Fly Me To The Moon bass harmony poll

[Marc Piane]

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

Cannot be answered. Totally depends on context.

Exactly

[meandering]

From the sounds of things, the OP is a relative beginner to jazz playing. While the study of traditional jazz harmony will help with these types of issues, really hearing the context is of primary importance (as noted by many previously). This may seem somewhat esoteric or mythical or something... However, there are simple things you can do to build these skills by working on 1. singing (intervals, triads, melodies, bass lines, etc.) and 2. playing the piano (comping, bass lines, melodies, etc). Ideally, these activities should be guided by a teacher and become part of your regular routine (Everyday!). Ultimately, you can sing and play (bass or piano) at the same time. For example, you can sing a bass line while comping to a chord progression you are working on. Figure out what you are singing and, viola, that is what you are hearing. If you are already doing this, please disregard. Also, this is a lifelong study...

[Jason Sypher]

And the OP is right to go through it. It's imperative to have a touchstone of knowledge to back up your intuition, otherwise you will never feel sure about your choices, even the intuitive ones that don't add up. That mystery is what keeps it endlessly fascinating. The OP has narrowed it down to a very small question, great job, that's the micro we all use to make the macro. Now, go play the tune with as many people as possible, open your ears and play!

[hgiles]

The next chord is D-7, so F is the organic choice for any kind of melodic movement over A-7. So -- Aeolian. UNLESS you want to play descending,chromatic upper neighbor (F#) that resolves to the F of D-7 in the next bar.

F is going to sound right to more people in more situations than will F#. But getting the F# to work will be a nice challenge too.

[ChuckCorbisiero]

When guys comp and others play, there's space. If you are listening well, you might respond by playing an F or F#. When there's space and guys are sensitive this happens. If you listen to Lester Young sometimes he plays a line that's dictating a different change, hence maybe a slightly different bass line. Maybe a D7 instead of a D-7 for second or whatever. Or you hear A-6 THE f# INSTEAD of A-7 with g because the sax hinted at it. Just my 2 cents.

[bobsax]

Originally Posted by bobsax

So In my first lesson with John Patitucci I sang a bit of Fly Me To The moon (FMTTM) with the typical walking up bass line starting on A (has the C# passing tone to D- and F# passing tone to G7)

John said that singing and playing was a really great thing to do. So for my next lesson I'm doing it all the way in parallel harmony.
FMTTM works great for this because the melody is almost always the 3rd moving to another 3rd.

I noticed that in the first bar I was playing a,g,f#,e which implies a A-D7. It's kind of cool but the aeolian with the f natural sounds cool also.

We don't need to discuss right or wrong, both are valid but I am curios what you the jazz bass players out there prefer?

Please try it , see which you prefer and vote.

I haven't decided but my rocker daughter likes the f#

the notes again;
melody c,b,a,g,f,g,a,c,b.a.g.f.e
---bass a,g,_,e,d,e,f,a,g,f,e,d,c

I think some of you missed the
"We don't need to discuss right or wrong, both are valid but I am curios what you the jazz bass players out there prefer?"

It was just supposed to be a stupid opinion poll.
You were supposed to try singing and playing the melody in parallel harmony and then vote on the sound you prefer.
You can take it all the way through the tune if you want also and you'll probably want to use the harmonic minor scale at a certain point, but that's another poll

btw I've been a pro sax and piano player for 35 years and went to Berklee 84-89.
I even turned down a gig with Aerosmith once

[ChuckCorbisiero]

Originally Posted by bobsax

btw I've been a pro sax and piano player for 35 years and went to Berklee 84-89.
I even turned down a gig with Aerosmith once

I fell into the East River once and swells sucked me under and washed me up on the rocks at Wards Island. I walked in to the mental clinic admissions and they turned me down and turned me away.........once.

[gerry grable]

Originally Posted by bobsax

I think some of you missed the
"We don't need to discuss right or wrong, both are valid but I am curios what you the jazz bass players out there prefer?"

It was just supposed to be a stupid opinion poll.
You were supposed to try singing and playing the melody in parallel harmony and then vote on the sound you prefer.
You can take it all the way through the tune if you want also and you'll probably want to use the harmonic minor scale at a certain point, but that's another poll

btw I've been a pro sax and piano player for 35 years and went to Berklee 84-89.
I even turned down a gig with Aerosmith once

Why don't you just give a listen to John P playing the tune with Eldar Djangirov?

[Jason Sypher]

Now that's a poll subject I could sink my teeth into....

What was I thinking when I turned down Aerosmith for a gig?
A. I'm too good for them
B. They're too good for me

[bobsax]

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

Now that's a poll subject I could sink my teeth into....

What was I thinking when I turned down Aerosmith for a gig?
A. I'm too good for them
B. They're too good for me

Some of you in Boston may know trumpeter Walter Platt. I was in a Latin band with him when he called me to play with Aerosmith. As far as I know it was a one night stand. I do think it was a colosseum gig though.
I had never heard of them and I told him I had to study. It must have been mid to late 80s.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Jason Sypher

Now that's a poll subject I could sink my teeth into....

What was I thinking when I turned down Aerosmith for a gig?
A. I'm too good for them
B. They're too good for me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKixtJEjP8w

[Marc Piane]

Originally Posted by bobsax

It was just supposed to be a stupid opinion poll.

Then put my vote firmly in the 'it depends' column.


Now tell us more about turning down the Aerosmith gig? I bet even the horn players have groupies. I mean even the crew gets laid...

For fear of getting Fitzgerald'd I'm not going to post a link but I suggest listening to 'Crew Slut' by Frank Zappa.

[Swipter]

I live in a cave...

[harryd714]

Originally Posted by TroyK

For what it's worth, I think the more frustrating answers are the better ones.

Imagine that you wanted to learn about wine and you went to a somilier forum and posted "quick, what is the best wine with steak?"

I think that there's a lot good advice on this thread but not much of it really answered the poll. While I agree that any advice about which note choice is "better" is fruitless, the OP seemed just to be curious about other players' preference between two note choices in a very specific context. This really didn't need to elicit so many pontifications, since the OP never asked which was better. And he's specifically doing the assignment in parallel harmony, so the comments about not moving parallel to the melody are also unnecessary.

I like the F natural more, F# feels more to me like it should be a chromatic approach tone to an F natural on the next beat (which I guess would make it a Gb).

I do agree with whoever pointed out that the parallel thirds all the way down is really boring but I get that your doing it as an exercise. Although it seems to me like singing and playing contrapuntally would be a better exercise for your ear than just moving stepwise in thirds. At the moment I'm listening to Ray Brown play it with Monty Alexander and Russell Malone. They do it in F minor and he plays F G Ab A Bb. Its fun to sing the melody and play this, you get a nice tritone with the A natural and Eb, I even like the second beat taking the octave for a moment.

[ChuckCorbisiero]

Originally Posted by Marc Piane

For fear of getting Fitzgerald'd I'm not going to post a link but I suggest listening to 'Crew Slut' by Frank Zappa.

Man, I knew this would get good. Thanks Marc.

[GM60466]

Key of C and F natural works for me.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally Posted by Marc Piane

For fear of getting Fitzgerald'd I'm not going to post a link....

<---Click