymake the timefeelingfeelgood? lf not, change any and allaspects untilthey are satisfyingto you.The lineswrittendowncan be academicallycorrect andstillnot sound goodor be satisfying.

Thisis an extremelycontrivedprocess, but believe

me, ifyouworkat it, the definitionof yourlineswillbe strongerthan you realize.Thisdefinitioncomingout oÍ yourbass will bequite apparent to yourpeers. Bedeliberate.Beas preciseas possible.


The rhythmicvariationsyou playshouldenhanceyourbass lines.lt is my opinion thatif they do not,you shouldomit them. Too often your technicalfacility interferesin creatinggoodflowingbass lines.Yourplayingexperiencewillteach you to use morediscretion.lfyou thinkof yourbass lineas a soloyou willalwayssoundgood, whether aloneor with-in a group. Thisconceptdoes work. Asyou playbetter you willattract better musicians.Alwaysstriveto playwithpeople oÍ yourcaliberand higher.

The first sound heard is the feelingor grooveyouproject. Howyou hook up with the drummerorrhythmicallywith everyoneis second. lntonation,tone quality,and musical contentis next. Generally,

these aspectsyou

bringtothe musicwillconfirm

youbeing asked to continuebeing part of theensembleor not. Workhard and be patient, it doesnot happen immediately.

J.J. Johnson Quintet,EstorilJazzFestival,Cascais,Portugal,1993Renee Rosnes- Piano, J.J.Johnson - Trombone,Rufus Reid- Bass,BalphMoore-Tenor Sax, BillyDrummond- Drums

95



WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCTTON

ob sb gb1

Noticein the tenthmeasure of #3, how quicklyweare able to linkup the higherregister by the use ofthe octave F. To help this proiectbetter, use acrescendoas you playthese highernotes. Alsonotice in the eleventhbar the immediatedrop. Thisis quite acceptablebecause the emphasis is on thethird ofthe chord fromthe root tone. Accentthedrop dynamically.The syncopationdraws attentionto the figure.

0ni?

sb

Graduallyincreaseyour speed, but don't tryto playany faster thanyour techniquewillallow.Alwaysthinkof the phrase as one completeentity.

In #4, the first four measures illustratethe use of the

diminishedchord.The chromaticmotionof thechordsmake a verysmoothflowingsound. Beextremelydeliberatewiththe triplets. Makesurethey are clearlystated.

4. Qa Aho Axi? sb, 6ni? 0r r.ri? q?

0ni?

,

0? 07

97



|,l q'í il c$ Qui? 0$,

$---, gbo,-q----An

2fiil

you will heara sound that you can't quite identify.This may beit. lÍ youare not sure youunderstandthis, omit the grace notes. Alwaysremember, if theembellishmentsdo not enhanceyour lines,don'tplay them' Theyactuallywillhurt your time Í eelingif they are not executed properly.Take the troublespots out of context and makeup an exerciseplay-

ing onlythese troublesomefigures.Eventually,after adequate repetition,insert them back into theline.

WALKTNGBASSLINECONSTRUCTION

Qxi? ?1

0?

07

Bluesline#5 utilizes thegreat sound oÍ tenths. lfyou do not knowhow toplay them refer to Etude 23.

The grace notes on the D stringin measuresnineand ten of line#6 are actually deadtones which arepercussivesounds. Theycan be playedwith thesecondfingerof the right hand. Atthe same timethe string is being deadenedby the upper part ofyourforefingerof the same hand touchingthestring. Thiseffect is used a great deal by experi-enced players.Perhapswhen you listento records

(tt9-

8b1

gltlu. gb1

q?

q'í l{c$

Axi?

6.

c?1

98

c? 0? 0?51)




0?

0?.

3b1

eFb

Basslines#9, #10, #11 and #12 are designed tocovermore of the fingerboardgivinga more openlinearsound. I suggest that youdiligentlypracticeyour scales on one stringto help youdevelop thecontinuityof sound as you expand your lines in the

upper register of the bass. Asyoubecomemoreagile in the thumb position,try differentfingeringsÍ orthese lines.Thereare severa fingeringsforeverything.Noone person wil play the exact

- tb1 gbt slnÍ ist

gb1

2

11

2_, 2___L__\__L_,

notes that you play, nor willthey use the exactfin-gerings.Youmust, however,at Í irstbecomeabsolutelycomfortableplayingusing one certainfingering.Thenyouwil be able to confidentlytryother Ways.ln reality,in the heat oÍ the moment

the important thlng is to play. Whenyouare ableto thinksimultaneouslywhileyouare playingandcreating, that is the ultimatemind set.

100




12

Sltt

0*i

0ri?

lo Afriro Ob,b1

1 3 3 2 3 _?__I__1_

Nowthat youhave playedall these Bluesbasslines, try addingyourown linesby altemating everyother chorus. lf you have a friendwho playspiano,have himplaythe chordswhileyou play the lines.

RecordyourselÍ playingthese progressions.TheBlueswillalwaysbe a part oÍ the requiredrepertoireof the Jazz musician.Practiceplayingthroughvar-iousalterations,as you will needto have them in

yourvocabularywhen playingwithan advancedpianistor guitarist.Often, your credentialsas aJazz playerwillbe assessed byhow wellyou areable tonegotiate the Bluesform.Asyou mature

and gainmore experience,you will noticeelementsof the BluesÍ indsits way intoother formsof music.The Bluesis an inÍ ectioussound Donot neglect it.

qrry

2r3

101




LlnesOnRhythmChanges - SimpleTo Complex

RhythmChanges

RhythmChanges,in additionto the Blues,is also avery importantformfor the jazz musicianforimprovisation.Thisformis the same as the chordprogressionin the popularGeorgeGershwinsong,I GotRhythm,hence the name RhythmChanges.The typicalsong formlength is 32 measureswithfoureight measuresphrases. Letter Arepeats,LetterB is calledthe "bridge,"or middlesectionbridgingthe Asections. lt is commonlycalledanAABAform. Not allsongs are AABA,but there arethousandsof examples.I suggest that youbeginnoticingthe formthat yrou

areplaying

each andevery time. Understandingthe formwillhelp youlearn tunes faster, whichultimatelywillget youdeeper into the musicfaster.

purposelyput littleor no rhythmicvariationsinthese rhythmchanges. I wouldlikeyou to attemptto playthem as is and see ifyouwillbe able to thinkof whereyoumight employyourown rhythmicvari-ations. Use the thoughtprocess discussedearlier.

Bass line#2 is quitedifferentin that it beginswitha - Vcycleof Fifthsstartingon the sharp four chordof the key. Thisprogressionwas originatedby theBe-bopplayerto have an even more interestihgplaygroundto improviseupon.

Progressions#3, #4, and #5 are withoutany chordsymbolsof any kind.Theyare definitelystillthere,but I want you to put them in. Playthroughthemseveral times to figureout what chords I might haveused for the basis of these lines.Goto the piano

and see howthey work withthe choicesyoucomeup with.Writethem down. Listento them. Recordthem. Thismentalhomeworkwillhelp developyourharmonicawareness. Asyou study the Blues,RhythmChangesand the forthcomingLinesonStandard Tunes, youwillacquire the harmonictoolsthat are the integralingredientof the master cre-ative Jazz musician.

Dexter GordonQuartet,EstorilJazz Festival,portugat, lg1gGeorgeCables- piano,Dexter Gordon- Tenor Sax,EddieGtadden- drums,RufusReid- bass

C2Photoby Joáo Freire



WALKINGBASSL'NECONSTRUCTION

1.

6

Q? ,o,*t,

Ql (our17 tc? I p? 1c"ur tí 1)

103




2.

6 ,F{*ir ' é ui1 lr Qr 0ri7

Itro Qrtbt0Ita

Qo ltot ltii0U'

@Aí Qttrtr QrI

Qui? (trl 0l 0rd? ltwt lta




6' EL

-----f -r

@.-------t

ttII

6't- a

105

__l___-_-----E-t--




4,

6'

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6'

a

06




6'

6',LI

107ru 1T

-a=



ETUDE15WalkingLinesOn StandardProgressions

t is importantto outlinethe sound of the progres-sionas quicklyas possiblefor the listener to besecure withthe informationheard. Remember,yourfirst listeners are the members of yourensemble.Eachand everysong has somethingvery uniqueabout its constructionthat willstand out. Yourjob isto identifywhat it is and rememberit. Thissong has32 measures. The Í orm isAABG.lt is differentandno othersong is or sounds quite likeit.

1. The key isGminor,however, l' ori?

2. Ascertainthe structure.How manysimilarities? Noticethat the chords for the Í irsteight measures arg thesame IaJtne secondeigtri.-lÜ3. The chordat letter B is onewholestep higher thanKey.lt happens to bechord in G minor, rryh'ióh is AHalf-diminished.4. LetterC is almostthe sameas B, but inthe measures 27and 28, there is a ll - Vsequence that occursÍor thefirst time, whichthe final

ln this 32 measure song, you must rememberthese four significantthings.Theyare keys to openthe song up to you. lfyou thinkof them as specificentities, they willhelp youwhen you get lost,instead of overloading,tryingto remember everysingle chordin every singlemeasure.

To make this process trulybe successful,youshouldalso learn to sing the actual melodyof thesong. Then you must learn the soundof the bassmelody,whichis the movementof the BIGLET-

TERSor the root tones of the chords. Singthem aswell.Thinkof the chordtones as the majorroutingor boundariesof thisplaygroundyouwishto playin.It mayseem a bit elementaryat first, butit willwork.Take note that whenyousinga song,youmaynot

oAí o?fi9l

knowor care what keyyou are singlngit in.Though,at that moment, youare singingtheí sound"of this song. lt willsound the same no mat-ter what key it is in. Exactly Practice thisprocessand you will havea higherpercentage of retentionof songs you wishto leam. Confirmthe soundofthese tunes you are leamingat the piano. Singthesame notes that youare playingat the piano.

the Í irstchordis c minor,whichis the FourchordoÍ the IKey. 1

TransÍ erthatknowledgeto yourbass. Singthemelodyof thesong out loudwhileplayingtheroot tones. Singin tune and youwillplay better intune. Beclear toyourself.Do thisvery slowly soyoucan alignthe topmelodyand thebass melody.

Thisis trulytheear training thatwil help you sus-tain and surviveon the bandstand.Singout loudwhen youare outwalkingor driving.

sb Í bo

There is no short cut to learningtunes exceptin

real playingsituations. lfyou playtunes daily,repeatedly, you willmake great strides in tuneretention.The bi-productoÍ aIlof this singing,writ-ing,transcribing,etc., is that you willhave the abilityto hear and identifychord sounds,chord progres-sións, harmonicsequences and rhythmicsimilari-ties. Get friendlywith that pianoand you willbecome more connected to yourbass. Thisfunc-tional knowledgewilltravel withyou.

Studythese next fewbass linesand thencomposeyouown,alternatingevery other chorus. Whenyouare having troubleretaininga song you likeandwant to eam, identifyits unique elementsandthese songs wil stay withyou.

108



Thisis a bass line toa very old Frenchfolk songcalledAutumnLeaves,by Joseph Kosma.Thissong is lovedallover the worldand shouldbeincludedin your listof tunes to know. Practicethisline tokeep tho soundÍ ullthroughout the lower and

í .0ui?

O?({el Qxi?

?bo

o?fie) Qni?

o?ffil

0ri?bc

3bo

o?fiel

ebo AÍ t, o?fielg*i1

(1

WALKINGBASSL]NECONSTRUCTION

upper positions.Be sure to pullthe sound outdynamicallyby usingmore weight Í romthe rightarm and hand. Usesimilarweightwhen inthelower notesfrom the open Aon downward tothelowE. Listencloselyto create a balancedline.

obo é bo

Ai

(1 ebo

^í

(1

o?Í b') ?(15)

toful

t- tr-t. |a------T

t- Iatta

t-I|.trrL

t-

t-

L)--

at^ -r--.---.------r

'109



Bass line#2 is an upper positionworkout.Keepyourshiftingpreciseand close to the fingerboard.Rememberto use the weightof the right armto pullthe upper notes outof the bass.

2.

6

o?í ltl

o?ffi)

WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCNON

Asyou become more proficientwith these lines,start addingyour own rhythmembellishmentstoenhance the line.

Qxi?

Qrl?Í

c?0$l í rri7 8blÍ i51

cui?

o?(lt

0

.bo o?í ill



Thiswalkinglineis based on the popularsong byRodgersand Harl,HaveYou MetMissJones?'The structure is basicallyAABA.Notice the twomeasures before LetterB' the ll-Vin the keyoÍ Bb'whichis differentthan measures 7 &8, which isinthe keyoÍ F' Letter Bstarls on the Fourchord oí the

WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCTIONkey. Alsonotice the similaritiesof the harmonicmovementin letter B.Finally,the song arrives at"home'' at m€sures 3'l &32' on the repeat, tryinsertingnotes to depict the altered changes inparentheses for a harmonic surprise.

3.

6 (n r#'

Ani? Q? 1o*i*l

6'ro í #' QriT

@ 0b^ oo*n wr,or"st"i$ni? gbo j;*n"n".

h1

go uern-ronei. Afri?0b1, Sii,.:':"*"*llq-n

6'Fo Qil?

í i c,".; ;,;.' ,;.':

c?

c?

i..Qui?14rr-r

i)

AniT 07Qil?

111



These next twopages illustrate anotheÍexcellentchord progressionfrom Jerome Kern's,AllTheThingsYouAre.lt is very popularbecause it hasa wonderful harmonicplaygroundfor improvisation.

4.

60ni?

@'Fri? ül

F*uil

ú bri? é bl

0*'ril

WALKNGaÁssr.lNEcoMlTRlrcTiö{

Thisstructure is A ABC and ls 36 measures.ldentiÍ ythe

"'"69of:particularsignificance.This will

help you to retain thé form.Noticelhé (home"areas circledfor each é ightmeasure phrase.

0il{el



Version#5 has some harmonicsurprisesin meas-ures 3, 11, 27 and 34. Th€e changes slipout andback into the key quicklyto add colorto the line.The changes have been altered, but also workvery

luil

0ril Qr

6toil?

Ani?

5.6

WALKINGBASSLINECONSTRUCTIONwell wilhthe correct melody.Jazz playersarealwaysaltering things harmonically,but the correctmelodyshould alwaysbe prevalentwithoutanyharmonicclashesor undesirable dissonances.

lr Ab^)

0o

Ab Qr Qo fiMt

Cxil

0r0r)Qo

o**r fi$ü

6Á1

'I 13



ETUDE16DevelopingLatinBassConcepts

Bass lines andbass patterns in a Latinconceptrequire indepth studyas in any other formoÍ musicto execute it correctly.Correctlymeans when youare able to not onlyunderstand, but can function

playingin a trulyauthentic setting. lfyou are askedto join in again, you must be doingit well.

DukeEllingtonintroducedflavorsof the musicofmanyof the countrieshe visitedin muchof hismusic.Dizzy Gillespiewas one of the most nota-bles to embrace and incorporatethe musicfromAfricaand Cubawith the Be-bopstyle. Allof thisnew musichas a deep history.To play it wellyoumust study from the source. The best way is to playwithpeoplewho live andbreathe the style to getinsideof it. Worldmusicis veryinteresting tothecreativeplayer. AmericanJazz playersare payingmuch moreattention to the detailsof these differentÍ orms,which enablesthem to meld it into their ownstyle.These next few examplesare to get you start-ed in the numerousLatinstyles. I listsome books

on this subjectin the back of the book. To listen tothe real thing,checkout the recordingsof Mastermusicianssuch as lsrael"Cachao'' Lőpez, CarlosDelPuerto, AndyGonzales,TitoPuente, Eddie

Palmieri,ClareFischer,RayBarrettoand "Chucho"Valdez.

The musicfrom Brazilalso has givenanotherpalette to the jazzplayer. SaxophonistStan Getzbecameeven more popularby introducingtheBossaNovastyle to his music.Mastermusicianand composerWayne ShortercollaboratedwithMiltonNascimento.AntonioCarlosJobim,JoáoGilberto, SergioMendes,and lvan Lins, toname afeq have beautifulcompositionsthat iazzplayersgravitate to.

There is no real excuse for any of us to playthesestyles poorly. suggest that you add these tech-niques to yourarsenal. Youwilldefinitelyhave fun.

Dizzy GiltespieAtlStars, UmbriaJazz Festival,Perugia,ltaly,1989 Photoby Pieroni CarloDizzy Gillespie- Trumpet,PhilWoods- AltoSax, BobbyHutcherson- VibesCedarWalton-Piano,Steve Turre - Trombone,MickeyRoker'drums, RufusReid- bass

114




SimpleBasic BossaNova

lo>0${tel

Alí fli|Í h'i'BossaNova

IBossaNova

q flo o' lo Qr,

Son Montuno

Aa

Aí ro combinations

lu

$ui,l

Calypso

Afro combinations

$s

115



DEVELOPINGDEXTERITYThese followingexercisewilltake you up and downand acrossthe fingerboard.Noticethe fingeringpatterns. Memorizeeach pattern. The key of thepattern is the firstnote of that pattern. Noticewhereidenticalpatterns occurat differentplaceson thefingerboard.

Alletudes can be playedwithor without the bow.I urge youto practiceboth. Whenyou tire of one,do the other. Watchyourselfin frontof a mirrortocheckyourbodyposture and hand positions.Al ofthese can also be playedwith the electric bass.

Eddie HarrisConcert Rehearsal,ChicagoJazz Festival, Chicago,lL,1981Eddie Harris- Tenor Sax, WilburCampbell- Drums, RufusBeid- Bass

Photoby Milt Hinton

16



mm J =96

DEVELOPINGDEXTEBITYEtude17

HarmonicPatterns

l^

-

-

-=- 9-__eJrlr--......-4 r---e :----- 2



.DEVEI-OPI}IGDEXTERITYETUDE18Cycleof Fifths

Thisis a bass line inthe pattem calleda CycleoÍ pattern in songs that you leam. lt is iust anotherFifthsusing the ll7- V7progression.Throughrep- important sound in yourvocabularythat witlhelpetition,you willlearn to recognizethe soundof the you functionát a higher level.

0ni?

0ni? ?W

{h*'t7p ob 0fuirb+t

Qluit

(1 Sluit abt

11

81b

luil lt

a I

a



DEVELOPINGDEXTERITY

ETUDEí 9Dexterityln Octaves

ln makingthe shlfts,release just enoughpressure strengthen yourhands whichwillgive youstamina.to slideto the next note. Notlceit laysquite easy. Workat this diligently.Remember,these can beThe Í ollowingEtudesare designedto make you playedwithor without the bow, and on the electricmovethroughoutthe Í ingerboard.Theywillbass.

J üüJ

DON'TLOSECONTACTWITHTHEFINGERBOARD

Now addthe fifthscale tone



WholeTone Octaves

1. OCTAVES

These are three in one exercises. Pattern numberone shouldbe playedin the manner of Etude19.Forpattern number two, playonlythose notes thatare connected to the upper brace. Forpattern num-ber three, play onlythose notes that are connectedto the lowerbrace. The Í ingeringsand the shiftingsymbolsfor pattern numberone willbe placedabove the upper brace. Theyare not the fingeringsfor the notes of pattern two. The fingeringsbeneathpattern number three are for that pattern only.Thefingeringsfor pattern number two, can be found inthe scales in the front of the book.Goslowat first.

DEVELOPINGDEXTERITY

2. UPPER BRACE 3. LOWERBRACE

lncrease gradually.Followfingeringand shiftingsymbolsexplicitly.Keepthe Lefthand into the fin-gerboard.When the octavesare played in tune andyourshiftingis seamless, a wonderfulhuge soundis created. Attimes, it may even sound likeyou areplayinganother octave lower.

Playall yourscales usingthis octave sound. Thepatterns givenare for the WholeTone scale, Majorscale in Thirds,and the Diminishedscale andarpeggios.

Bass Ensembleln Concert,Jazz lt Up WillowbrookMall,Wayne,NJ, 1989 Photoby Jo Ann KrivincecilMcBee, Harvieswartz, JamilNasser, Rufus Reid,Jay Leonhart,RayDrummond-BassesDick Katz- Piano,Ben Riley- Drums

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LeftArmPivotExercises

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DEVELOPINGDEXTERITY

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DEVELOPINGDEXTERITY

Etude 21 Continued

141



DEVELOPING DEXTEBIT

ThumbIndependenceThisexercisewillhelp you use and developthe when movingto the E, pivoton the Í irstí inger'Bemobility ofyour thumb. The two chordtypes used sure your arm and elboware kept highso that youare minorand major. onlytriadsare used, but an arg on topoÍ the strings. ListencareÍ ully forgoodimplicationcould bethought of as a ll-Vprogres- intonationwhenmovingtho thumb.sion. Whenmovingto the C, pivot on the lhumband

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ln playingthese scales, you do not have to moveorshiftyourarm. The only movementis the individualÍ ingerdesignatedby the fingeringnotation.Practiceslowlyand deliberately.Once you learnand memorizethe Í ingeringsand the harmonicsound they produce, move chromaticallyor anyincrementyou choose. Nomatter where youplaythe scale it will alwayshave the same identicalsound. The dexterityobtainedwilldeÍ initely beginto liberateyou fromthe mentalshacklesthat is usu-allypresenlwhenaddressing the upper positionson the doublebass. Youragilitywill increaseandyour bass lineswillsoar withthis increasedstability

in the thumb positions.

DEVELOPINGDEXTEFITY

Next'mové this wholepattem over to the D string.The sequence willnow take you across the Aand Estrings. Donot just playthe scales andbe done.Thinkof them as material to maneuver through aspeciÍ icsound. Make upyourown patterns andmelodiesin this position.

Practiceslowlyso that the musclesin your limbs,your left shoulderparticularly,learn that thereissomethingnew that mustbe remembered.Keepthe posture in the lefthand. Remember,move theentire arm andthe hand andfingersgo along Íor theride. The weightoÍ the entire arm is what is keep-

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DEVELOPINGDEXTERITYETUDE23

The SoundoÍ Tenths

MajorTenths fingeringin the lowerposition

MajorTenths Í ingering in the upperposition



The sound of Tenths is verybeautifulon the bass. t functionsbeautifullybecause ofthe Roottoneand the Thirdtone playedan octaveabove. Whenplayed in tune, Tenths producea verysatisfying

DEVELOPINGDEXTERITY

qualityto the music, anymusic,whether it is incor-porated in a bass Iine or playedindependentlydur-inga solo.Practiceslowly andconcentrateon thepitchand the totalsound that is produced.

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12422442242Practicethe top fingeringÍordexterityso that youcan controlyourfingers.The bottom fingering nota-tion willbe more usefulfor practicaluse. Practicethese slowly.Playthem withoutthe slur n thebeginninguntilyoubegin to hear allthenotes clear-

ly. These are easier to playon the electric bass,butdo require some dexterityto move about themfreely. I thinkyou will like thesound of these andperhapswhen you get them underyourÍ ingersyouwillbe able to employ themin your lines and solos.

Noticethe thirdfingerls employed.Use it and beginto develop strengthin it. Rernemberto keep contactwith the stringand fingerboard atall times. Your

recoveryto the F is importantto keep the lineÍ low-ing. Practiceit slowly and watchyourhand careful-lyso it can learn whatit must do.

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46



Use the middle,(3rd ) finger andthumbof the righthand to get a balancedattack on both strings.Usea downwardstroke horizontal to thefingerboardtomake the strings movemore rapidlyfora longer

DEVELOPINGDEXTERIW

sustainedsound. lf youchoose to playa short,pluckedsound, use the same fingers withan out-ward strokeperpendicularto the fingerboard. Thethumb and the third Í ingergives youpower.

147



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DEVELOPINGDEXTERITY

Speed Patterns in FourthsThis exerciseis designed to helpdevelopplayingquicklyacross the stringsusingthe interuals ofFouilhs.lt willgiveboth hands a good workoutwhilegetting acquaintedwith the sound that it canproduce.There aremany waysto utilizethis sound

playingthrough diatonicharmony.Mastermusi-cian, saxophonist,EddieHarris,developedhis styleutilizingfourths combined with diatonicharmony.Hiscomposition,FreedomJazzDance, is a greatexampleof how touse fourths in a melodic manner.

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JackDeJohnetteSpecial Edition,ltaly1986 photo by LuigiTazzariJackDeJohnette- Drums, HowardJohnson - Tuba &BaritoneSax, John Purcell- Tenor Sax,GregOsby- AltoSax, RufusReid - Bass

155



solorsilccoNcEPTs

ln popularmusicthe bass evolvedfromthe tuba in

Dixielandmusic.lt was basicallya rhythm instru-ment withan oom-pah typeof sound. lt did functionharmonically,but it was verybasic. Asmusicpro-gressed throughthe years, it began to becomemore harmonicallycomplex.Peoplebegan to playmelodieson the bass. JimmyBlantonwas one ofthe firstto be recordedplayingmelodicsolos, withthe Duke EllingtonOrchestra.lt seems tome thiswas the real beginning ofa bassist movingtowardthe front lineprojectingmelodieslikea horn player.

The technicalskillsused to improvise issomethingthat can be taught to almost everyone. However,the elements that make the listenerbe movedandcaptivated are intangibles.ln recent years bookshave been written to guide you, such as this one.You willactually beable to learn the most by asso-ciation.Gettingout and applyingthese techniquesin a real playingsituation is the most important thingyou can do. I encourageyou to listenwithan openmind to everyone.Eventhose people you do not

particularlycare for. There is always somethingyoucan learn, even if it be what not to do. ln mostinstances we don't likewhat wedon't understand.Your musicalpreferences willmost likelychange asyou becomeolder.

Thisnext brieÍ section isanother conceptfor thoseplayerswhohave alreadybegun to search in theseareas. We all want to be able to solo and allthetime. Thevariousstyles of soloing shouldcompli-ment the style of the musicbeing played.The walk-ing bass linecould bethought oÍ as soloingall thetime. lfyoutransposeyour bass lines into trebleclef and havea fluteor trumpet play lt, it shouldbethe same beautifulmelodicphrase. Bass playershave the uniquedistinctionoÍ havinga dual person-alityand get away withit. do think thatwhen yourbass linesare trulysoundingmelodic,so willyoursolo playing.

feel ifyoubegin to play through these simple

etudeswlth

somefacilityyou willbe able to connect

some of your melodicthoughtsso that your soloswillbegin to have symmetryand form. Goingthrough calisthenicson the bass is just not enough.

I suggest listeningto horn playersas wellas other

bass playersfor ideas. Thisdefinitelywillstimulatefresh ideas for you.Again, feel the more knowl-edge youhave of the keyboard,the better offyouwillbe as a bassist and in yourdevelopmentas asoloist.Rememberthat firstof allyou are a bassplayer. Youare the soul andheart of an ensemble.It has been my experience thatwhen your bassplayingalone can satisfywhoeveryou are workingwith, then yoursoloisticefforts willbe accepted. I

honestly feel that if youbegin to thinkwith this con-cept alwaysat the forefrontof your consciousness,you willproject it to others.

DexterGordon- Tenor SaxophoneKeystoneCorner, San Francisco,CA1979

56

RufusReid - Bass



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BassDuets

CitySlickerElegy

AlmostButMaybePerpetualStrollNo PIacels The EndoÍ TheWorld

WaltzForDorisIt's The NightsI Like

These tunes workwellfor two basses. Workonbalancingthe sound so that both playerscan beheard equally.Take turns soloingand being thebass player on the progressions.Becreative,

Rufus Reidand MiltHintonPhotoby Jo Ann KrivinNewJersey Network TelevisionStudio,1987

make up your own introductlonsand endingsafteryou have spent some time with them. hope youenjoy them.

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TranscriptionsoÍ RecordedSolos

NOPLACEIS THEENDOFTHEWORLD

EMBRACEABLEYOUBAT'SBLUES

YOU'REMY EVERYTHING

This chapterofÍ ers afew transcriptionsof mysoloson some recordingsthat have madeover theyears. I hope you enjoyreading through them. Toget the fullenrichmentfromthem, obtain therecording.Youwillhear a great deal more thanwhat I am able toput down on paper.

Transcribingsolos has alwaysbeen an integralpart

of gettingclose to a persons playing.The best wayto transcribeis to listenenough timesto learn it

completelyaurally,singingor whistlingout loud. ndoing it this way first,youget totallyinvolvedbeforeemployingthe academic sideof transcribing.

Nexttry to playwhat youhave been singingwithallof the dynamicsand nuances. Onceyouhave suc-cessÍ ully achievedplaying,now you may try towriteit down so thatit can be archived. f you are a slow

reader and/or writerof muslcmanuscript,youwilleventuallyget better through thisprocess.

NIGHTCAP

TR CROTISM

Stan Getz Quartet, UmbriaJazzFestival, Perugia,ltaly, 1987 Photoby PieroniCarloStan Getz - Tenor Sax, Kenny Barron- Piano,VictorLewis- Drums, Rufus Reid- Bass

173



74

TRANSCRIPTIONSOF RECORDEDSOLOS

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175



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TRANSCRIPTIONSOF RECORDEDSOLOSBass SolobyRufus Reld NoPulaÉ3 Í*eÉ HooÍ Í TÉlocuo

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TRANSCRIPTIONSOFRECORDED SOLOS

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Just a bit oÍ trivialThe word lricrotismcomes Í romthe medicalterm tricrotic.lt's deÍ initionis:Havingthree sphygmographicwavesor elevationsto one beat oÍ the pulse.

179



80

TRANSCRIPTIONSOF RECORDED SOLOS

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ln each categoryl have listedsignií icantbass players that you should knowor at least knowof their exis_tence. These playersrepresent onlya small portionof the manyexcellentbassists on recordings'Theyalso represent many differentstylesand conceptsof this musicwe callJazz. For further inquiry,trysearchingthe internet ( http:www.allmusic.com) in the Jazz categoryby a specificname:

JimmyBlanton&Duke Ellington-INAMELLOTONEHCA LPM1364DUKEELLINGTON&ORCHcolUMBtA35322SlamStewartLIONEL HAMPTONALL STARSOecca DL74194BOWIN' SINGIN'SLAMSavoyMGl2067lsraelCrosbyAhmad Jamal-BUTNOTFORMEMCAg'IO8oscaÍ PettiÍ ord

ESSENJMZFESTIVALALLSTABS Fantasy 86015STAHDUSTBelhlehemBCP-33MEMOFIIALALBUMPrestigePR7813MYLITTLECELLOFantasy 86010chaÍ lesMlngusMYFAVOFIITEOUINTETFantasy JWSSLETMY CHILDREN HEARMUSICColumbiaKC-31039OUAHTET AND MAX ROACHFantasy 86009

TOWNHALLCONCERTFantasyJWS9RayBrovÍ nALL STARBIGBANDVerve V6-8444ANOMILTJACKSONVerve V6-8615Oscar Peterson - AFFINITYVerve 68516oscaÍ Peterson -WESTSIDESTOHYVerve 68454Oscar Pelerson -WE GETREQUEST

VeÍ ve V68606oscaÍ Peterson -THE SOUNOOFTHE TRIOVerve UMV 2078OuincyJones -WALKINGINSPACEA &MSP3o23ANDLAURINDOALMEIDACeniuryCity80102SUPEH BASSCapri 74018THISONE'SFOR BLANTONPablo2310-721Geoí ge ouvivieÍBé nnycaÍ ler'L|VEANDWELLINJAPANOJC- 736Oliver NelsonSTRAIGHTAHEADOJC.OggSOULBATTLEOJC.325

Red illtchellPresentingFledMitchelloJc-1s8TALKIN'Capri74016THISIS HAMPTONHAWESoJccD-318-2GaryPé acockBill Evans- TFIIO'O4Verve V68578KeithJarrett-STANDARDSECM21289Percy HealhModernJazzQuaÍ tet-LIVEATTHE LIGHTHOUSEAilanticS- 1486

ModemJazz Ouartet -FONTESSAAtlantic S-1231Milé sDavis_ WALKIN'oJc 213AndrewSlmpkinsThe Thí se sounds- MooDsBlueNote 84044STANLEY TUHHENTINEWITHTHETHFlEÉsouNDsBlueNote 84057OUARTESCENCEVan-Los MusicVLM3608Paul Chambers

CHAMBERS- BASSONTOPBlueNote 81569WHIMSOFCHAMBEBSBlueNote 81534MILES DAVISATCARNEGIEHALL Columbia CL1812MilosDavis- KINDOF BLUEColumbiaCS8163BAGS&TRANEAtlantic1368SOULTRANEPrestige7142Charlle HadendPat MethenyBEYONDTHEMISSOURIVerve 314-537-130

HanKJones.STEALAWAY314-527-249

Ornetle ColemanTHESHAPE OFJMZTOCOMEAlantic1317RichaÍ dDav|8EricDolphy memorialAlbum-ALONETOGETHEBVeejay 2503Bichard Davis& ElvinJones -HEAVY SOUNDSlmpulse49160

Thad Jones &Mel Lewis-CENTRALPAHK NORTHsolid stats18058Scott La FaroBill Evans- SUNDAYATTHEVILLAGE VANGUARDHivé rsido 376

Eddle Gomez

Í loNEvidencg 22208BILLEVANS ALBUM30855

BILLEVANSATTHEMONTREUXJMZFESTIVALVé rvgV68762B|II Evans- SIMPLEMATTEBVeÍve68675Bob CranshawLEEMOBGAN- SIDEWINDER

Note 84157rollins &Co. -

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EddieHarÍ is- lNsoUND

UPTOWN CONVERSATIONSEmbryoSD521BLUES FARMcTt 6027ALLBLUES cTt 6037

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Hall &Ron Carter-

Miles Davis- FOUR ANDMOREColumbiaCS9253HeÍ bie Hancock-

MAIDENVOYAGEBlueNote 4195

HCA LST 2527

RoncarleÍ

ALONETOGETHERMilestone 9045

POWERHOUSEWor|d PaciÍ ic20136NIELS-HENNING ORSTEDPEOENSON

STANLEY TURHENTINE-cTl8006

DaveHollandFOR TWOBASES

ECM1011POINTSOFVEIWECM1663HalGalpsr - INNERJOURNEYMainslream 398

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MlÍ oslavvltousChick Coroa- NOWHE SINGS,NOW HESOBSsolidsrate 18039Miroslav Viious- INFINITE

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FORESTFLOWERGEONGEMRAZDUKE'SPLACEMilestone 9292ArchieShapp- BLUEBALLADSVenus TKCV-79307Michael MoorcMichaé lMooÍ e&BillcharlapConcordCCD4678OOUBLEBASSDELIGHTSDoub|e-TiméDTBco-117THEINTIMACY OFTHEBASSDouble-TimeDTRC-158Ray DrummondCONTINUUMArabsqueAJoll1IDRISMUHAMMADTheresa RecoÍ dsTR110Tom Harrell- SAILAWAYContsmporaryJohn Palltucci

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OuincyJones - WALKINGlNSPACE A&M 3023James JamesonMarvinGaye- WHAT'SGOIN'ON? Tamila5310Richard EvansDEALINGWITH HARDTIMES AtlanticSD1604WiltonFelderThe Crusaders2nd CRUSADEBlueThumbBTS7000StanleyClarkeSTANLEYCLARKE NemperorFlecords-1974

EpicPE33949

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Zebra 44O1o

SELECTEDELECTRICBASSISTMonkMontgomery(Firslrecorded jazz electÍ icbassist)BASSODYSSEYIT'SNEVEBTOOLATEChuckRaineyRobé rta Flack_ oUlETF|RE

ChisaCS806Philadelphialnt'l

AllanticS1594

Jaco PastoriusJACOPASTORIUSEberhardWebelTHECOLOURSOFCLOESteve SwallowDECONSTRUCTEOAnthonyJacksonMichel Camilo- RENDEZVOUSVictor WootenASHOWOFHANDSvictor Bailé yJoe Zawinul- WORLD TOURJohn PatitucciTHECHICKCOREA ELECTRICBAND GRP9535

FrancoisRabbathRABBATHPLAYSBACH RML8201

ocARed MaÍ UlibenRecords6265 Dawes Lane

Cincinnati,OH45230FRANCOISRABBATH,The New TechniqueCD-ROM- PCIMAC

Label lmage Production12 rue des blé s'93217La Plainesl. Deniscedex

hllp:www.labelimageproduction.í rLudwigStreicherSTREICHEB CBS/Sony,lnc 28AC1297KoNTRABASS-KoNZERTETeleÍ unken642621AwEugene LevinsonFRANCKSONATAin A Pro ArtDigigalPAD178EdgarMeyerQUINTET DeutscheGrammophon 289-453-506-2Daniel MarlierPRESTIGUEde la CONTREBASSE8NL112876

SELECTEDCLASSICALDISCOGRAPHYGary KarrSerge Koussevitzky- CONCERTOFOR DOUBLEBASS

BASSVIRTUOSOcRts-248

Golden CrestSUITE FOR DOUBLEBASSANDPIANO RE7O31

Bertram TuretzkyTHE VIRTUOSODOUBLEBASS MedeaRecordsTHE NEWSOUND OF BERTHAMTURETZKY

Ars-Nova Records. 606 Raleigh Pl,S.E.Washington, D.C.20032

BarryGreenNEW MUSICFOR THE DOUBLEBASS PiperRecordsROMANTIC MUSICFOR THE DOUBLEBASSBAROQUEMUSIC FOR THEDOUBLEBASSDianaGannettLADYBASS LBDHGgT

UniversityoÍ lowa,lowa city, lowa

18 studies Ío]string BassByKreutzeÍ. Publishedby lnteÍ nationalMusiccompany

The Artoí DoubleBass PlayingByWarren Benfield&James seay Dean,JÍ .. PulbishedbySummy-BirchardCompany

MethodecomPlé teí orcontrebasseby EdouardNany. pu51;.6.dby AlphonseLeduc

NewMethod Í orStringBassPart llby Simandl. Published by lnternalionalMusic Company

SELECTEDCLASSICALMETHODBOOKSANEWTECHNIOUEFORTHECONTRABASS-Vol.1,2,3By:FrancoisRabbalhLibenMusicPublishers.1191Eversole RoadCincinnati,OH 45230-3546. www.liben.com

Advanced Techniquesoí ooublé BassPlayingByBarryGreenThe Populer BassMethodByBarryGreen &Jeff NeighborPublished by Pipercompany. 7991 Té rracqDrive

Elcerí ito,cA94530

189



SUGGESTEDBOOKSHere area few books that l feel wouldbe helpÍ ulto you for manyyears to come. l reÍ er to them constantlyand recommend them highlyÍoryour personallibrary.You will noticemany aré from the same publisher.Send Íora catelog to Í indmore oÍ what is availableÍor the aspiringJazz musician.

THEBASSTRADITIONPaot.Presont.FututeByToddCoolman

BOWINGTECHNIOUESForThe ImprovislngBeEtlst

ByJohn GoldsbyJAZZPIANO VOICINGSFoÍThg Non - Pianlst

ByMikeTracyJERRYCOKER'S JAZZ KEYBOARD

FoÍPlanl.tand Non - Plenl3tByJerryCoker

JAZZKEYBOARO HAFMONYAPracticalMothodForAllMuslclangByPhil DeGreg

ARCOLOGYThe Muslcoí Paul chamberg- Vol. í 2

By JimStinnettPublished By Jamey Aersold

1211 AeborsoldDrive,NewAlbany,lN47150http:www.Jajazz.com

BASSLINEThe Storlesand Photographtoí Mllt Hlnton

ByMilt Hinton &DavidG.BergerPubllshedBy;Temple Press / Phlladelphia

OVERTIMETHEJAZZPHOTOGBAPHSOFMILT }IINTONByMilt Hinton, DavidG, Berger &HollyMaxson

PubllshedBy:PomegranleArtbooks,Box808022, Petaluma,CA94975

DEEPDOWNINMUSICThc Artot tho GrcltJszz Be.sllt

ByLeelle GoursePubllshedBy:FRANKLINWATTS

A Dlvlslon oí GÍ oli9rPublishing

THEESSENCEOFAFBO.CUBANPERCUESION&DRUM8ET

ByEduÍ lbtPubllehedBy:Warner Bros.PublicationsMiami,Florida33014

190

MELODIC PLAYINGIN

THETHUMBPOSTTION

ByMichael MooreBRAZILIAN MUSICWORKSHOP

ByAntonioAdolÍ oPublishedBy;AdvanceMusicVERONIKAGRUBERGmbH

Maieráckerstr,18D-72108Rottenburg,Germany

RAYBROWN'SBASSMETHODByRayBrown

BUILDINGAJAzz, BASSLINEByRonCarterHalLeonard / wwuhalleonard.com

THÉ Jr.EzP ANoBooKByMark Levine

THEJAZZTHEORYBOOKByMark Levlne

THENEwREALBooK.vol' í -2-3THETRUECUBAN BASS

ByCarlosDelPuerto &SllvloVergaraTHEIMPROVISOR'gBASSMETHOD

ByChuckSher &Marc JohnsonTHESALSAGUIDEBOOK

ByBebecaMauleónSHEBMUS|C CO.

P.o. Box445. P€alume' cA94953shermuse @sonlc.net

DICK I{YMAN'SPBOFESgIONALCHORDc}lANoEgend 9UBST|Í UTIoN3FoBí 00TuNE8EVERYMuglclANsHouLDKNow

Vol,1&2ByDlck Hyman

PubllshedBy:Ekay Muslc,lnc,223 KatonahAv€

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Rufus Reid - The Evolving Bassist

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Transcript of Rufus Reid - The Evolving Bassist