Double Bass Practicing with BAIB?

[bass4art]

Hey Guys

I have pull out my band in box 2010 and started to practicing with it more. And I am finding that my timing and walking chord reading is getting much much better with.

I am working on both my Upright and Electric Bass in becoming a more rounded jazz bassist, plus the rufus reed and the 1963 Rufus Reed Book as well, plus simandle as well.

every Tuesday, I go to a jam session at my friend place, where we read all sorts of chords charts from different periods of jazz as well. And Ralph, who plays banjo there, who is also a bassist, as been helping by making suggestion to me to improve my jazz skills, my classical play is also coming along as well.

And he had said my timing is so much better, and I stay in the pocket and tempo real well, and this computer program is helping me do this as well, as a practice tool.

In 3 years I do plan to move to another city, to pursue my career as a bassist, but I am just going through now and shedding the mistake and techniqual errors in my playing so I can be a better bassist as well.

Kirk

 

[Huy Nguyen]

I dumped my old BinaB years ago, and don't even play with a backing track - just a metronome (on 2 & 4 or sometimes just 4). The result is that my playing look a couple leaps being forced to keep my own time and outlining the chords while soloing.

Hard at first but gets easier. Dump the crutch - it's good for ya.

 

[bass4art]

I do practice with a metronome in fact I have a beat lab machine, and I do it all the time. I just use the BIAB to reneforce what I am doing in my practice.
Kirk

 

[anonymous122511]

I still turn it on once in a while for fun but as part of a regular practice regime I found it unmusical and of little value to the ends I want to achieve.

 

[Shoehorn]

Play-a-longs can be helpful for new harmonic territory but always, always, always make sure you're hearing the harmony in your inner ear and are able to sing and outline it on the instrument. Someone should be able to walk into the room halfway through the tune and say "oh, he's playing Stablemates" or whatever tune it is you're working on.

 

[N.F.A.]

I am at the very beginning stages of learning to walk. So, my teacher recommended BIAB and gave me a jazz blues progression to use and practice, transposing to all keys. I have been having a blast with it and even upgraded a bit.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

The thing about using any methodology that provides a fuller accompaniment (whether that's an Aebersold play along, a drum machine or BiaB) is that the tune keeps going no matter WHAT you play. Your line doesn't have to make any sense, you don't have to nail the time because the tune just keeps on going. The thing you get from just improvising over form using a nome is you working on moving the harmony forward in a way that you can HEAR what you are doing, a stand alone line that either communicates what you are hearing or doesn't; so that you can work on it till it does.
Sure, in situations where you don't have the opportunity to play with a lot of other people, using one of these programs should be a part of your practice regimen. But it shouldn't be where you work on time and harmony. As HUFFDIDDY says, dump the crutch.
One nice use of the Aebersold recordings ( that you ca't really do with BiaB unless somebody else does the programming for you) is ear training; don't look at the sheet music that comes with the recording, just put it on and try to get what the progression is. Start with root movement/key center changes, see if you can get chord quality and THEN look at the sheet and see where you are.

 

[powerbass]

I used to use BIAB a lot. It is a tool that can be very useful. I downloaded many jazz standards to play along with which can be great for learning new tunes. I like the ability to print the melody in bass clef or print out the bass line and work on my reading/walking skills. As mentioned above I think the next step is just you and the metronome, keeping time and making your lines sound fluid and melodic. I think the hardest skill to learn as a bassist is the ability to lay down a solid groove, in time, flowing with the changes so that the song is clearly heard - this ability comes from practice with nothing but a metronome or maybe with a piano

 

[N.F.A.]

Where can one download jazz standards? Are you referring to midi files?

 

[Huy Nguyen]

BinaB has it's uses but I wish I had dumped it far sooner than I did. It's good for learning some basic mechanics but thats about all I can justify it for. Hearing the same type of comping over and over doesn't prepare you for all the different styles of players you end up playing with and different ways they can approach the song - esp rhythmically.

Along what what DEADPUKESPRAY says, it also doesn't really develop your innate sense of time. You learn to surf on top of a consistent time generator, but you can't really internalize it doing it that way. I feel like you have to be able to anticipate where the center of the beat will fall next so you can pull the string in the fraction of a second before the beat center arrives - matching up the sound and the beat.

A couple years ago, DURRL wrote something about forcing his students to hear the melody while playing the bassline or bassline while playing the melody. That's where the **** is. Same goes with Ed's way of learning. Memorizing tunes, learning them inside and out is the fastest way to mastery. For me, memorizing can only be done by myself with no comping. If I can make it clear and sound good by my little lonesome, chances are it'll work far better in the real world playing with someone else.

 

[N.F.A.]

Thanks for what seems to be excellent advice relative to my situation. I'm finding this jazzy/walking type of playing and thinking very challenging, enjoyable and mentally engaging so far. I've always been strictly a rocker, but am ready to expand out a bit. Thanks again for the advice so far.

 

[anonymous122511]

One nice use of the Aebersold recordings ( that you ca't really do with BiaB unless somebody else does the programming for you) is ear training;

Not to mention with Aebersold you're listening to master musicians which to an oral tradition like jazz is essential.
No one ever gave the advise to go cop the groove of a Monk tune from BIAB.

 

[powerbass]

If you do a google search for BIAB realbook songs you should come up with 500 or so - that is what I did. Yes they are midi.

 

[251]

Once upon a time BIAB files for Real Book(s), OmniBook & others were posted in the BIAB group on Yahoo. There are still useful files there but, ASCAP/BMI insisted those files be taken down, years ago. I don't doubt you can download them elsewhere on the web. I just don't want to take the time to clean my computer after visiting a torrent site. YRMV.

Find the Yahoo BIAB group at; Band-In-A-Box Group

 

[bass4art]

I already have the files for those,

what I am doing here to get the real performance experience playing, I am playing in a jazz jam session where I play with 8 other musician friends with chord charts going back 50-60 years, even some early New Orleans Style Jazz charts as well. Then I play bass in a organized Dixieland Group, where we do arrangements of the famous Dixieland New Orleans pieces like that of Loui Armstrongs style. Plus I am going out to open mics as well. to help me develop my bass playing as well.

Kirk

 

[Ed Fuqua]

OK, good luck with that.
Have a Blessed Day.

 

[Raka]

Someone should be able to walk into the room halfway through the tune and say "oh, he's playing Stablemates" or whatever tune it is you're working on.

As a novice, I appreciate your comment because that's what I was thinking that my next target should be.

For hearing changes, I use iPad plus iReal book. Much less quality playing, but also much cheaper than buying all the Aebersold or Hal Leonard ones.

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

I use Band in a Box - not for practicing, but rather composing. It prints out quite nice lead sheets and it's a good way of checking that the chords sound right - if you can't play them quickly enough or don't have access to a keyboard.

So I write a melody and then add chords - experiment with them until they sound right - then print out the sheets to play with other people. It's easy to transpose the parts for Bb and Eb instruments.

 

[Lowtonejoe]

Hey Guys

I have pull out my band in box 2010 and started to practicing with it more. And I am finding that my timing and walking chord reading is getting much much better with.

I am working on both my Upright and Electric Bass in becoming a more rounded jazz bassist, plus the rufus reed and the 1963 Rufus Reed Book as well, plus simandle as well.

every Tuesday, I go to a jam session at my friend place, where we read all sorts of chords charts from different periods of jazz as well. And Ralph, who plays banjo there, who is also a bassist, as been helping by making suggestion to me to improve my jazz skills, my classical play is also coming along as well.

And he had said my timing is so much better, and I stay in the pocket and tempo real well, and this computer program is helping me do this as well, as a practice tool.

In 3 years I do plan to move to another city, to pursue my career as a bassist, but I am just going through now and shedding the mistake and techniqual errors in my playing so I can be a better bassist as well.

Kirk

BIAB is AWESOME!

It is so easy to turn on and off different instruments, change keys, change tempos and print out the lead sheet!

It is not perfect but they have files for all the tunes in Realbook (extremely helpful if you are new to Jazz...or even if you aren't) and tons more if you are into pop, rock, blah blah.

There is no replacing humans but if they are not available or aren't good enough to practice with BIAB is a lifesaver!



Joe.

 

[kurt]

I didn't use BIAB for the first 15 years I played bass. It shouldn't be the only way you practice but it CAN be a very useful tool.

I find it to be really helpful for intonation, especially on tunes that are in odd keys, this is a fretless instrument after all and if you're playing by yourself how do you know if you're in tune? sure you can use occasional open strings but I find that my intonation has gotten a lot better after using BIAB.

Also I feel like I can play solos that don't sound like bass solos. Practicing by myself I tend to outline the changes too much so it sounds like the tune to me, but I end up using a lot of roots 3rds and 5ths. I never got to the point where I could use 9ths 11ths and 13ths musically before because by myself I would lose the sound of the tune in my head and get lost. Now that I've done this for a while I can use all those colour tones and still make it sound like the tune.

And it is very helpful full for learning new standards.

Of course all this is tempered with years of college, jazz jams, classical practice, practicing with a metronome scales, arpeggios etc. Jamming with real musician's is much better but not all of us have the opportunity to jam with other jazz players all the time. And what other players, are gonna let you take 20 choruses of soloing on a tune? I for one wish I had started using it sooner!