The IIB Monthly Newsletter
Volume 10, Number 8
Hello fellow bassists and friends!
Welcome to the latest issue of the International Institute of Bassists newsletter!
Welcome to the latest issue of the International Institute of Bassists newsletter!
The Next Session Of Jazz Bass Lines Begins October 5 - Enroll Today!
Jazz Bass Lines is a beginner to intermediate level course that explores all of the fundamental components of walking bass line construction. During this comprehensive 12-week course, you will acquire a vast knowledge of improvisation techniques by studying the bass lines of the most prominent jazz bassists. Following a systematic and guided approach of analysis, Jazz Bass Lines examines the key elements of walking bass line creation. This course begins by concentrating on the basic building blocks of bass parts including intervals, triads, seventh chords, and scales. As the course progresses, you will be introduced to concepts including walking bass line cells, rhythmic embellishments, the two feel, and the utilization of those components in practical application. Students will analyze transcriptions, play-alongs, and essential listening tracks of classic walking bass lines to assist in learning the proper integration of technique, sound, and feel. Special emphasis is placed on the 12-bar blues song form along with a collection of legendary bass tracks recorded by Ray Brown, Ron Carter, and Paul Chambers. By the end of this course, not only will you possess a deeper awareness of what makes a walking bass line great but you will also have expanded your fretboard familiarity, developed an incredible set of skills that will provide you with a greater understanding of how the bass functions within a band, and feel more confident in your ability to improvise effectively over jazz standards. From the basics of traditional walking bass line construction to more advanced contemporary principles, Jazz Bass Lines is designed to establish the essential foundation and indispensable vocabulary that is necessary for bassists interested in the art of improvising bass lines. This course is a must for anyone passionate about becoming a proficient bass player and serious about furthering their knowledge of improvisation. ... Read More!
Reviews: Todd Johnson & Jim Stinnett - Fishin' For Grips - Melodic Harmonization For Bass Guitar
Authored by Todd Johnson and Berklee College of Music professor Jim Stinnett, two of the world's finest bass educators, Fishin' For Grips is the first instructional DVD to document the application of melodic harmonization on electric bass. On this video, Johnson lays the foundation of his chord-melody approach by spelling 3-note chord voicings consisting of triads and seventh chords constructed from the major, minor, and dominant scales. While it would be helpful to understand fundamental theory such as intervals, triads, seventh chords, and scales before you begin studying Johnson's methodology, it certainly isn't required to achieve success with this presentation. Johnson and Stinnett walk you through each example in a step-by-step fashion so that even a beginner with little or no prior musical training can benefit from the instruction and attain a level of proficiency. The proper fingerings and hand positions presented by Johnson in his teachings solidify the essential principles and reinforce the mechanics that are required to physically execute and internalize the sound of the grips. The structured programming of the video chapters range from basic triads to more advanced voicings which permit you to choose the degree of difficulty you would like to practice. To demonstrate the musical application of his innovative chordal techniques, Johnson utilizes several classic songs and standards from the jazz repertoire throughout the video including "You Are My Sunshine," "Autumn Leaves," "Mr. P.C.," "C-Jam Blues," "Misty," "Cherokee," and "Surfer Girl." Although the examples illustrated on this video are played by Johnson on his Zon signature model 6-string bass guitar with a high C-string, all of the grips can be easily performed on a standard 4-string bass if strung in tenor tuning (A-D-G-C). Several short comedic interludes provide brief moments of rest as you proceed from one section to the next. In the accompanying 40-page book, Johnson reveals his rules for gripping and outlines a collection of 15 tips including suggestions on how to improve the positioning of your bass to play those grips that are more difficult to finger and muting considerations. The book also features fretboard diagrams, chord charts, and practice techniques to maximize your learning experience as well as interviews with both Johnson and Stinnett. For the past two decades, Todd Johnson has been at the forefront of the extended range movement and has expanded the traditional role of the bass guitar with his pioneering performance style. Fishin' For Grips is an indispensable resource for the contemporary study of chordal vocabulary on bass guitar. ... Read More!
Bass Tips Of The Week
Sight Reading For Bass: Rhythm Studies
If you take an analytical approach to sight reading standard notation and break it down into its fundamental components, you are left with two primary variables consisting of notes and rhythms. Since there are only 12 unique pitches in the Western-based musical alphabet, memorizing their positions on the staff in the bass clef as well as on the fingerboard of your instrument is a relatively easy task. The much more challenging aspect of sight reading standard notation is experienced in learning to instantly recognize rhythms. Unlike notes where there are a relatively few number of them, the rhythmic combinations you could be potentially presented with in a piece of standard notation are practically limitless.
In this lesson, we will work through a collection of rhythm studies exercises comprised of quarter-note and eighth-note triplet combinations in an effort to increase the proficiency of your rhythmic recognition skills when sight reading standard notation for bass. Since the principal goal of this lesson is to improve rhythmic acuity as it pertains to sight reading, these rhythm studies exercises have been notated using rhythmic notation.
Initially, you won't need your bass to practice rhythm studies. Because we are focusing on rhythmic recognition independent of note recognition, we are not concerned with notes. In fact, specific notes will be completely irrelevant when working with rhythm studies. To acquire maximum results from these exercises, simply begin by clapping through these rhythms at a tempo that is as slow as you need it to be in order to play the rhythms perfectly in time without making any errors and then increase the tempo accordingly.
Be sure to practice all of these rhythms against the steady, even pulse of a metronome or drum machine. Begin with a tempo that is slow enough to minimize mistakes but at the same time is fast enough to push you and create a challenge. From there, gradually increase the tempo. I would recommend breaking down these examples into smaller sections to make them more manageable. At first, try to play through these rhythms in one, two, four, eight, and twelve bar segments without pausing. Eventually, your goal should be to play through complete pages in their entirety without stopping due to a mistake. If any errors occur, stop and correct them before proceeding, and if you are having a particularly difficult time with a measure, decrease the tempo significantly so that you don't allow yourself to become frustrated and continue to reinforce bad habits through inaccuracy. Most musicians will overlook the significance of elemental exercises like these and rush through them in a sloppy fashion in order to get to more advanced material, but don't sacrifice accuracy for speed because this will be counterproductive to our long term goals. The best sight readers can be presented with standard notation, sight read that material perfectly on the first take, and make their performance sound like a prepared piece of music that they have been playing for years.
After you feel comfortable with these rhythms and can clap through them flawlessly, apply them to your bass by simply choosing any single note or combination of notes on your instrument and then allow those notes of your choice to sound for the durations that are indicated in the rhythmic notation of these rhythm studies exercises. Any note on the fingerboard or even any open string can be utilized to complete these exercises. Again, start at a slow tempo and then gradually build from there. If any of the exercises seem easy, simply increase the tempo. With all the rhythmic variability possible, no matter how fast you can read through these rhythms error-free, you can always improve your rhythmic recognition skills and heighten the degree of difficulty by increasing the tempo. Becoming a proficient sight reader of standard notation on an advanced level is a process that takes dedication and time. This isn't a subject area that anyone is going to have completely mastered within just a couple weeks or even a couple months.
Although these exercises may seem somewhat dry, great strides can be made in your ability to sight read standard notation over a relatively short span of time by concentrating on these basic rhythmic recognition exercises. By becoming a proficient sight reader, you will see your options as a working bassist increase exponentially because you will be able to more effectively communicate with other musicians. There are so many gigs available which require the ability to read standard notation. Whether your goal is to become a commercial session bassist, a member of the college jazz ensemble, bass chair of the local symphony orchestra, play in the school musical, or provide support in your community church, becoming a proficient sight reader will only increase your opportunities and chances of obtaining these gigs. Not only does being able to sight read greatly increase your value as an in-demand bass player, but as an additional benefit, it also makes your practice sessions much more productive since you are able to use that time more efficiently and cover more material. ... Read More!
Sight Reading For Bass: Motown Bass Lines
In order to begin sight reading standard notation for bass, you must have two pieces of note-based information committed to memory including the notes on the staff in the bass clef as well as the position of those notes on the fingerboard. Since there are only 12 unique pitches in the Western-based musical alphabet, memorizing their positions on the staff in the bass clef as well as on the fingerboard of your instrument is a relatively easy task. The much more challenging aspect of sight reading standard notation is experienced in learning to instantly recognize rhythms because unlike notes where there are a relatively few number of them, the rhythmic combinations you could be potentially presented with in a piece of standard notation are practically limitless. Once you have the notes on the staff as well as on your instrument thoroughly internalized, the position of those notes will never change. The only thing about those notes that is going to change will be their function as they are applied to different chord types.
In this lesson, you are presented with a collection of classic Motown bass lines. Each groove is separated by a double bar line, and each bass line has been written in a different key in an effort to increase the proficiency of your note recognition skills when sight reading standard notation for bass. Unlike the rhythmic recognition exercises which we discussed previously where you begin practicing them at a tempo that is as slow as you need it to be in order to play the rhythms perfectly in time without making any errors, I recommend that you start reading through these note recognition exercises at a challenging tempo to acquire maximum results. The tempo that you choose to begin with will be at your discretion. To track your progress, read through all these bass lines against the steady, even pulse of a metronome or drum machine. Start with a tempo that isn't too slow because you need to be challenged, but at the same time, don't begin with a tempo that is too fast which causes you to create errors. From there, continually increase the tempo with each subsequent pass through these bass lines.
After you have successfully completed reading through these Motown bass lines, go back and practice transposing each groove to all of the other keys. You can also commit these bass lines to memory to utilize in live performances. ... Read More!
If you take an analytical approach to sight reading standard notation and break it down into its fundamental components, you are left with two primary variables consisting of notes and rhythms. Since there are only 12 unique pitches in the Western-based musical alphabet, memorizing their positions on the staff in the bass clef as well as on the fingerboard of your instrument is a relatively easy task. The much more challenging aspect of sight reading standard notation is experienced in learning to instantly recognize rhythms. Unlike notes where there are a relatively few number of them, the rhythmic combinations you could be potentially presented with in a piece of standard notation are practically limitless.
In this lesson, we will work through a collection of rhythm studies exercises comprised of quarter-note and eighth-note triplet combinations in an effort to increase the proficiency of your rhythmic recognition skills when sight reading standard notation for bass. Since the principal goal of this lesson is to improve rhythmic acuity as it pertains to sight reading, these rhythm studies exercises have been notated using rhythmic notation.
Initially, you won't need your bass to practice rhythm studies. Because we are focusing on rhythmic recognition independent of note recognition, we are not concerned with notes. In fact, specific notes will be completely irrelevant when working with rhythm studies. To acquire maximum results from these exercises, simply begin by clapping through these rhythms at a tempo that is as slow as you need it to be in order to play the rhythms perfectly in time without making any errors and then increase the tempo accordingly.
Be sure to practice all of these rhythms against the steady, even pulse of a metronome or drum machine. Begin with a tempo that is slow enough to minimize mistakes but at the same time is fast enough to push you and create a challenge. From there, gradually increase the tempo. I would recommend breaking down these examples into smaller sections to make them more manageable. At first, try to play through these rhythms in one, two, four, eight, and twelve bar segments without pausing. Eventually, your goal should be to play through complete pages in their entirety without stopping due to a mistake. If any errors occur, stop and correct them before proceeding, and if you are having a particularly difficult time with a measure, decrease the tempo significantly so that you don't allow yourself to become frustrated and continue to reinforce bad habits through inaccuracy. Most musicians will overlook the significance of elemental exercises like these and rush through them in a sloppy fashion in order to get to more advanced material, but don't sacrifice accuracy for speed because this will be counterproductive to our long term goals. The best sight readers can be presented with standard notation, sight read that material perfectly on the first take, and make their performance sound like a prepared piece of music that they have been playing for years.
After you feel comfortable with these rhythms and can clap through them flawlessly, apply them to your bass by simply choosing any single note or combination of notes on your instrument and then allow those notes of your choice to sound for the durations that are indicated in the rhythmic notation of these rhythm studies exercises. Any note on the fingerboard or even any open string can be utilized to complete these exercises. Again, start at a slow tempo and then gradually build from there. If any of the exercises seem easy, simply increase the tempo. With all the rhythmic variability possible, no matter how fast you can read through these rhythms error-free, you can always improve your rhythmic recognition skills and heighten the degree of difficulty by increasing the tempo. Becoming a proficient sight reader of standard notation on an advanced level is a process that takes dedication and time. This isn't a subject area that anyone is going to have completely mastered within just a couple weeks or even a couple months.
Although these exercises may seem somewhat dry, great strides can be made in your ability to sight read standard notation over a relatively short span of time by concentrating on these basic rhythmic recognition exercises. By becoming a proficient sight reader, you will see your options as a working bassist increase exponentially because you will be able to more effectively communicate with other musicians. There are so many gigs available which require the ability to read standard notation. Whether your goal is to become a commercial session bassist, a member of the college jazz ensemble, bass chair of the local symphony orchestra, play in the school musical, or provide support in your community church, becoming a proficient sight reader will only increase your opportunities and chances of obtaining these gigs. Not only does being able to sight read greatly increase your value as an in-demand bass player, but as an additional benefit, it also makes your practice sessions much more productive since you are able to use that time more efficiently and cover more material. ... Read More!
Sight Reading For Bass: Motown Bass Lines
In order to begin sight reading standard notation for bass, you must have two pieces of note-based information committed to memory including the notes on the staff in the bass clef as well as the position of those notes on the fingerboard. Since there are only 12 unique pitches in the Western-based musical alphabet, memorizing their positions on the staff in the bass clef as well as on the fingerboard of your instrument is a relatively easy task. The much more challenging aspect of sight reading standard notation is experienced in learning to instantly recognize rhythms because unlike notes where there are a relatively few number of them, the rhythmic combinations you could be potentially presented with in a piece of standard notation are practically limitless. Once you have the notes on the staff as well as on your instrument thoroughly internalized, the position of those notes will never change. The only thing about those notes that is going to change will be their function as they are applied to different chord types.
In this lesson, you are presented with a collection of classic Motown bass lines. Each groove is separated by a double bar line, and each bass line has been written in a different key in an effort to increase the proficiency of your note recognition skills when sight reading standard notation for bass. Unlike the rhythmic recognition exercises which we discussed previously where you begin practicing them at a tempo that is as slow as you need it to be in order to play the rhythms perfectly in time without making any errors, I recommend that you start reading through these note recognition exercises at a challenging tempo to acquire maximum results. The tempo that you choose to begin with will be at your discretion. To track your progress, read through all these bass lines against the steady, even pulse of a metronome or drum machine. Start with a tempo that isn't too slow because you need to be challenged, but at the same time, don't begin with a tempo that is too fast which causes you to create errors. From there, continually increase the tempo with each subsequent pass through these bass lines.
After you have successfully completed reading through these Motown bass lines, go back and practice transposing each groove to all of the other keys. You can also commit these bass lines to memory to utilize in live performances. ... Read More!
News
Be sure to check out the latest books, DVD's, CD's, and gear. ... Read More!
Brian Bromberg - It Is What It Is
Mojo's Music Academy Presents A Weekend Of Bass And Drums With Doug Johns And Chris Ceja
Aguilar Amplification Announces Latin Bass Master Class Featuring Oskar Cartaya And Ruben Rodriguez
Brian Bromberg - It Is What It Is
Mojo's Music Academy Presents A Weekend Of Bass And Drums With Doug Johns And Chris Ceja
Aguilar Amplification Announces Latin Bass Master Class Featuring Oskar Cartaya And Ruben Rodriguez
Advertising Special On The IIB!
If you purchase a 6-month advertising package, not only will you receive 2 months of web site advertising for FREE, but your banner will also appear in each monthly newsletter during that 6-month period for FREE! That is a savings of $150 off the regular 6-month newsletter advertising rate! In September, 1999, the IIB delivered its first monthly newsletter to less than 100 subscribers. Today, the IIB's newsletter reaches over 15,000 bass enthusiasts each month! The International Institute of Bassists is a bass-centric web site aimed specifically toward the art of contemporary bass playing and the study of the bass tradition. Since its founding in 1997, the IIB has established a long-time presence on the internet and grown into one of the largest and most popular interactive bass-related web sites found online. As a viewer of the IIB, you can read exclusive interviews with bass virtuosos including Michael Manring, Stuart Hamm, Jeff Berlin, Gary Willis, Alain Caron, Matt Garrison, Keith Horne, and Brian Bromberg to name just a few. Viewers of the IIB also have access to free, downloadable lessons which are published by a staff of highly-respected instructors such as Michael Manring, Todd Johnson, Ray Riendeau, and Berklee College of Music professor Jim Stinnett. In addition to these lessons and interviews with the bass greats, viewers have access to interviews with the founders of manufacturing companies, bass shops, and bass events along with the latest bass-related news, reviews, and streaming media. Plus, viewers can also watch selected instructional, concert performance videos, and live bass clinics on IIBtv as well as communicate with other bassists around the world through the IIB chat room. ... Read More!
The IIB Giveaways
Each month, the IIB gives its viewers the opportunity to participate in various monthly giveaways. Sponsored by: D'Addario, Planet Waves, LightWave Systems, Ibanez, Markbass, Line 6, Epifani Custom Sound, Evidence Audio, Nordstrand Pickups, Zon Guitars, Comfort Strapp, and BassBooks.com. To become eligible to win products including basses, amplifiers, speaker cabinets, combo amps, effects, strings, instrument cables, pickups, gig bags, straps, gift certificates, DVD's, CD's, books, lessons, t-shirts, and more!
ENTER TO WIN TODAY! ... Read More!
ENTER TO WIN TODAY! ... Read More!
The IIB MP3 Bass Samplers - Volumes 1 & 2
The IIB MP3 Bass Samplers are comprised of selected tracks that have been recorded by many of today's premier bass artists including Marcus Miller, Michael Manring, Stuart Hamm, Gary Willis, Adam Nitti, Norm Stockton, Ray Riendeau, Tom Kennedy, Yves Carbonne, Gerald Veasley, and many more.
2 HOURS OF MUSIC! ... Read More!
2 HOURS OF MUSIC! ... Read More!
As a subscriber, you will receive the following benefits:
The IIB Monthly Giveaways - Each month, your name will be entered in all of our various giveaways providing you with the opportunity to win basses, amplifiers, speaker cabinets, combo amps, effects, strings, instrument cables, pickups, gig bags, straps, gift certificates, DVD's, CD's, books, lessons, t-shirts, and more! ... Read More!
The IIB MP3 Bass Samplers - Volumes 1 & 2 - You'll receive access to the IIB MP3 Bass Samplers which feature selected tracks that have been recorded by many of today's premier bass artists including Marcus Miller, Michael Manring, Stuart Hamm, Gary Willis, Adam Nitti, Norm Stockton, Ray Riendeau, Tom Kennedy, Yves Carbonne, Gerald Veasley, and many more. 2 HOURS OF MUSIC! ... Read More!
Bass Tips Of The Week - You will have access to a huge database of lesson material that has been written on subjects such as Classical & Jazz Music Theory, Sight Reading, Ear Training, Bass Line Construction, Right & Left Hand Technique, Soloing, Jazz Improvisation, Slapping, Tapping, Chordal Techniques, Harmonics, Fingerstyle Funk, Altered Tunings, and Concepts For Solo Bass Playing. All of the lessons are available as downloadable PDF files.
There are over 100 individual lessons and over 100 MP3 play-alongs currently available for download within the IIB Subscriber's Area.
By becoming a subscriber, you will help keep this resource online for you and others to enjoy in the future.
The IIB MP3 Bass Samplers - Volumes 1 & 2 - You'll receive access to the IIB MP3 Bass Samplers which feature selected tracks that have been recorded by many of today's premier bass artists including Marcus Miller, Michael Manring, Stuart Hamm, Gary Willis, Adam Nitti, Norm Stockton, Ray Riendeau, Tom Kennedy, Yves Carbonne, Gerald Veasley, and many more. 2 HOURS OF MUSIC! ... Read More!
Bass Tips Of The Week - You will have access to a huge database of lesson material that has been written on subjects such as Classical & Jazz Music Theory, Sight Reading, Ear Training, Bass Line Construction, Right & Left Hand Technique, Soloing, Jazz Improvisation, Slapping, Tapping, Chordal Techniques, Harmonics, Fingerstyle Funk, Altered Tunings, and Concepts For Solo Bass Playing. All of the lessons are available as downloadable PDF files.
There are over 100 individual lessons and over 100 MP3 play-alongs currently available for download within the IIB Subscriber's Area.
By becoming a subscriber, you will help keep this resource online for you and others to enjoy in the future.
CLICK HERE To Subscribe Today For Only $9.95 Per Year!
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Thanks so much for your continued support, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Editor: The IIB
August 2009
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Thanks so much for your continued support, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Editor: The IIB
August 2009
To Unsubscribe from the IIB's monthly newsletter, simply go to: http://www.instituteofbass.com and submit your e-mail to be removed.
