Recommend me some V. Wooten or Jaco

skaelin · #1 08-15-2007, 02:37 PM

I've been playing for about 5 months now. The hardest song I have learned is Higher Ground by RHCP, but I can only play it at 60% speed and it took me a while to learn.

Anyway, are there any V. Wooten or Jaco tunes that somebody could recommend given my level of playing ability. I've only heard a couple of songs by each artist but I liked them a lot. Hope they have some beginner stuff.

Thanks Much!

Deacon_Blues · #2 08-15-2007, 03:15 PM

Check out Jaco's version of Herbie Hancock's song "Wiggle Waggle". It's a pretty simple one, but it requires a good technique. There's a great version of it on the "Jaco Pastorius Big Band - Word of Mouth Revisited" album from 2003 with Jaco's bassline sampled from an older recording. Go buy this album if you don't have it! It's really great and features a lot of the greatest jazz bassists (electric) in the world, like Jimmy Haslip, Wooten, Miller, Gerald Veasley, Victor Bailey, Christian McBride... even David Pastorius.

You can also check out the song "Birdland" by Weather Report. It's been played so often I can't listen to it anymore, but it's probably the easiest song to start with if you want to play some Jaco.

I've never been too interested in Wooten so I can't give any advice on any of his songs.

FunkyFlashFive · #3 08-15-2007, 03:22 PM

most jaco is harder to learn than it is to play it once you know it (IMHO). however, it can be done and a good solo to go with after the above suggestions is continuum.

cnltb · #4 08-15-2007, 03:35 PM

my very favourite wooten thing is what he plays on a song called sunset road. It's pretty easy.
On that song I even like his tone.
I would not tackle any jaco at that level.
There's just sooo much going on in terms of tone.

chicagodoubler · #5 08-15-2007, 03:51 PM

gotta say it. why not work on some jamerson?
wanna sound like Jaco? work on the guys he was into!

cnltb · #6 08-15-2007, 04:03 PM

Absolutely +1 and then some!!!

MudKricket · #7 08-16-2007, 01:09 AM

ide say just wait a little bit longer till you can play higher ground 100% cuz its not a hard song at all and anything by jaco or wooten it most likely gonna be harder to learn than higher ground at 60% speed. ive been playing since christmas, higher ground was the first song i learned, im still not good by any means but i can at least play maxwell murder by rancid

i mainly practice techniques, scales, arpeggios, and try applying them to what i play cuz imo, its not how good u can play other peoples stuff, its how well you can make up stuff of the top of your head. but learning other ppls stuff is good to see how they apply certain techniques.

Vin_MM_Sabre_79 · #8 08-16-2007, 01:21 AM

You're on the right track. Get it to 65%, 70% ----> 100%.

Wooten plays in The flecktones

He also has some great video tutes on youtube- but you probably knew that.

Oratorio · #9 08-16-2007, 04:22 AM

I'll just say that, I found that Amerika (Jaco Pastorius) isn't all that hard (IMHO) and it sounds pretty good. It does have a run, but those are always good to practice on. Cheers! Dunno' if you can find a tab of it though, so I'd recommend the bass tab book "The Essential Jaco Pastorius". Awesome book, definatily worth the money.

0--+LoveBass · #10 08-16-2007, 08:00 AM

Amarika-Jaco
Come on Come Over-Jaco
Contimium-Jaco
Also this one is near imposible to play up to speed but Chromatic Fantasy would really give anyone great left hand tequnike.

I would Recomend buying the essential jaco pastorius.

For Wooten. I dont know him that well but if you could get the double thumbing down earlier maybe you should try out Classical Thump.

chicagodoubler · #11 08-16-2007, 09:41 AM

playing higher ground (originally Stevie Wonder...)
is apples and oranges from come on come over.

Jaco's stuff is for advanced students. Wooten's stuff, due to the wierd techniques it involves, is even beyond that.

How many meat and potatos bass lines do you know? Could you play in a cover band? If someone handed you 3 CD's, how long would it take you to learn all the material? Can you play 16ths at 100 bpm for a minute without flinching?

Learn how to play the bass first, young'un.

ps I have professional students who have been studyiung with me longer than 5 months who aren't working on Jaco yet. GO find a good teacher, and let them dictate your progress. You wouldn't try to learn dentistry by yourself, would you?

pps lessons are WELL worth the money! Save yourself time and heartache, and let a pro show you the way.

zazz · #12 08-16-2007, 10:05 AM

get the dvd modern bass ( i think thats what its called) by jaco.....you will learn something from it and its a great watch.

rockwarnick · #13 08-16-2007, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

GO find a good teacher, and let them dictate your progress. You wouldn't try to learn dentistry by yourself, would you?

pps lessons are WELL worth the money! Save yourself time and heartache, and let a pro show you the way.

Dentistrys not an art. It's not something you can (or really should) experiement with considering your dealing with someone elses health. Being innovative and creative is a great quality in music. If playing bass was like dentistry and we all followed the same path and read the same books we would all sound and play the same. Where's the beauty in that?

There's nothing wrong with being self-taught. There's nothing wrong with teachers. However they don't gaurantee you greatness. It's up to you to step up to the plate.
I'm sure many great bassists and musicians alike were self-taught if not for at least in the beginning.

Back to the OP's question...
This may sound crazy but hear me out. I would check out "Me and My Bass Guitar" by Vic. After playing for years I tried to tackle this song and I just couldn't do it. Then one day I paid really close attention to the rhythm of it and it clicked. It's actually really simple(minus the double-thumb parts) assuming you have rhythmic co-ordination in your hands. That is why I suggest this song. It should help you synch up your hands especially if you are trying to learn slap/tap rhythm. I hate playing slow but trust me, learn this one slooow to understand whats going on. Now it's one of my few warm-up techniques.

As for jaco...again, call me crazy but I would check out "Portait of Tracy". It's basically the equivalent of playing "Stairway to Heaven" in a music store but it's a beautiful song nonetheless. This should help you out with harmonics, where they are, how they work together, how they work with real notes, and placement/hand positioning. If you can't do it now I wouldn't worry but I do feel that it is a piece that every bassist should know.

Feel free to bash me anyone.

skaelin · #14 08-16-2007, 10:08 AM

Wow, thanks everyone. Some good suggestions. I've spent so much time on Higher Ground that I'm getting a little burnt out on it. I'll continue to play it until I can get up to 100% speed but I need some other interesting stuff to work on.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

playing higher ground (originally Stevie Wonder...)
is apples and oranges from come on come over.

How many meat and potatos bass lines do you know? Could you play in a cover band?

I know a bunch of stuff by Porcupine Tree and Pink Floyd - does that count?

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

Can you play 16ths at 100 bpm for a minute without flinching?

I just tried -- no problem.

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

Learn how to play the bass first, young'un.

Your point is well taken. Any suggestions for someone at this level?

Quote:

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

GO find a good teacher, and let them dictate your progress.

Actually, I've had a teacher from the beginning. But sometimes I get restless and want to play other stuff besides my lessons.

Linkert · #15 08-16-2007, 10:54 AM

Jaco Pastorius - Come on, Come over.
Thats the only song i fully know with Jaco P, I can say that it took a while to be able to play along with the real song.

Baryonyx · #16 08-16-2007, 11:01 AM

Every bassist should own "A Show of hands". Of course, the material is tough stuff, but just enjoy the music!

Deacon_Blues · #17 08-16-2007, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chris2112

Every bassist should own "A Show of hands". Of course, the material is tough stuff, but just enjoy the music!

I have a "try it out before you buy" version of that album (

) and I'm happy that I did try it out and not bought it. Of course, he's playing is impressive, but it leaves me totally cold. Sadly, it's the same thing with Rocco's "Everybody on the bus"... And he's one of my true heroes and influences... Disappointing...

rockwarnick · #18 08-16-2007, 11:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by skaelin

Actually, I've had a teacher from the beginning. But sometimes I get restless and want to play other stuff besides my lessons.

yea man, you have to step away from the lessons from time to time. try writing your own stuff too. improv and jam man. have fun with it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I have a "try it out before you buy" version of that album (

) and I'm happy that I did try it out and not bought it. Of course, he's playing is impressive, but it leaves me totally cold. Sadly, it's the same thing with Rocco's "Everybody on the bus"... And he's one of my true heroes and influences... Disappointing...

i think "a show of hands" is great and every bassist should own it.

chicagodoubler · #19 08-18-2007, 11:18 AM

Funny. So many cats can B.S. their way through part of Portrait of Tracy and Come on Come Over, but very few can play the whole tune, in time.

If you want to challenge yourself, why not buy the James Jamerson book, or try some Tower of Power tunes? All my students learn What is Hip before moving on to Jaco.

Have you learned any Earth Wind and Fire tunes? How about Sir Duke by Stevie Wonder? If you are looking for a challenge, try learning the James Jamerson masterpieces, What's Goin On and Bernadette. There's so much other music out there that is challenging, and you'll be a better bass player for learning the roots of our music.

BTW, if you are doing 16ths at 100, and can maintain for 32 measures, that's a decent start. Now slow down to 70 and try accenting the different notes one at a time. ex- ONE e and uh then one E and uh. Seperates the men from the boys. Remember that a key aspect of Jaco's technique was the ability to accent notes within a groove to add the funk. Raw 16ths is just the beginning!

Dbassmon · #20 08-19-2007, 07:42 PM

You have good taste in bass players if you would like to play like Jaco and Wooten.

There is nothing in either of their reportois that I would consider beginner or intermediate level.
We have all heard people making a mess of Portrait of Tracey. Even if you learn that perfectly, it is a solo piece for bass and learning it, without learning the basic function of groove and traditional role of the bass is putting the cart before the horse. Jerry Jermot, James Jamerson, Rocco Prestia were the groove masters that gave Jaco the foundation to take it to the next level and beyond.

Do yourself a favor, get a great teacher, learn a sensible bass reportois allow your knowledge and technique evolve. Starting with Jaco & Wooten without doing the prerequisite work is setting your self up for failure.

Just one man's opinion.