• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Country Bass Walk

#83
Hi,
Back when I wrote the 'Lost Art book, the publisher ask me about doing the tab fingerings. I asked them what is "Tab"? I had no idea what they were talking about, so they said they would take care of it. Since then I've regretted not being up on all that, but bassists should get to the notes the best way they can, smoothly and cleanly.
Best,
Keith
 
  • Like
Reactions: Hot Rats and skevincampbell
#84
Keith:

Thanks for chiming in on this thread.
We corresponded a few years ago about how valuable I found your book to be.
Learning those styles has proved to be the best thing I could have done to advance my bass playing and allow me to play regular 1-5 stuff with some interesting variations. And the walking bass lines you show are exactly what I was looking for.
The thing I like best is that the styles you show do not clutter up bass playing with too many notes and stuff that does not work for the tune.
There are no other books or instructional videos on the market that I have seen, that zero in so directly on the styles that go to the heart of what bluegrass and country bass players need.
The tab makes it so easy to learn and it is easy to adapt the electric lines in the second part of the book to upright bass.
One other thing.....the tab has also made me learn how to read the notes so I can play without the tab.
So thanks again for unlocking the secrets of some great bass players...especially Bob Moore! :hyper:
 
  • Like
Reactions: danthebassman07
#85
Hi again,

Thanks so much for the kind words and for picking up my books.

About the tab in 'Lost Art: When the publisher did the tab, I believe it was done in a music notation program that placed the notes in places that didn't make sense in reality, so that's why the tab is wrong a bit of the time. I'm hoping as readers progressed that they would eventually forget the tab and play the examples the way that suited them and the instrument best.

Best,
Keith
 
  • Like
Reactions: skevincampbell
#86
Hey Keith, I just purchased your book "Lost Art of Country Bass" due to the advice on this thread. An excellent book and the recordings are all top notch and fun to play along with. Some of the tab is a little strange but I think anyone can easily transpose and get the fingerings right. I highly recommend it and it's turned me on to a few musicians that I likely would have never heard of. Thanks!
 
  • Like
Reactions: skevincampbell
#87
Let's keep this Great Thread going :D .

Thanks To Everyone. Thanks to BuffaloBill from Texas ... I am BuffaloBob from Montana (on other websites :hiding: ) .

I will order some Jake Hooker and your CDs in the near future. I liked your advise on the 1-3-5-6 ... etc. walking that is Dance-Able. It is a real-hoot to play music that Folks like to dance to. Country dance music is a lost-art. But we sure-have some eager dancers every week-end at The Eagles Club in Bozeman Montana (and the Gals are Pretty) :hyper: . That full-walk has been what I always try to do along with some runs to the next chord.

I can't remember where I "poached" these photos off the Inter-Web from about 4 years ago ;) . It was some-kind-of Nashville bass-hero / hall-of-fame gathering that was posted on a blog. Kent "superman" Blanton would know. He Was There :D and in one of the photos.

I have said this before .... Kent "superman" Blanton.... You really need to get-together with a "ghost-writer" and Junior Huskey's grandson and lay all these Nashville under-the-radar / great bass-player stories and discographies onto something permanent for The Future :D .

I'm kinda-old :smug: ... Maybe I can help in a couple of years with research. I will work-cheap once I am on SS. I can sleep in the backyard in a tent ... I am used-to that. In the meantime ... Kent ....

You are the missing-link growing-up in Nashville with all the storys ... And your-own awesome straight-up country and bluegrass bass-playing to-match. Where do we'all go from here to archive and document these Bass Players ??? You-Tube Archive ... Digitally Re-Mastered :D:hyper::p !!

It's So Sad .... A couple of the original-awesome country / bluegrass bass players in these pix are dead or hurting. Junior Huskey had already passed-on to play with the best country / bluegrass players In Heaven (but maybe not with Jimmy Martin :D ) . Can y'all identify these thumpers without any help ;) ...

2BassistsBall.jpg


1BassistsBall.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: danthebassman07
#88
Hey Bob,thanks for the nice comments you say,,I have been working on sort of a data base for at least Joe Zinkan's recorded catalog,,I have only session contracts which I have to go to the Country Music Foundation to look up which requires hours of microfilm searching in which nothing is in order but by record lables,,Chris Huskey has a huge database on his grandfather Junior Huskey,,he showed me 3 huge 3 ring note books full of session contracts,,but he has most of Juniors date books to go by,,which Junior kept extremley good books,,most of his date books show the studio,time,and sometimes the artist,,.Of the sessions he does not have a artist he has been trying to cross reference with some of the other players that also have their books. I have listend to most of these guys for so long I can pick out the bass player most of the time just based on what and how he's playing. I really want to just give credit where it's due,,there are lots of sessions where the personel is lost forever and we'll never really know who it is playing,but of the handful of players that we have a idea of what years and some of the artist we can useally find out who it is.
For way too long most of the credit has gone to one man,,and thats just not the way it was.
As for the story on the pics this was in 2000, I got Joe Zinkan to go to the Opry with me,,he only agreed to go if he could see Ray Price,,so I got word of a upcomming date Price was to be there and told Joe,,he came and I also invited some other bass players to come too.someplace I have some more pics of this event along with one of Joe and Price meeting for the first time since the mid 70s,Joe did all most all of Ray Prices sessions from 1959 untill 1973.
This was a good night for all and I want no credit for it just thankful these guys could get together again before they left this world,,thanks again Kent
 
  • Like
Reactions: danthebassman07
#93
I already chimed in in praise of Keith's book a ways back in this thread, but now that Keith is joined in, I want to add that his discussion of the styles of the great players he covers in his book—the use of ii/V/Is, etc.—is really illuminating. Some of their country stuff was more jazzy than I had realized. Highly instructive and it's a good, fun read. I'm reading through the text a second time, right now.
 
#94
Hi,
The two five walk-up: starting from the two chord and walking up the scale notes to the five chord. It's old fashioned-sounding so when you throw it in you need to take it easy and not make a big deal out of it. It can be really nice in some shuffles. Allen Williams did alot of 2/5's on the earliest Buck Owens records. Second Fiddle by Buck showcases it nicely. Allen was an incredible bassist; right there with 'Lightnin Chance, Moore, Huskey, and other greats playing the great early country basslines.
 
#96
I've got to mention that in 'Lost Art I should have given credit to 'Lightnin Chance as the primary recording bassist for Hank Sr. I regret that mistake, and did a tribute track for 'Lightnin in Studio Bass Masters. This thread is great for me, as I really love the old shuffles. Jack Drake, from Tubb's band, was a strong player who needs to be added to the list.
 
#99
As an Amazon Associate, TalkBass may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via links on this site.

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back