My Own Sound

[littledeucemike]

Hello Lynn. Do you have any advice how to play individual lines over changes?. I'm studying Jazz here in UK and I work hard transcribing and trying to come up with my own way of playing time but it seems the people I play with mainly frontliners want a standard way, the way most of the players here play like. Now I'm not saying I play crazy over indulgent lines that bear no resemblance to the song, I just play the changes with more Blues in there y'know and try not to fall into cliches that I don't like. Is there anyway to be expressive, human and orignal when it comes to this??

[Lynn Seaton]

Hello,
There is more than one way to walk a bassline, that is for sure. Adding more blues as you say can be good, but not over Major 7 Chords! Be careful how and when you do this. If you want to be a WORKING side person, it is your job to please the leader. If they require a certain thing, we must have that in our "musical pallette" and do it with joyful gusto. If not, they will hire someone else. Knowing and enjoying many standard walking line "plug-ins" is a part of every WORKING bassist's pallette. If you are hired for a Basie style gig, knowing and playing that tradition is good instead of playing your wildest and craziest chord subs and busy licks. In the right situation, you will be encouraged to take liberties with harmonies and rhythms. Maybe a group wants to COLLECTIVELY play a modern crazy version of a Basie standard. Then go for it!
That being said, to help you find your own way through changes, write out basslines on several tunes. Write out a line that clearly follows the changes, then one that is less root oriented, then another that is rhythmically diverse, then any combination you want. Record yourself playing them and see what they sound like. Keep waht works and throw out the rest. Record yourself on the gigs where they ask you to do a certain thing. Listen and see if what you play works with what they do. One can take liberties as long as the harmonies are clear and/or the chord substitutions work.
I hope this helps.

[fingers]

Originally Posted by Lynn Seaton

One can take liberties as long as the harmonies are clear and/or the chord substitutions work.

+1

I look at it like this. Most gigs my job is to walk the bass in such a way that the rhythm is solid and soloists can hear how the changes are moving. Drew Gress is one of my favorites to listen to for this. His note choice in his walking lines blow me away. To me he is a player that is taking care of both doing his job as a bass player but also adds some individualism in how he interprets the music.

Concentrate on the former. The later will come.

[littledeucemike]

Hey thanks allot for the advice guys. I guess I'm still getting use to playing 'the changes'. I just I just hate the feeling becoming like a robot or playing the stock lines. I have been listeing to Sam Jones allot and Arthur Harper's Solo on Twisted Blues and Wes so I guess that's some of the places I wanna come from. For me the Blues is important place to come from, not so much the notes but the feel and and soul of Blues players, that's what I meant by playing blues (of course playing a maj & min 7 at the same time isn't great!, well who am I to say). It also feels ace playing an Elmore lick or SRV lick on a solo now and then. Once again thanks very much for the words guys and i'll check out Drew if I can get a record fingers. Cheers!

War Is Over (if john wants it)