- May 3, 2007
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- Endorsing Artist: D'Addario Strings, Remic Microphones
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Double Bass Hard Jazz pieces
- Thread starter hobb185
- Start date
+1 on the Genius comment.. Although a bit Snarky...
All of you who are offering constructive advice...my hats are off to all of you. I've been playing and recording for the last 30 or so years..... and I don't view any tune as "easy" or "vanilla"
Here's a thought. This might get you to see where you are really at in terms of time, intonation, feel and of course; taste.
Start recording how awesomely you play all these "easy" tunes. I look forward to hearing you with Chick or Herbie real soon!
All the Best
+BBIIGG NNUUMMBBEERR!!!
Excellent post!
I use to get bored playing Giant Steps as a real slow ballad in 7......
This is getting too silly even for me.
This is getting too silly even for me.
Well I think that many Jazz musicians from Bird and Dizzy onwards have looked to other cultures to find interest and inspiration...?
Incorporating rhythms from Cuban, Brazilian, African music has always been a big part of Jazz.
In Europe we have had "fusions" of Jazz with Nordic/Scandinavian music, Palestinian Micro-Tonal folk music, Indian Raga, etc. etc.
Incorporating rhythms from Cuban, Brazilian, African music has always been a big part of Jazz.
In Europe we have had "fusions" of Jazz with Nordic/Scandinavian music, Palestinian Micro-Tonal folk music, Indian Raga, etc. etc.
IME, if you don't like a tune cuz it's too easy or you don't like the tune itself it's usually an indication you need to shed on it more cuz you still haven't found the gold in that mine of a song yet.
I think that while what people are saying is very "worthy" - it's not entirely true in the "real world" ..?
So if it was true - then every great Jazz musician would play nothing other than a 12-bar blues in F - it's just a starting point after all....
But that is not the case - we have a huge number of interesting tunes to choose from, that have been played and recorded by great Jazz groups/musicians.
I could choose a different Jazz tune every day and never run out !!
So if it was true - then every great Jazz musician would play nothing other than a 12-bar blues in F - it's just a starting point after all....
But that is not the case - we have a huge number of interesting tunes to choose from, that have been played and recorded by great Jazz groups/musicians.
I could choose a different Jazz tune every day and never run out !!
Bruce -
With respect, I think it is very true in the real world. Exploring is a much higher form of activity than moving on from boredom.
I'm sure there are exceptions, but I think that most of the greats who really pushed boundaries did so because: a) they saw a path and walked down it, or b) they truly did master the material at hand and were legitimately bored with it.
It is unlikely that "b" is the case. The type of boredom implied here is a youthful impatience that I still struggle with. It's the sage advice of others posting here that keeps me going. I can't name a tune I've mastered, so I'll keep working on whatever tune gets called.
With respect, I think it is very true in the real world. Exploring is a much higher form of activity than moving on from boredom.
I'm sure there are exceptions, but I think that most of the greats who really pushed boundaries did so because: a) they saw a path and walked down it, or b) they truly did master the material at hand and were legitimately bored with it.
It is unlikely that "b" is the case. The type of boredom implied here is a youthful impatience that I still struggle with. It's the sage advice of others posting here that keeps me going. I can't name a tune I've mastered, so I'll keep working on whatever tune gets called.
Check the discographies of people like Miles, Bill Evans, Jim Hall, etc. You'll find multible renditions of many, many tunes, in terms of tempi, arrangements, keys ......
In the world of music and i've been around it for most of my 66 years, i've NEVER found a great player whose ego is big enough to make the statement that they are "bored" with any material.
If you tell me you're bored with the 12 bar blues, I gotta wonder about your musical sanity.
I agree that the original poster put this badly and gave the sort of impression that people are talking about - but for me, the history of Jazz is all about people exploring new ideas, new material, writing their own chord sequences, experimenting with rhythms - whether it's Latin/African or say Dave Holland's odd time signature originals and so on ...
I feel that the advice given, while well-meaning and worthy - is a little "austere" ...
?So if somebody wants something different, there is a huge wealth of challenging material out there to explore!
- Dec 13, 1999
- 11,737
- 8,945
- 70
- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
S'narky, s'wonderful!
I dunno ROGER THE BRUCE, I don't really get the idea that this cat is playing jazz in the real world at all. When cats say "combo" I hear "stage band" which means you got a bunch of guys who don't play jazz with their heads stuck in paper (if not elsewhere). I mean, he didn't ask for more tunes, he asked for more sheets!
That's kind of one reason I don't post so much anymore, what do I really have to tell this guy? It doesn't sound like we want the same things out of music; he's either gonna figure out this is a somewhat misguided approach (if he's at all interested in the actual music) or he's gonna stay bored and find something else to do with his time. The mere fact that I have some interest and emotional involvement in this music is, I am sure, just as boring to him as reading charts with quarter notes on it.
I dunno ROGER THE BRUCE, I don't really get the idea that this cat is playing jazz in the real world at all. When cats say "combo" I hear "stage band" which means you got a bunch of guys who don't play jazz with their heads stuck in paper (if not elsewhere). I mean, he didn't ask for more tunes, he asked for more sheets!
That's kind of one reason I don't post so much anymore, what do I really have to tell this guy? It doesn't sound like we want the same things out of music; he's either gonna figure out this is a somewhat misguided approach (if he's at all interested in the actual music) or he's gonna stay bored and find something else to do with his time. The mere fact that I have some interest and emotional involvement in this music is, I am sure, just as boring to him as reading charts with quarter notes on it.
You're probably right - but I have a CD you played on, that involves some transcribed birdsong -now that is some hard Jazz !! 
I gotta say I wholeheartedly agree. My inner censor added "b" when I really don't believe it.
I didn't want to sound like I was pigeon-holing the OP as a naive kid - there's a infinitesimal (and quickly diminishing) chance he's a seasoned pro. I also didn't want to risk someone responding with "Well, Miles Davis said in a January 12, 1968 interview with Larry Smartface that he was completely bored with "Someday My Prince Will Come" and had explored every possible permutation of its melody and decided to move on."
Some days I just need to say what I think instead of playing to expected reactions...go figure.
- Dec 13, 1999
- 11,737
- 8,945
- 70
- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
Actually Miles did say that he stopped playing ballads because he loved playing them too much.
Take a tip from doctors and veterinarians and don't get into any emotional involvement with your subject.
- Dec 13, 1999
- 11,737
- 8,945
- 70
- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
I tried the old "bored with the music" excuse while trying to get out of a band but got the same response. If you find yourself bored then you need to take steps to inspire yourself to dig deeper or just expand your horizons. Could be that the genre is boring you or that you have put yourself in an environment that doesn't push you enough. Go sit in with some players that you admire and you will quickly find that you don't have the time to be bored. If it's bass playing that is getting you down you might try studying piano or theory, or composition etc. You can also pare down your sessions and try some duo gigs etc. In short, CHALLENGE YOURSELF. For what it's worth I always found Inner Urge to be a difficult tune to play/solo well. Everyone runs out of inspiration now and then only to find that inspiration takes work, just like scales etc.
