Major-Minor

[quote name='J.R.Bass' post='1153178' date='Mar 7 2011, 11:17 PM']As always, still loving your lessons Peter. I don't know how i got by without reading before them. Hope all is well at home! Jake[/quote] Hi Jake - how's it going at the RNCM ? Are you still enjoying the course ?

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='1152470' date='Mar 7 2011, 01:43 PM']You may need to read around some of the points and terms in the descriptions if you don't understand them.[/quote] I'm only too happy to take questions regarding the text in my Boot Camp Sessions. And I'm sure many other basschatters will join the discussion !

[quote name='chugster' post='1152466' date='Mar 7 2011, 01:38 PM']Am I missing something because I had a look at the Major's lessons and couldn't see where the lessons were for beginners?[/quote] I have to admit that my Boot Camp Sessions have not been designed as a progressive set of lessons. They tend to dip in and out of various points of interest, and at various skill levels. After all, basschatters come in many different shades of skill level and I wanted to produce something of interest for everyone. However, if you go to the "Getting Started with Music Reading" sessions, these do start with simple stuff and gradually move into more advanced playing. But even these sessions are not really designed for the complete beginner. They tend to assume you have some basic technical skill and a desire to learn bass properly ie comprehensively, including reading, harmonic understanding (chords), improvisation, and rhythm skills. I'm a firm believer in the need for a proper teacher, specially in the early stages. Even if you only have a few lessons with someone who really knows what he / she is doing, you will make much faster progress. And you will not get into bad habits that can be so tricky to put right later on. Also, a good teacher will enthuse you, inspire you and also "crack the whip". Knowing that you have to perform a particular exercise or piece to your teacher at your next lesson will drive you on to perfect it. The Major ps Sorry I've been away from basschat for some months - some domestic issues have been taking up my time !

The Major's Bass Boot Camp - Session 32 It has been suggested that I do a series of theory sessions using classic songs as my starting point. In this first such session we will look at the Beach Boys classic "God Only Knows". There is a lot to look at here, and I will try to keep it all bass related. And, as I intend to make this as easy to follow as possible, I might use a few generalisations. (Those of you with Music Degrees should look away now !) Rather than look at the whole song, I've elected to just go as far as the little instrumental bridge. Listen to the mp3 then play the part through a couple of times. [attachment=74135:MBBC32.pdf] [attachment=74137:God_Only_Knows.mp3] First let's look at the rhythm. Although I have written the bass part out in 4/4 (common time), in actual fact the underlying rhythm is in 12/8 (compound time). In the pop/rock/jazz genres this way of writing is quite common practice, mainly because it is easier on the eye when reading and, in the old days, when music like this was written by hand, it made the copyists job easier. In fact I could have written it with just quavers rather than dotted quavers and semiquavers, with a marking like "swingy" or "shuffle" to clarify the feel. So, in effect, each crotchet beat is divisible by 3. That doesn't mean there are always 3 quaver notes per beat actually being played. Quite the opposite in fact. If you listen to the overall rhythmic effect of this song, you will notice a sort of loping rum - te - tum character. It's mostly the 1st and 3rd quavers of each triplet that are being played. (I'm referring here not to the bass part but the overall arrangement) So wherever you see a semiquaver or tied semiquaver, actually you place the note as if it were a triplet quaver. Listen again to the mp3 and you will see what I mean. Now when we get to bar 32 (the instrumental bridge), you will notice that the feel changes. Here, the underlying groove is in simple time, true 4/4 common time. You can see that I've put the key signature as E major. As the main tune starts on a chord of D (in bar 59 ) you may be wondering why I have chosen E major as the key signature. Well, if you listen to the little horn melody in the intro, the first two notes are C# and D#. That D# puts the starting key firmly into E major (it being the leading note or 7th step in the E major scale). Let's look firstly at the intro (bars 1- 8 inclusive): The bass is tacet to begin with. This term "tacet" means silent (as in taciturn) or "don't play". You will sometimes see this written in pencil on bass parts where a change has been made and a previous player of the part has written this in to indicate that the bass shouldn't play the written notes but come in where "play" has been marked. Here I have put slashes to indicate the guitar chord strums. On a real bass part, there would be a multi rest (a little block in the middle of the bar) with a 3 above it, and the relevant rests in bar 4 before the bass comes in. The interesting point to make about the intro is the chord in bar 6: E major with a G# bass note (written as E over G#) The G# is the major 3rd of the triad of E major (E G# B ) The melody notes in this bar, on the French Horn, are E and B, so naturally the G# fits beautifully underneath creating a complete E major triad. This is called a "first inversion". This is one of those tunes where the key centre shifts about, creating an unsettled yet ultimately satisfying chord sequence. So whereas the intro (bars 1 to 8) suggests E major, the start of the main melody (bars 9 to 11) suggests D major. But there is another complication which adds to the interest. Bar 9 is a chord of D major yet the bass note is A (the 5th of the triad of D). The vocal melody notes at the end of this bar are D C# D. It's often a good thing to have a different bass note to the melody note, so the A bass note fits in really well. Similarly, in bar 12, the chord is B9, melody notes are C# F# A B (C#) (therefore only a D# is missing from the 5 note dominant chord of B9) and we have a bass note of A (the 7th in a B7 chord). Putting the dominant 7th under the chord is another of those great little tricks to spice up the arrangement. This B9 chord in bar 12 modulates the key back into the intro key of E major (B7 being the Dominant chord of E major). From bar 14 for 7 bars, you will see that the bass line descends, mostly chromatically (semitone steps). This is another very pleasing effect. Rather than always playing chord root notes, its a good idea to look for possible descending bass lines (using non-root notes) in any song. I hope this is all clear ! Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions. And please suggest other songs for me to analyse. The Major

The Major's Bass Boot Camp - Session 31 Getting Started with Music Reading - in Eb Major The key of Eb Major has 3 flats - Bb Eb and Ab. MBBC31a [attachment=61227:MBBC31a.pdf] [attachment=61232:MBBC31a.mp3] MBBC31b [attachment=61228:MBBC31b.pdf] [attachment=61233:MBBC31b.mp3] MBBC31c [attachment=61229:MBBC31c.pdf] [attachment=61234:MBBC31c.mp3] MBBC31d [attachment=61230:MBBC31d.pdf] [attachment=61235:MBBC31d.mp3] MBBC31e [attachment=61231:MBBC31e.pdf] [attachment=61236:MBBC31e.mp3] The Major

Stevie - thanks for the suggestion. I'll certainly bear it in mind. I've already started making a few notes to myself on "God Only Knows" - I think this will be an excellent starting point for this type of analysis. And thanks for the offer of the midi files, but I prefer to work from the original recording. It might be a while before this Session appears - its suddenly gone rather busy on the gig front, so I only have limited time to work on this. Please bear with me ! The Major

God Only Knows is a good choice. Leave it with me - I need to think carefully how to present this. In the meantime i might just finish the next Reading Session which is now underway. The Major

Hey Geoff - it looks like we have formed a Mutual Admiration Society !! The Major

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='981040' date='Oct 7 2010, 10:48 PM']+1 from me. I'm painfully slow on the reading but it's satisfying when it comes good. And the earlier theory lessons are fascinating - more of this stuff would be very welcome. One thing I would love to see (I don't know how sensible a suggestion this is...) would be a theory lesson that takes a popular song - an interesting one like a Brian Wilson or a Paul McCartney or a Jeff Lynne job - and dissects it and presents it in terms of how the bloody hell it works. I think this would be a good way to help people (well, me, certainly) understand the utility of some of the cleverer harmony stuff you're showing us. Do you think that would be possible?[/quote] That would be a great idea. Can you suggest a tune or 2 for me to choose from ? The Major

Can i just add that i think Geoff is one of the most talented bass players around, and his infectious enthusiasm coupled with rock solid technique and musical understanding make him the ideal choice if you are looking for a teacher. He is also one of the nicest guys you could possibly hope to meet. The Major

The Major's Bass Boot Camp - Session 30 Getting started with Music Reading - in A Major and 3/4 time The key of A major has 3 sharps - F# C# and G# Up till now, all the Music Reading Sessions have been in 4/4 (common time). Now we will start to look at some of the other time signatures. All the examples in this session are in 3/4 time. So there are 3 crotchet beats in each bar. MBBC30a [attachment=60738:MBBC30a.pdf] [attachment=60742:MBBC30a.mp3] MBBC30b [attachment=60739:MBBC30b.pdf] [attachment=60743:MBBC30b.mp3] MBBC30c [attachment=60740:MBBC30c.pdf] [attachment=60744:MBBC30c.mp3] MBBC30d [attachment=60741:MBBC30d.pdf] [attachment=60746:MBBC30d.mp3] MBBC30e [attachment=60745:MBBC30e.pdf] [attachment=60747:MBBC30e.mp3] The Major

[quote name='geoffbassist' post='972161' date='Sep 29 2010, 10:31 PM']I give it it 6 months till your back to flexicores on your classical bass and spiros on your jazz! :-)[/quote] mmm ... I'm beginning to wonder myself ...

Latest update on my "Briggs" bass and also Evah Pirazzi strings: George Martin has done a superb job on the bass. As well as sorting out some crack damage, he has shortened the bottom bouts so now the back fits properly at the bottom. He also put a new bass bar in. My initial impression was that the sound was bigger than ever, but a bit "tight". I couldn't quite put my finger on it (so to speak), but there was definitely more resistance than before and i was struggling to get a quiet sound consistently. After a week in the orchestra (Beethoven 5 amongst other stuff) I was getting quite frustrated about this. The famous scherzo quaver passage in C major was a joy to play, but the pianissimo opening of this movement, the C minor crotchet passage, was quite problematic. I just could not get a smooth and consistent sound no matter what i tried. Then it occurred to me that maybe it was the strings causing the problem. I've had Evahs on this bass for about 6 months and have been loving them. But clearly something is amiss. So I emailed Pirastro and they have told me that sometimes these strings can suffer when taken off the bass and then subsequently replaced. They are sending me a trial set of "Passione" strings - a new variety that they are keen to promote. I will let you all know how I get on with these. The Major [attachment=60155:DSC_0071.JPG] [attachment=60156:62041_43...2083_n_1.jpg] [attachment=60157:DSC_0075.JPG]

The Major's Bass Boot Camp - Session 29 Getting Started with Sight Reading - in B minor Also new in this session; "Dynamics" "Repeat Bar" signs "Cues" "Dynamics" in music generally refers to the volume level you play at; in other words, whether the music is loud or soft. In the classical genre, we go to great lengths during rehearsal to ensure that every note is played at a precise dynamic level, and composers and arrangers will employ a whole range of dynamic markings on their scores to get just the right effect. To be honest, dynamic markings are notable for their absence in most pop, rock and jazz charts, but they do appear from time to time, so you need to be aware of them. Indeed, the word "dynamics" in these genres is usually uttered by the sound engineer and refers to the squashing or compressing of the sound through the PA or recording desk so that there are no fluctuations in sound level. But if you are taking the trouble to learn to read music, it is most likely because you want to work in the session world, TV, radio, cruises or theatres etc, so you need to have a thorough understanding of the terms used. I should make it clear at this stage that we are not talking about the volume settings on either your bass or your amp ! Rather, it is the way you approach the articulation of the notes ie plucking in a softer manner for quiet notes and attacking hard for loud notes. For the purposes of this Session, I'm going to introduce just 4 of the most commonly used dynamic markings - piano, forte, crescendo and diminuendo. You may well be aware that the keyboard instrument that we know as the "piano" was originally called the "fortepiano". It subsequently developed into the "pianoforte" and that is the correct full title for this instrument, but of course we tend to abbreviate it to just the "piano". "Piano" means soft in Italian and "forte" means loud. The pianoforte (the "softloud") was the first strung keyboard instrument that had a distinct dynamic range. So these Italian words (like many others) have become part of the musician's language. We tend to say "pee -ah -no " for the dynamic term and "pyan-o" for the instrument. Forte is pronounced "for-tay". When we write these terms onto the score or parts, we abbreviate to "p" or "f" and these symbols appear under the stave. A dynamic marking in a part is relevant to all the following notes until a new marking is written. Crescendo is the Italian term for "gradually get louder". Usually this is abbreviated to either cresc. or a hairpin sign (< ) is written underneath showing precisely which notes should gradually increase in volume. Diminuendo is the term for gradually reducing the volume level, abbreviated to "dim" or this hairpin: > The "Repeat Bar" sign - ( ⁒ ) - is placed in an empty bar, but means you should repeat the preceding bar. Sometimes you will get a whole series of these signs. There are other more complex versions of these signs which we will look at another time. A "cue" refers to notes written on your part that are not for you to play, but which another band member is playing. These are here to help you know where you are in the piece if,say, you have a lot of bars rest to count, or to clarify what is going on. Sometimes these notes will be written small to differentiate them from your notes. (see MBBC29d for an example of a cue). All the pieces here are in B minor which has 2 sharps like it's Relative Major - D. MBBC29a [attachment=58985:MBBC29a.pdf] [attachment=58990:MBBC29a.mp3] This first example includes all the dynamics as discussed above. Bar 1 is "piano" (ie "p" meaning soft). Bar 4 has a hairpin "crescendo" sign under the last 3 notes of the bar. Bar 5 starts "forte" (ie "f" meaning loud). Then the last beat of bar 7 has a diminuendo for 5 beats (ie getting softer) leading back to "piano" in bar 9, which starts the repeat of the first 8 bars for you to play on your own. You should be able to follow the dynamics after that. But just notice that I have written "cresc." in bar 37 and also a hairpin in bar 40. So this means at bar 37 start to gradually increase the intensity with an extra push in bar 40, but then suddenly quieter in bar 41 which is marked "p". This sudden change of dynamic is sometimes referred to as "subito _ ". Subito means "suddenly" in Italian. So you would say that bar 41 is subito piano (sometimes abbreviated to "sub p". MBBC29b [attachment=58986:MBBC29b.pdf] [attachment=58991:MBBC29b.mp3] Bar one is quite clear - start "piano" and then crescendo as the hairpin tells you. Then in bar 2, there is a hairpin diminuendo. Now you might say, quite rightly, that the long F# will of course naturally die away, so why bother writing the hairpin ? Well sometimes the dynamics are written in your bass part to show you what the rest of the orchestra or band are doing dynamically, You need to be aware of the general dynamic direction so you can react accordingly. MBBC29c [attachment=58987:MBBC29c.pdf] [attachment=58992:MBBC29c.mp3] MBBC29d [attachment=58988:MBBC29d.pdf] [attachment=58993:MBBC29d.mp3] Here in bar 1 is an example of a "cue". You will hear the hi-hat play 3 crotchets before the bass comes in. This cue is marked on the part for clarity. It also helps you to understand the tempo. In bar 20, you will see the first of the "Repeat Bars" in this piece. So each bar with one of these signs means you play exactly the notes as in the previous bar. MBBC29e [attachment=58989:MBBC29e.pdf] [attachment=58994:MBBC29e.mp3] A faster tempo for this one. The Major

[quote name='Pete1967' post='895420' date='Jul 15 2010, 10:31 AM']Usually the the mechanical stop at the E locks in position to maintain normal action further up the fingerboard, but IIRC the advice is to rest the bass with it unlocked. I did visit Bob(??) Fawcett years ago but it's all a very hazy now... They're OK to use for the occasional low note IMHO but a bit clunky and you wouldn't be playing any sprightly passages on them. Hope The Major agrees! P[/quote] I had a George Fawcett ext on this bass since the mid 70's. As it was getting a bit rattly and looking rather ancient compared with the newer ones, I got the Beeb to pay for a new one ! George Martin put this one on about 2 months ago. I've tinkered a bit with it - you can adjust the position (tuning) of the "fingers" - but I'm leaving George to sort out the D key which is loose. You can see in the pics that I've jammed it at a wonky angle just to stop it twisting round when I play on it. I tend to leave the ext in the open position, just locking off the E when there are a lot of E's to play. I feel the bass sounds better when the ext is open. It seems to resonate better. It does look rather daunting when you see the C string so far off the fingerboard, but to be honest, I have no problem with it. It feels quite comfortable. And actually with a bit of practice you can do some quite dextrous things with these exts. But if your finger slips off one of the keys accidentally, it can make quite a clunky sound, so one has to be very cautious especially in quiet passages. For instance, the start of stravinsky's Firebird suite start low and ppp, and I always approach this passage with great care, having previously clunked at this point in a live broadcast ! Pete - assuming you are going to inherit your Dad's wonderful bass collection one day, you are going to be very popular with the DB playing population ! The Major

[quote name='Pete1967' post='895153' date='Jul 14 2010, 10:12 PM']George rebuilt a badly damaged bottom bout on my Dad's Kennedy and did a stunning job - you're in safe hands. My old man's also got a copy of the very rare 'Encylopedia of Violin Makers' (I think it's called - it's in several volumes anyway) and all of the Raymond Elgar books, so I'll ask him to look Briggs up. He's now 85 (my Dad that is) and a complete technophobe so it will be a dictation over the phone job, but I'll get it as soon as I can for you and post or PM it... P[/quote] Pete - this is great to hear. I know George builds great basses, but I know little about his repair skills. They are loaning me a brand new Martin bass while they work on my "Briggs". Should be an interesting few weeks. Does your Dad still have the Kennedy ? They are stunning instruments. And worth a few bob too. Thanks in advance for your research efforts. The Major

[quote name='steviedee' post='894404' date='Jul 14 2010, 08:46 AM']Oh and I've been looking at the Major's Bootcamp Sessions which are great, I mean what a lot of effort to make that fantastic resource available and the numerous transcriptions on basschat.[/quote] Thanks for mentioning my Bass Boot Camp Sessions, steviedee. I'm so glad you like them. Just to be clear: Everything on there is original work - they are not transcriptions. I have tried to taylor all the examples to help make particular points re technique or theory. And the "Getting Started with Sight Reading" series is focused on one key at a time, and stays within the first 2 positions to help those new to reading to feel comfortable and (hopefully!) relaxed. The Major

Tony Houska has a Briggs for sale on his website. I daren't tell you how much he is asking for it ... but its twice my annual BBC salary !!

[quote name='Pete1967' post='894762' date='Jul 14 2010, 03:05 PM']Can I suggest a chat/visit with Tom Martin?? Tom was good enough to put my father on the scent for one of his early basses which led all the way to Venice... I suppose the difficulty is that unless there's an authoritative makers mark in the box, then it's only someone's opinion, but if you can get a good enough opinion then pinning the words 'attributed to' becomes an option. Hopefully opening her up will reveal a label. Fingers crossed for you and I'm sure a skilled surgeon will have her singing again in no time...[/quote] Actually it was Tom who said "it's a Briggs" (with no hesitation) when i asked his opinion. And it's his son George who is doing the restoration. He's going to re-shape the the bottom bouts so it fits better. I've had constant problems with the bass opening up on the lower back seam. Apparently Briggs signed his basses inside up near the neck joint. Fingers crossed .....

[quote name='Bilbo' post='893722' date='Jul 13 2010, 01:56 PM']Whatever it is, it is a little piece of history. You are a lucky man.....and deservedly so.[/quote] This bass is going in for major open heart surgery next week! Got my fingers (and everything else) crossed that she comes back sounding as good as she does now. This is the first time in my 35 years ownership of this beauty that I've had anything serious done to her. Lots of little nips and tucks over the years (she is getting on a bit after all) but now's the time for major restoration. And hopefully I will get some proof that she is indeed a Briggs. The Major

The Major's Bass Boot Camp - Session 28 Getting Started with Sight Reading - E Minor / Articulations There are nearly always alternative ways that a piece of music can be written down. So you need to be aware of various different signs that you may come across. Let's start by looking at a few articulation signs. (We'll make a start on DYNAMICS in the next session). We've looked at most of the note lengths you are likely to find in typical pop/rock/jazz such as crotchets, quavers etc. But in reality, these symbols only show you where the note starts in relation to other notes, ie - where on the "grid" the notes are placed. If we were to play every note at exactly the length as written, it would sound very odd. If you have ever used a computer for music sequencing you will know what I mean ! We often articulate the notes in different ways, depending on genre and style, and if a composer / arranger requires some specific articulation, there are several symbols he/she may use to indicate this. (Of course, we can also use semiquaver or quaver RESTS to help indicate shorter notes but sometimes using the following signs makes reading easier). A LINE placed over (or under) a note indicates that the note is played long (nearly full length). Usually, this also means that the note is separated slightly from the following note. The Italian term "tenuto" is sometimes used to describe this line. (I think it means "to stay" in Italian. As in "tenacity" ). A DOT on (or under) a note means it is to be played short ie shorter than the written note length. For instance, a quaver may be written, but placing a dot on it means you need to play it more like a semiquaver. Staccato is the Italian term we use for this. An ACCENT (a small hairpin shaped symbol) on or under the note means the note is to be accented, played with a little extra force, standing out from the non-accented notes around it. A curved line joining 2 or more notes is called a "SLUR" and indicates that these notes are to be played "legato" or joined together with no gap between them. On a bowed instrument, this would mean playing these notes all in one bow direction. On bass guitar, this can mean that the second note of a pair is hammered rather than articulated with the right hand. Or it can mean 2 or more notes are to be played smoothly with no gaps. All examples here are in E Minor which, like it's relative Major of G, has one sharp (F#). MBBC28a [attachment=54110:MBBC28a.pdf] [attachment=54115:MBBC28a.mp3] MBBC28b [attachment=54111:MBBC28b.pdf] [attachment=54116:MBBC28b.mp3] MBBC28c [attachment=54112:MBBC28c.pdf] [attachment=54117:MBBC28c.mp3] MBBC28d [attachment=54113:MBBC28d.pdf] [attachment=54118:MBBC28d.mp3] MBBC28e [attachment=54114:MBBC28e.pdf] [attachment=54119:MBBC28e.mp3] The Major

Here's some pics of the "Briggs": [attachment=54027:IMG_0798.JPG] [attachment=54025:IMG_0783.jpg] [attachment=54028:IMG_0799.jpg] [attachment=54026:IMG_0786.jpg] [attachment=54024:IMG_0779.jpg]

[quote name='velvetkevorkian' post='892985' date='Jul 12 2010, 05:26 PM']I think the thing in the F-hole is a humidifier, to stop it drying out and cracking.[/quote] Yes it's a humidifier. I started using it a couple of years ago as the bass had started rattling and buzzing rather badly. This thing has sorted the problem. I wet it at least once a week tho'. For those who haven't seen one, its basically just a piece of kitchen cloth in a rubbery tube with holes in it. The pickup is an Underwood. 30 years old and still going strong ! The Major

[quote name='lozbass' post='892579' date='Jul 12 2010, 10:15 AM']Fantastic - thanks! I remember Park well - I too seem to remember that they were some form of Marshall re-brand (I'm sure that somebody on here will know). I remember the Top and Carlsboro connection too - fairly brightly coloured control knobs if memory serves![/quote] I seem to remember the branding for the "Top" range was bright yellow. It looked cheap to be honest - but did the job OK.

Here's some pics of the bass I use for jazz gigs. I know very little about this bass. I bought in the South Manchester area it in the early 80's from an amateur dance band player who also collected and repaired basses. There is no maker's label inside, but I can see a the following written in fading ink: "Repaired and revarnished by Norman M Heal Blackpool Feb 1962" The scroll has a hole drilled through it which leads me to believe the bass was used in a theatre pit where, because space was tight, the bass player would hang the bass on a hook on the wall during breaks rather than lying it on its side. I had nice new machine heads put on last year, at great expense, as they had to be custom made due to the non standard size of the peg box. [attachment=54014:IMG_0728.jpg] [attachment=54015:IMG_0730.jpg] [attachment=54016:IMG_0731.jpg] [attachment=54019:IMG_0733.jpg] [attachment=54018:IMG_0732.jpg] [attachment=54017:IMG_0736.jpg] The Major