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Double Bass first solo transcription attempt

pbass888

pbass888

Up the Irons! Westham United FC--mile high irons
Supporting Member
Jul 8, 2009
2,298
2,153
Denver
#1
my jazz bass playing has been limited to walking lines and a few 'faker' solos . I am in the process of transcribing walking lines to percy heath on all the things you are in the bop sessions with dizzy gillespie. My teacher has suggested a solo attempt or two (one bass and one other).

So for my non bass I am trying miles solo on so what. For my bass solo I am doing Charlie Haden Quartet West's version of
Bird's "Segment" on . A relatively short solo with some walking and some nice bass playing.


Has anyone ever done this Haden solo? I hope to post it after finishing it. I admit I have a slowdown program on my I phone although I can hear the notes of this solo relatively easily.Trying to grow my ears in the process. Ive found that using ' riffs ' from a few jazz books dont really sound good when in context of a song im practicing with other musicians. Also working with the aebersold version of ii-V-I to develop some sort of melodic playing.


What is the key to soloing and is this a good solo to do ? Also assuming I can get through this without kicking the dog, any other suggestions.
 
#4
You're welcome. This is actually the first jazz solo I transcribed myself. It has some really useful vocabulary in there and on top of that, it's just a great solo. Oscar Pettiford has some stuff that's worth looking at aswell, you could check out Green Haze from Miles Davis' album "Musings of Miles". Ron Carter does a great solo on Bag's Groove on his album "Dear Miles". Ha ha sorry I'm throwing a lot of Miles Davis stuff at you, but it's some of the best stuff to begin transcribing solos with
 
#6
Will Yager said:
Once you're done, you can find that transcription online. I have a pdf I downloaded somewhere
Click to expand...


Thank you Will. I am working on it and it will be a nice check. There are some triplet like runs in the 32 bars that I am working on now about half way thru.

What a great bassist and he says so much with so little.
 
#8
TheBasicBassist said:
How about Oscar Pettiford's cello solo on "All the Things"
or one of Jimmy Blanton's solos on "Body and Soul."
Click to expand...

Thank you Mr Basic. Id love to check out body and soul ( Coleman Hawkins version?). I just transcribed a few walking chorusus of percy heath all the things from the bop session. I was trolling through the archives here last night and found a great idea of using some of the aebersold play alongs for walking transcription... rufus reid and others working some great songs that had split tracks for bass and drums on one side.

As an electric player really makes me work extra hard to get the slides and phrasing comparable to that of the bass. Im also going through so what and have learned that its easier for me to transcribe bass from bass than other register instruments ( probably obvious to more experienced).
Thanks again for your advice.
 
#9
These are all great responses into which I myself shall look deeper at some point, but my $.02 would be to ask you what your favorite jazz recordings are. I would advise you to try to find material to transcribe from albums you already listen to in heavy rotation. Ideally, the first solos you transcribe are already in your ear like nursery rhymes and before playing a note, you can already sing along with the solo. If the situation is that you don't have many jazz records, I would suggest two things: 1) get a library card and get recordings and listen, listen, listen; and 2) transcribe melodies of jazz tunes that you like and play them in every key.

That being said, if you really dig what Charlie Haden [or anybody else in particular] is doing, then that is probably what you should be transcribing right now, regardless of whether he is generally agreed upon as part of the "Jazz Double Bass Canon."

It is my opinion that jazz vocabulary cannot be learned from books, only from deep listening and practicing. Your experience seems to agree with this. Don't kick dogs, it is a sign of not listening. ;^>
 
#10
Stanky D said:
These are all great responses into which I myself shall look deeper at some point, but my $.02 would be to ask you what your favorite jazz recordings are. I would advise you to try to find material to transcribe from albums you already listen to in heavy rotation. Ideally, the first solos you transcribe are already in your ear like nursery rhymes and before playing a note, you can already sing along with the solo. If the situation is that you don't have many jazz records, I would suggest two things: 1) get a library card and get recordings and listen, listen, listen; and 2) transcribe melodies of jazz tunes that you like and play them in every key.

That being said, if you really dig what Charlie Haden [or anybody else in particular] is doing, then that is probably what you should be transcribing right now, regardless of whether he is generally agreed upon as part of the "Jazz Double Bass Canon."

It is my opinion that jazz vocabulary cannot be learned from books, only from deep listening and practicing. Your experience seems to agree with this. Don't kick dogs, it is a sign of not listening. ;^>
Click to expand...

Great advice I listen to quiet a range of jazz from pops to jaco so there are some great melodies to learn and transcribe. great idea about already knowing a song.. Never really thought of it. Pops always had such lyrical solos and really played melodically. Love the intro for example of west end blues etc. (see link below). Thank you for the idea. I will give it a try.


Also my teacher suggested learning melodies, which as a bassist ive never learned before. I just learned a few 'heads' to start with from monk and some on blues that were easier for this pair of ears. I am self taught till a few weeks ago and have really learned a lot and got a great jump by getting a teacher .

link to west end blues

 

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