Portrait of Tracy

Microbass · #1 05-16-2003, 06:21 PM

Uhhh... Huh.

http://www.lucaspickford.com/transtracy.htm

I've been wanting to try this for a while, so I thought I'd go for it. But this transcription somewhat... hurts my brain.
The trans makes no sense whats so ever to me! Please explain, someone??!

Any explanations, and or advice for learning the song?

I checked the TAB here on TB, and it appears to be pretty correct, and I can't make any connectiosn with the two?

Wrong Robot · #2 05-16-2003, 07:04 PM

The transcription marks harmonics with those little dots above the notes.

given that you know what note every harmonic makes, then you should be able to put the two together.

It seems pretty accurate to me.(though kind of inefficient)

I don't know, I learned PoT by ear, I've never been satisfied with any transcription with harmonics in it.

Microbass · #3 05-16-2003, 07:57 PM

OK, thx. I can't read treble clef... So I was pretty confused.

Ah well... stick to the TAB for now, i mean really.. who needs treble clef when you got bass clef!

[happy now? :P - edit]

ole Jason · #4 05-16-2003, 08:53 PM

That looks to be the same transcription that's in the real book. I've never understood why whoever did it transcribed it that way. In the classical music I've played that has harmonics the little "o" is always above where you stop the string not above the actual pitch sounded. Anyone know why they transcribed POT this way?

moley · #5 05-17-2003, 04:14 AM

Perhaps because it was intended to be read by any musician, not just bass players? As soon as you start specifying what note to stop, rather than what the pitch of the harmonic is - anyone who's not a bass player is stuffed...

Microbass - the treble clef isn't a problem. You know where middle C is on the bass clef (i.e. one leger line above the stave) - well, that same C is one leger line *below* the stave, with the treble clef.

From there, you can work out what the notes are.

ole Jason · #6 05-17-2003, 11:41 AM

Perhaps

jazzbo · #7 05-17-2003, 12:55 PM

It helps to know how to produce the necessary harmonics. There are books that show you all the harmonics. Also, he plays two different false harmonics in the tune, and I don't know if the notation provides an explanation of how to do that.

Also, remember that he plays a lot of things in fourths in this tune.

jazzbo · #8 05-17-2003, 12:56 PM

To this day, I still can't get the ending chord, using false harmonics, to sound right.

Wrong Robot · #9 05-17-2003, 01:01 PM

I never could get that last chord to sound right.

then I heard that Jaco used a bunch of compression, so I added some compression(thanks BNX3) and viola, it rang like a bell.

of course, that was part of the reason, the other thing I had trouble with was that last stretch, so I figured you could it another way, and I found that the same chord can be played Fretting Eb, Ab,Db
all on the 6th frets
then hitting the harmonics over the 9th frets.

it's an easier stretch for me(though the difference is tiny)

jazzbo · #10 05-17-2003, 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrong Robot
I never could get that last chord to sound right.

then I heard that Jaco used a bunch of compression, so I added some compression(thanks BNX3) and viola, it rang like a bell.

of course, that was part of the reason, the other thing I had trouble with was that last stretch, so I figured you could it another way, and I found that the same chord can be played Fretting Eb, Ab,Db
all on the 6th frets
then hitting the harmonics over the 9th frets.

it's an easier stretch for me(though the difference is tiny)

Very interesting. I'll have to give that a try. While, a little of it is tone, most of it is the stretch. I can hit two notes of the chord, but three is proving troublesome. I'll try it how you suggest.

Wrong Robot · #11 05-17-2003, 01:06 PM

Glad I could help, Also, if you move that same shape from the 6th fret to the 7th fret(moving hte harmonics to the 10th)

you can an equally haunting and powerful chord(that is incidentally a lot easier to hit)

moley · #12 05-17-2003, 01:48 PM

I was talking to PoT about that last chord in the chat room. We were debating whether that #11 is actually supposed to be part of the chord or not. It's rather quiet on the recording.

I had always heard that chord as a simple Emaj7 chord - E bass, plus D# and G#. Then PoT mentioned it and I listened again, and heard the #11, but it is pretty faint.

Wrong Robot · #13 05-17-2003, 02:10 PM

On "modern electric bass" Jaco hits that 11th, so I think it was intentional.

moley · #14 05-17-2003, 02:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Wrong Robot
On "modern electric bass" Jaco hits that 11th, so I think it was intentional.

Ah, I guess you're right then.

LiquidMidnight · #15 05-19-2003, 01:26 AM

I find that the most easy way (at least for me) to hit the final harmonics is to take make thumb completley off the back of the neck and sort of straighten all of my fingers out. (kind of hard to explain)

Wrong Robot · #16 05-19-2003, 05:29 PM

I find the best way for ME to hit it...is dislocating my thumb slightly(I am double jointed at the base) and then my fingers barely need to stretch

Microbass · #17 07-16-2003, 11:12 AM

OK, heres a bump! heh.

WR, you're not online, i need you man!

OK, I'm on the third page of the transcription now, in the 3rd and 4rth bars I cannot get those F# and F's to ring out. If I want to play the harmonics.

Any finguring suggestions?

thx

[edit] also, the harmonics for the third bar that I'm playing are: F+D, C+G - are these right?

the fourth bar the harmonics are: B+D, F#+A, C#+A, F+D.

I that the last double stop is wrong...

Please help a tone deaf boy out, puhleez?