In this day it is sort of hard to get pass Youtube when it comes to finding good instructional value, so I couldn't skip the opportunity to share this one. This is a whole clinic on the Blueprint For the Working Jazz Bassist, delivered by nobody else but the legendary Ron Carter!
Even if you don't know who Mr. Carter is, but have any interest in jazz whatsoever, you owe it to yourself to watch this one.
Ron Carter Bass Clinic from Berklee on Vimeo.
First of all, yeah, a long hiatus... Moved to another country, and for a family man it entails loads of stuff to take care of. So, eventually managed to get back to the blog. To somehow compensate, I decided to cover a lot of topics at once, and fortunately it could be done through a single resource!
Todd Johnson is one of those players who don't get nearly as much recognition as they should for their work. If you haven't heard and seen him at it before, there is no other choice but to be amazed once you do.
As phenomenal as he is as a player, though, his real greatness (IMHO) lies in his instructional approach. Regardless of the subject taught, Johnson has really honed a truly excellent method of presentation, which he describes himself as "bite sized" chunks of information that are consumed one bite at the time. Now, many other instructors claim the same, but too often you end up with a pile of pieces that may indeed be easily digestible, but fail to come together as a coherent "full course meal". And a buffet offering is not always the the best way to have the best experience. Learning music is no different in this regard.
From that point, Todd Johnson is a master chef. Each course is prepared by using best ingredients and following a proven recipe. First of all, he knows what gamut of skills players need in order to have the ability of being a well rounded musician, ready to tackle any challenges that may be presented to them. Whether it is solid technique, building effective bass lines, executing meaningful solos, or performing specific tunes, you can rely on his instructional plan to get you going. And his menu won't hurt your wallet either. I know from experience, so let me review a few of those offers.
Now, each of the programs is a standalone piece that builds from the ground up, so take the following order as my personal choice, specifically this is the chronological order of my purchasing them. Besides, there is some overlap, too, in the sense that certain programs will by nature work on more than one aspect of your playing ability. You could and should choose in line with your own needs.
So, my first exposure to Johnson's educational output was Technique Builders. It has nothing to do with tapping, slapping or other fancy/flashy tricks. Instead, it is a thorough and gradual approach to building (or for those with some time on the instrument already - cleaning) a really good, functional physical command of the electric bass. In practice, it means the roles of the left and right hands in sound production (fingering; plucking), smoot movement on the instrument (finger independence and coordination; string crossing and skipping), sound control (muting) etc. To be specific, in my case it was of tremendous help in adapting my playing to a 5-string bass when I first undertook it, and made me adopt a different right hand technique, i.e. floating thumb method. Most importantly though, this video was my introduction to Johnson's teaching style, which I loved, thus nudging me to investigate his other products.
Next in line was Walking Bass Line Module System, because I was curious to see how he deconstructs and presents this topic. Non only did he not disappoint, but finally made me see the light at the end of the tunnel, i.e. perceive the undertaking of learning this style of playing as something doable. As a result, it boosted my motivation and joy of both practicing and performing in jazz bands. Even if you only stay with the first volume of the series (chord tones and approaches), you will be able to come up with good sounding lines and play with confidence. Including two remaining volumes (scalar lines and other stylistic devices) will definitely move you toward a more professional territory. This is definitely my "safety net" foundation.
Naturally, after excellent experience with the previous titles, I was eager try my hands at Johnson's Improvisation Module Method. Again, it features all the great features that I came to expect - detailed analysis, clear explanations, logical progression of instruction, supported by the enjoyable backing tracks. The lessons follow a similar approach as in the case of walking bass lines, in that they start with chord tones, then adding scalar passing and chromatic approach tones. Two things came as a great revelation and confidence booster here: understanding that you can get a lot of mileage from just a couple of notes when played with rhythmic interest (phrasing); this is a great ear training, too! The author calls his manner of teaching the "Karate Kid method", which may sound weird at first, but it is actually a fitting description once you get to it...and if you saw the original movies, of course.
Having taught you the ABC's and "grammar" of soloing, Johnson also shows you how to integrate the expressive means of the masters though his add-on module Major ii-V-I Vocabulary. Now, if you have the main modules under your fingers and in your ears, you are well equipped already, but tis module is a great way to figure out how to use and apply all those favorite cool sounding licks that we all have.
Finally, although it is advertised as more of a beginner/early intermediate material, the Bass Fundamentals Method: The Cycle is definitely a welcome addition to any bass player's vault of instructional material. Namely, I see it as an excellent compound workout, since following the program will give you a good coverage of technique, fretboard command, fundamental theory and ear training. Even if you are an experienced player, the systematic manner of practicing, as presented here, will probably take you out of the comfort zone, thus helping one's personal growth as a performer. The three different fingerings are presented for each type of scale and arpeggio shown, and then each is practiced in a consistent manner, thus helping diligent students to overcome obstacles and building confidence. I keep reiterating the confidence part, but it is the best way to enjoy one's music endeavors.
Some of the above programs are available as either a video/book combo or individual downloads and prints. As much as I love books, there is really no practical reason to get them (except maybe for collector's value), because Johnson accompanies all the videos with comprehensive PDF files, charts, transcriptions and explanations, along with audio backing tracks. In other words, the full package.
Besides those standalone, comprehensive programs, Johnson also offers a number of short, individual lessons on a selection of jazz standards, in a series titled Playin' Through the Real Book. Each tune is worked through three dimensions - bass line, solo, chordal accompaniment. As such, they are a great, and VERY affordable way of learning these pieces. Possibly most interesting feature of these is the chordal accompaniment. Namely, while Todd Johnson is widely acknowledged as possibly the authority on playing the bass as a solo instrument, especially the chord melody style, his instructional package (Fishin' For Grips) abut it has long been unavailable. Therefore these lessons may be a good way to dig into that aspect of bass playing, should you be so inclined.
In the end, I cannot emphasize enough how pleasant and encouraging Johnson's video personality is, which serves to further reinforce the phenomenal content of his instructional materials. No wonder then that he is one of the favorite masterclass instructors within the Scott's Bass Lessons portal and community, and a long time collaborator of the late Jim Stinnett. Honestly, if I were pressed to choose a single bass instructor to work with for the rest of my life, that would be a horribly difficult decision to make, but Todd Johnson would without any doubt be in the narrowest selection.
Saw an interesting poll on a Facebook group Bass Upfront, and basically the question was: if you could only play one kind (not label) of strings for the rest of your life, what would it be? The overwhelming majority of answers was - roundwound. Not unexpected, eh?
Well, yeah... I mean, that was my answer, too. That said, I do have flatwounds on one of my basses, and I like them, but the response was a no brainer. That, however, made me wonder why? After all, the flatwounds came first, being the standard on electric basses for more than a decade in the beginning. Innumerable popular smash hits were recorded on flatwound strung basses, often played with a pick (just ask Carol Kaye or James Jamerson). One would think that such a strong foundation would make everything else be secondary or peripheral, but the roundwounds really spread fast, once they appeared in 1962.
Now, the way I see it, such popularity may be rooted in a couple different reasons, probably working in synergy. First of all, they were endorsed by a hugely popular/influential player at the time - The Who's John Entwistle. Yet, on its own, it couldn't have been enough. After all, Paul McCartney wasn't playing them... Plus, Entwistle's playing style was unique, as was his gig, so it is not very probable that there was a huge percentage of bass players at the time fancied themselves as is next incarnation. There's gotta be something else to it.
Secondly, and probably more important was that one factor that in pre-MTV world of music "independent" of video was the main ingredient - the sound! Regardless of what or how Entwistle played, my guess is that legions of bass players back then thought their own playing, their own musical expression, would come through better with that roundwound sonic spice. Especially so with rock music, which was the staple of commercial entertainment business of the era from 1960's to 1990's.
Interestingly enough, as the trends come and go in cyclical manner, the old-school sound became popular again and increased the popularity of flatwounds (and various coated strings), but the roundwounds remain undisputed. One of the main reasons, I'd wager, that it is easier to get the emulation of flatwound sound from the roundwounds than the other way around. In a way, that makes the rounds kind of more universal, or at least suited to a wider scope of music styles, hence the enduring popularity.
Ultimately, though, you know what is the best part of that question at the beginning? That we do not have to make that choice :-)
When learning how to develop the walking bass lines over jazz standards or other music pieces that require this kind of sound there are two main approaches to doing it, although largely overlapping. One is concerned with the step-by-step method that starts at the bare basics of harmonic understanding and how to express it in music. The other uses the vocabulary acquisition method, i.e. selectin and teaching certain "cells" of bass lines which have been established over time as standard devices in the genre, used innumerous times by the professional players. If compared with methods of learning a foreign language, the first approach would be akin to teaching the student the grammar and other underlying principles of a given language, while the second might be seen as learning common phrases and expressions first, in order to start communicating as soon as possible. Ultimately, if the goal is a high level of functioning in the chosen language, the speaker will need the command of both aspects. Besides that, the first way may be more applicable to less experienced player, with second possibly leaning more towards those with some experience.
This time we are dealing with the latter approach. One of the excellent instructional tools that exemplifies the vocabulary method is a book written by Joe Hubbard, one of my favorite bass educators out there, who will be featured in some of the future reviews as well.
Although not a very large volume, this book manages to pack a lot of great information in a very effective and functional manner. (NOTE: on Hubbard's product page you will see a different cover, but when the order is delivered this is the one you will see). The author starts by identifying and explaining the components that make the ingredients of a good walking bass line, and emphasizes that "As well as the harmonic specificity, the rhythmic specificity must be adhered to in order to achieve an effective outcome with your bass lines".
He then proceeds to present and explain his selection of ten fundamental "phrases" that help to run a meaning full "conversation" within the context of jazz. Those include devices such as chord tones, passing and approach notes, scalar runs etc, along with harmonic adaptation and octave displacement principles that should enable you to make the lines smoother and fluid.
Hubbard explains the harmonic foundation of each of the ten cells and demonstrates how each is applied over a typical jazz blues chord progression. Finally, he puts together a matrix of those options for each of the chord types used, and writes out nine choruses of blues walking bass lines to show how they can be combined and matched in an actual playing situation.
Again, don't let the lean size of this manual trick you into thinking that it is not a big deal, because it does cover a lot of ground, and if you put in proper work it will give you a lot of mileage out of it. The best things that simultaneously you will get instant authentic sounding solution for all the common harmonic contexts, as well as the understanding that should enable you to adapt the lines to any other musical environment. As the matter of fact, once you understand what the ingredients are and how they are effectively combined, that knowledge ought to allow you to build good sounding lines in any situation, regardless of the style and genre.
While there is not really such thing as shortcut to jazz proficiency, this is as close as you can get to it - highly recommended!
Actually, when it comes to sound production on the bass, by far the grand majority of players are on the plucking side, i.e. using fingerstyle, as opposed to using a pick (plectrum) to put the strings into motion. Of course, the two approach are not mutually exclusive, and there have been phenomenal players featuring either of those. I tend to choose based on what sounds better in a given piece of music, all the more so since some styles of music are better suited for one or the other.. That said, the great Bobby Vega, one of the premiere proponents of the pick, says that "you can make the pick sound like fingers, but not the other way around".
Here is another excellent representative of the picking camp - Cody Wright - explaining the WHYs and HOWs of his approach. I find is particularly interesting because he is known for this ferocious funk playing, which is a style typically associated with fingerstyle or slap, but not so much with pick,
Hope this inspires you to look for and experiment with new sonic expressions on bass.
If you have read my previous posts about the subject of chord tones (you have, right?), the significance and benefits from studying it should be well established by now. So far, the instructional methods reviewed have been mostly concerned with the exact (diatonic) tones of a given chord, but that is not all there is to it. So, what is a good step towards the "next level" then?
Possibly the most concise work in this regard is the book Fretboard Arcadium, written by Scott Hubbell. The aim of this volume (something like 86 pages of solid information) is pretty good described in the foreword, done by one of the true masters of the instrument - Todd Johnson (watch for reviews of his publications in the future), who pointed that diligent work on this material should help you
1. develop your melodic sense
2. improve your ability to solo
3. improve your ear training
4. improve your fretboard knowledge...
So, how does Hubbel approach this task?
He starts, appropriately, with a quick review of the theory behind the building blocks of studying harmony in this way, i.e. vertically. Namely, he briefly explains how the chords are constructed and what their inversions are, as well as the concept of approach notes. And from there, the main portion of the book begins!
The first half of the book is dedicated to a thorough treatment of the four types of triads, each with 10 (ten!) different exercises, built on four main ways of approaching the notes within it. For the sake of clearer illustration of the material the author uses both the standard notation and tablature, but you don't necessarily need to stick to the shown fingering of each individual exercise. After all, the author says himself: "Take the exercises on the 4 note chords and change them around, make them yours".
Speaking of the 4-note structures, Hubbell addresses two types of 6th chords (major and minor), as well as four types of 7th chords (major, minor, dominant, half-diminished, diminished). However, his treatment of each, in terms of providing exercises, is not as step-by-step as the triads. That is because he relies on your diligence in covering the previous material, and applying the principles learned to the new lessons. Essentially, he shows the use of selected approaches to the new chordal structures, but it is up to the reader/student to figure out how all of the earlier explained steps need to be implemented in order to reap the full benefits.
While I do appreciate the methods that delineate every step of the way for the students, I have always preferred those that require the students to get involved on a deeper level, because in my case they help the better actual understanding and absorption of the lessons.
Now we come to the part of the story that sort of fits the mysterious tone of the book title... Namely, this volume, along with the authors other one (about scales) used to be available both in printed and electronic formats. But, while I was checking out the Internet for details to include in this review, it turned out that Hubbell's websites are no longer online, and the main distributor of his works (bassbooks.com) went under several years ago. Therefore, I couldn't contact the author, but the hardcopy version of the book can still be found/ordered if you search for it a bit, and still at a great price. For the value you are getting from the book, it will be time and money well spent.
There are probably a few words/phrases in the bass playing world, and particularly in the field of learning, that immediately evoke one of those "love it or hate it" feeling. And there is no doubt that walking bass is one of those.
Those who belong to the latter category mostly don't like the kind of music typically related to this sort of bass lines and feel, i.e. jazz and blues, but they actually fail to perceive this approach to building the foundation in other musical styles, such as pop, rock, ska etc.
In terms of learning bass, the "dislikers" tend to shun the thing for being tedious and lacking excitement. What they fail to see, however, is that both arguments are mostly applicable in the early stages of work, but in the long term it can be downright exhilarating. But, even more importantly, the overall learning benefits from embarking on this path are numerous and hard to reach otherwise. Without going into a long rant, the study of the walking bass will build your harmonic understanding of music as a whole, develop your sense of pulse and rhythm, propel the command of the fingerboard in a non-artificial way etc.
Now, while I plan to do some in-depth coverage of some excellent material available on the subject, there are a couple of very good free online resources that can give you a good start and form a solid foundation for any future study, should you decide to undertake it. If not, this could be enough to open enough doors to better understanding of what you are doing as a bassist in any other kind of band.
Let me begin with someone the readers of this blog are probably acquainted with - Posido Vega. He has what would probably be adequately described as extended lesson about the walking bass, covering all the necessary ingredients: chord tones, scale tones, chromatic approaches. Besides that, he also provides the recipe for putting it all together (i.e. how to organize your learning), as well as a handful of useful "cookbooks" (i.e. books by renowned authors). The lesson is presented in text, with music examples in standard notation and tablature.
The other, but by no means lesser, website that you should visit is the aptly titled Walking Bass Lessons by Tomasz Ziobro. He touches upon the same topics as in the previous case, naturally, but in a somewhat more comprehensive manner, with individual lessons on the abovementioned "ingredients", with the addition of voice leading. Another difference is the formatting of the material, where the underlying theoretical concepts are offered in writing, but the main segment is done in video. As the matter of fact, for the literary challenged, the videos are available on Ziobro's Youtube channel, along with a bunch of his other bass lessons.
So, there you have it! I hope this will both encourage you to tackle the interesting realm of walking bass and help pointing you in the right direction.
So far we haven't discussed any specific styles/genres of music as applied to bass, but this is as good time as any to change that. I mean, getting a firm grip on the fundamental aspects of the craft, in terms of good sound production mechanics (i.e. instrumental technique), music principles (theory) and how they relate to the instrument (fretboard command) are of course necessary, but ultimately - we do want to use all of those while making music with a band, right?
Some styles are considered better as a platform for the overall academic study (jazz), but even within that world, there seems to be a special joy in performing a convincing rendition of some Latin-tinged standard. That said, the term "Latin" is not exactly narrow in meaning, being essentially a geographic reference. In other words, the sheer number of Latin styles can be a rather deep rabbit hole if you decide to go down that avenue. Still, it no reason to be reluctant...
As with any other filed of study, a proper introduction can establish a good foundation to build upon as the time goes by. Well, here is a quite nice lesson presented by Dewayne Pate, a long time professional bassist, best known for his work with Robben Ford.
Dewayne Pate - "Latin Bass Techniques" from Jesse Block on Vimeo.
In some of the future posts I will review some more educational materials on Latin bass, but hopefully this was enough to spark some interest in this great branch of music.
Remember how in the previous post I mentioned that those highly recommended programs are occasionally discounted? Well, here you go!
OK, I admit it - I often use instruction from people and sources dedicated to other instruments, including (gulp!) guitar. As the matter of fact, on of the most influential instructors whose material and direct guidance I have had the pleasure to experience over the past few years is Dana Rasch. For those who have heard of the legendary, but now defunct, Grove School of Music it will be easy to understand the quality of teaching involved, when you have in mind that Rasch used to be the head of the guitar program there, and the author of the cult-status instructional package titled Beyond Chops.
Well, that package was published 35+ years ago and is still a benchmark, but the author chose not to rest on his laurels, and decided to further expand and improve his teaching approach. Over the years, he developed several programs that deal with various aspects of musicianship as it applies to guitar, but I would say that his flagship series is Visual Guide Tones, which is also the title of his website. And guess what? It works great on bass!
Essentially, the author uses the highly graphic nature of the instrument to help players in seeing how numerous music principles and concepts are manifested on it. In this particular program, Rasch uses five shapes of all the scales that form harmonic sources in modern music and than maps them over the fingerboard, while using the methods of string pairs, string sets, melodic contour, U-turns, sequences etc. to work on several dimensions of instrumental proficiency at the same time. You will develop technical command, left and right hand coordination, fretboard familiarity, ear-hand coordination while working on it, so it is completely appropriate that another user called it the "unified method".
Over the course of 11 (eleven) levels, Rach takes you on a thorough, step-by-step practical study that starts with pentatonic, goes through major, follows by melodic minor scales, and a whole bunch of other topics along the way. Each level consists of minimum 2 DVDs worth of video (download/stream) - one is a lesson and the other practice video(s) - as well as mp3 backing tracks and PDF notes where applicable. All in all, the instruction is very clear, as the author does a lot of talking when explaining the material, and he doesn't cut any shortcuts. And yet, if you have any questions, he is quite accessible via email and actually responds to your inquiries.
Now, the first three levels deal with pentatonic scales, and just going through this part of the program helped me immensely in developing the above mentioned elements of musicianship. The first level stays in one key/tonality, the second has you shift between two, and the third - between three. With that in mind, if you understand the material in Level 1, it is possible to skip either 2 or 3 on your way up, depending on your previous level, although I still recommend taking each step, for the benefit of other insights and advice shared along the way.
When it comes to direct application of the material from the course, very early I was able to put it to great use in coming up with bass fills and runs very spontaneously and with ease, even in the sections of fingerboard that had previously been "behind the horizon" for me. This is how I worked on the material a few years ago.
Remember how I mentioned that Dana Rasch was very accessible? Well, after asking for permission to use the pictures, we agreed that if any of the readers of this blog contacts me with some proof of purchase from his website, I will send you the PDF document I had made a few years back, that makes it easer to map the material on the first Visual Guide Tones levels on the neck of the bass, for 4-string and extended range instruments!
Well, this article was written a couple months back, but was out for just a couple of days before being withdrawn. The reason is that the author of the reviewed books pointed that they had been unavailable for a while, and new editions have appeared in the meantime. And the changes were not just about the looks, but the progression of steps in the overall practicing approach have been modified as well (for the better, IMHO). I wasted no time ordering the new ones, so here is the updated version!
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| the oldies |
In the previous post you could learn something about the benefits of working on chord tones as the means of making progress on the instrument. This time, I will point you to what, IMHO, is the best starting point on this path - the books written by Phil Mann. He happens to be a phenomenal instructor, and you can find more about his bio and professional work as a bassist on the man's website.
Mann's approach to the subject is very thorough and done in a step-by-step manner, which means easy to understand and follow, although you WILL HAVE to put in the work, no doubt about it. He intends to cover the material through a series of book, and so far two have come out:
Vol 1. An Excavation of the Humble Triad
Vol 2. The Transcendence from Intent to Implementation
So, the first volume, as you may have guessed, is concerned with the triads that serve as the foundation for all other harmonic structures in music. Mann offers the theoretical fundamentals as they pertain to the material in the book, and then proceeds to the treatment of the topic - major, minor, diminished, and augments triads. Each chord quality is shown and practiced in all of its inversions, and at one point the major triad is also run through its permutation, but once you get the idea other qualities ought to be put through the paces, too. The major, minor and diminished structures are then done as two-octave studies; and finally, melodic applications are demonstrated on two staple chord progressions (ii-V-I and I-IV-V). Whew, a lot of stuff!
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| the foundation |
The material is presented exquisitely well presented through standard notation and tablature, where the latter format is necessary, i.e. to lay out the structures on the fingerboard. In the melodic applications, however, the tablature is (rightly) omitted, so you can work on your own options on the instrument.
Before moving to the next book, I will briefly offer a personal insight. When isolated, any of the triads can be drilled in on of two ways - vertically or horizontally. Take them as two-string shapes and go though the cycle of fourths either in a chosen 5-fret section on the fingerboard (vertical), or with the bottom note on a single string (horizontal).
The second volume deals with tetrachords, i.e. 7th arpeggios, which are four-tone structures, and the approach follows the same overall path as with triads. Mann tackles the ones found in diatonic major and minor tonalities, i.e. major, minor, dominant, and minor 7b5. Naturally, there is more work to be done because there are more inversions to address, but if you had done diligent work with the first book, this one should not be a problem.
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| the challenge |
If you would like to get some sense of Mann's teaching style, he has several videos freely available on his Youtube channel, and this one is on the topic of major scale harmonization in triads:
All in all, having seen his courses on the Scott's Bass Lessons portal, articles in Bass Player and after perusing these books, Phil Mann is one of my favorite bass teachers out there, and I really look forward to his future contributions in the field.
Sorry for a year-long hiatus, been busy doing other stuff, even stepped away from the bass completely for almost two months... Got back to it though, unavoidably, and in order to maximize the effects of my practice routine asked myself "what do I need to focus on in order to develop the ear-to-fretboard connection as much as possible, along with technique"? Looked back at my practice diaries from "times yonder" and figured out that dedicating the largest portion of my time available to the study of chord tones seems to be most promising.
Why? Well, because seeing how harmony lays out on the fingerboard offers sort of a clear GPS guide to getting where you need to be in the musical context, and in a way that makes it helpful and comprehensible for other musicians in the band, as well as the listeners, too. Add solid rhythmic feel and phrasing to it, and you are pretty much there when it comes to creating functional and convincing bass lines. Therefore, I will point to several good resources for those who would like to embark on this quintessential field of study.
To begin with, it only made sense to me to follow the method (even if it is an older book) of a man who has long been championing the advantages of focusing on chord tones rather than scales and sheer technical exercises devoid of musical content - the one and only Jeff Berlin! He has been preaching very strong views on the state of music education, especially in the domain of teaching/learning electric bass in modern music, for decades, and some 35 years ago came up with a manual intended to show in practice how his philosophy of learning should be applied in practice. The book is long out of print, but here it is as available online:
...for the tasty fat bass!
Lousy word play aside, Posido Vega is a great bass instructor who has been present on the Web in one form or another for a long time and always providing excellent content. His Youtube channel is simply awesome, and I really used to like his old written materials on Mutant Bass. However, he now has a new virtual home.
I have to admit, it is with a heavy heart that I have received the news of Jim Stinnett's passing, following a series of heart-attacks. Besides being a true giant of bass education, Jim was a great and accessible gentleman ready to offer sound advice and helping hand, always smiling and exuding joy of life. This blog has already featured some of his brilliant teaching materials, and certainly will do some more in the future.
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| ...and those who knew him |
After an illustrious career as a professor at the Berklee College of Music, preceded by years of music teaching done from genuine passion, it is no wonder Stinnett was able to convey important music principles and concepts in a way that few are capable of, and has produced dozens of great bassists over decades.
If you are still not acquainted with his teaching style and lessons, I wholeheartedly recommend you visit his Youtube channel and see for yourself what excellent instruction looks like. Once you see how Jim was conducting his classes, you can't help envying the students who had the opportunity to learn from him in person on regular basis, and on a personal level, I feel privileged to have been able and established even a modicum of personal communication with such an inspiring person, one of those whose mere presence had enriched the lives of the people whose being was graced by sharing the same field of passion and/or path through it.
Rest in peace Jim, you will be missed and remembered.
Bass players are an interesting lot when it comes to having wider and deeper knowledge of overall music, in its wider theoretical implications and practical applications. Of course, there is a continuum, but it often looks as if there are two (those who also act as the lead singer are excluded) categories that gravitate toward the opposite ends:
1. those listening only to drums and acting as the proverbial dummy of the band;
2. those who are actually the most educated/knowledgeable members, thus often acting as the main composer/arranger (John Paul Jones anyone?) or music directors of the band.
I have very often seen or heard bass players looking to "outgrow" the first category, and therefore asking for the good books or other resources of music theory for bass. And there, to me, lies the problem - there is no such thing as the music theory for bass...or any other specific instrument. Music is music, and while different instruments may have different roles within ensembles of various sizes, they should all be able to speak the same language, in order to communicate effectively. Seeking the instruction that applies to bass is cutting yourself short of al the benefits that can be reaped with an unhindered approach as willingness to step out of your immediate comfort zone by learning music in a more universal manner.
Hm, OK, how do we alleviate this problem? Well, by engaging in a well organized and comprehensive study of music. Now, a lot of self-taught musicians will cringe at the mention of the term theory, and think of it as something utterly boring and probably the bad voodoo that will rob them of their creativity and "soul" in playing. Although possible, depending on the instructor and the student, neither is necessarily true. I have already discussed some resources that deal with most immediate aspects of theory in a practical way for our instrument, and there are others in printed format that will be reviewed in the future posts, but today I would like to point the readers to an exceptionally well done online presentation.
While I definitely prefer the book format as the means of "packaging" knowledge, sometimes there are simply better ways to efficiently convey information. As a great example of this, Clive Cockburn has made a website that offers a tremendous way to learn music in all its practical aspects in a very effective and practical fashion.
The Contemporary Music Course is exactly that - not a bunch of tips and tidbits thrown together in random order, but rather a true step-by-step teaching of elements that will help you understand things you have been doing already on your instrument, as well as show you how to take your craft as a musician (see, I didn't say bassist) to a much higher level.
How does he achieve this? Cockburn uses the video format to present his lessons, just long enough in duration to say what needs to be said, so you don't nod off, and then provides assignments in additional PDF materials to help you put what you have learned to practice. I especially like the fact that he integrates ear training with theoretical foundations, hence providing a deeper understanding of the curriculum.
Speaking of curriculum, it starts with two levels of fundamental elements, titled Language of Music, then proceeds through another two levels of Chords and Harmony, adds the treatment of rhythm through the lens of actual band practice in the Kit Drummer. After that, the course goes into that music director/arranger territory mentioned earlier via the chapters on Rhythm Section and Horns, Orchestral Harmony, Two Part Harmony & Counterpoint (gold for those looking to play more melodic bass lines!), Arranging Notes. To crown the course, the author gives special treatment to making/recording a Rock Session Project, including the writing of the song, preparing a lead sheet, rehearsing it etc.
And now comes the cherry on the cake! While the annual membership for the entire course normally cost around $99, Cockburn is currently offering it for free (no login required), while the Covid pandemic is still at large.
There...no excuse to skip this excellent offer!
Besides music, and bass in particular, my other (the first, as the matter of fact) is martial arts, and I have noted a strange disparity of how instructors in both fields have tackled the problem of staying put in our homes, without access to our regular "working avenues" of training and gigging. Namely, the number of martial art coaches and instructors who have offered either individual or group sessions via Zoom or similar live streaming outlets has been staggering. With music professionals, not really. Maybe it is because in case of musicians online teaching through live sessions has been a rather normal thing for quite some time, even before the pandemic outburst.
However, my impressions is that the top echelon of performing professionals has missed a good opportunity here. See, the Berklee bas department did do a few events of the panel-discussion kind, but in all honest, those weren't much educational in terms of specific material or approaches to practicing. The thing is, hosting an online conference with a similar attitude as doing a clinic can be beneficial in several ways.
To begin with, there are a lot of people out there who would love to have lessons from the top-level "so and so" musicians, but as the potential clients they are either intimidated or thinking there is no way those payers would even consider giving lessons. Conducting a free or affordable online clinic is great way to show that they are accessible as instructors, and also to demonstrate their teaching chops. Here is a good example of how it can be done - Phil Mann did a series of lessons through Facebook live streams, and later put them on his Youtube channel With Bass in Mind.
Adam Nitti is another monster player who has recently started doing similar sessions, with his excellent clinic on ear training. Choosing to do it via Zoom had the advantage of attendees being able to react immediately and establish good rapport, with feedback from both sides. On the other hand, just like the previous gentleman, Nitti is a veteran music educator in parallel with his recording and performing career, so he understands the need to keep in touch with his audience.
As he matter of fact, even the rare cats that are actually already fully scheduled with their private lessons have understood the value of such public events. Anthony Wellington of the Bassology fame. The man who does 10+ private sessions on a daily basis still offers these opportunities for the potential clients who cannot get in queue or pay his regular fees. That helps spread the word and make sure he will never run out of work.
And also...well, that's about it. I don't know what it is that makes the bass professionals shun those avenues of work, and that's a shame. I was hoping to be able and see some of them teach in this format, but it wasn't meant to be.
Or maybe I am wrong and uninformed about such events taking place, in which case - please correct me!
As much as I really, deeply love books as a source of music
instruction, this is the 21st century after all and various online school
and courses are the go-to places for all kinds of education, so playing bass is
no exception. While still nowhere near the amount of instructional material
available for guitar (or drums), there is enough bass dedicated options in the
World Wide Web to cause hardship when attempting to use the one that would be
right for you. If that is the case, let me try and offer some help!
Speaking of the online schools, I have always been
skeptical of the term “academy”, but the website presented here is probably the
most deserving of such title of all. Tony Grey’s has already
been mentioned in this blog, but the simple fact is that as great as his
book is, it contains just a fraction of the material offered in the Tony Grey
Bass Academy website.
There are several elements working in conjunction that
make this resource excellent. Obviously, the sheer amount of the material is
staggering, but there are even “heftier” ones out there. The instructor’s
expertise and professional background are also undisputable, but again, some of
the other instructors are probably even more impressive in this regard. Visual
design and ease of use are of the top shelf level, yet, certainly not the clear
winner… OK, so what is it then!?
The aspect that takes the cake, and makes the TGBA my
favorite (even among a few other I deeply like) is its methodology of
presentation and thorough lesson plan. Being that my day job is a school
teacher, there is nothing that speaks so sweetly to me as a well-though, expertly
crafted, and skillfully taught curriculum. On top of that, Grey puts a premium
on helping his students in figuring out how to organize their practice sessions
in a manner that would be most conducive to achieving the desired results.
Not only is the practice planning the first item on
his default teaching agenda, but he will give all the newly joined students a
free personal lesson/session to address the topic. Besides that, the academy
has a forum reserved for the members, where Grey regularly addressed all the
questions and clarifies any doubts about the lessons, if the students have any.
As an instructor, Tony is a mild mannered, soft spoken gentleman, who will
spare you the TV infomercial over the top sort of banter, and will instead focus
on the details of the material being taught and how it will help you become the
best player you can. And detailed it sure is! The academy lessons are done as
videos with graphics where needed, supported by PDF files of written notes and transcribed
music examples from the videos (no tabs, but fingerings indicated), as well as
backing tracks for your practice. Here is an example of his teaching:
Now, the membership fee, while not among the lowest on
the ‘Net, is more than fair if you keep in mind everything you get for it. Many
other people strive to give the impression of a great deal, with a bunch of so-called
bonuses thrown with the main offer, but the fact is that you probably won’t
even look at those more than once. The Tony Grey Bass Academy, on the other
hand, is founded on a premise of sincere care for the students’ progress, and conceived
in such a manner that you will keep coming back and referencing its material
regularly to get the reap the full benefits from learning.
Finally, Tony’s own personal story of learning music
is the one of overcoming obstacles and dealing with doubts that many of us “average
Joes and Janes” face quite frequently. Learning about it will probably
reinforce your confidence in the material and the man teaching it, this further
inspiring you on the path of musical development.
I was thinking of having another post with a list of favorite resources within a certain medium, but since Youtube is such a vast and dynamic one, it seemed like a better idea to focus on one feature at a time. So, here we go…
Today’s installment is dedicated to the relative
newcomer, meaning the channel has only been around for a few months, but Dale
Titus has certainly been around the block quite a few times, including the
mention on this blog. He earned his instructor stripes as a teacher at BIT and the
author of a number of articles in Bass Player, so no wonder that Everything Bass
is a very nice collection of videos on several topics in bass, neatly presented
in “episodes”, so you can follow a particular subject of choice more easily, if
you would like to focus on that aspect of your playing/practice. There are
series on technical domains (slap, tapping), overall musicianship (fretboard
familiarization, guided improvisation sessions), various professional tips etc.
As the matter of fact, balanced is probably the
single word that best describes the overall impression of this Youtube channel.
As a video educator Titus is neither annoyingly imposing, nor monotonously pale;
the exercises are challenging enough to take some dedication, and realistically
attainable, so you are not discouraged…
Finally, if you have questions or something to say
in the comments section, Dale actually reads them and is quick to respond. All
in all, what we see here is the instructor who genuinely cares about offering
the kind of contents to truly benefit his audience.
What is the biggest challenge before most musicians, particularly those in earlier stages of honing their craft? Judging by most indications I have seen so far, it is the organization and adherence to daily practice. It is understandable - first, you have to figure out what needs to be done, then decide on how to schedule those topics, how long to say with them etc. With so many variables, no wonder a lot of people end up noodling instead of running a specific and targeted practice sessions.
Well, fortunately for us bassists there is a great way to overcome those obstacles. Jim Stinnett comes to rescue! Jim is a professor at Berklee College of Music, with decades of teaching practice and dozens of respectable alumni, who can attest to the success of his methodology. To get a glimpse of his approach to teaching bass you just need to visit his excellent Youtube channel Real Bass Lessons and peruse a couple hundred (!!!) tutorials he has there.
However, the main subject of this post is a phenomenal series of books Jim published, titled Daily Practice For Bass. As the title suggests, what we have here is an actual practice plan, laid out and organized for all those who are willing to dedicate 45 minuted of their day to follow the instruction. Stinnett has already done all the hard work, mentioned above, all you have to do it is follow the plan...simple as that!
Each book opens with a succinct explanation of how to use the material, then covers four weeks of practice, and includes all the main ingredients: technique, reading, harmony, ear training, fingerboard knowledge. And the brilliant thing is that all of them are presented through actual musical content - technique and fingerboard command are built via scales and arpeggios, ear training via transcription of music phrases, harmony via walking lines and basic chordal shapes, rhythm via Motown-type and funk grooves etc. To make everything even more fun and enjoyable, there are backing tracks to be downloaded from Stinnetts website, so you can hear the musical context for what you are doing.
Since the work is packed in daily sessions of 45 minutes, there is enough time left for other things you may wish to do on your instruments, whether it is jamming with your favorite songs, learning new ones, working on your tapping and slapping, or... In short - perfect solution!
OK, I would actually like if Jim had some sort of reading practice set for every single day, because in my opinion that segment cannot be skipped if one truly wants to have it down cold. But, let that be a subject for a later post.
Now, the nicest part is the price. At $18 per book/volume (plus shipping), it means you are only paying less than 65 cents per lesson! At the moment, Jim has 13 books out, so you have more than a year's worth of material, with guided practice method - step by step, day by day. What more can you ask for?
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| The one I use |
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