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Don't play the thirds?

#82
This thread is confusing as hell. Look, I play in three bands, one of which is the host band for a blues jam. I have a degree in music theory also. Doesn't mean I know everything, I don't. But this I KNOW, sometimes it's best to NOT play certain things. Perhaps this is what the guy had in mind just for a tune. Otherwise, of course thirds can be played in walking bass lines. In other lines that don't move around as much a third that stays put too long has the effect of making the chord sound like it's in first inversion. That sound would not always be appropriate, depending on the song. You certainly don't hear many inverted chords in blues like that. (If you don't know what inversions are, look it up rather than make me explain it here and now).

It would be good if the OP could ask that guy why he said that.
 
#84
While I don't mind if yous guys have more useful tips or just want to beat up on this dead horse I think I got what I need out of it. As I may have mentioned I do have enough music theory to know what most things are but not the why of things like the indeterminate third which also explains some jazz chord progressions I've seen :) . I'm also far from internalizing all that I've read :( but working on it :) . Thanks all!
 
#85
Roadkill said:
While I don't mind if yous guys have more useful tips or just want to beat up on this dead horse I think I got what I need out of it. As I may have mentioned I do have enough music theory to know what most things are but not the why of things like the indeterminate third which also explains some jazz chord progressions I've seen :) . I'm also far from internalizing all that I've read :( but working on it :) . Thanks all!
Click to expand...

This is talkbass, where dead horses get resurrected, beaten to death again and again!
:-D
 
#86
You know, I was thinking about this thread. There was this one dude who said, I'll paraphrase, "You should try doing whatever it takes to make this guy happy the next time you play with him."

I think this is the best advice to try. So regardless of what you think you ought to play or not play or what you think the role of the bass should be for the jam, you should make this guy happy. Maybe that's already what you're doing. If one went at it any other way, they'd miss an opportunity to learn something. Even if the trumpet player's a dope, you'd be learning from yourself by trying to compromise your playing w/ his.
 
#88
I've heard this before, but mainly on modal type tunes. When you're comping through a set of changes, the third and other color tones can help your bassline with some melodic movement. On modal tunes, a lot of horn players like to keep the quality somewhat ambiguous and if you are hammering out a major third every other measure, it limits how they can explore that ambiguity.

John Coltrane was known for replacing guys if they restricted his harmonic explorations by spelling out the quality (major/minor) too clearly.
 
#89
Don't play thirds?

I guess he doesn't like James Gang ...

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:hiding:
 

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