I received my double bass !

[Lionelsax]

My first time !

[A. Kingstone]

Sounds good!

Blisters comin'.

[Lionelsax]

Hi !

No blisters at all...

What tune is that ?

[Bop Head]

Hi !

No blisters at all...

What tune is that ?

Monk does not play a II-V in bar 3 but stays on the I. (You could also play the 6th in the bass which gives a nice chromatic bassline.)

[Lionelsax]

Monk does not play a II-V in bar 3 but stays on the I. (You could also play the 6th in the bass which gives a nice chromatic bassline.)

No, it will sound too much like a II V (Ab7 bass C).

[Bop Head]

No, it will sound too much like a II V (Ab7 bass C).

The I is Ebm6, so

| Ebm Ebm/D Ebm/Db / | Co / Abm7 Db7 | Ebm/C / / / | Bm7 E7 Bbm7 Eb7 | etc.

(This is the "sixth in the bass" alternative I mentioned.)

[Rob MacKillop]

Sounds great, Lionel. Are you impressed with the quality?

[Jimmy Smith]

Sounds good. Jazz bassists should have an upright. Sounds like you're already proficient too.

[Lionelsax]

Sounds great, Lionel. Are you impressed with the quality?

I can say I am, the instrument seems easy to play even if I've owned it since Wednesday.
I've never played a double bass so long.
I had tried an electric one 15 years ago and I didn't enjoy it so much.
So my experience is very very limited.

[Rob MacKillop]

Impressive.

[Liarspoker]

Thomann is like a black hole that I can never get out of

It makes my bank account look like strands of spaghetti

Nice playing btw especially if you've only been playing since Wednesday

[Lionelsax]

Thomann is like a black hole that I can never get out of

It makes my bank account look like strands of spaghetti

Nice playing btw especially if you've only been playing since Wednesday

I have to say that I've been using the Simandl fingering (I have known how it's called for a couple of months) on bass guitar for more than 14 years because I have always planned to play the double bass.

[Jimmy Smith]

^ Seems like your skills transferred over well. One thing I can say they told me when I went from electric to upright is to pluck with your fingers parallel to the strings at the base of the fingerboard.

[Lionelsax]

^ Seems like your skills transferred over well. One thing I can say they told me when I went from electric to upright is to pluck with your fingers parallel to the strings at the base of the fingerboard.

Oh ! I've got a long way to go you know, I have to play more behind the instrument, to curve my fingers (left hand).

Something is very funny, I play better when the instrument is on its stand. The nut is over my head but I feel more comfortable, I can pluck the strings at the right place (end of the fingerboard) without hurting my back and I can play in thumb position.
I'm a short guy... At first I thought about a 1/2 size but they are more expensive.

I forgot... I play a little bit the violin, proportionally speaking, notes are at the same places.

In my head, I was planning to play one day in 5ths (CGDE) because I really like Red Mitchell. When I was a kid, when there was jazz on TV, Red Mitchell was often there, it was my reference.
Now I've got a double bass, adding this difficulty is not thinkable.

I'm very surprised of the way I find the notes without a lot of difficulties even if I'm still out of tune, I'm not so far.

About plucking the string, all techniques are good, one you talk about is the best to dig into it and get a big sound.

With time I will find the right way to play.

[Jimmy Smith]

Oh ! I've got a long way to go you know.

I have a long way to go too. Since I'm back being a bassist with my left hand on Hammond.

I have to play more behind the instrument, to curve my fingers (left hand).

Yes keep those fingers curved. I injured the knuckle on my index finger from caving it while playing upright around 2007. And 3 years ago I had to quit guitar and bass because the latent injury started to get progressively worse from fretting.

Something is very funny, I play better when the instrument is on its stand. The nut is over my head but I feel more comfortable, I can pluck the strings at the right place (end of the fingerboard) without hurting my back and I can play in thumb position. I'm a short guy... At first I thought about a 1/2 size but they are more expensive.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that if you like to play with the bass higher than typical.

In my head, I was planning to play one day in 5ths (CGDE) because I really like Red Mitchell. When I was a kid, when there was jazz on TV, Red Mitchell was often there, it was my reference. Now I've got a double bass, adding this difficulty is not thinkable.

I think if I still played bass I'd certainly have done something like that. Maybe a 5 string with a high C string. 5ths might be tough to adapt to tho.

I'm very surprised of the way I find the notes without a lot of difficulties even if I'm still out of tune, I'm not so far.

Yeah your intonation is good. Maybe your intuition with pitch from saxophone plus your technique from electric bass?

About plucking the string, all techniques are good, one you talk about is the best to dig into it and get a big sound. With time I will find the right way to play.

Yep, maybe there's nothing wrong with the electric plucking posture. The effects are it's boomier from plucking nearer to the middle node, quieter from plucking only with your tips, and slightly more string noise from the string vibrating more widely nearer the middle of the string.

[bako]

Lionel, Congratulations on your new endeavor.

In my head, I was planning to play one day in 5ths (CGDE) because I really like Red Mitchell. When I was a kid, when there was jazz on TV, Red Mitchell was often there, it was my reference. Now I've got a double bass, adding this difficulty is not thinkable.

Red Mitchell undeniably gets excellent results doing what he does and the increased range on a 4 string is cool but speaking as a cellist who plays CGDA on a 27+" scaled instrument, even at this modest size, playing major and minor 2nds on adjacent strings is far harder than it morally should be. For bass in 4th's tuning on a 40+" scaled instrument, major and minor 2nds w/o open strings already require a shift to play on adjacent strings in the lower positions. How much harder does it need to be?

[Lionelsax]

Lionel, Congratulations on your new endeavor.



Red Mitchell undeniably gets excellent results doing what he does and the increased range on a 4 string is cool but speaking as a cellist who plays CGDA on a 27+" scaled instrument, even at this modest size, playing major and minor 2nds on adjacent strings is far harder than it morally should be. For bass in 4th's tuning on a 40+" scaled instrument, major and minor 2nds w/o open strings already require a shift to play on adjacent strings in the lower positions. How much harder does it need to be?

Red Mitchell slides a lot, I can hear the difference between 4ths and 5ths tunings.

With 4ths tuning, notes die quickly, with 5ths they live and resonate, the sound is also deeper.

It's also true that between these two periods better microphones had been developed.

He also used to play in duet so his playing was more lyrical and kind of orchestral.

[Lionelsax]

Monk does not play a II-V in bar 3 but stays on the I. (You could also play the 6th in the bass which gives a nice chromatic bassline.)

[Bop Head]

First video:

What I am talking about is bars 21 and 22 in this transcription. I am talking about meas. 3 in the AABA tune, not counting the Dizzy intro. There are two ways to notate the tune. This one is making two bars out of one like in the original sheet music, making it a 64 meas. tune, I am using the 32 meas. way like in the Cardenas/Sickler Monk fake book (or in all Real Books as well IIRC).

Second video:

I do not have the time to examine the substitutions here, but I know Monk was very picky about his compositions. After playing the Newport festival in 1958 (IIRC) with Miles when driving back to NYC he got so mad at Miles for playing his changes wrong that he got out of the car and took a taxi home.

I will listen to the rest later.

I know that for one of the most often recorded tunes in the history of jazz there are many reharmonizations. I for myself try to stay close to Monk's intention and try to get close to the source as possible. I posted some examples in the favorite ballads thread recently.

[Lionelsax]

First video:

What I am talking about is bars 21 and 22 in this transcription. I am talking about meas. 3 in the AABA tune, not counting the Dizzy intro. There are two ways to notate the tune. This one is making two bars out of one like in the original sheet music, making it a 64 meas. tune, I am using the 32 meas. way like in the Cardenas/Sickler Monk fake book (or in all Real Books as well IIRC).

Second video:

I do not have the time to examine the substitutions here, but I know Monk was very picky about his compositions. After playing the Newport festival in 1958 (IIRC) with Miles when driving back to NYC he got so mad at Miles for playing his changes wrong that he got out of the car and took a taxi home.

I will listen to the rest later.

I know that for one of the most often recorded tunes in the history of jazz there are many reharmonizations. I for myself try to stay close to Monk's intention and try to get close to the source as possible. I posted some examples in the favorite ballads thread recently.

You weren't so far from Monk's version.
Hum, I should be careful with you if I dare to play I VI II V on another jazz standard instead of I V

[Bop Head]

You weren't so far from Monk's version.
Hum, I should be careful with you if I dare to play I VI II V on another jazz standard instead of I V

Play whatever you want, unless you play the RM changes from the original Real Book which are musical terrorism and would force me to commit genocidal blood revenge.

[Lionelsax]

Play whatever you want, unless you play the RM changes from the original Real Book which are musical terrorism and would force me to commit genocidal blood revenge.

I play a mix of two Aebersold versions.

[Jimmy Smith]

The chords on the solo Monk transcription seem pretty accurate.

[Lionelsax]

Good news, no blisters at all and I play every day, thumb position is kind of painful sometimes.
In fact it's a simple instrument (for what I play), you've got a 5th on the neck, the octave is easy to find... I'm very happy, it's more effective than a bass guitar, because there really is a bass sound, the fundamental is clear.

[Lionelsax]

Well, it's not so simple !!!
A very bad intonation on the blues !!!

It's a bit better on a tune I know well...