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Playing an octave above?

A

Arnak

Oct 24, 2006
25
0
77
#1
Hi Folks,

I am attempting to play the bass notes for Blue Moon but the written notes are too low for the Bass Guitar.:crying:

Would it sound all right if I just moved the the notes up 1 octave but kept in the same key?

Thanks,

Arnak
 
#4
bassbrad said:
That is perfectly acceptable. FWIW the notes for string bass or electric bass are usually written an octave up compared to the same notes written or played on piano or tuba.
Click to expand...

very upsetting when reading from fake books for piano........a rude awakening for me when i was a kid. reading that low on the staff is a little less easy than reading the transposed staff for BG.
 
#6
Arnak said:
Hi Folks,

I am attempting to play the bass notes for Blue Moon but the written notes are too low for the Bass Guitar.:crying:

Would it sound all right if I just moved the the notes up 1 octave but kept in the same key?

Thanks,

Arnak
Click to expand...

I also think it is acceptable. I've read many posts since joining early this year about people stressing the need to have a multi-string bass or drop-tuning because the original recording went that low. I can see their point if they are in a tribute band where an audience is expecting to hear a band sound "just like the record." I could be wrong, but I think most of us play in cover bands, and play to have fun! We throw in an extra fill here and there, maybe a slide, while not straying too far from the original version of the song. Oh well, I'm rambling.

Just enjoy playing, and people will enjoy listening.

X8
 
#7
bassbrad said:
That is perfectly acceptable. FWIW the notes for string bass or electric bass are usually written an octave up compared to the same notes written or played on piano or tuba.
Click to expand...

I did a reading dance-band gig twenty years ago where the leader called an old song we'd never played. I pulled the chart out of book and he immediately counted it off so I barely had time to get the key siognature. It was an old-time two-beat thing but no chiord changes. Six measures in it goes way below the F clef- that's when I found out about tuba charts...
 
#8
As was mentioned before, the double bass and bass guitar are sounding notes an octave lower than are written on their notation scores. The 6 string guitar is the same way with treble clef. The notes written on the page, are sounded an octave lower than they are notated. Tuba, cello and piano are written at pitch.

So you are most likely not reading music that's been scored with this in mind. (ie. reading from a piano book, instead of a bass book)
 
#10
...And part of the fun (at least in pop/rock/blues) is improvising a bit as you go. I always add/subtract some for fun, while preserving those signature parts people know and expect. Unless your band demands note-for-note from the record, have some fun.
 

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