| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Practice Walking Bass | |
| bavern -- 08/22/2006, 12:43:07 -- #29437 | |
| Anyone got a good execise for developing walking bass? I can do it quite well now but i really need become better because i often play without real bassplayers. I know the theory behind but what is the best way to practise it. Should I go through standars and try to do walking when i'm sightreading? | |
| Mike -- 08/23/2006, 00:48:30 -- #29437 | |
| Transcribe lines from real base players, especially on common progressions... ie a II V I ... then transcribe it... then transcribe it to all 12 keys then get so you can play the line in all 12 keys blind folded. play chords in the right hand while playing the bass line in all 12 keys improvise over the left hand line in all 12 keys. Do all of the above with the metronome on. first have the metronome click on 1234 then be able to do all the above with the metronome clicking on 2 and 4 only. When you have finished the above you should transcribe a new bass line and do the same drill with it. After a dozen or so you should begin to find you are becoming a pretty walking bass line pianist... if not write me a note and I should be able to tweak it for you. Mike | |
| Scot -- 08/23/2006, 00:54:33 -- #29437 | |
| Click on the "jazz lessons" link under Halls and then go to the walking bass lesson. I put together two formulas that will really help get a person started on walking bass. | |
| elwapo -- 08/23/2006, 00:58:44 -- #29437 | |
| That is good advice Mike as usual. I am actually working on just that at the moment. I am using the tracks from Neil Olmstead's "Solo Jazz Piano" book and slowing them down using the transcribe program to isolate the exact grace notes etc. Could you please recommend a decent track where I could transcribe a real base players lines over 2-5-1 progressions. Thanks in advance... | |
| asteffen -- 08/23/2006, 02:10:53 -- #29437 | |
| use tune-up | |
| dougmck -- 08/23/2006, 03:21:00 -- #29437 | |
| Aside from the notes you choose, equally as important is how you play them. Some very broad generalisations - lots of exceptions to these, but good working rules: 1. By and large, legato - meaning no gaps (silence) between one note and the next note. Most important this one - it is like the two styles of bass playing - the good ones that growl along, and the hard to play with ones that sort of bump along with no sustain. 2 Not too much syncopation (especially anticipation of notes ahead of the beat - especially downbeats) - generally keep the notes right on the beat - the L hand walking line is the solid foundation and your right hand plays against it. 3. The basic underlying feel is 12/8 with the subdivision of each beat being a group of 3 - a triplet - 1 and a, 2 and a, 3 and a, 4 and a. 4. How do you get those auxiliary notes on piano that bass players play on the 'a' of a triplet? They can create a percussive non-pitched note that drives along their line. We have to play a note that carries pitch - even if it is the briefest staccato. Do you use the note below the main note played on the beat - listening to Jessica Williams, this is what she seems to do most. Often these staccato third-note-of-a-triplet auxiliary notes are heavily accented, and the legato notes on the beat are not. 5. Not too many of these 'extra' notes - they are best played sparely, and more or less unpredictably. The other common 'extra' notes are the 'bucket-a-dough' type played as a triplet ('bucket-a') on beat 1 before chord tone ('dough') on beat two. For a C7 chord this might be C3 G2 Eb2 as a triplet on beat 1, followed by E2 on beat 2. 6. Regarding the actual notes played, Mike's advice I think is good. Work hard on ii V I s, cycle of 5ths bridges, rhythm changes, blues, turn-arounds, and all the other patterns that regularly occur. As a general rule, try to get chord tones on downbeats (1 and 3) and linking/passing/often non chord tones on the offbeats. | |
| 7 -- 08/23/2006, 09:19:58 -- #29437 | |
| Just a Bass terminology thing: 1. Triplet 8ths on beat four (Doug's bucket-a-dough) is referred to as a "Stumble" in the bassist's language. 2. Two eighth notes on beat four is commonly known as a "Hiccup". | |
| Mike -- 08/23/2006, 10:58:18 -- #29437 | |
| On picking tracks... it is better to listen and choose your self. Find the bass players that really catch your ear. Then you might look through a real book for tunes that have chord progressions that are common and see if that bass player plays any of them. I did this with Ray Brown. Ray Brown lays down a lot of simple bass lines that are none the less very cool. Perfect for transcription and perfect for application to piano. Ron Carter on the hand I love... but he is some times a bassists bass player playing things that you can only do on bass. So you want to listen to his line quite a bit before you choose it for transcription.... Ask yourself if it is one that will work on piano. Ron Carters lines also tend to be Rhthmically more challenging which is cool, but keep in mind he does not have to play a right hand part while playing that complicated bass line either. Ray Brown tends to lay down a lot more solid on the beat quarter notes. | |
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