Is Jaco Paganini for Young Bassists?

[Dr. Cheese]

All of those players you listed either adapted from double-bass or electric guitar. Jaco chose to go forward on bass guitar shortly after his cheap'o double-bass fell apart and he couldn't afford to repair it.

To me, Victor Wooten is too late to be a benchmark. He has a style, but he is largely influenced by Larry Graham, and didn't set any benchmarks himself. He improved upon the techniques he heard before just like many other of his contemporaries. I'm surprised you didn't mention Larry's playing as a benchmark. He basically invented modern slap bass on bass guitar. Even Larry started as a guitar player.

I started to mention Larry Graham. He deserves the recognition for sure. By your definition, could Paganini be an innovator? He played an instrument that had existed in some form for more at least 1000 years by the time he came along.

 

[frankie5string]

I started to mention Larry Graham. He deserves the recognition for sure. By your definition, could Paganini be an innovator? He played an instrument that had existed in some form for more at least 1000 years by the time he came along.

Eventually he wrote his own pieces that displayed his virtuosity, so I guess as a composer he was an innovator. Many composers sought out others to play their pieces while he was very willing to personally demonstrate his compositions. He was so good, people basically threw instruments at him to play and encouraged him to keep them. He was a virtuoso, not an innovator, as far as I know. Some of the violins he played may have been innovative, though.

...and maybe his fusion compositons with guitar were innovative at the time.

Unfortunately, he though it was a good idea to invest in casinos in France, and he basically lost everything doing so.

 

[smeet]

Some of Jaco's music is hard to listen to, but check out his playing here, especially the 40 seconds or so starting at 6:40:

This is absolutely stellar playing, but the video is random clips from other recordings, I wish they actually had the video of him playing this stuff.

 

[Johnny StingRay]

Sounds like you are looking for an insult where there is none. Most formal education will include things that most students may not use or need, but are good to know because of the skills gained in learning them. I feel Jaco's music is in that category.

My apologies for misunderstanding it being about the benefits in a formal music education setting.
It would be highly inappropriate to not study Jaco as part of a complete musical/bass perspective.
Thank you for clarifying that for me.

 

[Johnny StingRay]

That's not how music school works at all.

Did you attend college or music school as a bassist? No? Then this isn't about you. Not having studied at a competitive music school or mastered jaco doesn't make you less of a bassist, and nobody here would tell you it does... - music school at a college or university level provides a huge broad palate of education to the student to attends. Musicians who attend music school at a college level are competing at an extremely high level - and there is standard repertoire that everyone must be able to handle to graduate, and they're judged very harshly by their teachers (professors).

It's not in any way affecting those who don't go to music school.

Keep in mind that students at this level are spending 5 to 6 digits for 3 or 4 years of intense music education on their instrument and off, and practicing night and day, and had to already be at a pretty high level to get accepted in the first place, for the purposes of the curriculum discussed in this thread.

So yea, don't take it personally if the thread hasn't got anything to do with you. Just always remember that there are always much more intense levels of playing, and education, out there, and nearly every bassist did NOT go to university as a bass virtuoso, so it's a pretty niche discussion topic, really, this thread.

I went as a violinist - but I did bass also.

My apologies for misunderstanding it being about the benefits in a formal music education setting.
It would be highly inappropriate to not study Jaco as part of a complete musical/bass perspective.
Thank you for clarifying that for me.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

My apologies for misunderstanding it being about the benefits in a formal music education setting.
It would be highly inappropriate to not study Jaco as part of a complete musical/bass perspective.
Thank you for clarifying that for me.

Take care!

 

[iTzPrime]

I started to mention Larry Graham. He deserves the recognition for sure. By your definition, could Paganini be an innovator? He played an instrument that had existed in some form for more at least 1000 years by the time he came along.

Having studied parts of violin music Paganini was definitely a innovator. His bowing techniques were exceptional

 

[Les Fret]

The Jazz Jimi Hendrix of electric bass guitar. He can't be ignored if you want to be a literate bassist.

Yes this. He can be compared to Jimi much better than to Paganini. It makes much more sense since he was an inventor and groundbreaker that took the bass to a new level. Just as Jimi did for guitar.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

IMHO, Jaco's greatness wasn't necessarily in his technical execution, but in his composition skills. For instance, a piano player could play "Portrait of Tracy" and it would sound amazing.

Here you go:

 

[matthewbrown]

Here you go:

Thanks so much for posting this. Just lovely. I'll have to get my hands on that CD.

 

[Reg Braithwaite]

Thanks so much for posting this. Just lovely. I'll have to get my hands on that CD.

It's a great CD, besides this gem, I like the original compositions ABOUT Jaco, which I find to be at least as interesting as listening to other people's interpretations of Jaco's music.