Aebersold's, How many use them?

Jpeachbass · #1 12-17-2010, 11:17 PM

How many of y'all use The jamey Aebersold play along books?
How many of y'all have never heard of them?

bThumper38 · #2 12-17-2010, 11:32 PM

Love'em. The II/V/I book is my fav.

Jpeachbass · #3 12-17-2010, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bThumper38

Love'em. The II/V/I book is my fav.

I love that one too. Have you played through the "Fusion" One?#109

bThumper38 · #4 12-17-2010, 11:45 PM

I haven't. I'm trying to dig into the charlie parker omni-book. IT's filled with a million licks that transfer to the bass really nicely.

Jpeachbass · #5 12-17-2010, 11:51 PM

Ive shed that one for years. Lots of good vocabulary.

BassChuck · #6 12-18-2010, 12:25 PM

Great stuff. I like the "Maiden Voyage" volume. "Nothing But Blues", "Minor Blues" are good too. The "Rhythm Changes" in all keys is a great reading workout. But the ii-V7 volume is a classic.

I generally put the tracks into Audacity and remove the Bassline side, save the piano/drum track as a mono mp3, and put it on the iPod.

Whatever. Its all great stuff and good practice even if you don't play jazz.

Art Araya · #7 12-18-2010, 12:28 PM

you know, i tried to get into them. i think at the time i just wasn't ready for them. i had no idea how to improvise at the time so i was very limited in my ability to create over them.

i haven't revisited them since then - would probably get much more out of them now.

Funky-Wunky · #8 12-18-2010, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bThumper38

Love'em. The II/V/I book is my fav.

I agree, that one should be studied by all musicians.

dpbass66 · #9 12-18-2010, 02:58 PM

A good deal of my development was through use of Aebersold recordings being part of my regular practice routine. Great way to learn tunes and harmony if you are serious. I also use them to work on my ear. Would record to cassette (eeek!!! how old am I???) and pop into my car and listen to tunes being played (ie just the piano, bass and drums as all Aebersolds are ....) and hum the melodies to the tunes, listen to those GREAT bass players play walking lines (especially Ron Carter), listen to the piano comping changes.....

For the record, I am not a AB player, and I mostly play modern jazz/fusion/funk. My point here is that if you can even just get OK at playing and understanding jazz, WHATEVER style you play will be enhanced hugely!!! Your knowledge of the fretbord will grow, and your technique will improve.

Also, while Aebersolds are great, I dont care which name brand you use or if you prefer to program changes (chords) into Band In A Box, essentially its the same effect. Just if you use BIB you have to know a bit about what you are doing.

slybass3000 · #10 12-18-2010, 07:16 PM

They are great tools to improve not just soloing but walking bass and "time feel" without forgetting harmony,sight-reading,ear, musicianship and more.

ryco · #11 12-18-2010, 07:30 PM

I use 'em all the time. Great fun!

#1 Solo & Improv,
#2 Blues
#3 ii - V7 - I
#16 Turnarounds & Cycles (my fave)
#24 Major & Minor
#42 Blues
#57 Minor Blues
#84 Dom7 Workout (My other fave)

foal30 · #12 12-19-2010, 11:45 PM

yes they are very good, particularly if you struggle to locate a keyboardist! Great way to 'hear' chords.

vol 42 - blues in all keys
vol 50 - Miles Davis
vol 54 - Maiden Voyage
vol 57 - minor blues in all keys

they are not just for soloing, really good way to building confident walking lines.

tehuti · #13 12-20-2010, 12:27 AM

A sax player friend turned me on to these books last week and I picked up #54 - Maiden Voyage. I am sure I will be back for more.

lsabina · #14 01-23-2011, 02:30 PM

I use them every single day, usually about 2-3 hours every evening. I use them for practicing walking lines...turn down the bass channel and I'm off. I highly suggest (for practical gigging purposes) to concentrate on any of the "standards" volumes. While I love playing Benny Golson and Coltrane tunes, I get a lot more out of the Jerome Kern, Sugar, or Unforgettable volumes, in that I can apply lessons learned on a trio restaurant gig. I must have about 50 volumes.

dpbass66 · #15 01-23-2011, 09:31 PM

been using them for a long time too, great practice tool. I think there is one caveat with them though, okay 2 caveats...

1) after using them for a long time , I came to realize that I was using the given piano harmony on the recording to keep my place with the music. This is okay, but I was finding on gigs that when I was taking solos, and the other instruments dropped out (like they usually do during the bass solo....another thread topic: why do they do that??) anyway....I was having trouble keeping my place in the tune.

2) I wasnt realy learning tunes since I was reading the lead sheets that come with the Aebersold volumes.

In using them to practice you need to devise ways around these built in crutches.

Intenzity · #16 01-23-2011, 10:42 PM

Use them all the time, I have a little "set list" of tunes and go through them, walking and then taking solos.

They are also great for learning to play the melodies and for getting tunes memorized which I have been trying to work on a lot.

Between Band-in-Box and Aebersold type tracks (Hal Leonard has joined the party with play alongs but they add the melody to theirs) you can pretty much practice any tune/progression you need to.

Band-in-a-box is a whole 'nother thing.

dpbass66 · #17 01-24-2011, 06:03 AM

Band IN A Box...GREAT practice tool. See my post above , regarding keeping your place, with BIB you can turn off everything but the drums and just solo. Then turn it back on to see that you are keeping your place.

I also program in short 2 or 4 measure chord progressions that I need to work on, then just repeat. Sometimes I have it go through all keys. Aside from practicing jazz you can also program BIB to just repeat a funk groove to groove with.