Ray Brown's Bass Method

[Johnny L]

Originally Posted by ricobasso

Maybe the point is that I'm supposed to struggle in finding fingerings that work and learn that way???

No that's not the point as I understand Ray Brown's book.

I think it's important to understand that Ray Brown was heavy on learning, heavy on finding out all the new stuff going on around him, heavy on working to be the best he could be as a musician.

So with this in mind, how about grabbing the Simandl method and finding out the conventional fingerings for lines similar to what you find in Ray's book? Start there, and if you can't find an answer keep searching and exploring in Vance and Rabbath's books, asking other players, taking lessons from other bassists.

But if you want to figure it out on your own, you won't get struck by lightning for it to my knowledge. It's just a more challenging road is all.

[jumpinin]

Originally Posted by CamMcIntyre

As far as what i have learned from Ray's recordings...where should we start? Ok-sound. I have based a lot of my sound off how how he sounds. The big, wooly, warmth with attack. I like to refer to it as a bass drum with pitch. Making lines deceptively simple-if i can ever do this to 1/10th of how he did-i will work 7 nights a week. I don't think i have time to list everything else.

I read a survey in Bass Player magazine a long time ago and Ray Brown was by far the most common influence on all the bassists surveyed. I don't think I've ever read an interview or attended a masterclass with an upright bassist who didn't pat tribute to Ray's sound.

[waltzfordebby]

if you want to play upright, you listen to ray brown. he's so solid and an excellent time keeper. his sound is absolutely gorgeous.

granted there are other bassists i attribute my sound to, scott lafaro, charlie haden, paul chambers, chuck israel, bob cranshaw... but ray brown is definitely a huge influence.

as to his book, i think it's great. i try to go through at least a page of his stuff in any section before playing anything for fun. it's really good for learning vocabulary. and about the fingering issues that are lacking, he often has example fingerings and then you should figure out your own.

have fun

[CamMcIntyre]

Originally Posted by jumpinin

I read a survey in Bass Player magazine a long time ago and Ray Brown was by far the most common influence on all the bassists surveyed. I don't think I've ever read an interview or attended a masterclass with an upright bassist who didn't pat tribute to Ray's sound.

I have to say i am not surprised. There's other guys that i really like, but when it comes to the one guy that is "it" to me-it's gotta be Ray. I am not taking anything away from other really killer cats, but holy crap-Ray Brown did so much. The more i learn about the variety of gigs he did the more i respect and look up to him.

[waltzfordebby]

Originally Posted by CamMcIntyre

I have to say i am not surprised. There's other guys that i really like, but when it comes to the one guy that is "it" to me-it's gotta be Ray. I am not taking anything away from other really killer cats, but holy crap-Ray Brown did so much. The more i learn about the variety of gigs he did the more i respect and look up to him.

+1
it's a good book.just take some time and write out some fingerings or even better get a teacher to write it out for you.
practice them a lot and after a while you'll start getting used to it and your fingers will just start using the correct fingering on the fly.

[.matthew e wengerd.]

Originally Posted by Jason Hollar

....

However, when I tried his bass...it played more like a cello!

It had the lightest Correlli strings, set way low, and he had one of thsoe "classical" egg pin, end pins, so the bass stood up and leaned forward -- for better bowing.

....

I have to interject that the Laborie/bent endpin is not a "classical" thing by any stretch of the imagination. Rufus plays a Laborie and I absolutely love it for my heavy, large Klotz. In fact, I don't know of many orchestral bassists that are using one.

[alavakian]

Ray Brown's first book was Bob Haggart's book. Bob Haggart (of Big Noise from Winetka fame and composer of "What's New?" among others) had a great book (long time out of print) and it was considered the "Simandl -style" jazz method among us young bass players (during the 1940's). It was published about twenty years before Ray's book. Bob's book was not as sophisticated as Ray's, but it did a great job teaching the down-to-earth basics in a way that you will never forget.
About learning in all keys, that came from Art Tatum. He would preach "take a tune that you think you know well and learn it in every key. This will open up potentials for you that you never knew existed."

[Sean Ormiston]

Hey, I've been playing since January and have made completing the simandl book my first and foremost goal. It's going well...by working on one position at a time in conjunction with what came before it, it's cultivating my sense for the neck very well.

I always try to practice simandl with a bow in order to keep my intonation "honest." I'm getting better with it, but in the back of my mind I can't wait to drop the bow and play pizz. I can play with more feeling (even a dopey major scale) with pizz...the bow occupies too much of my concentration on playing "clean."

How do you guys approach practicing simandl, when you know your interest is in jazz? A little bow? All bow? Not at all?

Maybe it's just time to go German.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by Sean Ormiston

Hey, I've been playing since January and have made completing the simandl book my first and foremost goal. It's going well...by working on one position at a time in conjunction with what came before it, it's cultivating my sense for the neck very well.

I always try to practice simandl with a bow in order to keep my intonation "honest." I'm getting better with it, but in the back of my mind I can't wait to drop the bow and play pizz. I can play with more feeling (even a dopey major scale) with pizz...the bow occupies too much of my concentration on playing "clean."

How do you guys approach practicing simandl, when you know your interest is in jazz? A little bow? All bow? Not at all?

Maybe it's just time to go German.

The double bass, like the violin, viola, 'cello etc. is a bowed instrument. There is no such thing a pizzcato only violininst. If you think that way it falls into place easier.
Get rid of all ideas of it being hard or unpleasant and just decide that is the instrument.
Making a strong division between practicing is and playing helps too.
Most "practice" for me is arco. Playing can be whatever.
Learning a jazz tune for me involves learning the melody arco and all the arpeggios arco, I even like to walk arco sometimes.

I play both bow grips and find German more agreeable for swing rhythms and jazz playing.
I strongly reccomend Simandl, but be sure to check out all the other methods as well. Paticularly Petrrachi.
We often pick up an instrument with a certain style in mind, but it is still important to learn that instrument as well as we can.
You never, never know where being a bass player will take you and you don't want to limit the possible contexts you can work in.

There are guys who only play pizzicato, it is not impossible - as I have said before rubbing two sticks together will get you a fire eventually.
There is a reason practicing arco is "the party line", it is just a much more thorough and faster route.

[CamMcIntyre]

On practicing with the bow when your focus is jazz-Definately practice with the bow.

In my own practice routine, i practice scales & arpeggios w/the bow. I'll bow certain heads & then i'll do bow specific exercises-rhythmic ones primarily. The bulk of my gigs & playing in general are pizz, but i want to be a well rounded player [and eventually do more musical theater gigs] so being proficient/good with a bow is mandatory.

[Possu jam]

One album every Ray Brown fan should check out is BassFace with Benny Green on piano and Jeff Hamilton on drums. I can't think of words to describe how much I'm into that live cd as well as Ray and his sound and his playing and everything he did with the bass.