Why learning Jazz on bass SUCKS (5 reasons no one talks about) | The SBL Podcast Ep. 152
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- The hate that some bass players have for jazz can transcend space, time, and the laws of nature. It can feel like your band mates are speaking another language & you feel kind of left out. But learning jazz can give you musical superpowers with practice. In this episode, we’re here to reveal why you should take the leap!
In this episode:
• Scott’s worst audition story.
• Why the best musicians play jazz.
• How it can be a bass player’s best friend.
• Should non-jazz musicians study jazz?
• Check out Ian’s new Olinto Jazz Bass.
• And much, much more!
🎶 The SBL Jazz Lab is no longer open for enrollment but if you'd like to learn more about the program, check it out here → sbl.link/3ybpNyR
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Video Breakdown:
00:00 - Ian’s New Olinto Jazz Bass
04:21 - Scott’s ’70s Jazz Bass
07:27 - Why Jazz Sucks!
11:30 - Scott’s Jazz Journey
21:30 - Sharing War Stories
25:26 - The Benefits of Learning Jazz
28:17 - Problems with Jazz Education
29:16 - Ian’s Jazz Journey
35:00 - Why Jazz Is Cool
37:29 - Writing Bass Lines
40:00 - SBL Jazz Lab
44:43 - The Coaches
49:00 - Melodic Minor & Misinformation
52:00 - SBL Jazz Lab Summary
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I grew up in rural Ontario (Canada) and there was a local big band. They needed a bass player and a guy I knew recommended me despite the fact that I was:
a) 15 years old
b) couldn't read music for shit
c) had no idea how to play jazz
I'll never forget the first rehearsal. I pull out the bass book and... NO CHORD CHANGES! I could read chord symbols ok but a chart with only notation was instant death. I read the first bar or so as quickly as I could before they counted it off. The band started up and after a bar or so I just stopped playing. The first trumpet/band leader yelled "Don't stop playing! It doesn't matter if you're not playing the right notes, just don't stop!" The tune finished and I just wanted to crawl under my chair and die. There was no guitar player in the band so I grabbed the guitar book and played out of that for the rest of the rehearsal. At least I could outline the changes. Fortunately for me everyone was super supportive (and very, very desperate for a bass player) and they kept me on. That's how I learned to play bass. That band was my music school. I got lucky.
Just randomly started playing Autumn Leaves on my piano as you guys are talking about jazz standards, and suddenly Scott comes in with the bass line for the next chorus right on the downbeat in the same key and tempo. Thanks man!
Why jazz sucks: you have to be around jazz musicians
HEYO
😬…….not wrong……🤷🏼♂️
That's fair.
At one point, I started teaching myself jazz harmony on guitar, writing solo chord melody arrangements, etc. Moving from rock to jazz was like moving from elementary school science to graduate astrophysics. Just picking up the rudiments was super challenging, humbling, and demanding--and very rewarding.
What a beautiful discussion - two great players who only became great by the humility, generosity, and passion on display here. Brilliant stuff, gentlemen - Thank you so much!
Appreciate the warm words!!
Ian, man, your candor about your experience with jazz is really awesome. Some kid somewhere going through the jazz hazing is really lucky to be able to listen someone like you talking about getting past it.
"Just wanderin' around the bass..." been there
You guys are making the best, most impactful, useful, and important bass content I have ever seen on any platform on a regular basis. Thank you!
This is one of your best conversations. I'm trying to be a real bass player too. A long road and I'm trying to learn jazz a much as I can, but get distracted.
I feel very fortunate to have had a jazz teacher when I was 14 years old and just starting bass. I'm not going to say I ever became a skilled jazz bassist, but the principles he taught me have informed my playing for the last 30 years. I mostly play rock music. But that doesn't mean the ability to connect chords together using scales and walking lines isn't useful. In fact, it's this ability to visualize bass lines on the fly that has gotten me many gigs. I'm not the most technically advanced player. But if you put me in a room with 3-4 other musicians and they play for me a song I've never heard before I can quickly come up with something that both sounds good and is interesting. And I can do that because of my solid foundation in jazz theory. It trains your ear to quickly recognize patterns and it trains your mind to build within those patterns.
Please never stop the pods
I think Ian has said this before, but you've got to find something you LOVE about music to play it and learn it. I really really love Jazz music, and bass in particular, and it was still the hardest thing to learn (still is!) But because I LOVED the music it made the whole process much easier and more fun for me. I was also lucky to have encouraging and nice mentors who were patient with me learning the craft, without tossing my bass into the street haha!
Can listen to you guys chat for ever 🤘🏻
You guys are so infectiously positive and I always appreciate it! I hope (and honestly suspect) that your great attitudes will have an overall positive effect on the vibe of jazz over time, at least from the bass chair’s perspective. Thank you both for making jazz so approachable.
I love the idea of falling down forward. The “reluctant jazz guy” really resonated with me also. ✌️❤🎶
🙏🏻
Another brilliant video. Appreciate Scott and Ian for the vulnerability. All of the newer SBL discussions and interviews have been stellar.
I feel it almost inevitable the longer your tenure in playing instruments.
You will go through those phases playing punk power-chords, then you hear chunky 1-finger drop-D/C riffs and that becomes your thing for a while.
Then it's maybe shred... and then those 7-strings start laughing at your feeble 6.
And then you get a bass... and the music your parents listened to, all the Motown, R&B and soul starts to become awesome.
Like, at some point in peoples musical journey they'll eventually just come around to "MUSIC is cool" rather than just "GENRE is cool", and start experimenting outwards. This is usually when the jazz and prog comes in and appreciation for all music styles.
Hey, am a rock bass player on a pick for a 20 years now and I always felt tempted to join Scott's program but there's so much going on, I never took the time to learn the depth of bass. I do NOT want to be a jazz musician but I do understand the value of knowledge "behind the scenes". Great podcast, a bit long but great nevertheless! I also love the storytelling bits which makes the whole podcast very personal, warm and human-like. Well done guys, I wish I could join some day and would be great to meet in person as well (I live in London UK). All the best, cheers!
I’m a lifetime member at SBL and I’ve bought all the accelerator courses. I’ve been a member for a LONG time and I’m split on the recent offerings. On one hand I’m stoked to see the programs grow in format and interaction. It’s really, really awesome. I honestly think that the way these programs are evolving sets them apart from anything else available on the internet. SBL is the online platform I compare all other platforms to.
On the other hand, the last 3 offerings (the blueprint, the live practice sessions, and now the Jazz intensive) have priced me out and, frankly, I’m jealous that I can’t take part. I think they are priced well for what is being offered, I just really want to be a part of them and just can’t afford it.
That's where I'm at. I'm not saying it's not worth it, but $2000 is SO much money! It sucks to be priced out of all the new offerings, but at least there's still a huge amount of stuff in the regular academy membership to work through.
Appreciate the vulnerability; love you guys!!
🧡🧡🧡
Thanks guys, great podcast, it really is hanging out with friends ! - The videos are great & I intuit that the platform is amazing.
I have noticed over the years when there's been a certain 'jock' mentality towards music, thankfully not here. Although admittedly I did cackle when Scott said 'Oh Jazz, brrr bu brrr bmm bu bmm - & then with Ian's testimony, replete with a great big caricature smiley face !
Another great episode! I must say, from walking bass lines, to the modes of the major scale, to the circle of fifths, and so much more, I have learned so much from SBL over the last few years! Love you guys! Now get Tal Wilkenfeld on your show!! =D
Good video. I liked that story about Scott's bass gig with that one guy
Wow thanks for sharing guys.. one of the most nicest podcast ive heard in a while about bas
Glad you enjoyed it!
When you started playing the Longview bassline I died laughing… my first jazz tryout that I had to improv was in D major when I didn’t know theory… I just knew Longview was on a d so I started playing with that and it sounded good for the first couple of bars and then just started playing what sounded good with those notes. Improv ended up being my highest score in that tryout😂 37:53
These podcasts and vids available by yall on youtube has taught me more usable music info than my five years at MSU Moorhead im Minnesota. They have/had a bunch of professors that thought they were the jazz elite and that was perpetuated by a lot of the students.
2 Great Teachers & Bassists. Thanks Guys 💯🎸🎶🏆
Cheers!!
Absolutely incredible storytelling. ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
I started bass in 1990 at junior high school, in what turns out was a very special and not common way. I was lucky to have a very good music teacher that in that three years took us through basically everything from Swing to Jazz to Blues to Soundtracks to Rock. He was super encouraging and we were doing live concerts within a few months for holiday concerts.
After those 3 years, high school was a more grumpy but just as talented teacher.
It was only a few year period on both sides of my experience that the same combo of teachers existed, but those of us that went through it got a crazy education that even years later, I'm still finding ways that my path was much different.
Kind of embarrassed I guess that I never really played much after 2000 let alone had an option to turn it into a career, I definitely had a very good setup for it.
Jazz is great when the mood strikes.
70's JAZZ FUSION is always welcome
Had a previous teacher suggest jazz to level up my playing (from level 0 lol) but haven't found a way to learn it. Signed up for Scott's Jazz Lab and have high hopes for it.
When I was a freshman in high school I couldn't imagine anyone treating someone that way. Everyone knew that everyone was a beginner at that point and was treated nicely and was taught the way to do things.
The 70s bass is 1978ish because of the strat knobs. I had one with a rosewood neck. My 1975 reissue has a ton of gloss. Currently doing a Monk course in London with a homemade 70s jazz bass and loving it.
I totally miss the podcast! I miss them so much I'm rewatching old videos.
ok i love your channel watching a long time and one ting that you have not covered is dub, reggae, ska 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's 90's etc as i feel them are the best bass players of that music. please can you do an episode on them bass players thanks
Great video guys!!! I think Scott's mic level is little bit quiet compared to Ian's, maybe raise the gain just a bit next time!
Oh my lord, I just found Scott's old Donna Lee bass lesson from 11 years ago
When I started learning jazz I realized that's where James Jamerson got it from.
He's playing syncopated walking bass lines.
I cannot echo this video more, I think that it is necessary to learn these jazz lines, not just to build your theory knowledge but fluency and the character of your bass playing too. For me, my bass studies actually started with jaco, I bought the modern electric bass cd and tab book. Well that's what I thought, I didn't realise that it was actually notation. I cannot express how long I sat there studying from this book, it really helped me in my journey
Great PodCast guys! Weird question for Ian. Where did you get your flannel shirt? I saw a guy in a mall at least 6 months ago with the same shirt and I have been trying to find it since then.
I was in my high school’s “jazz band,” which was a vocal jazz/show choir. When I graduated, I had no idea how much jazz I didn’t know and got embarrassed trying to play with tons of jazz groups.
The thing that stopped me from learning jazz: I was gigging in a country band making $200-500 a gig, then I’d show up to my college jazz band on Monday and got sneered at by jazz guys who’d never played a gig outside of school.
People will say that the institutionalization of jazz in colleges ruined it, but I think a more crucial component of that mythos is how jazz guys completely chased people off from an already-dying genre. This happened to me in the 2010s, and it doesn’t really seem much different from what was happening in earlier eras.
I'm studying jazz right now because of salsa and bossa nova. Really good podcast, thank you Profesors.
Ok, Scott and Ian. I take some beer and chips ... cooool. Love it
Great episode, guys. I had to step down from SBL academy for this month, but I'll come back. For anyone reading this comment: these guys lessons are amazing, do give them (and you) a chance
If you're having this problem 5:34 Please, do take a 220 or 320 sandpaper and put the paper between your fretting hand and back of the neck and just wipe up and down (do not squeeze too hard, just hold it gently against the lacquer) two or three times. Check, and wipe a few more times if it is not perfect/didn't cover the whole neck. It will thin the lacquer only theoretically but your hands will not stick anymore. Neck stays smooth for ages
Love the channel! Story's pretty phenomenal. The 21 year old you would be really proud to see you now.
..... My dude, you gotta get that bracelet away from your Panerai! It's killin' me! Lol
Scott’s Jazzbass is a ‘79/early ‘80. In those two years they used both that particular knobs and the metal part of the pickguard. And it still had the thumbrest.
Later they used a one piece plastic pickguard and lost the thumbrest.
🖖
Fine gauge wire wool rubbed up and down the back of a high gloss neck for a few minutes will make all the difference. No need to worry about scratches or remove any strings, this creates more of a satin finish or the equivalent of a few years of playing.
Yeah, learning Jazz on bass can be really rough. I played in jazz band in high school, reading only the notes. Then, finally learned how to construct walking lines (along with finally learning upright) in college. Unfortunately, I hadn't really bothered memorizing or analyzing chord progressions, until about 14-15 years after that. It's slow going, but that's why they call it work!
My first bass teacher was a rock guitarist, soo I feel that pain. 😅
For using a pick with Jazz, I think if would be totally acceptable to use a rubber pick, a felt pick, or even a thicker pick with more rounded or curved edges (and maybe roll off a bit more tone or treble).
As I started, the nearest Bass Teacher lived 30km away!
Immposible as a Teen to get there-
So I try my best by my own. Later in my twentys I had the chance to get some lessons from Paul Harryman (Bassplayer from John Farnham) and this boost my way of practicing and voicing.
Fun Fact:
In the first lesson he ask me anout the Music I like most- At this Time "Purple Schulz", a Band from Germany, was my favorite and my own Band also played "Neue deutsche Welle" Music and I gave him a Tape of them,
6 Month later Paul joined this Band.
Not taking anything away from any genre of music, but jazz has quietly made everything that came after better. I don't care for heavy metal music, but I love the drummers with those double bass pedals going, man its awesome. I think as musicians we should be able to make music that we don't care for sound better. We shouldn't shy away from things that are challenging. Man what if Jaco thought like that? He embraced all music.
I BELIEVE that jazz is the launching point for everything else, but online courses are very difficult...I wish I could find someone for in person. I'm in ATL, any recommendations?
As someone with similar stories of musical harshness from older players/teachers growing up: those people are losers. There's nothing cool, informative, or helpful when someone more experienced humiliates a student, especially when that student is a child. It's seriously despicable and it took/is taking me many years to break out of that humiliation and embrace jazz as the fun medium it actually is. Patience and understanding go much farther than the yard stick ever does.
💯💯💯
HI Scott and Ian. I used to hate jazz, not because of the music, Nina Simona and Ella Fitzgerald, plus a brief email dialogue with Carol Kaye gave me a appreciation for the skills needed.. Not sure if you will count this, but one of the first bass lines ive learnt is fever by Peggy Lee. Bit it was the snobbery and pretentiousness of the jazz players - remember the fast show? Its like Jazz was superior and alll other forms less than as Ian Mentioned those who've gone to music school and can reel off intervals for the overly complicated jazz chords. . .. I agree that so much can be learnt but it can be overwhelming as a newbie. I'm so appreciative that you've shared your story as a beginner and the mistakes you've made, the first bass teacher I went to in my local area was the only one and unfortunately a Major douchebag with an ego the size of texas. I came home and vowed I would find another way by books and your channel. when i'm not working away at sea - so its two steps forward one step back sort of thing. thanks for taking the time to read,
My love of bass playing is rooted in my love of groove. And there's no discernible groove in 99% of the jazz I've heard. It's just a neverending storm of bloopity blip bops that never find their way to any semblance of a groove. "You just don't get it bro" You're right, I don't. And I'm all the way okay with that.
P.S. If you mix jazz with something else, I can dig it. Fusion is spectacular.
The thing is, to play jazz, you need to know your chords and scales and music theory to a much bigger degree than pop or rock. So once you've learned it, you will know music and your instrument better, even if you decide not play jazz as your main thing.
Nice one! 😂
I love Paul Geary. That dude's my Blueprint coach and he is freaking awesome. 🖤
Hey, love the CZcams content. There seems to be almost nothing anywhere on In Ear Monitors (IEM) - maybe you could do an hour on that for idiots like me?
Thanks for the suggestion!!
I love playing jazz! Just a chord chart and shots. In essence you're playing a solo all night all the time. Never the same way twice, and it gives you so much room to play off the other players.
After playing bass for a decade, I bought a guitar. But never tried to work on my guitar technique and theory. A couple of years ago I dived into playing guitar like a beginner. I paid attention to leave no gaps in my theory or technique as I advance. Chords, fingerpicking, arpeggios... It requires some patience if you consider yourself an intermediate/advanced musician, but music is huge and deep, and one can never reach its frontiers; there is always an area to grow into. To cut it short, nothing improved my bass playing like guitar. Only you have to keep balance and practice both daily. The size and feel difference of both instruments might test you as you switch them but after some time you adapt. Now as an intermediate guitar player I perceive bass playing and theory in a new light. Wish I had started earlier. Also, I recommend learning basic piano/keyboard to put music theory and knowledge in a perspective. Being a bass player is not a license for being ignorant.
Besides that it’s only four strings and most basic baselines seem easy to play…. There a lot about playing bass as a newb where you just don’t know what you don’t know. Heck I’ve been playing 50 years and I’m still learning!
Ive been thinking about sanding down my insanely polyurethaned neck for that slippiness. Any tips for that process?
You just gotta go for it, just make sure you have some real nice high grit stuff for the end. And get some tung oil or something like that to put on when you’re done
Steel wool did the job perfectly here!
Thanks all, excited to get scrubbing. I can sand a tiny portion of how much Scott must have sanded back in the day at Overton lol
I want to learn jazz because I know my potential but i wish i could afford the program.
When i think about jazz sucking it comes down to a few things, soloing wind instruments, that includes Charle Parker, Miles, Wayne Shorter etc, long extended solos of any kind, that the music is far outdated and suffers cultural & aesthetic problem, its close relation to Klezmer. I can tolerate some of it when there are no wind instruments, ideally just drums, bass and electronic keyboards with no extended solos.
Maybe 15 years ago, I saw Steve Swallow with Gary Burton Quartet (also w/ Pat Metheny and Antonio Sanchez). Good stuff.
That must have been an incredible gig! 🔥🔥🔥
I've heard it's better to learn one song inside & out than glancing several songs. I'd rather jump in the deep end of the pool and touch the bottom instead of sticking a foot in the shallow end and moving on. All 12 keys, etc. That said, what's the first standard I should dig into?
Autumn Leaves
@@IanMartinAllison I was wondering if you were going to say that! It's commonly the one you're "supposed" to learn first. I assume it's not a just cliche, but for the pragmatic reason of ingraining the circle of fifths. Thanks, Ian!
Scott, I noticed that no one talks about or mentions Alfonso Johnson (who I learned alot of my technique from). Is he not on the level of the players you most often mention or has he been blackballed from the jazz bass players league? Please give me a heads-up on his statue cuz I loved his work.
Not at all, he's fantastic! His work with Weather Report tends to (unfortunately) get overshadowed by the Jaco Era, but it absolutely stands up to the test of time!!
Forged in the fire. That’s how all the best things in life happen.
Love jazz basses but Scott’s panerai 😍😍😍
I am interested in the jazz course,but I don't know theory or scales, probably not the course for me, is there something similar?
We have the beginning jazz survival guide over in the SBL Academy!
Nice Paneri!
The marketing of the IMA must be studied. Its its own celebrity
🤣🤣🤣
Thank you guys - for your honesty! I have a Master's degree in Jazz Studies from one of the best schools in the world. I got my degree in 1996 and walked away from music. You're right, in general, jazz players are dicks. The industry is full of sheisters and back-slapping good ol' boys. Some of the very best players are incredibly inspiring. Most players aren't "great." It shows by their jealousy of others' talent and derision of those who aren't as good as they are. I can't tell you how many jam sessions that I went to where the rhythm section would alter chords to confuse people sitting in - or just to make them sound badly. As I got better, I realized this. I had an amazing career in music and the degree just showed me that I didn't want to be with this kind of culture. I play bass now (for about 3 months). I never EVER played a stringed instrument in my life (woodwind player). I LOVE it, it's fun, and it's going to remain a hobby. I might gig, but I will never allow that kind of behavior towards someone who wants to "try" playing music of any kind in my rhythm section.
Do a video on different woods for a bass - and example does it really matter
This was a widely discussed topic in the Bass Builder's Forum session at last year's Bass Space. czcams.com/video/XIh0lD15L1s/video.htmlsi=XCdHWy8XKoSL1NlA Admittedly, they didn't demonstrate during this discussion, but it might be helpful anyway?
It's the lack of your usual glove Scott that makes the neck feel like that. But if you want to gift that Jazz to me no problem bro !😅
Yes! Mike Dirnt! More punk rock bass lines, please!
I nodded my head when you said Paul Geary showed up to a gig and there was another bass player there. That happened to me on a church gig. I was asked to play with the church band and rehearsed with them for about a month for a special service. At the last rehearsal, the MD said "Is that the way you are going to play?" The next day at the service another bass player sets up, so there was me, with my full rig, volume on 1, and him playing through a PA speaker. Church gigs are tough, smh.
That's really not cool, no MD should ever do that to a musician they are working with!
Learning to admit I don't know a thing was a big shift. I don't know if it was competition or hanging out with a bunch of know-it-all hipsters or what, but I always pretended I knew, or knew about "but couldn't remember, refresh me" when some obscure band or technique was brought up by someone else. Eventually I learned to find it really COOL to learn new stuff, to let someone else geek out on me. What I do NOT accept is when they try to big time me by acting surprised that I don't know a thing. There are reaction videos on YT of musicians reacting to Metallica. Metallica. And they've never heard them. That means I can have missed out on Skrankling Menfolk of Drusselstein. I can learn about them and that's cool. I also try to never pull that on someone else. "You've never heard of [x]?!" Instead of judgement, excitement that I get to share something new.
Oh no, I don't want to imagine my finger to be cut half through or so.... aaaaaaahhhh! Brave Scott!
Just started listening and got to the "real players play jazz" section, and I feel it. I went even further and told myself "real bass players play jazz on upright" and subjected myself to years of self loathing brought on by trying to learn jazz on what is essentially a new instrument (compared to bass guitar).
Does the curriculum differ in any way to the previously released "jazz accelerator"?
The core curriculum is the same, the extra standards anthology, the ii-V-I bundle and all the live coaching/feedback were not part of the Jazz Accelerator
@@devinebass Thank you for your reply :)
That is eacctly how i feel.. ian said. That people make it or at i feel like i dont measure up to be able to learn and play well.. i havent played with anyone not every since i started playing again.. im not sure how to find the right people. So i try to learn from youtube etc..
I just learned "Hot Crossed Buns", sooooo....Advanced Jazz Theory? Sure. I'll give it a try
We need more PUNK ROCK BASS on this awesome channel❤
On the way!
A musician friend of mine said a jazz solo was someone getting off with their instrument, but on stage where everyone was forced to watch. I get the distastefulness towards jazz, completely, but - as an example - without opera, classical music wouldn't have gone the way it did.
Jazz changed the face of music, for better or worse.
Speaking of headphones, who has tried the Boss Bass Bluetooth ones? They are absolutely amazing!!!
🔥🔥🔥
I’m going to a gig on Wednesday at Ronnie Scott’s that your mate Hadrian Feraud is playing in Mike Stern’s band. Dennis Chambers is on drums, Bob Franceschini on sax and Leni Stern guitar / vocals. I’ll let them know you think jazz sucks. No context, just that you think jazz sucks.😊
If you can play jazz, you can play anything. Chord building, substitution and inversions are difficult for 3 chord queens. Actually learning structure and being able to communicate with other musicians in real time is difficult.
I think people and their opinions of bass are off, most people still think bass is something they can learn easily on weekends.
People think everything is so easy, then do it. I guarantee you will still be learning stuff, 30 years later you geniuses. I learn new things every time I play.
As a sax player (who does bass on the side) I'll say that the bass is the most exposed in jazz because you are rhythmic and harmonic and everyone orientates on you. Ive had people tell me to stop playing in jam sessions because i was so wrong, we've all done it
Olinto Jazz Bass : 60s - Fender Antigua Jazz Bass : 70s - WONT SOUND THE SAME. I don't care the wood, the construction, the pickup wire::: the bridge pickup placement changes EVERYTHING. Period.
You're of course totally right. They made this for me not to sound the same - but to see if they could beat the Antigua. It's a better instrument in every metric . . . but I still love love my 78 to the moon and back.
@@IanMartinAllison your 78 is my dream tone for Jazz Bass, there's something in the old 71-83 pickups... I tried the Pure Vintage 74 and 75 but they don't sound the same at all! Aging probably :) have a nice day Ian
I think part of the "bass playing as sport" competitive aspect comes from the fact that most bass players and other instrument wranglers are guys. Guys are always competing with each other whether they realise it or not. This is not necessarily a bad thing! But it can be. Just IMO. The reason I never played jazz is because my first teacher ridiculed me for wanting to play rock. So, from 15 years old on, I taught myself to play. Had a bass lesson here and there in the interceding 50 years of playing, but mostly I'm self taught, twice. When I was 42 I lost all the feeling on the palm of my left hand and my fingers, so had to teach myself to play again. Not as well. I WAS a badass. Now I'm just half-assed. My very first teacher made me not like jazz at all, and I mostly still don't. Jazz was always too overwhelming to me, so I never learned it. I don't like jazz standards, but I do like people like Louis Cole.
Put the pick down is not good advice either, but I know you guys are laughing and giving off positive vibes. Use the best technique to facilitate what you want to do on the bass, or really, any instrument. If that means using a pick, then use it!
I found Scott and Ian's horror stories inspiring. I'm a 62 year old newbie and they've made learning bass seem a lot less intimidating.
Now for the stupid question: What is a walkking bassline?
No stupid questions! It's a quarter note bass line that underpins jazz harmony and rhythm and moves the song and band forward.
They call it "walking" because it tries to move from tone to tone in small steps, ideally seconds and thirds, and only occasionally fifth, octaves or other intervals.
I studied ballet for a few years. These are some really miserable people, as far as I can tell, and it stems from the abuse they all receive at the hands of their instructors, who in their turn were abused by their instructors. I feel like I’m hearing the same about the world of jazz.
That's brutal, no student should have to go through that!!
Music is a full contact bloodsport among musicians ...
Ian...the decal of Jazz Bass...probably after '76
First bass was a jazz bass. Was great for smaller hands that kids have. I thought it was a great way to start. Played in jazz bands from 14 on. Made me so much better as a rock bassist. I could trash most guys because of that.
Haha. Can also relate to the horror stories and moments of fear and shame…just part of taking your knocks growing up. All of that made us tougher!
Jazz gigs are great. You can just play random notes, heck, you don't even have to waste time tuning up 😂
Haha, My Jazz band teacher from high school was not the greatest experience because I was terrible at Jazz... lol