TKenrick

[quote name='chrkelly' post='835256' date='May 12 2010, 01:26 PM']There's so much great stuff going on at the moment. Check out Gwilym Simcock and Kit Downes, both incredible pianists. Chris Montague's Troyka for some very heavy grooves. Saxophonist Trish Clowes has an album coming out later this year with full symphony orchestra on a few tracks, absolutely beautiful writing.[/quote] +1 for Gwilym Simcock. Caught his birthday gig at the 606 a couple of months back and was totally blown away. I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Laurence Cottle yet - his live quintet record is one of my favourite 'bass player' albums, and his big band stuff is amazing [url="http://laurencecottle.com/listen/LC_BigBand-IGotRidovEm.mp3"]http://laurencecottle.com/listen/LC_BigBand-IGotRidovEm.mp3[/url]

[quote name='Patrickhadow' post='818321' date='Apr 25 2010, 06:58 PM']And Thanks for the TRANSCRIPTIONS![/quote] No problem, I'm always happy to help out people who want to read!

Apologies for the self-promotion, but if you click the link in my sig then you should find there's a few transcriptions to look through that should suit most levels of reading ability.

[quote name='Mike' post='770645' date='Mar 10 2010, 05:16 PM']I'm transcribing Mike Brecker & Pat Metheny's solos from Metheny's Song for Bilboa on Brecker's Time is of the Essence album, both brilliant![/quote] I've just started Brecker's solo on this tune on [i]Tales from the Hudson[/i], fancy a trade when we're done? Recently finished Wayne Shorter's and Herbie Hancock's solos on 'Witch Hunt', bass-wise I'm working through Me'Shell's [i]Plantation Lullabies[/i] album and some Bakithi Kumalo stuff from Paul Simon's [i]Graceland[/i].

After a long time away from DB due to shoulder/arm problems I'm finally in a position to start practicing again. I live in a flat where noise travels easily between floors and I'm wary of annoying my neighbours when practicing. I've already got an ultra practice mute (http://www.thestringzone.co.uk/ultra-double-bass-practice-mute) but it doesn't really cut down the volume much. My main concern is vibrations going through the floor- I've tried putting a pillow under my endpin but this doesn't seem to do much either. Does anyone have any suggestions for more something more effective? Tom

I bought one of [url="http://www.squierguitars.com/products/search.php?partno=0300575500"]these[/url] for teaching to save wear & tear on my fender, and had been thinking about making the switch to E-C for a while. As it happens, the B string on this bass sounded awful so it made sense to try it out with a high string instead. I had the nut replaced and added a ramp, and now it plays really nicely for a £200 bass. The only complaint I have about the sound is that the C string is noticeably thinner that the others - I suspect this is partly to do with scale length (I remember reading that this was a factor in Garrison/Gwizdala moving to 33" scale instruments) As far as the mental adjustment goes, it takes me a few seconds to get comfortable if I've been playing my 'regular' 5-string a lot, but otherwise it's fine. When I first got it I spent a fair amount of time getting acquainted with the new fretboard layout before I started playing anything too involved. As others have already said, it's great for chordal work, and for getting together ideas that I've stolen from guitarists/horn players etc. When budget allows I'll invest in a better 5 to string E-C as it's becoming my favourite setup for practicing, and the only thing that's preventing me from gigging with it is that the Squier doesn't sound nearly as good as my other basses.

Been working on this on and off for a while and finally got round to finishing it. I know there are a few Me'Shell fans here so I thought I'd post it. Not the entire album, but a selection of grooves from most of the tracks. The feel of some of the lines and fills can't really be done justice in notation (not by me, at least!), particularly when it comes to slides, trills and other ornaments. [attachment=42825:Peace_Be..._Passion.pdf] Comments, corrections and suggestions are always welcome Tom

[quote name='JTUK' post='746838' date='Feb 16 2010, 08:16 AM']Marcus Miler as a sideman does it .. Off the top of my head, his live work with Miles Davis and studio stuff with Luther Vandross are places to start. Basically gets aways from the solo pyro player as that came later The Vandross stuff pretty well spawned a Marcus Miller style used by loads of artists...and other seesion guys like Tom Barney built a career aping his Grooves..IMV[/quote] This one gets my vote...

[quote name='jakesbass' post='746027' date='Feb 15 2010, 04:02 PM']"The value of music is to be able to play one note at the right time in the right way."[/quote] Couldn't agree with this more. Great post Jake, thanks for sharing. Tom

In my experience, the use of the 1fpf system (particularly in the form of those '1234' exercises) in the lower register of the bass stems from guitar techniques/exercises. Due to the smaller scale length of the guitar, 1fpf can be used all over the neck without causing any physical problems, and is undoubtedly a highly efficient and logical system in many playing situations. Unfortunately this doesn't really work on bass due to the increased scale length. Although my hands are large enough to accommodate the use of 1fpf from the first fret, I find that the potential benefits are outweighed by increased fatigue, unnatural stretching and the risk of injury. Try this: - Let your left hand/arm relax completely. Notice how the fingers of your left hand naturally curve over towards the palm and there's a gap between fingers and thumb that's conveniently about the same width of the neck of a bass. - Without changing this natural hand position, bring your left hand up to the bass so that your first finger is at the first fret. Notice that the natural hand span in this position is 3 frets. - Keep your left hand completely relaxed and bring it up the neck to roughly the 7th/8th fret. Notice how the natural hand span here is 4 frets (this may vary according to hand size - some may have a 4-fret span at the 5th fret, others at the 10th) I use this method to help decide the point at which I (or those that I teach) should use 1fpf, as it allows me to see where on the instrument it will work from a [i][/i]physical[i][/i] perspective. I can't recommend the Simandl books enough. Working with the first Simandl book did more for my tone and articulation than anything else I've ever practiced, and I believe that the 1-2-4 fingering system presented in the book is the best way of navigating the bass in the lower register. I do still use 1fpf exercises, but only in the upper register of the bass where it makes physical sense. There's a book called 'Bass Fitness' by Josquin Des Pres that has lots of great exercises that help finger independence, but unfortunately all of the exercises are presented starting from the first fret... I give these exercises to students, but starting at the 12th fret so they can get the benefit without putting their hands in unnatural and potentially damaging positions. Apologies for the long-winded reply, hopefully this is helpful! Tom

[quote name='TommyK' post='741086' date='Feb 10 2010, 02:54 PM']Is it possible to do it on a fretted?[/quote] Sliding harmonics on a fretted bass are absolutely possible - I first saw it on a Stu Hamm instructional video years ago. Not the easiest thing to explain through text, but here goes... 1. Play a harmonic on the G string (I find the 4th and 5th frets work best for sliding harmonics, but that might just be my bass) 2. While the harmonic is still ringing, press your finger down directly onto the fret wire - the harmonic should still be ringing out. 3. Slide in the desired direction while still maintaining the pressure with your fretting hand I'm aware this isn't ideal, I'll try and make a video at some point to try and give a clearer explanation/demonstration. Tom

Cachao's son Orlando Lopez is also worth a listen, there's a great album of his called 'Cachaito' that's worth checking out. Although not quite in the same vein as the other players mentioned, I'd recommend checking out Anthony Jackson on Michel Camilo's stuff if you haven't already, particularly the albums 'One More Once' and 'Rendezvous'.

[quote name='Faithless' post='725342' date='Jan 26 2010, 04:09 PM']Hope, you'll sort it.. I'm also spending not more than an hour a day, but, what gets in my way, is finding a [b]proper material[/b] to transcribe.. I thought, it'd be best to start at some plain blues solos, but, all that swing movement, it's just pain in the arse at the beginning to write it properly .. Do you rememember any of your first solos/themes, that you transcribed?[/quote] I spent a lot of time doing transcriptions of things that I thought I [i]should[/i] be transcribing, rather than things I really [i]wanted[/i] to transcribe. I found the way round this was to make a list of musicians whose playing I really admire and who I want to sound like. This provides me with a decent amount of material to get through, and means that I'm always working on material that appeals to me and that I'll (hopefully) incorporate into my playing. There are other times, particularly when I'm working on standards, when I'll transcribe a couple of choruses of a solo to see how certain players approach different changes - working on Maiden Voyage has been really good for finding out how to deal with sus9 chords. As for the first things I transcribed, I spent a lot of time only transcribing bass players. Although this is something that I needed to do as a bass player, it wasn't helping things when it came to improvising/soloing, as I don't want to sound like a bass player when I solo. I think the first non-bass transcriptions I did were Miles' solo on 'So What' and Paul Desmond's solo on 'Take Five', which aren't too taxing.

[quote name='Faithless' post='724559' date='Jan 25 2010, 09:03 PM']How much practice time do you dedicate to transcription process in your everyday routine?[/quote] It really depends on what I'm transcribing and what other things need to be practiced. Normally I'd spend about an hour a day on transcription, which works out at about a quarter of my total practice time. At the moment I'm having a bunch of problems with the tendons in my left arm so I can't really do much practice, which means I'm spending more like 2 or 3 hours a day transcribing. On the original subject of the thread, currently transcribing: Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage (tenor solo done, working on Freddie Hubbard's trumpet solo) Tool - Various bits and pieces (The Pot, Vicarious, Forty Six & 2)

Great comms, speedy postage and well packaged items, couldn't really ask for anything more! Highly recommended, would definitely do business again. Tom

[quote name='Faithless' post='719583' date='Jan 20 2010, 09:26 PM']I would never ever go to such a gig, no matter, what money..[/quote] Call me a sell-out, but I'd kill for a decent (I mean 'high profile') pop tour like that, even if it is mimed. I've been to auditions that have been a similarly stitched-up, and it sucks, especially when you don't get gigs because of the way you look...

Miles Davis' solo on 'Four' Willie Weeks' part on Donny Hathaway's 'Love, Love, Love' Me'shell Ndegeocello - Peace Beyond Passion (Trying to do the bulk of the album, currently working on 'Stay') Laurence Cottle - I'm Further plus the usual RHCP/Coldplay/Fall Out Boy junk that I use for teaching as the kids are into it.

Here's my best attempt to capture Willie Weeks' part on Donny Hathaway's 'Love, Love, Love'. Normally I try and find chords from external sources or avoid transcribing the harmony due to laziness, but this time I thought I'd give it a shot - corrections are always welcome! Tom [attachment=40541:Love_Love_Love.pdf]

Bobby Vega is probably my favourite pick player. Not that much of him on youtube but he's one of the few guys that can really groove with a pick...