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Double Bass Looking for advice on playing Brazillian music

jazzyvee

jazzyvee

Aug 11, 2012
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#1
I have recently joined a band that plays Brazillian music, they have sent me the set list of about 30 songs to learn and we have a rehearsal next week. ( My first with them).
I have decided that I want to play double bass in this band using my EUB as a way of forcing my learning of it and learning to play from written music or chord charts. My progress is slow at the moment and whilst when I listen to the tracks I can hear the note to go for but can't always find it because well...... no frets and different scale length to my electric basses.
Does anyone here have any experience of playing this music and can pass on any practical tips, good practice routines, some music and bass players in that genre to listen to. I'm still a complete novice on DB so advanced stuff will just go over my head. I am slowly working my way through the Simandl book which was recommended to me by a few DB players when I first got my bass.
Thanks in advance.
 
#2
The problems you've described don't sound specific to Brazilian music. In your place, I'd stick with the instrument you know and play well, and perhaps try to get one or two tunes ready on your EUB but not more than that.

I personally think starting off on a book like The ABC's of Bass is better than starting on Simandl. You'll get a lot of practice doing beginner-level things, but on a new instrument, that's almost certainly the right way to go.

-S-
 
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#3
Steve Freides said:
The problems you've described don't sound specific to Brazilian music. In your place, I'd stick with the instrument you know and play well, and perhaps try to get one or two tunes ready on your EUB but not more than that.

I personally think starting off on a book like The ABC's of Bass is better than starting on Simandl. You'll get a lot of practice doing beginner-level things, but on a new instrument, that's almost certainly the right way to go.

-S-
Click to expand...
I agree with Steve on this, if I were new to URB I'd stick to bass guitar. On top of which if you've not played Latin music before there's a whole other thing going on learning the rhythmic structure thats quite different from other styles of music. For that, I recommend the Latin bass Book, Sher Music Company. Excellent resource with cds for play-along. Sounds like a great opportunity, but I'd go in with my best chops, nail the gig, and gradually work in EUB. Sounds like a great project!
 
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#5
I did a video a year or so ago with Hamilton Pinheiro, a great Brazilian bassist and one of my top grad students ever. I think his advice in the video is right on the money, and he added a suggested listening list that can be found on my website. Hope this helps!



Edit: Here is Hamilton's suggested listening list.
 
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#6
I concur with the above that for now you need to hold onto your electric, as you will be facing a learning curve and will want to mitigate any possible jeopardy to your bass chair by seeming less than competent. Meanwhile, get the clave into your pulse. Seek out clave instruction online (I recall that John Patitucci having a nice video available). Playing the notes will be the easy part (isn’t it always), but nailing the feel is gonna make or break ya.
 
#7
1. Stick with EB. It's better suited for it because of the attack. One well known composer/arranger who has worked with many big names (including Airto) refuses to work with anything that isn't an EB.

2. Learn the fork:

3. I would seek out lessons with someone who really knows the idiom. Scott Thompson comes to mind. Killer player and I'm sure he'll do online lessons. Brazilian music has a billion styles and you have to get to know how to work with them all and nail the feel. Samba in itself had quite a lot of patterns and sub styles
 
#10
Yeah I would look outside of Jobim unless it's someone else covering it and it's more modern. Leny Andrade, Roberto Menescal.

People to check out:
Vitor Goncalves
Chico Pinheiro
Leny Andrade
Roberto Menescal
Marcos Valle
Joao Donato
Hermeto
Jovino Santos Neto
Airto
Azymuth
Djavan
Toninho Horta
Tenorio Jr
Mauricio Einhorn

All the tropicalismo/pop peeps (Gilberto Gil, Caetano, Chico Buarque, etc etc)

Bassists to look for:
Sidiel Viera, Gary Brown, Nilson Matta,

At least that's what I can think of off the top of my head. There's so so much more.
 
#11
Here is a nice example of the Brazilian Surdo drum (from 0:11 - 0:41 being played behind the vocalist)- this drum is playing 2 Half Notes - in Cut Time (2/2) - the first note is Short...the second note is LONG. The resulting accent is on the "2", not on the "1". (With apologies to James Brown.)
This is the essence of the Samba feel. The Bassist and Drummist continue this FEEL.
Also too - this track is burning. IMFO.

 
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#14
As much as i love the Latin Bass Book I don't particularly think the Brazilian section is great. Still, buy it. It's great! Also The True Cuban bass is incredible as well, but I digress...

Inside The Brazilian Rhythm Section and The Brazilian Music Workshop are great books to study from. As always listen to as much of the music as you can and dissect it from folk stuff right through to the current pop stuff. Particularly focus the rhythms. I was fortunate enough that my bass instructor in uni was Brazilian so I pretty much got a few years of being deep into the music of South America.
 
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#15
Yes the basic Surdo pattern goes a long way and there are other patterns and variations too. But that one you get get lots of mileage. Ye there are lots of causations but I think those are best found by listening and copping off of recordings.

This is probably too busy for most people but check it out.


Pedals to a long way too
 

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