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Portrait of Tracy

#21
After reading that thread, I passed the whole day practicing that beautiful tune. The most valuable learning tool I have is my digital camera - I can film myself and play back the video to check my errors. I managed to progress to that point this afternoon... and my right hand is totally numb because of those 2nd-to-6th fret stretches...

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#23
Ok-I'll find a way to photo copy the book and sell it to you real cheap.They sold it for $7.95 in 1980.I have an ISBN # 0-8256-9943-6 ,if you still cant find it ,let me know.Send me a private email if yor are interested.I think you'll,after reading this book,there are other locations for that hard to reach Harmonic.
 
#24
Originally posted by Stupid Southpaw
After reading that thread, I passed the whole day practicing that beautiful tune. The most valuable learning tool I have is my digital camera - I can film myself and play back the video to check my errors. I managed to progress to that point this afternoon... and my right hand is totally numb because of those 2nd-to-6th fret stretches...

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sounds good Northfoot, I wasn't able to see the video file, but I heard the audio, and it sounded good...I remebmer when I first figured out the 2nd-6th stretch, it beats the hell out of the more popular 6th to 11th :D
 
#29
I don't think Portrait of racy is that hard really. The toughest part is finding the right harmonics, which might take a few listens. You have to make sure that the balance between the harmonics and the normal notes is right, e.g. don't hit the normal notes too hard. Don't use a compressor, pedal or anything... just make sure to use your bridge pickup and perhaps raise the high mids a tad. I have been playing the song on various basses and alway manage to get a good sound without too much fiddling. Do learn the song though... it's great fun!
 
#30
Originally posted by MotorMind
I don't think Portrait of racy is that hard really. The toughest part is finding the right harmonics, which might take a few listens. You have to make sure that the balance between the harmonics and the normal notes is right, e.g. don't hit the normal notes too hard. Don't use a compressor, pedal or anything... just make sure to use your bridge pickup and perhaps raise the high mids a tad. I have been playing the song on various basses and alway manage to get a good sound without too much fiddling. Do learn the song though... it's great fun!
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I totally agree. Also, try plucking the harmonics near the bridge, with a good amount of force, so they ring clearly. If you do so, you can hit the fretted notes normally and get a good balance.
 
#31
If I remember correctly, Jaco usd MAD compression on his debut album, for Portrait of Tracy, I've seen vids of him playing it live, and it definatly didn't sound as clear as on the album, especially the final harmonic chord.
 
#32
On two occasions,I saw Jaco plug into a Boss Chorus via his Acoustic amp. my friend,Daviv Demeter(James Demeter's brother ,maker of Demeter elecronics) was a t a dinner at Fred Wallachy's(sp?) ,owner of Westwood music in L.A.David was a teacher at Fred's music store.Jaco was a guest at dinner,in to play a concert.At one point ,as i heard it,Jaco(along with everyone else0,had a few too many glasses of wine. At one point,he leaned over and got in Fred's face,and said "I'm the best f@#$% bass player in the world".I don't recall what happened after that. I think if I were there,at that moment,I would have asked "do you use any effects on your bass?"
 
#33
Originally posted by Ninestring
I think if I were there,at that moment,I would have asked "do you you any effects on your bass?"
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Jaco is clearly using a chorus on "Portrait of Tracy". And basses in studios always get compressed. The thing is: you do have to to play without, so you can use the effects as enhancements, not to overcome problems with your technique.
 
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#34
Seems hard to me :D

Of course I am kind of average when it comes to anything other than root-fifth-root-fifth

:(

The hard part for me is fretting one note while hitting harmonics on two other strings....

I have the habit of laying my fretting finger over the other strings (to mute them)

Don
 
#35
That is something that jaco was particularly talented with, he was always able to sustain harmonics even while playing other riffs beneath them. It took me a wihle to get this under my belt, but I feel comfortable saying that I can do it too, maybe not perfect, but I just raise my Left hand into an arch/claw shape to play notes on the E-A strings while harmonics are ringing on the D-G

the really tricky part is keeping a sustained harmonics on the A string, alternating harmonics on the D-G and plucked notes on the E all at once.
 
#37
Learning to play what somebody else has already created does not require talent.All the work has been done already. Jaco was an inovative bassist who still has bass players trying to learn what he played twentyfive years ago. It is easy to say that what Jaco did didn't require talent,but practice.Obviously,he practiced,but some players have a special spark which could be called talent. At the time Portrait of Tracy was released in 1976, nobody had exhibited the extensive use of open harmonics in a bass solo as Jaco did.To think of doing that is talent.To learn everybody else's licks takes practice.One Jaco is all we need.I don't know about you,but I have heard recordings of bass players under the age of thirty, and their entire sound is pure Jaco rip off.I posted the info for "Harmonics for Electric Bass". It outlines 99% of all open harmonic combinations.That includes chords Jaco didn't play. It would be really impressive if someone wrote a new tune,using new open harmonics,and created something new.
 
#38
Originally posted by Ninestring
Learning to play what somebody else has already created does not require talent.All the work has been done already. Jaco was an inovative bassist who still has bass players trying to learn what he played twentyfive years ago. It is easy to say that what Jaco did didn't require talent,but practice.Obviously,he practiced,but some players have a special spark which could be called talent. At the time Portrait of Tracy was released in 1976, nobody had exhibited the extensive use of open harmonics in a bass solo as Jaco did.To think of doing that is talent.To learn everybody else's licks takes practice.One Jaco is all we need.I don't know about you,but I have heard recordings of bass players under the age of thirty, and their entire sound is pure Jaco rip off.I posted the info for "Harmonics for Electric Bass". It outlines 99% of all open harmonic combinations.That includes chords Jaco didn't play. It would be really impressive if someone wrote a new tune,using new open harmonics,and created something new.
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Of course, of course. But then again, this thread is about playing Portrait of Tracy, as boring as it may sound to you. ;) MotorMind was just pointing out that a particular technique is not necessarily a sign of talent - Jaco's compositional skills were maaaaad, and that's where the bulk of his talent resided, not in his flawless technique. No doubt about that.

Let's hear one of your compositions too!
 
#39
Jaco composed Portrait of Tracy out of a close to flawless technique.It only seems logical that he found some of the 99 or so open harmonic chords,and composed the tune out of a combination of technique to be able to clearly sound the available open harmonics, play those and combine them with plucked bass notes and his abilility to "hear" the tonality of the composition.He had to work with the limited voicings of open harmonics(i have posted info on the book"Harmonics for Electric Bass" by Adam Novick)

If you want to hear some of my compositions , Iam guessing you want to hear bass performances and not my jingles,film music etc. I created a way to compose a tune within the limited range of a 6 or 7 string bass,and play any note or chords in harmonics. it's not open harmonics like Portrait of Tracy.I will try playing that tune with my harmonic technique.It won't sound the same,but his composition is great,so it will save me!

i have a few tunes at: http://artists.mp3s.com/artists/551/garry_goodman.html
 

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