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Double Bass Country Bass Walk

#101
superman said:
I also ment to point out Jack played a Epiphone bass,,recorded extremely well,
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Kent:
Thanks for the introduction to Jack Drake I listened to all the 36 samples. What a player! I think he would have been my mentor if I had been playing back then.
Some of that boogie-woogie jazz stuff he does is excellent. As you say he has great tone...also a great left hand touch too. He ain't no ordinary hillbilly bass player for sure.
Same goes for the band too. Quite a collection of talented musicians.
 
#102
I have never tried to track that one down,,I know he's playing a blond most of the time,, but in the later Ernest Tubb tv shows he has a black Epi,,it could be the same bass just with a refinn,,I have been trying to contact the family of his brother Pete Drake,,if I ever contact them I will ask about Jacks bass,,I know he also played a blond M Kay back in the 50s,,Tubbs band had a endorsment from Epip sometime in the 60s,,heres a link to some of the tv shows.
Ernest Tubb - Another story (from E.T. TV Show) - YouTube
 
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#104
Ohhh….that’s a tough call. The blonde Epi is a post war because it has the light tail piece and larger FF holes. That bass looks to be a B-5 fancy model. If the black bass is the same Epi bass painted (GULP), everything was painted tail piece and all. The tuners look more like nickel then brass in the black bass.

An Epi painted black turned up in a music store in NJ. There was some story behind it, I don’t remember but the black bass is definitely not a factory color. To my knowledge Epiphone never painted a bass all black.

Love to know more about these basses if you find anything out.
:hyper:
 
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#105
superman said:
Tubbs band had a endorsment from Epip sometime in the 60s,,
]
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MollyKay said:
An Epi painted black turned up in a music store in NJ. There was some story behind it, I don’t remember but the black bass is definitely not a factory color. To my knowledge Epiphone never painted a bass all black.
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if they had an endorsement, i think Epi would have been willing to do custom one off finishes. especially for Ernest Tubb, he was such a well loved personality......i did get to shake his hand once! his road band was the swingin'est as well.:)
 
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#106
I just got Keith's book and boy am I glad I did.

Before I got in my current band (originally Western swing but moving to more swing than Western it seems) I used to play along with my Buck Owens and Ray Price records in the basement trying to emulate that walking style but the examples presented in the book move me much further along.

I was first turned on it by two things: the bass playing on "Heartaches by the number" on my mom's Dottie West record in the 1960s and Chris Ethridge's bass playing on "Close up the honky tonks" when I saw the original FBB with Gram Parsons at the Seattle Pop Festival in 1969.

It only took me 42 years to find a band that wanted me to play that style of bass.
 
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#108
Hi All -

Reviving this terrific thread. Much appreciation for the discussion above. I am really at the beginning of my db journey. I've had it for a while but couldn't work into one of the other bands. Experiencing much joy and challenge now in a month-old classic country 3-piece. I have Keith's book, but am seeking to prime the pump a little differently.

I'm seeking some help in my pursuit of "that lifted style of line (that) extends the phrase, lets it breathe, and lightens it up", as described by Buffalo Bill. I'm coming with some slightly longer phrases that I sprinkle in, but we are now starting to dip our toe into some Western Swing inspired sound, and I need to go further.

I'm seeking one detailed example of a "long" walk to learn from.
Can anyone offer a line I could play through these chords?: Bb6 Gm7 Cm7 F7
I'm sure I'll have more questions, but this would get me started in a big way.

Much appreciated!
 
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#109
TwentyHz said:
Hi All -

Reviving this terrific thread. Much appreciation for the discussion above. I am really at the beginning of my db journey. I've had it for a while but couldn't work into one of the other bands. Experiencing much joy and challenge now in a month-old classic country 3-piece. I have Keith's book, but am seeking to prime the pump a little differently.

I'm seeking some help in my pursuit of "that lifted style of line (that) extends the phrase, lets it breathe, and lightens it up", as described by Buffalo Bill. I'm coming with some slightly longer phrases that I sprinkle in, but we are now starting to dip our toe into some Western Swing inspired sound, and I need to go further.

I'm seeking one detailed example of a "long" walk to learn from.
Can anyone offer a line I could play through these chords?: Bb6 Gm7 Cm7 F7
I'm sure I'll have more questions, but this would get me started in a big way.

Much appreciated!
Click to expand...

20 Hz: Your question is kinda vague.
What is the name of the song you are learning? Is it slow? Fast? Instrumental?
Have you scoured YouTube for a version of the song and listened to the bass line? If you have not found it, there are probably some similar songs that would help if you transposed them to Bb (I assume that is the key you need).

Many times the linkage between the chords is a great help. Keith's book is full of that sort of thing. Unfortunately there is next to nothing available online or in books that deals specifically with western swing bass instruction.
It's a lot about feel. I have watched and listened to David Miller ( Asleep at the Wheel) a lot....also Dennis Crouch with the Time Jumpers. Dean Reynolds was good too with some of the the old Freddie Powers and Clint Strong stuff from Merle Haggard's specials on Austin City Limits.
Get callouses on your ears.....find a player (or players) who play the way you describe...and then focus and learn everything you can from them.

All this would help as a quick fix....but in the long run you also need to know why the notes you hear are being used. That's where the jazz players can help.
Hope you can find what you want.
 
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#110
martinc said:
20 Hz: Your question is kinda vague.
What is the name of the song you are learning? Is it slow? Fast? Instrumental?
Have you scoured YouTube for a version of the song and listened to the bass line? If you have not found it, there are probably some similar songs that would help if you transposed them to Bb (I assume that is the key you need).

Many times the linkage between the chords is a great help. Keith's book is full of that sort of thing. Unfortunately there is next to nothing available online or in books that deals specifically with western swing bass instruction.
It's a lot about feel. I have watched and listened to David Miller ( Asleep at the Wheel) a lot....also Dennis Crouch with the Time Jumpers. Dean Reynolds was good too with some of the the old Freddie Powers and Clint Strong stuff from Merle Haggard's specials on Austin City Limits.
Get callouses on your ears.....find a player (or players) who play the way you describe...and then focus and learn everything you can from them.

All this would help as a quick fix....but in the long run you also need to know why the notes you hear are being used. That's where the jazz players can help.
Hope you can find what you want.
Click to expand...

Thanks... Sorry for the imprecision; thanks for the redirect.

This chord progression isn't a specific tune, it's just an example from a Western Swing how-to webpage for guitarists.

My initial hope to see a walking bass line that moves through these chords in any manner. But your questions above prompt me realize that the most helpful thing might be a single arc or phrase through which these chords changes might be repeated 4 times. I'm especially interested in unpacking how those passing tones between chords and "other notes" (esp. as relates to 6th and 7th chords) land, against the chord strums.

We're pursuing other means as well, as you've suggested.

Thanks!
 
#111
Check out Jake Hooker on RFD's Tru Country. He's as good as I 've ever seen on walking country bass, on the upright. I've never seen any player get so many notes with the left hand while moving the hand so little. He's done it so much, it's effortless and I never hear him make a mistake. Good singer too, and plays that walk right along with it. If I could just know what he's forgotten I'd be satisfied.
 
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#113
TwentyHz said:
Just stumbled upon this: [This invalid link has been removed] , which I think will get me off to a great start. For whatever reason, this looks like the right-fit next step I need in my journey.
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20hz: Or.... go back to Keith's book for a great primer. Learn ALL the Ray Price 4/4 classic shuffle stuff. After that, move on to the Bob Moore material. Transpose if necessary. If you can handle Track 16 (Patsy Cline's"Heartaches" using three keys) as Bob Moore plays it you will be way ahead of the pack. If you want a great walking blues line, learn track 20 "Walking After Midnight". Learn the intro to "Crazy" (track 19)...that stuff will give you great links and a descending lines in Bb. Transpose if you need to. It's all music and very usable for playing western swing. But there is no easy way around this. You have to work hard. Listen a LOT to the kind of music you want to play. You will eventually find a place for a lot of what you learn from Keith's book.
Sounds like you could use help from a teacher too. But you have to find a way that works for you.
 
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#117
B
BobKay said:
Martinc - I ordered mine through Amazon from a business called Silverplatters. Not sure how many they had when I ordered. Came in the US mail.
Good luck finding it - you'll really like it, I think.
Bob
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BobKay: Thanks. I ordered mine through Amazon.ca. Much cheaper for me than buying in US dollars with the exchange rate at around 35 percent on the US $. Plus the price was much less. I placed the order. They will let me know when the new shipment arrives. I'm looking to hearing it.
 
#119
Lazurus said:
Can I jump onto this thread and ask is this book of benefit to a beginner or would it too involved for a newbie?

Stuart
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I think it would be of benefit to a player who is just starting to learn this style of playing; however, if you mean you have no other training or have just picked up the bass for the first time, then it will be no better or worse than any other book on technique or style. I'm combining learning to sight read notes on the staff with using this book. And I know a little of the music basics, like note types, rests, etc.

I've been playing for a long time, but with no formal training or music education.
 
#120
It works for a beginner. But you have to get some callouses on your ears too. Find some of the recordings (YouTube) by the bass players he refers to and listen a lot. The tabs will make sense then......especially the walking bass lines. Upright bass or electric...Bob Moore to Glenn Worf, ballads to ten-step and Latin.....it's all in the book. :hyper:
 

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