Bass
John Patitucci Bass Solo: “Giant Steps”
John Patitucci plays a blistering "Giant Steps" bass solo here with Bill Stewart on drums accompanying him. This classic jazz composition was originally recorded in 1959 by John Coltrane for his album Giant Steps. A similar version of this appears on John Patitucci's 1998 album Now which also features Bill Stewart on drums, Michael Brecker and Chris Potter on tenor saxophone, and John Scofield on guitar. "Giant Steps" is known for being one of the most difficult tunes to improvise over in the Jazz Canon because of its harmonic structure, so seeing John play it so effortlessly here makes it that more impressive.
For tips and insights on how to play this great jazz tune, do a search for "Giant Steps" in Video Exchange Library - or just submit your own version to John here at ArtistWorks and he will be happy to help.
The Story of our Basses….
Dear folks! Due to some bad scheduling on my behalf and some interrupted internet issues...I'm just now posting my Father's Day video message. I apologize for the delay...but I went ahead with posting it because I felt like it was a topic worthy of hanging on to for a few more days. This could be one of my most personal messages to date here at the Academy, and I thank you for bearing with me. My dad gave me my bass and is largely responsible (along with my mom) for my life and career in music. So I wanted to share a little about him and my bass with you here. I'm currently at Kaufman Kamp in Maryville TN and getting this up 'on the air' proved a little challenging- But here it is, and thanks for watching.
Do you have a story about your bass? If so, share it with us, either through video or in the forum! We'd love to hear from you.
Best always, Missy
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John Patitucci’s Bass Damaged by Airport Security
A picture is worth a thousand words:
There's always a bit of risk when you bring your instrument to the airport. Damage is always a fear for musicians traveling with priceless instruments, but when John Patitucci recently flew from the U.S. to Norway - the fear unfortunately became a reality. John's Pollmann double bass whom he lovingly refers to as Bertha endured an altercation with TSA which left it seriously crippled.
Jazz Bass Etude in E Minor
Etudes (from the French world étude meaning study) have long been used by musicians as a way to improve on certain techniques. They are typically written for one instrument and are comprised of a short musical composition designed for practice and repetition. The idea is that the more you play it, the easier it gets and the more you improve.
This jazz bass etude will help you get in the swing of things, it's a sample lesson from the Online Jazz Bass School with John Patitucci which features a beginner level bass etude in E Minor. We have the full backing track here that you can play along to, as well as bass notation for the melody, which we also have transcribed for you here.
Nathan East’s 10 Essential Bass Albums
Music Radar has put together a list of "10 Essential Bass Albums" as chosen by Nathan East. Check out the list below to see which ones you're missing, or click on the link to read what Nathan has to say about each one.
- Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius (1976)
- Weather Report - Heavy Weather (1977)
- Tower of Power - Back To Oakland (1974)
- Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
- Chaka Kahn - Naughty (1980)
- Earth, Wind & Fire - That's The Way Of The World (1975)
- Graham Central Station - Graham Central Station (1974)
- Marvin Gaye - What's Going On (1971)
- Quincy Jones - Body Heat (1974)
- Anita Baker - Compositions (1990) Read More
The Challenges of Singing and Playing Bass
As we head very slooooooowly into spring...I thought I'd spend a moment talking about some of the unique challenges of singing while playing bass. You need to create and keep up a solid foundation or 'road' for the rest of the band to ride on, but you are also soloing on top of that ribbon of road. How do you keep both aspects in time? What are you experiencing as you sing and play at the same time? Let me know. Send me a video of a song you're working on.
As I look out my window today, I see snow. I'm holding out for the first peep of a daffodil... Keep the faith, folks. It's gotta get here before long!
Keep pickin, Missy
Read MoreMid-Winter Bassics
Here's hoping winter for you has been bearable and that spring is in the not-too-distant-future wherever you are.
Talking a bit here about a very fundamental element to playing...How to hold the bass. If you've been playing a while this may seem a bit on the basic side for you, but give it some thought and examine how you are mostly positioned when you play. You might discover you've slipped into some habits that might be getting in your way.
Read MoreBassist, Looking for Gig
The promoters of the G4 Experience asked me to come up with a promotional video for the camp. I did my best...
P.S. This is another good use of the Ditto Looper!
New Year, More time with the Bass – Tips to get you going
Dear folks,
I sincerely hope you have had a peaceful and joyous holiday. We are a few days into the new year of 2014. And resolutions are heavy on our minds. I've decided to forego my usual daunting list of expectations and replacing that with more of an overall mindset change. I'm talking about changing the way I think about things, changing the way I perceive obstacles and opportunities. And I want to get fierce and ruthless about my priorities. It won't be an easy change either. But I'm hoping it will help me as I work on making positive changes in my day to day routines. More practice time, healthier living, all that stuff.
There's a trend right now, I think it's called "One Word"... where you pick one word to decribe your new year, and you work towards implementing that word into your daily life. Maybe you've heard about it. Give it some thought, what would your word be? New? Risk? Challenge? Courage? Love? All of these can apply to many aspects of our lives and especially to playing the bass.
I need more than one word...but I think one of my words would most definitely be PLAY!
Cheers, Missy