GonzoBass

Loads of good-for-you info here- [url="http://ergocise.com/wrists.html"]http://ergocise.com/wrists.html[/url] ...and I can also suggest looking into the multiple benefits of turmeric. The combination of these two has kept me in the game longer than I thought I would be.

[url="http://wheatsbassbook.com/"]http://wheatsbassbook.com/[/url] Go at your own pace.

[quote name='MacDaddy' timestamp='1428584414' post='2742693'] seriously considering cheating and using a pic [/quote] Just for the record: Using a plectrum isn't "cheating"...

[sup]Yes, a walking line does not maketh "jazz"...[/sup] [sup]and I also agree with the state of the original recordeding:[/sup] [sup]One has to wonder if the bassist knew the red light was on for that take.[/sup]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1426610776' post='2719834'] ...it is normally a throwaway number at a function where people want back ground musak while still eating..?? [/quote] My main situation is a duo which makes a pretty decent wage doing just that and yes, Moondance is on our list. In fact, I play the melody, then walk a line for the guitar solo (you can find a sample here if you click "All Songs")- [url="http://www.reverbnation.com/JazzX2"]http://www.reverbnation.com/JazzX2[/url] Never quite understood the animosity towards the tune, myself. Folks seem to like it and I make people happy for a living. If I were playing exclusively songs that float my boat, I'd be in a Steely Dan tribute band somewhere.

I'm still using this one- [url="http://practicesightreading.com/"]http://practicesightreading.com/[/url]

Okay folks, Jeff Gaeth's single "Forgotten Reef" went to [u]#2[/u] last week but that means this week is "the big one"... Would you please help me get this tune to #1? You can cast your much appreciated vote here- [url="http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/"]http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/[/url] All you gotta do is click that link, scroll towards the bottom of the page, then copy/paste one or more of the following into their contact form (as many times as possible ); I'd like to cast my vote for Jeff Gaeth's "Forgotten Reef". Please accept my vote for Jeff Gaeth and "Forgotten Reef". I'd like to see Jeff Gaeth's "Forgotten Reef" go to #1! Here is another vote for Jeff Gaeth! Jeff Gaeth! Jeff Gaeth! Jeff Gaeth! Jeff Gaeth! ...well, you get the idea. Thanks in advance guys!!!

[quote name='Mcgiver69' timestamp='1413373024' post='2577590'] Congrats mate, I was wondering where you were some days ago! Nice to see "The Mighty Thor" is still around and making great music. [/quote] Thanks for thinking of me! Just finishing up a three week/eight show run of "La Cage Aux Folles" here, blessed to be sitting at the left hand of Quack Moore (of Saturday Night Live fame). October's been good: Will have done 21 gigs in 31 days at month's end but I am always keeping one eye on the "Theory and Technique" forum from here. ...usually when you folks are fast asleep.

Jeff Gaeth's song "Forgotten Reef"- [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLjQ5Wu50w4"]https://www.youtube....h?v=WLjQ5Wu50w4[/url] is still climbing and has reached #3 this week! Naturally, I'd reeeally like to see it go to #1!!! Please have a listen and if you like the tune, could I ask you to cast your much appreciated vote here? [url="http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/"]http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/[/url] If you could just enter that you'd like to vote for the song "Forgotten Reef"... I'd be eternally grateful!

Wow, up two more spots this week! Many thanks to those of you that voted!!! ...and, umm... here's that link again if you'd care to help us out- [url="http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/"]http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/[/url]

Thanks for taking the time to check it out guys! [quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1411386940' post='2558931']Terrific production as well. Some top bands and Musicians on that KJAZZ radio page. [/quote] This CD was mastered by the legendary Steve Hall at Future Disc, if that name rings any bells and if it doesn't, here's a link to Steve's discography- [url="http://www.futurediscsystems.com/Discography.html"]http://www.futurediscsystems.com/Discography.html[/url] I thought he sure gave the bass a fair shake on this mix! ...and yes, I am absolutely blown away to be included among the artists on that list!

Hello folks! Some of you know I rarely venture out of the Theory Forum but I wanted to let you all know that apparently a CD I did some tracks for here, seems to have caught on over there- If you'd like to have a listen to "Forgotten Reef" for yourself (and many other mp3s from the new CD "Portrait"), you could visit Jeff's site- [url="http://lm.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fjeffgaeth.com%2F&h=PAQEhv9QS&s=1"]http://jeffgaeth.com/[/url] ...and if you like what you hear, maybe you could help us out by taking a second to cast your much appreciated vote here- [url="http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/"]http://www.kjazzradiouk.com/contact/[/url] Thanks in advance!

On unfamiliar gigs such as this, I've told band leaders upfront that I see bass solos much the same as I do drum solos: One a night is enough. Then pick a tune you are comfortable with to take it. Watermelon Man is an easy one as far as changes go and Summertime is another one of my choices. Of course there is the old line, "Bass players. We never solo, yet we always solo". Following this approach, when they turn and ask if you want one, simply yell, "I AM soloing!"

"Building Walking Basslines" is another one of Ed's books that I can highly recommend.

I could add- [url="http://www.guitarcats.com/realbook-jazz-standards/A"]http://www.guitarcat...azz-standards/A[/url]

I could suggest the late great Tom "T-Bone" Wolk. He was always a tasteful player and had a knack for finding just the right moment for his subhook IMHO. He has a long list of credits but I'm particularly partial to his work with Hall and Oates. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Wolk"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Wolk[/url]

I could suggest that after you've learned the changes, go back and learn the head. Yes, it's in treble clef but fortunately neither of these songs are a very difficult read. People are often surprised to hear the bass playing the melody. Plus in an audition situation, it shows that you can read both clefs, actually took the time to absorb ALL the information on the page and learn the ENTIRE tune, not just fake/improv your way through the changes, leaving the rest up to "the other guy". You may not want to play the melody as written the whole way through for your solo, because you're suppose to be expressing your own ideas at the time but it's nice to quote significant phrases and it will give you melodic/harmonic ideas to build on. (Hint: Throw your own licks in where there are whole notes during the melody) I once read a quote from Ron Carter that said something like, "If someone walks into the club in the middle of your solo, they should still be able to identify what song you're playing." Just my 2 pesos... Some additional help here to get you started- http://www.activebass.com/l23859--Autumn-Leaves http://www.activebass.com/l18646--Blue-Bossa

[quote name='ML94' timestamp='1376986849' post='2181726'] Theory wise, how do you approach connecting different chords without being too repetitive ? [/quote] [quote name='ML94' timestamp='1376993991' post='2181863'] What gets me is starting from a root and then trying to land on the nearest harmony note of the next chord eg 3rd, 5th. Ay excercises that would help me with this. [/quote] Have a look/listen here (note there are two pages) - [url="http://www.activebass.com/l23026--Autumn-Resolutions"]http://www.activebas...umn-Resolutions[/url] I hope this helps.

Here's my buddy Nate doing his solo version of "All Blues"- [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9En9x_762is[/media] *performance hint: He transposed it to A to allow the use of open strings...

Yes, [b]much[/b] easier on the yes.

Very nice Matt. Thanks!

[quote name='RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE' timestamp='1367609528' post='2067631'] Have you considered a short scale, or even a headless bass? [/quote] I've found that most headless basses, for balance reasons, have the neck shifted to the left about a whole step when compared to the traditional Fenders, etc. where you'll find the top horn strap button above the 12th fret. This actually places the entire fretboard of a headless, including your uncomfortable first position, [b][i]farther[/i][/b] [b][i]away[/i][/b] from you. So, for example, with your elbow against your body, where your fret hand would naturally fall for the E at the 7th fret A? Mine falls on F#... and my low F is waaay out there! (This is why I move my strap to my right shoulder at times) Most people who play my Steinbergers have commented on this and it took me some getting use to when I switched to headless.

This may seem a bit "out of the box simple" but have you tried moving your strap to your right shoulder? I've done this toward the end of a long night when confronted with a song in F...

[quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1360930055' post='1978425'] Nobody does. They exist simply to humiliate you. [/quote]

You might compare phrasing in music to phasing in conversation, especially since both are forms of communication. Basically, it's the delivery, length of, and pause between, your ideas. Consider the difference between listening to some overexcited, highly caffeinated chatterbox rambling full speed ahead using run on sentences, who won't let you get a word in edgewise (Kenny G and certain guitarists come to mind) and the deliberately paced reading of a poem, with it's dramatic pauses strategically placed for you to take a moment and consider the image being conveyed. Musically, you could include such techniques as; - Call and response/tension and release when coupling your phrases within a solo (ending one phrase on a high or tension note and then resolving to a lower or root note in your next phrase). - Either using longer notes to begin a solo or starting with a fast phrase. - The tension of ascending as opposed to descending phrases. - Separating your phrases, whether it being with a slight pause or a longer pause for effect. - Varying the volume and dynamics within or between phrases. The beauty of music is that the possibilities are quite endless and only limited by your imagination. Not to discredit guitarists as a lot here (you can almost [u]hear[/u] Stevie Ray Vaughn breath between phases during "Riviera Paradise"!) but I'd suggest listening to and reading horn lines for better examples of phrasing (look where the rests are and their duration), simply because horn players (cyclical breathing aside) [b][i]have[/i][/b] to breathe between their ideas, which makes their melodies much more lyrical in thier delivery. I hope this helps.