Solos

Vengoropatubus · #1 10-26-2007, 09:00 PM

I play in a jazz group, but every time I get tapped for a solo, it seems like the song just loses so much of its backbone that there's nothing to carry a melodic bass solo on. How can I change this?

Naminator01 · #2 10-26-2007, 10:03 PM

I have the same trouble as you, today I had a class on improvisation.

Anyways, whenever you feel the melody you are playing gets "extrapolated" then fall back on your triads.

example, we have a Em, D, C, G progression.

you are soloing and you get carried away on the "Cmaj" bar then I would go back to my G major triad (G, B, D.)

This way it reassures tonality to the audience.

Edit: Of course, since you are playing Jazz the progression will probably be supertonic, dominant, tonic

and of course there are interchangeable chords.

I'm gonna go back to what Jaco said in one of his clinics, "you should know every part that is being played" this means you should know the progression the harmony is doing so you know what to apply.

Vengoropatubus · #3 10-27-2007, 12:07 AM

I just have trouble keeping a chord progression in my head without some backing from a rhythm section, which seems to all but drop out as soon as I leave foundation work. Maybe that's one of the biggest reasons Donna Lee is so impressive, the fact that Jaco keeps those crazy chord changes in his head while soloing without having a guitarist/keyboardist reinforcing the chords.

Audiophage · #4 10-27-2007, 08:10 AM

You could be laying back too much, and going too high on the neck.

professor_bills · #5 10-27-2007, 08:23 AM

I know the feeling.
Last night I did my first solo with the band. We were playing a song that is open for alot of jamming but we never quite let it loose till last night. I think it's because the guitarist that generally leads that song and sings was busy in the backroom. BUt I digress. So we were jsut jammin along and I got the urge to splurge. Only problem was I didn't realize how much louder my Pbass gets when you start digging in. I tried to hit the volume knob to lower it between notes but by the time i got the volume right the guitarist was sitting there with this *** look. THe keyboardist dug it though.

slapagroov · #6 10-27-2007, 08:26 PM

Practice playing solos that really outline the harmony. Focus on each chord individually, then try to connect them together. Also try to use the melody of the song and embellish it. If you start out by trying to 'write' a solo, it will help you a great deal when improvising.
I've played a lot of jazz on electric and upright, and I had the same problem. I took apart the songs, and learned the melody, chords and basslines. Then I worked on playing what I heard in my head. Do it as much as you can and don't worry about what others think. I improved a bunch by doing a weekly jam session and just letting go.

Remember this: have fun! That's what it's all about!

JimmyM · #7 10-28-2007, 06:02 AM

There's a difference between learning and internalizing. Sounds like you've got the learning part down but not the internalizing. Internalizing involves listening to what everyone is doing, and not only learning your part but the chords and everyone else's part to where it's second nature to you. Once you get to that point, you can hear the changes in your head as you solo through them, so it gets a lot easier. When I learn a song, I will never just learn the bass part. I will also learn the chord changes, and as I play the song more and more, get an idea of what everyone else does. You may be playing by yourself when you solo, but your solos don't exist in a vacuum.

Groovy Bastard · #8 10-28-2007, 06:13 AM

Tell your fellow bandmembers what to do when you take a solo, many players are clueless how to comp for a bass solo (also, different bassplayers like different ways of being comped).

I like it if the guitar or piano player plays a repeating rythmic figure over the changes (chords or a riff). This way I can play more sophisticated melodies (playing a b13 without a chord behind it soesn't sound much like a b13 anymore) and because it is repetitive, it's less likely to get in my way.

Having more of a call and answer style comping can also be nice, if the guy knows what he's doing. If he doesn't he's likely to draw more attention that you are during your solo.

cschenk78 · #9 11-10-2007, 01:21 PM

Another suggestion is to try to find some targets chords within the changes and make sure that you come back to those. That is how I tend to comp and solo in Jazz and the purists that I play with seem to think that some pretty hip things happen then.

It is a way to get control so I can relax and just let the music come out the way it is meant to.

Good Luck