Interesting but it makes a constant assumption that the bass player will only play the root. Using more than one instrument to build a chord...that'd be orchestration wouldn't it.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
Interesting but it makes a constant assumption that the bass player will only play the root. Using more than one instrument to build a chord...that'd be orchestration wouldn't it.
In fact, most of the time he's playing the root (and 7th) in the left hand so his own local bass player is playing the root.
It's fairly usual in jazz to presume that the bass player will play the root and you're right, of course, that (s)he may well not be, though if anyone but the bass player is soloing, the bass player probably will be playing the root most of the time.
FWIW, I personally think, with jazz standards at least, that playing rootless occasionally is fine. Other's may disagree.
Nice video, clearly put apart from some early ambiguities between "C seven" and "C major seven).
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
FWIW, I personally think, with jazz standards at least, that playing rootless occasionally is fine. Other's may disagree.
I definitely would agree. The Bass generally creates cohesion by delivering fundamental structure. Exacerbating into alternatives is often very useful, provides color and dimension, but (unless it's Ray Brown), it's not always necessary to the foundation of the song structure.
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Interesting but it makes a constant assumption that the bass player will only play the root …
… I personally think, with jazz standards at least, that playing rootless occasionally is fine…
Eat your roots and vegetables.
Then there’s this. Rootless (atonal) music by Arnold Schoenberg as interpreted by BIAB from a MIDI file, straight out of the box. It took me around a minute to make this, it’s listenable for at least that long.
I'll wager that the BiaB version is less challenging than the original. :-)
I have some atonal/free stuff. Some days I love it; Some days I just have to make it stop.
Jazz relative beginner, starting at a much older age than was helpful. AVL:MXE Linux; Windows 11 BIAB2025 Audiophile, a bunch of other software. Kawai MP6, Ui24R, Focusrite Saffire Pro40 and Scarletts .
FWIW, I personally think, with jazz standards at least, that playing rootless occasionally is fine. Other's may disagree.
Exacerbating into alternatives
As a bass player, principally, I understand the orchestration of a song from a support level...to the extent that I really dislike lead bass players like "Jaco" Pastorius but I equally dislike being "required" to play the root note. If someone is improvizing chord voices in a song then it'd be difficult for the bass player to opt for anything other than the root I suppose. I did laugh when I read "exacerbate"...perhaps it fits a jazz setting - "to make something bad worse". Jazz rules are jazz rules in a form of music that likes no rules while imposing strict rules I suppose. Play what works for the song - the ONE RULE that RINGS them ALL.
Cheers rayc "What's so funny about peace, love & understanding?" - N.Lowe
This is such a wondeful subject. There’s these two things that I’ve come to think about bass lines and bass players. It rings true for me, but might not for you… nevertheless.
1. No one plays roots like a bass player. When guitarists, pianists, saxophone players lay down the roots, they do just that: the root on the first beat. It gets boring really fast. Bass players can play roots in the sweetest possible way: approaching it from above or below, chromatically or diatonically. Embellishing it with phrasing, vibrato, adding fifths, sevenths… even when they are playing “simple”, players like Ron Carter, Patitucci, McBride or Peacock can convey lots of emotion “only playing roots.”
2. What bass players consider “the root” is sometimes far removed from the written chord changes. Bassists listen to the melody and the harmony. Sometimes they opt to use a different root than written. Or using tritone substitution or alternative turnarounds. I seldom hear a bass player play I-VI-II-V even if this is what the charts say. They prefer I-bIII-II-bII or they go! I-bVII-bVI-V or bII And they have a lot of other turnarounds at their disposal.
Ever tried to play a tune (without analyzing) written by a bass player, like 3Views of a secret or Goodbye Porkpie Hat or Wisteria (George Mraz)? The changes are really hard for harmony players, but sound great and bass players hear the harmony.
Bass players know which root suits the melody and harmony best. And it just might not be the root that soloists or accompanists are thinking of.
An example that really blew my mind was the bass part Harvie Swartz plays on Body and Soul (Steve Kuhn ballads). I struggle to understand it, but it is just so beautiful. And the piano is not limited by it in any way. It just helps to add color to the tune. In the first A he sticks to the written chords, but already by the second A Harwie Swartz is imposing his own roots and hopefully you’ll hear the solo and the ending melody, it will blow you away.
Biab, Kontakt, Sampletank and lots of nice libraries, from Fluffy audio to Abbey Road drums. Check out these great contemporary Jazz Styles: www.jazzstylezz.com
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