Double Bass Learn the Lyrics

[TroyK]

I'm a proponent of learning the lyrics, especially if the head isn't perfectly semetrical, but sometimes...

I give you the bridge to Black Coffee:

Now a man was born to go a lovin',
A woman born to weep and fret,
To stay at home and tend her oven,
And drown her past regrets,
In coffee and cigarettes."

Also, evidently, love is a hand-me-down broom of some sort.

 

[Dr. Love]

Some lyrics age like fine wine…and others like milk.

 

[Michael Case]

I've heard all the reasons to learn the lyrics, but coming from the perspective of knowing the standards as instrumental songs I can't see the value. I've done pop cover gigs with a vocalist and knowing the lyrics is helpful, but in the instrumental jazz context it seems like one more thing to work on that IMHO has limited return on investment.

 

[TroyK]

It helps me with phrasing, and dynamics. Especially if there is a string of the same notes, like at the end of Speak Low or an extra little riff as in the C of Black Coffee.

 

[Space Pickle]

i am a proponent of making up hilarious fake lyrics which are much more enjoyable to learn

 

[Don Hergert]

Only problem is, some songs have 12 known verses plus the 5 verses that the lead singer makes up on the fly borrowing from other similar songs.

Seriously though, I live and perform primarily with a lead singer and honestly there is often a potential for a musical disconnect because I don't sing at all, instead concentrating on instrumentals. So I can see the value in non-singing instrumentalists being familiar with the lyrics, at least enough of them so that phrasing is understood well, but also at a more trivial level, so a person can identify the song by title or by some of the lyrics.

It's a double edged sword though -- I can also say from years of experience that it is nice if lead singers have a strong understanding of a song's form, in particular how instrumental leads and breaks fit into the songs that they sing.

In both cases, a little cross-training goes a long way.

 

[AGCurry]

Only problem is, some songs have 12 known verses plus the 5 verses that the lead singer makes up on the fly borrowing from other similar songs.

Knowing the lyrics involves knowing the melody and phrasing; one verse should suffice!

I recently arranged a Hebrew prayer - whose "lyrics" I know well - for orchestra. I think knowing the words, how they're pronounced, and how they're phrased really helps if you are called upon to play a melody or improvise on it.

 

[JBarz]

If that bugs you, I’d stay away from learning “wives and lovers” … my wife loved the tune until she heard me sing the lyrics, now it’s on the household “do not play” list. She says it’s makes her think of the tv show Madmen and is sexist AF

 

[TroyK]

What about "My Man"? That one is horrible.