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Transcribing: Slap Bass With Ray Riendeau
Hi everyone!
In this article I’d like to discuss the importance of learning and transcribing things that you want to learn. It is very easy in this computer age to find the music, tab, video, explanation, etc of most all songs. This can be a useful tool for sure, but does not take the place of at least trying to learn it on your own first. In the beginning this will seem hard but TRUST me, with practice you will get good at it. Not only are you figuring out something you can play, you are also developing your ears. You will get better and better at picking out the notes used, the rhythms, the phrasing, etc. In fact all these mean one thing: you will become a better musician!!!
Another cool thing is that by transcribing some of your favorite players music, you get some insight to things like chord/scales they favor, their sense of phrasing, etc..Again all great things to add to YOUR vocabulary.
I often tell people in clinics about how when first hearing Victor Wooten doing his double thumbing on a recording I had know way of seeing HOW he was doing it technique wise. Because of this I played it my own way which was very different and in doing so created a new way of slapping I’d never done before. Later after SEEING his double thumbing I also incorporated his particular method to my vocabulary as well.
In the spirit of this topic I am enclosing a video I recently did. The bass you hear is just one track, no overdubs. What I’d like you to do is learn a portion or even the whole song depending on your skill level. There is no way to SEE me play this YET. In the next issue I will breakdown how it is played, or should I say “how I play it”.
It will be interesting to see how they compare and who knows, you might even create a new way to play!!!!