I've been playing the verse with my warm up exercises for a year or so now. My tempo is improving, but at a glacial pace.
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Can you play teen town?
- Thread starter moderatelyfunky
- Start date
Not trying to be a downer, but "Never heard of it" would have to be my choice. I will YouTube it now though!
It's on my list of things to do. Along with about 4 billions other items.
Still working on it from time to time.
It's always good to have a study piece that take real effort to get. There's a lot of benefit. Even if you don't care for the genre, it's part of electric bass repertoire. We should at least be aware of that album.
It's always good to have a study piece that take real effort to get. There's a lot of benefit. Even if you don't care for the genre, it's part of electric bass repertoire. We should at least be aware of that album.
What part of your bass technique and practice routine is holding you back?
Think about this for a few days before you answer.
You can not fix something if you don't know what's broken.
If you are going to go it alone without an instructor, you need to analyze your playing carefully and be brutally honest.
Not Teen Town, but in appreciation of Jaco, here Beato's analysis of Donna Lee.
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I can play all the parts of it, at speed, but I have yet to get through the whole song. I spent some time with it a few years back, picking away over many little practice sessions. Like the rest of you, I should really get back to the one. Mind you, I have also been meaning to learn "What is Hip?" lately...
I tried forty years ago.
I could never get past the rapid octaves in the opening.
Let alone play notes a the speed Jaco did.
I did master "A Remark You Made"
I could never get past the rapid octaves in the opening.
Let alone play notes a the speed Jaco did.
I did master "A Remark You Made"
20 years ago yes. At speed with band also.
Now, heck no!!!
Now, heck no!!!
I tried a month ago, got to about 85 to 90% speed and just moved on to something else like I usually do.
However, I am slowly getting the double thumb technique down. It's been on my bucket list. I started Oct 2019 and it's been a slowwwwww process.
However, I am slowly getting the double thumb technique down. It's been on my bucket list. I started Oct 2019 and it's been a slowwwwww process.
Teen Town is a challenging tune.
... 16th at 128 BPM
... tricky syncopation. 16th fragments in some places. Playing must be crisp and concise to properly execute, esp. those 16th rests. This piece is a great reason for reading for sight reading and using a metronome.
.... The opening measure, imo, uses a group of notes that Jaco would use his OFPF approach. Very much a trademark of his style.
....requires a fair amount of fast shifting
... a fair amount of non traditional fingering.
.... I have seen several different versions with different tab interpretations.
Notice the use of 4 consecutive 13 chords... C 13, A13, F13, D13. Assume the dom7 chord tones and write out the 1 3 5 6 7 and you will see something.
... 16th at 128 BPM
... tricky syncopation. 16th fragments in some places. Playing must be crisp and concise to properly execute, esp. those 16th rests. This piece is a great reason for reading for sight reading and using a metronome.
.... The opening measure, imo, uses a group of notes that Jaco would use his OFPF approach. Very much a trademark of his style.
....requires a fair amount of fast shifting
... a fair amount of non traditional fingering.
.... I have seen several different versions with different tab interpretations.
Notice the use of 4 consecutive 13 chords... C 13, A13, F13, D13. Assume the dom7 chord tones and write out the 1 3 5 6 7 and you will see something.
FWIW,
I was trying to play this song about two years after I switched from guitar to bass and I put a lot of effort into trying to master this song which was mostly wasted effort. It sounded like crap.
A couple of decades went by, during which my musical skills improved quite a bit.
..I could and feel syncopated lines comfortably
... I knew the fingering and was comfortable with the shifting
.... my right hand plucking improved quite a bit
.... I knew how to practice this piece both counting aloud (1 e & ah) and with a metronome.
I am working on it again. It's not up to my crispness standard, but if I practice it a few days, itcshould fall into place. Counting aloud has been a block.
I was trying to play this song about two years after I switched from guitar to bass and I put a lot of effort into trying to master this song which was mostly wasted effort. It sounded like crap.
A couple of decades went by, during which my musical skills improved quite a bit.
..I could and feel syncopated lines comfortably
... I knew the fingering and was comfortable with the shifting
.... my right hand plucking improved quite a bit
.... I knew how to practice this piece both counting aloud (1 e & ah) and with a metronome.
I am working on it again. It's not up to my crispness standard, but if I practice it a few days, itcshould fall into place. Counting aloud has been a block.
I think in the opening measure octave part he is using 124 fingering or barring not OFPF. But I guess you mean the third and fourth beat of the first measure? In my opinion these beats 'have' to be played in the first position, not in the fourth as many people do or most books say. Jaco plays it first position.
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The studio version I can scrape through.
The live version of 8.30 is another story!
However, before every practice, I run through it to the studio track. Even if I fluff some of it, it's still an awesome warm up.
If you ever play Justin Timberlake "Can't Stop the Feeling" you can chuck "Teen Town" in over the bass break. Nifty trick.
The live version of 8.30 is another story!
However, before every practice, I run through it to the studio track. Even if I fluff some of it, it's still an awesome warm up.
If you ever play Justin Timberlake "Can't Stop the Feeling" you can chuck "Teen Town" in over the bass break. Nifty trick.
I would love to see how anyone who has mastered this tune plays that opening figure, because tbh after shedding the tune for a while 30-something years ago I just decided to "fudge" the first two beats: Instead of the second and third low C (last 16th of beat 1 and 2nd 16th of beat 2) I play them as a slightly dead/ghost open D. I know, it's cheating. But I have simply not been able to figure out a way to play that C-Bb-C cleanly (nor a way to get in or out of that figure cleanly). The rest of the tune I honestly have no problem playing...though admittedly I have trouble remembering the opening passage of the [D] section (after the key change and after the 8th-note maj6th arpeggios) so I'll still pull out the chart if I'm going to play it top to bottom.
I suppose there's probably a youtube video that shows how to execute that opening two beat figure?
It's so funny how different players find different things challenging. I have no problem at all with the opening riff and the octaves. To me that's cake. The rests and syncopation are what really make me crazy. I can learn it in fit and starts and then when I try to put the parts together around the rests where I broke them up... that's the show stopper for me.
Being able to play it through is one of my Covid Quarantine goals for the summer though! Why? I dunno. It's not a measure of worth but it's fun to have something to work toward.
Being able to play it through is one of my Covid Quarantine goals for the summer though! Why? I dunno. It's not a measure of worth but it's fun to have something to work toward.
