Paultrader Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Hi All, I play electric bass in a rock and roll band, but I also play double bass. I'm having classical lessons (got to Grade 5) and I'm doing OK. I get together with a bunch of friends locally to play jazz standards. We're all amateurs, but we put on a decent, if quirky show two or three times a year - 'jazz' uke, double bass, drums, some violin and three lady singers who do great harmonies - one is my other half. It's good fun. Here's my dilemma: I'm good at playing along and accompanying songs, I could do it interminably, but inevitably I end up with some solos through the night. I always seem to mess them up - I just freeze. I've worked them out beforehand, practised at home, but I can't seem to free my mind up when I'm exposed with making tunes rather than being an accompanist. In my 45 years as an electric bass player, I've never really soloed - perhaps I'm one of life's accompanists, and pretty happy in that role but given my experience I feel I should be able to do better. What's the secret of playing a simple but effective solo - any advice welcome? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassace Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Keep the melody in mind. You could start playing round that and when you're confident with that your improvising could become more adventurous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ikay Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I can't offer any advice (need some myself) but there are some good pointers here - [url="http://truefire.com/blog/guitar-lessons/10-bass-solo-tips-non-soloist/"]http://truefire.com/blog/guitar-lessons/10-bass-solo-tips-non-soloist/[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Practice. It is as simple as that. If you are inexperienced as a soloist, you will SOUND like you are inexperienced as a soloist. I have lived with soloing for 30 years and still fail more often than I succeed. You need to know the harmony of the tunes you are soloing on inside out and then, once that is internalised, you start thinking melodically and execute your ideas. It's as simple and as complicated as that!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I think you need to ask the rest of the band for half an hour or an hour at a rehearsal to go over and over your solo moments. Tell them that you just need a bit of time to sort out your solos - they will understand, they will want to do a good show as much as you do. It sounds as though the problem is about not being able to relax into the moment, so that the musically creative bit of your mind freezes up when the spotlight is on you. Work out a few really simple lines that will function as solos in advance of the rehearsal and just go over and over them with the band until you feel more comfortable in the moment; once you get the right state of mind - relaxed but interested - the music will take care of itself. For double bass, my advice (as a beginner myself) is not to shoot up to the dusty end of the plank when solo time comes - if you're anything like me, you won't be especially comfortable or in tune right up there. Stick to your comfort zone from a technical point of view so that you're not worrying about bum notes. I think it was Don Cherry who said that if you know how good you are, nobody else needs to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 Choose a song, or number, that you're comfortable with, and enjoy playing. Listen to it (or a recording of yourself playing it...), and try humming or whistling along. Then try to play what you've been humming. A counter-melody, or variant on the main theme, but kept simple. Do it without the db at first, then work it out on the instrument. Keep it simple, rinse and repeat. One of my favourite encouraging expressions..? 'It's the first 40 years that are the hardest, after which things tend to get (slightly...) better.' Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paultrader Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 Hi All, Thank you very much for the helpful advice. I love the term 'dusty end of the plank'! I think you're right about lots of practice, learning the melody, and practising with the band. I realise that I do all the work on my solos on my own, so when I get with others, I just become all too aware of, and phased by the audience. The band is an audience - a discriminating one, so if I work with them it may help. I'll keep trying, and keep it simple. I suspect that, like all musical skills, I'll improve at it indefinably and become more comfortable with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoeEvans Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 [quote][color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Listen to it (or a recording of yourself playing it...), and try humming or whistling along. Then try to play what you've been humming.[/font][/color][/quote] This is really good advice too. There's a bit of your brain that turns out the music and it's very closely connected to your singing voice, so you can easily sing a tune that's in your head. The trick is to re-route it so that it's also connected through to your fingers and you can readily play a tune that you've got in your head. Some people recommend singing while you practice, singing the same notes that you're playing, or there's the exercise quoted above. Another good one is to sing a very short phrase ("be doobie doop dah") then repeat it on the bass, and improvise back and forth like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 If you're struggling with bass solos, simply don't do them! If you're at Grade 5, the biggest restriction is undoubtedly technique, which is why you're freezing. Your technique is not reliable enough when you're under perceived pressure. I have a ARCM performing diploma, and I don't play solos. Partly because I don't think I've ever heard a bass solo that a non-musician would want to listen to, and partly because I enjoy the job of playing bass, and if you're soloing, you're not doing the job. This is just my opinion, but the advice I'd give is to concentrate on the rhythmic and harmonic job of holding the song down, and leave the solos to others. That's what I've always done, and I don't feel I'm missing out! Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I'm no soloist myself (firmly in the backline camp) but I think a handful of notes chosen wisely and executed well would be better than a thousand notes played badly. Choose a simple melody and when you're comfortable with that start adding a few little embellishments Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted October 4, 2015 Share Posted October 4, 2015 I'm both unwilling and unable to play solos. On the rare occasions when one is tossed my way, I just play the normal bass line but maybe with a few embellishments. The audience is happy and after a while people stop inviting you to solo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paultrader Posted October 4, 2015 Author Share Posted October 4, 2015 It's such a relief to read some of this about skilled bass players just not doing solos. I'll feel a lot better, I think, just deciding that I'm going to stick to the song's bass part, and if a solo is expected, I just play that with a few embellishments, as Happy Jack writes. I also take on board the advice about humming or whistling a tune and then practising playing it. Cheers folks - it's great to be able to communicate with other bass players about this stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Anthony Jackson rarely solos but when he does, his work is exquisite. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
booboo Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1443973867' post='2879108'] I'm both unwilling and unable to play solos. On the rare occasions when one is tossed my way, I just play the normal bass line but maybe with a few embellishments. The audience is happy and after a while people stop inviting you to solo. [/quote] Damn, I thought it was just me pulling this sh#t! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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