Individual voice...

[bassjamm]

Hi Janek,

Just been reading a few posts on here, and thinking back to my lesson with you last year at the Institute here in the UK...

Well, i'm wondering about this whole unique/individual voice thing. What puzzles me is what it actually is? Is it a unique sound, not in terms of notes, but rather the tonal properties of someones sound that makes their voice, or is it their choice of notes, timing and phrasing? Or a mixture of both?

Also, when it comes to crafting your own voice, i know you promote transcribing the greats like Miles Davis and Mike Stern etc, but with regards to bass...how do you make sure you don't sound like anyone else?

I mean, i can pretty much pick out your playing now when i hear a piece, and i think the Fodera's have a pretty distinctive sound, but for me, what i hear is your phrasing! But take soloing out of the question...how would you create a unique voice when it comes to bass lines etc?

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Jamie

[janekbass]

A voice comes from a combination of everything. Sound, notes, phrasing, time, etc...

so it should really matter whether someone is soloing or playing a bass line, their voice should come through.

As for the foderas having a unique sound.... I think they are incredible instruments that let their players create a unique sound on them. My sound is completely different from Garrison's, who is completely different from Anthony's, who is completely different from Victor or Oteil. and so it goes....

Transcribing other people's work increases your vocabulary. It's your choice as to what you do with it after that. You can use it to sound exactly like the people you've transcribed it from, or you can take it and make it into something that's yours, something that's unique.

As is the case too often with bass players especially, they will get some licks down from marcus miller or victor wooten, and then just use them exactly the same way marcus and victor did.

Marcus and victor both have the words "beautiful" and "car" in their english vocabularies. But they both use then in completely different ways. Marcus might see beauty in one of his children and apply the word to that, and victor might see it in a woman and apply it to that. Although they might use the words in similar contexts, their emotion behind the use of the word is vastly different. And that's what comes across as a unique voice.

Easy,

Janek

[bassjamm]

Thanks Janek