trying to avoid playing crappy bass lines for my colleagues
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2022 3:19 pm
Every once in a while (due to this/that/the other), I end up playing trombone (instead of tuba or bass) on some little jazz combo gig.
It's almost always with a really good bass player, and (particularly when it's a good bass player) I'm reminded how much easier it is to play a solo (over the chords) with someone putting down a really good bass line - to keep the soloist on track (vs. playing a "bare-nekid" tuba solo with no bass line - for obvious reasons).
It also reminds me to strive to play good bass lines myself, and to attempt to anticipate where someone might "go" next in their solo - but without shoving them somewhere in particular (so as to trying to keep more of the melody/bass harmonies in line with Bach's chorale harmonization practices...not that those rules need to be honored 100% of the time, but - if referenced MUCH of the time - the product sounds more like "music" and less like "noise").
...I got nothin' else on this.
It's almost always with a really good bass player, and (particularly when it's a good bass player) I'm reminded how much easier it is to play a solo (over the chords) with someone putting down a really good bass line - to keep the soloist on track (vs. playing a "bare-nekid" tuba solo with no bass line - for obvious reasons).
It also reminds me to strive to play good bass lines myself, and to attempt to anticipate where someone might "go" next in their solo - but without shoving them somewhere in particular (so as to trying to keep more of the melody/bass harmonies in line with Bach's chorale harmonization practices...not that those rules need to be honored 100% of the time, but - if referenced MUCH of the time - the product sounds more like "music" and less like "noise").
...I got nothin' else on this.