Double Bass Piano Playing means better bass playing?

[emilio g]

Ed's thread about really learning a tune is fantastic. It's really helping me use the technique I already have a lot more musically. Check it out!

And to clarify, I'm trying to learn arranger's piano for the same purpose. I'm not looking to make a second career as a pianist. Bass takes plenty of time as it is. I want to be able to comp chords and play the melodies to whatever I'm working on.

 

[Jazzdogg]

I'm a jazz pianist who recently took up the bass, so my perspective will be a bit different... but that said, I am sure that my ability to pick up bass lines fairly quickly has been aided by my piano playing.

I hear harmonies and know chords fairly well and I also knew bass lines from walking with my left hand on the piano.

I think the two instruments really complement each other. After playing some more bass, I've also realized that it's helped my piano playing.

I'm very curious to hear whether your choice of bass notes is at all influenced by the instrument being played, and the extent (if any) to which the intervals you play on the bass are a function of the instrument itself.

 

[monkeyboyblues]

emilo,

i can't seem to find ed's thread on learning a tune.

can you help?

james

 

[Chris Fitzgerald]

How did I miss this thread? Musta been busy or something... I've found that piano playing helps a lot with harmonic concept as far as knowing which harmonies are more or less interchangeable and how to try and compliment what the piano player is doing. It's also nice to have melodic ideas floating around in the old noggin that are not bass-centric, which can help as a rutbusting device. Overall I'd say it's a very worthwhile - if very addictive and time consuming - undertaking. After not practicing or playing any piano to speak of, I'm about ready to start putting a little time back in on it before i lose everything. Plus, the classical literature for the instrument is amazing. Even Bach alone makes it worthwhile, and that's just the tip of the iceburg.

 

[emilio g]

The piano thing is definitely addictive! I'm getting about an hour a day of piano and its helping tremendously.

My sister gave me a copy of the Hanon technique book so I warm up on an excerise from that very slowly for about 15 minutes, go through the major scales with two hands (also slowly for another 15), then spend the rest of the time playing through a tune or ii-V progressions.

Since the OP, I fired up Sibelius and transposed a ii-V-I voicing I like around the keys and worked on them until I could play them at a medium tempo. Just from doing that, I can play the changes to lots of tunes! Also, The amount of mental clarity I've gained since starting is pretty significant because I'm not so hung up about what chord change comes next. "Seeing" the notes in my head on a keyboard makes a lot more sense to me than "A-7".

Also, I have a sax playing friend who can comp pretty well so we've been getting together and comping while the other solos. Or sometimes we'll work on a part of tune one of us is having trouble with. Its a really fun way to practice.


and ed's post: http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=304843

The "really learning a tune" post. Changed my life.