Bass Lesson 1 - Walking a Jazz Bassline -Blues Form

[miscvidproductions]

great playing

[dspugs]

thanks for the great vid! it really helped! i play electric bass in my school's jazz band, and i always wanted to at least try to play upright. The thing is, I'm only 5'2" so i was wondering if this would be a problem and I would have difficulties reaching and playing the upright? Thanks!

[bachfugue12]

@dspugs dude! first of all, I'm 5'6" with small hands...a 6 foot tall guy with big fingers has an advantage in getting a bigger sound off immediately, but you can still be technically equal in terms of accuracy and execution.  I know guys 8" inches taller with tendonitis, yet I've had no issue in playing 4-8 hrs per day for 18 years. go for it! you'll want a medium size instrument, not a 4/4 size (the standard is 3/4 size).

[dspugs]

@bachfugue12

Thanks for the response and help! so you're saying uprights come in different sizes?

[bachfugue12]

@dspugs Every bass has different dimensions. But the standard is a 3/4 size. You could also look for a 5/8, slightly smaller size, but I think a smaller dimension 3/4 would be fine for you

[dspugs]

@bachfugue12

ok thanks a lot for the info! it was really helpful! keep up the great work! :)

[bachfugue12]

@bachfugue12 incidentally, I own two excellent carved Wilfers. The first is a 7/8 size, which I played for years. I got the second Wilfer about 5 years ago, and it is a 3/4 with smaller shoulders, which enable me to get around the instrument and the upper register more. The 7/8 of course has a bigger bass response and bigger sound, but I actually prefer the overall tone of my smaller Wilfer better (also 20-30 years older, so the wood has aged).

[dragonetti23]

@dspugs ive played bass since middle school and have seen 3/4 basses used by people about 5 feet tall. ive also seen a 6'4" guy play on a 3/4. the bass has an endpin which allows it to change its height to fit the person. the rule ive always been told is that the nut of the bass should be level with your eyebrow and the bridge with the first knuckle on your middle finger. hope this helps.

[bachfugue12]

@dragonetti23 agreed, any height person can play the instrument! However, I respectfully disagree with the rule of the nut of the bass. If I were to follow the nut rule at eyebrow level, as a short person, when I play arco, my bow would fall 6 inches ABOVE the end of the fingerboard at a high E...which makes no sense as a universal rule. So make sure when you start playing an instrument you have a good teacher who can address how high to set your endpin so that it works for your body height!

[dragonetti23]

@bachfugue12 its just a guideline. all basses are different shapes and sizes just like people. so that rule doesn't apply to everyone. my middle finger doesn't quite reach the bridge but my eyebrow hits the nut. I'm the same height as you so i know what you mean about the bow falling short. but I'm only 14 so i hope i can grow enough so this doesn't happen anymore.

[bachfugue12]

@dragonetti23 however, my middle finger second knuckle does fall at the bridge when my arm is relaxed, so that makes sense to me as a general guide (at least for my body height!)

[fizzfunk]

Ben Stiller ftw!

[94fruitopia]

holy waka monia sooo big

[axlrocksyuju]

I got a question, See, i play double bass in school

but I think that maybe, they are tuning it wrong.

the way they're tuning it is. A D G C

is that correct?

[bachfugue12]

@axlrocksyuju A typical bass is tuned in 4ths, from low string to high string: E A D G. You should definitely fix this. That's a cello tuning. On rare occasions, special basses are tunes in 5ths like you have at school, but I don't think that's a good way to learn the instrument and doubt it's set up that way with the strings needed. Definitely fix that! You can't even play a scale properly with that tuning!

[axlrocksyuju]

@bachfugue12 THANK YOU VERY MUCH (: 

[robzombie954]

@bachfugue12 Actually, cello tuning would be, CGDA Same as a viola, 

[bachfugue12]

@robzombie954 right, that's what he said in reverse order: CGDA or ADGC. I'm pretty sure it would be impossible for anyone to tune the bass strings a 4th higher without snapping the strings, so I assume he must be tuned in 5ths starting on a low C

[robzombie954]

@axlrocksyuju Cell

[NreeKelBastardos]

Pure Gold. Thanks for the lesson

[spoofzilla]

Cool lesson, I have a question maybe you can help with: I've been having a lot of trouble with scales. (I play electric bass by the way) and so I can play them fine because I can just use a pattern on the fretboard, but when it comes to the note names I get completely lost beyond the root of the scale.

I really want to open up my playing by learning the notes names for scales and modes, so that I know the name of each note I play. What do you feel is the best way to learn and practice scales?

[bachfugue12]

hmmmmm...I dont have a magic answer for that question. I think you really need to sit down and be patient and spend the time with each scale, slowly naming each pitch as you play it...it's really the only way to make sure you learn the notes on the fingerboard...and it may be slow at first and boring, but you have to do it and it will come quicker and quicker.

[bachfugue12]

I would take 2 approaches: 1) take a scale, say C major for starters...play it in every position up the neck and name each note as you do it 2) stay in one position (say starting on 5th fret)...play every scale there...C major, F major, Bbmajor, etc With these two ways, you'll learn the fretboard by name up the neck and in each position good luck!

[brandopozzino]

The 40 year old virgin can play bass!!!

Sincerely though, very good lesson.

[bachfugue12]

I'll take a movie gig, sure...

[QuinnyGoth]

Hey man

Cool lesson, I've recently been listening to Jazz music such as Miles Davis and Charlie Mingus and I've been wanting to learn Jazz bass but I don't feel I know enough theory yet.

I know my pentatonic, both minors and major scale as well as chord tone patterns for minor, major and the minor major 7ths

Would you be able to point me in the right direction

Cheers

[bachfugue12]

Sounds like the next step would be to memorize all seven modes (Of which you already know 2. Learn them in all keys. And then practice walking on a tune like So What, for starters, as well as a 12 bar blues

[jaxjagsman]

@bachfugue12 excellent lesson. your stuff is a great resource for techniques and little pointers in addition to my instructors' stuff.

my question: what is the significance of learning modes? i mean, for example, "so what" is D dorian ... which is just a C major scale in which the ii is tonicized. i've always thought modes were pretty useless and just built up in name by guitar shredders. am i missing something?

[bachfugue12]

Modes are very important!!! so yes, you are missing something. When an experienced jazz musician plays So What, he does not think "C major", he thinks D dorian. The point being, you need to learn to play and hear everything in relation to the tonic D, not C. So What uses the collection of pitches that C major uses, but the key is D Dorian. Here's an an analogy. Blues in F is in the key of F, right?

[bachfugue12]

But F Blues uses an F mixolydian chord on its tonic....F Mixolydian is a mode of the Bb major scale. But we dont say or hear that F Blues is in the key of Bb major....we hear and say F Blues is in the key of F....F mixolydian. So modes are very important to ground your theory and harmony properly, so that you play and hear jazz changes properly

[jaxjagsman]

@bachfugue12 touche. that's a very good point. welp! i know what i'll be drilling for the rest of this week! thanks for the tips!

[mysticonee]

Fantastic lesson... I've played it over and over even though I play an electric bass. Thank You So Much. I have always been mystified by the walking bass of jazz greats. You play extremely well too!!!

[ChimpSoprano]

turn the washing machine off!

[bachfugue12]

interesting...I dont have a washing machine...nor is anything running during the video

[shelovescandy]

that was funny yeah

[bachfugue12]

yeh, still wondering where the H the washing machine is...? Im in NYC...wish I had a washing machine

[ankhaton]

Hi - you seem really good - shame there is so little cooperation between pianists and bassists on YT -Even Oscar is much less without Ray Brown. What makesz me crazy is the delay between the two - Could you play on youtube Michel Petrucciani+In+a+sentimental+m­ood with Gary Peacock and then Play and record what Peacock is doing and then placing it I would be enchanted (and a complete Blues would be fine too ! )

[bachfugue12]

Ive got more videos planned for this winter, been very busy this past year...planning some new ones, so look for those in a few months when my gig schedule settles down after the holidays

[futurebass09]

It's great to see that there is finally someone on youtube that knows what they are talking about.

Thank you!

[AndersJohansson]

I agree. So much weirdos out there just playing strange notes.