Bb Blues Bass Solo Transcription from Ed Friedland's Jazz Book

[beam2611]

Hi all,

I hope this is the right forum for this transcription.

I have been working through Ed Friedland's Jazz Bass book lately, and there is a section, on page 44-45 of his book, where he explains how to use chord tones 3-5-7-9 to build a solo, and he demonstrates how to solo, over 2 choruses of a 12 bar Bb Blues.

Since I was curious, I transcribed his solo, and I thought it might interest bass players who have the book & CD and others too, to take a look at it for education sake and/or to help fellow players who might not be able to either transcribe it themselves or learn it be ear yet.

So without further a-do, here is my transcription with notation only and with TAB

Enjoy!
EB

[TheBasicBassist]

Thanks, man!

[beam2611]

You are Welcome! ;-)

[navitatl]

What book is this from? Is it "Building Walking Bass Lines" or some other that I haven't heard of? Great job by the way, I can't wait to give it a shot.

[beam2611]

"Jazz Bass" here is amazon's link for the book
http://www.amazon.com/Jazz-Bass-Ed-F...5602517&sr=1-4

[Mike McGibney]

Thanks

[slybass3000]

Good job Éric

[beam2611]

Merci Sylvain!

[Aunt Babe]

Éric, what program do you use for your transcription?

[beam2611]

Hi Aunt Babe, I bought Guitar Pro 6 for the purpose of transcribing, I know it does other stuff, but, ...it's easy to learn, and costs only $60, compared to Finale, Sibelius & Encore.

I had Encore way back in the days of Windows 95, and I really liked it, but a bit pricey today ...

[Intenzity]

Nice! Its always great to see Ed's phrasing. Well done.

[dalconthenovice]

i see way more chords here than the standard 1-4-5 blues progression

so that means i'm a complete moron

can someone help clear up my music theory idiocy?

[TheBasicBassist]

Originally Posted by dalconthenovice

i see way more chords here than the standard 1-4-5 blues progression

so that means i'm a complete moron

can someone help clear up my music theory idiocy?

Let me see if I can help..

Here's how I'm seeing it.
The first 7 measures are your "standard" jazz/blues progression; on measure 8 you get a [D- G7] progression
which is a ii-V7 to Cm7 the subdominant in the key of Bb.
Subdominants come before dominants; in this case F7, which it leads to in the next measure. The last two measures are a standard turnaround in this style of music (I7 - VI7 - ii7 - V7) and could also be seen as a prolongation of the Bb7 chord.

There are a few more ways to think about a progression like this, as well as a "few" more quirky substitutions but I hope this helps. All in all, a great study by Ed - he's the man.

Hope this helps, let me know if anything's confusing.

Best,
John

[Cloverfield]

Originally Posted by dalconthenovice

i see way more chords here than the standard 1-4-5 blues progression

so that means i'm a complete moron

can someone help clear up my music theory idiocy?

Originally Posted by TheBasicBassist

Let me see if I can help..

Here's how I'm seeing it.
The first 7 measures are your "standard" jazz/blues progression; on measure 8 you get a [D- G7] progression
which is a ii-V7 to Cm7 the subdominant in the key of Bb.
Subdominants come before dominants; in this case F7, which it leads to in the next measure. The last two measures are a standard turnaround in this style of music (I7 - VI7 - ii7 - V7) and could also be seen as a prolongation of the Bb7 chord.

There are a few more ways to think about a progression like this, as well as a "few" more quirky substitutions but I hope this helps. All in all, a great study by Ed - he's the man.

Hope this helps, let me know if anything's confusing.

Best,
John

Yeah, basically what John just very aptly described is a pretty standard jazz blues form. It sounds a bit more hip than the standard I-IV-V blues form that most are familiar with.

[monroe55]

I want another one of Ed Friedland's books. What's the difference between the one being discussed here and the one titled "Jazz Improvisation"? I am looking to expand my soloing ability. I am sure I could use both, just wondering which one to get first. I already own "Building Walking Lines" and it helped change my approach completely.

PS - Ed Friedland is awesome.

[beam2611]

Hi monroe 55

The "Jazz Bass" book description on amazon is: This book/CD pack features over 50 examples covering walking bass, the two feel, 3/4 time, Latin, and ballads. It covers soloing, performance protocol, and includes seven complete tunes. Standard notation Only.

Where as "Bass Improvisation" is: The Complete Guide to Soloing,
A guide to improvisation over jazz tunes. Advanced players only as it focuses on advanced techniques. Standard notation Only.
It is designed to help players master the art of improvisation. The CD includes over 50 tracks for demonstration and play-along. The book works with electric or acoustic bass and covers: modes, harmonic minor, melodic minor, blues, pentatonics, diminished, whole tone, Lydian b7, Mixolydian b13, and other important scales; phrasing, chord scale concepts, melodic development, guide tones, and resolutions; plus how to use your ear, practice tunes, and much more!

So if you are looking to expand your soloing ability, you might want to go with Bass Improv first.

hope this helps

[beam2611]

I made a correction @ bar 4 of the transcription, and re-uploaded a revision on scribd's website. For those who have already downloaded it, you might want to check it out and download it again!

You may also want to check out other transcriptions such as:
Jeff Berlin bass Solo transcrip for his tune "Bach" from "Pump it" or
Oscar Pettiford Solos here with video play-along

Thx for looking!
Enjoy!