The IIB Monthly Newsletter
Volume 8, Number 6
Hello fellow bassists and friends!
Welcome to the latest issue of The International Institute of Bassists newsletter and the web site of the International Institute of Bassists!
Welcome to the latest issue of The International Institute of Bassists newsletter and the web site of the International Institute of Bassists!
Bass Events - Mile High Bass Camp
Paul Rogalski and Mojo's Music Academy in Longmont, Colorado will host the inaugural Mile High Bass Camp on June 30th. Led by the instruction of legendary session bassist Chuck Rainey and bassist extraordinaire Ray Riendeau, attendees will take part in a variety of scheduled activities including clinics, master classes, and performance classes throughout this all-day event before ending with a live concert featuring the camp's clinicians in the evening. Mile High Bass campers will also have the unique opportunity to study privately in one-on-one lessons with the clinicians on the following day. ... Read More!
The IIB Forums Are Now Open!
By joining the IIB Forums and our online bass community, you will have the ability to post topics related to gear, bassists, recordings, instruction, technique, reviews, and much more. You can also communicate directly with other members, respond to polls, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, easy, and FREE! ... Read More!
The IIB Chat Room Is Now Open!
Utilizing the latest in real-time, online communication technology, the IIB Chat Room provides a direct method of live interaction between you and fellow bass players located around the world. Although there are dozens of bass-related forums already available on the web, none of them provide an instant means of real-time communication amongst you and your bass-playing friends. Establish an online bass community through the IIB by engaging in virtual meetings, collaborate with colleagues, and chat about all things bass! ... Read More!
Reviews - Alain Caron: 5 Live
An internationally acclaimed and award-winning virtuoso bassist, Alain Caron is widely revered as one of today's most influential figures within the bass community. For over the past three decades, Caron has delivered some of the most complex slap grooves, powerful rhythmic structures, and emotive fretless melodies ever recorded by a bassist. With his highly advanced approach to slap bass playing, Caron's technical faculty and improvisation proficiency remain unparalleled. Utilizing both of his fretted and fretless 6-string F basses and Roland bass rig alongside an outstanding ensemble consisting of Jean St-Jacques on keyboards and malletkat, saxophonist David Bellemare, Simon Langlois on drums, and keyboardist Francois Blouin, 5 Live was recorded at Le Cabaret Music Hall De Montreal on May 18, 2005. On this live concert DVD, Caron directs his band through extended renditions of all the tracks from, 5, his previous release as a solo artist. Classified best as an instrumental fusion of contemporary jazz and electronic sounds, 5 was Caron's fifth studio project as a leader. In addition to performing all of the material introduced on 5, this presentation includes "Baby Step" and a couple of Caron's most inspiring bass-centric pieces, "Slam The Clown" and "D-Code." In terms of its overall production quality, 5 Live is undoubtedly one of the best performance DVD's ever released by a bassist. It features a bilingual interface (English and French), stereo and 5.1 surround sound audio, and it also contains a collection of DVD extras such as a selected discography, photo gallery, and equipment list. 5 Live is highly recommended to anyone seeking to experiment with Caron's pioneering performance techniques or studying the art of bass playing within a fusion/contemporary jazz format. 5 Live is also available as a double CD compilation. ... Read More!
Bass Tips Of The Week
Jazz Bass Lines - The Triad Approach
The three fundamental building blocks of walking bass line construction in jazz music include chord tones, scale tones, and chromatic (non-diatonic) approach notes. The most basic method of building walking bass lines is through the utilization of the primary triads (major, minor, diminished, augmented). Bassists often overlook the significance of employing triads in their bass lines, but they can provide a simple, yet effective approach to outlining chord changes.
Since triads consist of three notes, we can think of them as being three-note cells, and by simply repeating one of the triad's available notes or even adding an octave, we can generate dozens of four-note cells over the four beats within the span of a single measure. Instead of thinking F-A-C, the notes of the F major triad, we will designate numbers to represent their scale degrees such as 1-3-5-8. For example, the scale degrees of the F major triad which we could play on F7 would include F = 1, A = 3, C = 5, and Octave F = 8. We can then take these cells and manipulate them into various permutations in root position, first inversion, and second inversion such as 1-3-5-3, 1-5-3-5, 1-3-5-1, 1-5-3-1, 1-1-3-5, 1-1-5-3, 1-8-3-5, 1-8-5-3, 8-1-3-5, 8-1-5-3, 8-8-3-5, 8-8-5-3, 1-3-5-8, 1-3-8-5, 1-5-8-3, 8-5-3-5, 8-5-8-3, and so forth. ... Read More.
The Modes Of The Melodic Minor Scale
The second most important set of modes musicians must master are the modes of the melodic minor scale. The only difference between the melodic minor scale and the major scale is that the melodic minor scale has a minor third scale degree as compared to the major third of the major scale. Although the melodic minor scale differs from the major scale only in its third scale degree, an entirely new set of modes is generated with the melodic minor scale. In traditional, classical music theory, the melodic minor scale is played with major sixth and major seventh scale degrees ascending and minor seventh and minor sixth scale degrees in the form of the Aeolian mode of the major scale while descending (natural minor). Jazz musicians play the melodic minor scale the same ascending and descending with major sixth and major seventh scale degrees and often refer to it as the jazz minor scale. Following a series of whole steps and half steps, the melodic minor scale is spelled W-H-W-W-W-W-H. A melodic minor scale starting on C contains the notes C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B-C.
The melodic minor scale is played over minor family chords which have a major seventh scale degree (mMaj7).
Unlike a pure minor seventh chord (m7) which often functions as a minor II chord within the common ii-V-I chord progression in a major key, the mMaj7 chord functions as a tonic minor chord (minor I chord) in a minor key. Musicians will often substitute the jazz minor scale over m7 chords when the m7 is not functioning within a ii-V-I chord progression as long as the minor seventh is not a part of the melody.
Due to the pattern of whole steps and half steps within the melodic minor scale, its harmony sounds darker in contrast to major scale harmony, and many jazz musicians favor substituting modes of the melodic minor scale for modes of the major scale for this reason. ... Read More.
The three fundamental building blocks of walking bass line construction in jazz music include chord tones, scale tones, and chromatic (non-diatonic) approach notes. The most basic method of building walking bass lines is through the utilization of the primary triads (major, minor, diminished, augmented). Bassists often overlook the significance of employing triads in their bass lines, but they can provide a simple, yet effective approach to outlining chord changes.
Since triads consist of three notes, we can think of them as being three-note cells, and by simply repeating one of the triad's available notes or even adding an octave, we can generate dozens of four-note cells over the four beats within the span of a single measure. Instead of thinking F-A-C, the notes of the F major triad, we will designate numbers to represent their scale degrees such as 1-3-5-8. For example, the scale degrees of the F major triad which we could play on F7 would include F = 1, A = 3, C = 5, and Octave F = 8. We can then take these cells and manipulate them into various permutations in root position, first inversion, and second inversion such as 1-3-5-3, 1-5-3-5, 1-3-5-1, 1-5-3-1, 1-1-3-5, 1-1-5-3, 1-8-3-5, 1-8-5-3, 8-1-3-5, 8-1-5-3, 8-8-3-5, 8-8-5-3, 1-3-5-8, 1-3-8-5, 1-5-8-3, 8-5-3-5, 8-5-8-3, and so forth. ... Read More.
The Modes Of The Melodic Minor Scale
The second most important set of modes musicians must master are the modes of the melodic minor scale. The only difference between the melodic minor scale and the major scale is that the melodic minor scale has a minor third scale degree as compared to the major third of the major scale. Although the melodic minor scale differs from the major scale only in its third scale degree, an entirely new set of modes is generated with the melodic minor scale. In traditional, classical music theory, the melodic minor scale is played with major sixth and major seventh scale degrees ascending and minor seventh and minor sixth scale degrees in the form of the Aeolian mode of the major scale while descending (natural minor). Jazz musicians play the melodic minor scale the same ascending and descending with major sixth and major seventh scale degrees and often refer to it as the jazz minor scale. Following a series of whole steps and half steps, the melodic minor scale is spelled W-H-W-W-W-W-H. A melodic minor scale starting on C contains the notes C-D-Eb-F-G-A-B-C.
The melodic minor scale is played over minor family chords which have a major seventh scale degree (mMaj7).
Unlike a pure minor seventh chord (m7) which often functions as a minor II chord within the common ii-V-I chord progression in a major key, the mMaj7 chord functions as a tonic minor chord (minor I chord) in a minor key. Musicians will often substitute the jazz minor scale over m7 chords when the m7 is not functioning within a ii-V-I chord progression as long as the minor seventh is not a part of the melody.
Due to the pattern of whole steps and half steps within the melodic minor scale, its harmony sounds darker in contrast to major scale harmony, and many jazz musicians favor substituting modes of the melodic minor scale for modes of the major scale for this reason. ... Read More.
News
Be sure to check out the latest books, DVD's, CD's, and gear. ... Read More.
Ron Carter - Dear Miles
Hadrien Feraud - Hadrien Feraud
Vital Information (featuring Baron Browne) - Vitalization
Gambale/Donati/Fierabracci (featuring Ric Fierabracci) - Made In Australia
Ron Carter - Dear Miles
Hadrien Feraud - Hadrien Feraud
Vital Information (featuring Baron Browne) - Vitalization
Gambale/Donati/Fierabracci (featuring Ric Fierabracci) - Made In Australia
Advertising Special On The IIB!
If you purchase a 6-month advertising package, you'll receive 2 months of advertising on the IIB for FREE! 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, 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, Ray Riendeau, and Berklee College of Music associate professor Jim Stinnett. In addition, 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. ... Read More!
The IIB Giveaways
Each month, the IIB gives its viewers the opportunity to participate in various monthly giveaways. Sponsored by: Line 6, D'Addario Strings, Gallien-Krueger, Ibanez, Hartke, Zoom, Evidence Audio, and Zon Guitars. To become eligible to win products including basses, amps, effects, strings, instrument cables, gig bags, straps, DVD's, CD's, books, lessons, apparel, and more!
ENTER TO WIN TODAY! ... Read More.
ENTER TO WIN TODAY! ... Read More.
The IIB MP3 Bass Sampler
The IIB MP3 Bass Sampler is comprised of selected tracks that have been recorded by many of today's premier bass artists including Marcus Miller, Michael Manring, Adam Nitti, Gary Willis, Norm Stockton, Gerald Veasley, and many more.
OVER 1 HOUR OF MUSIC! ... Read More.
OVER 1 HOUR 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, amps, effects, strings, instrument cables, gig bags, straps, DVD's, CD's, books, lessons, apparel, and more! ... Read More.
The IIB MP3 Bass Sampler - You'll receive access to the IIB MP3 Bass Sampler which features selected tracks that have been recorded by many of today's premier bass artists including Marcus Miller, Michael Manring, Adam Nitti, Gary Willis, Norm Stockton, Gerald Veasley, and many more. OVER 1 HOUR OF MUSIC! ... Read More.
Bass Tips Of The Week - You will have access to a huge database of lesson material which includes over 50 individual lessons that have 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.
By becoming a subscriber, you will help keep this resource online for you and others to enjoy in the future.
The IIB MP3 Bass Sampler - You'll receive access to the IIB MP3 Bass Sampler which features selected tracks that have been recorded by many of today's premier bass artists including Marcus Miller, Michael Manring, Adam Nitti, Gary Willis, Norm Stockton, Gerald Veasley, and many more. OVER 1 HOUR OF MUSIC! ... Read More.
Bass Tips Of The Week - You will have access to a huge database of lesson material which includes over 50 individual lessons that have 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.
By becoming a subscriber, you will help keep this resource online for you and others to enjoy in the future.
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If you have any comments, suggestions, news-related items such as press releases, or products that you would like to submit for review on the IIB, please feel free to e-mail: Editor@InstituteOfBass.com.
Thanks so much for your continued support, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Editor: The IIB
June 2007
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Thanks so much for your continued support, and I look forward to hearing from you soon!
Editor: The IIB
June 2007
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