"50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" Bass Solo

[Soulquarian]

How's it going everyone, I have a college combo concert coming up in two weeks, and I need to come up with a Bass solo for "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon. Here's the stipulations:

We're sort of vamping the B section where it shifts to a driving rock feel, and it's basically me and the drummer playing for about 8 bars. I don't normally play this style of music, so I'm stumped big time. What's worse is that it's all going to be in a G minor 7th chord, and for the life of me and I can't think of a way to fill 8 bars of one chord in this style.

Any tips?

[BassChuck]

Let them vamp on Gm. You don't have to stay right with that chord. Or construct a melody with a G dorian scale. Don't worry about the theory, worry about the music.

[JTE]

Sing some ideas for what you'd like to hear as a solo over that. Not what a "bass solo" would be, but what you'd imagine Miles Davis, or Jeff Beck, or Randy Rhodes, or Jim Hall, or Dexter Gordon, or J. S. Bach, or C. C DeVille, or Speedy West, whoever you think is a good soloist would play.

Then figure out what you sang, and play it on YOUR instrument.

jte

[emblymouse]

Originally Posted by Soulquarian

How's it going everyone, I have a college combo concert coming up in two weeks, and I need to come up with a Bass solo for "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" by Paul Simon. Here's the stipulations:

We're sort of vamping the B section where it shifts to a driving rock feel, and it's basically me and the drummer playing for about 8 bars. I don't normally play this style of music, so I'm stumped big time. What's worse is that it's all going to be in a G minor 7th chord, and for the life of me and I can't think of a way to fill 8 bars of one chord in this style.

Any tips?

How stressful. This makes me glad I play by ear.

[BillyIVbass]

You can always fall back on Gm minor pentatonic G Bb C D F G. Honestly that song has such a great drum groove I'm just play something real simple and let the drummer shine.

Don't hear the word "solo" and think you have to shred high up on the neck. Some subtle hammer'ons just outlining the chord could be all that you need.

[AlphaMale]

Answer:Modes

G minor dominant 7 has all the chords of the Minor scale (aeolian mode)
You can play on the minor scale OR the pentatonic as the other guy said which would probably be better.

Hahaha Look up the song All Blues by miles davis

There's about 16 bars of G7 in the beginning. Modes will save your life.

[JTE]

"Modes will save your life"? Perhaps over a one-chord vamp like this, or a striclty modal compostion like "All Blues". But there's more than one minor scale, and the classical natural minor scale is not dorian, but aeolian. The chord is G Bb D F.

Those notes occur naturally in the key of F (or use G Dorian). But they also occur in the key of Ab (so use G Aeolian), and in the key of Eb (so you'd use whatever mode is built off the 3rd of the Eb major scale- G Lydian ?). So, part of it is, what's happening harmonically before and after that section? If it's in the key of F, G dorian makes sense. But to say that G dorian is the mode to use without regard to what's going on around it, is doing a dis-service to the music.

Besides, instead of playing scales, play melodies that work with the G-7 chord, and if you focus on the chord tones, you'll find melodies that may very well be outside of any of the modes.

jte

[Scot]

G minor pent all the way, baby!

Try to use the rhythm of the melody on the chorus to create phrases:

"Slip out the back, Jack"
"Make a new plan, Stan"
etc.

Each one of those phrases takes up a bar so you just need eight of them, which is what the melody actually has on the chorus.

You can almost never go wrong with using the melody + a little embellishing!

[Scot]

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

Answer:Modes

G minor dominant 7 has all the chords of the Minor scale (aeolian mode)
You can play on the minor scale OR the pentatonic as the other guy said which would probably be better.

Hahaha Look up the song All Blues by miles davis

There's about 16 bars of G7 in the beginning. Modes will save your life.

There was only one sentence in there that made any sense to me and/or had any relevance to the topic. I'm only half way through my cup of coffee so it could be a caffeine-level issue but I don't think so.

[AlphaMale]

Originally Posted by Scot

There was only one sentence in there that made any sense to me and/or had any relevance to the topic. I'm only half way through my cup of coffee so it could be a caffeine-level issue but I don't think so.

Nope, I'm sure its all relevant. His problem is he has to solo on one chord for 8 bars. So instead of just playing the arpeggios he should play on the natural minor of G or the Pentatonic Minor.

The song all blues by Miles Davis is a modal jazz song, it's all played on mixolydian. There is one point in the song where the bassist has to plays 16 bars of G7. This would be bothersome if you were playing only arpeggios but if you played the correct mode it would open more than those 4 notes if the G7 arpeggio.

[standupright]

so i've read through the whole thread, and here's my input.

when soloing, why do sweeping mode arpeggios or what have you?

listen to the tune, sing a melody in your head where you would have to solo, and transcribe that to the bass. imo when soloing, it's best (normally) to stop treating your instrument like part of the rythm section and start treating it like a voice instrument. play something melody wise that you could actually sing or hum and enjoy listening to.

[Scot]

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

Nope, I'm sure its all relevant.

You're sure it's ALL relevant? Let's have a look...

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

His problem is he has to solo on one chord for 8 bars. So instead of just playing the arpeggios he should play on the natural minor of G or the Pentatonic Minor.

I'm pretty sure the Eb note isn't going to sound all that great over the G minor chord in that context. I'm not sure if you're familiar with the tune in question but it's clearly not a Aeolian/natural minor-based tune. Also, there ain't nothin' wrong with playing arpeggios if that's what you're hearing and it sounds good in context. I agree with the minor pent., however.

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

The song all blues by Miles Davis is a modal jazz song, it's all played on mixolydian.

I would say there's a pretty darn good argument that the second chord is actually a G minor/Dorian mode sound. Yes, it's true that the Real Book calls the second chord a C7 but if you listen to the original Miles recording PC clearly continues the same ostinatto over the second chord, which has a G root. But we all know that the Real Book kind of sucks, right? Do some transcribing of the solos in that tune and you'll likely find that it ain't mixo all the way.

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

There is one point in the song where the bassist has to plays 16 bars of G7.

You mean the part in the song that's the Intro to the tune where PC plays the main composed ostinatto along with the composed horn arrangement? There's really not much you have to think about as the bassist playing that part other than playing the line as the composer intended, since it's almost the hook of the tune. Anyway, that part of the tune is composed and not improvised so figuring out what to play is not an issue, hense, not a good example. When you get right down to it, using that tune is sort of a bad example from the bass part perspective since PC practically plays the same ostinatto throughout the tune.

Originally Posted by AlphaMale

This would be bothersome if you were playing only arpeggios but if you played the correct mode it would open more than those 4 notes if the G7 arpeggio.

Assuming we're still talking about a situation in which you required to improvise a bass solo over a static chord, it's all fair game. Arpeggios, scales, single notes, whatever you have in your toolbox. There's nothing bothersome at all about playing any of it so long as it sounds good.

Based on some of your other posts and questions, I get that your sort of new to music/bass playing. One thing that you'll start to find out when you've been doing it for a while is that the rules are based on what sounds good and not the other way around.

[hbarcat]

I actually play this song and take solos in the chorus section.

Here's the deal:

Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon

Chorus:

|G |Bb6 |C7 |G
(repeat 4X)


You need to track the solo over these chords and the way I do it is to make sure to nail the root on the 1 and then do octaves and fifths (think Geezer Butler) on the way up (front of the chord) and then minor pentatonic on the way down (back of the chord). Mix it up a bit for variation and occasionally throw in a 2nd interval as a hammer-on accent with repeat and you're set. Hit the A on the half beat before the 1 of the Bb6 on the way up is always good.

Keep that 1 and 2 and 1 and 2 and 1 and 2 and 1 and 2 and. . . rhythm going in your head as a guide to keep the GROOVE going. This song is all about groove..............



This is all assuming you're playing the solo in the chorus section of the song as written. If you're actually going to modify this into a static Gm7 then this will be a bit less helpful.

[Scot]

Originally Posted by hbarcat

If you're actually going to modify this into a static Gm7 then this will be a bit less helpful.

I like your idea of soloing over the changes better. You can cop a bunch of stuff from the guitar solos on Freebird and you're in business!

[Soulquarian]

Thanks for all the comments guys! I've been transcribing all weekend!

Originally Posted by emblymouse

How stressful. This makes me glad I play by ear.

I've ONLY played by ear for as long as I've been playing Bass, but have recently started going to school to take my playing seriously.

I can say without a doubt that understanding theory and being able to read is an incredible tool. It just opens your vocabulary more and allows you to be more expressive. Combining your ear with theory makes you a beast!