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Jimmy Garrison’s Bass Line from Crescent
This month’s transcription is Jimmy Garrison’s Bass line from “Crescent”, off John Coltrane’s album Crescent.
I started the transcription at 1:35 where the bass starts walking. Let’s get straight into using this transcription to make you a better player. First, as always, the notes in each line need to be compared with the major scale of the chord for each measure. If you are really familiar with this analytical process, go ahead and skip to the next paragraph, if not then read on. The major scale is always our ruler. We can take our measurements and apply them to literally any situation. Let’s take the lick in measure 19 to explain this process. The chord is some type of Eb chord, in this case, Eb minor seven. Take the Eb MAJOR scale and apply a number for each note, starting with one, and increasing by one until you have labeled the last note (high Eb) as eight. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, and eight, a number for every scale note. Now take the notes in the measure you are analyzing: Eb, F, Gb, and Bb, and compare them to the major scale by the numbers. This example gives you 1, 2, b3, and 5 (because the Eb major scale starts with Eb, F, G, Ab, Bb). This is your lick. Now in order to apply this super common walking lick to all types of chords, you need to know your chord tones. A minor seven type of chord has the chord tones 1, b3, 5, and b7 when compared to its major scale (our ruler). The lick that we are looking at is 1, 2, b3, 5, but its simplest form is 1, 2, 3, 5. Take this generic pattern and apply it to any chord. You need to know the chord tones for each chord in order to do this. For instance, over a major seven type of chord, this lick will be unchanged. 1, 2, 3, 5 on a G maj 7 chord gives us G, A, B, D. Using the lick on a half diminished chord, aka minor 7 flat five, will give you 1, 2, b3, b5. We’ll not get into chord scales here. So if you know that a half diminished chord has the chord tones 1, b3, b5, b7, then you adjust your lick (1, 2, 3, 5) to fit, which gave us 1, 2, b3, b5. If you were using the lick on an “A half diminished” chord, aka A-7 b5, you would play A, B, C, Eb.
Now that we have a handle on how to use the major scale as our ruler, we need to apply it. First I’ll talk about how to get this transcription into your playing through specific practice techniques. Next I’ll talk about four specific ideas from this piece which include: chromaticism, anticipations, major six on a minor chord, and implying different chords. Last we’ll talk about specific licks from the piece.
This is how I recommend practicing this transcription to get the most out of it. First you have to memorize the form. This piece is a 12 measure chord progression that keeps repeating. The first eight bars of the transcription act as an intro, so look at the chord progression starting from 17 and ending with 28. Take these twelve bars and memorize the chord progression. Here’s what you should be memorizing:
Bb7sus, , Eb-7, , E half diminished, A7b9, D-7, , G7sus, , C-7, ,
Each coma represents a full measure, therefore, a chord that has two commas after it will last for two full measures. If you are still pretty new to memorizing changes, this will be a little difficult, but be encouraged by the fact that it will keep getting easier every time you do it. Memorizing changes is a skill that will improve only through practice. So if this proves difficult for you, take heart in the fact that it will never be this hard again.
Now take measures 17-28 and memorize the bass line. After you have it memorized, analyze these twelve bars against the chord symbols. At this point you should have the bass line memorized, and the chord progression. So now you need to compare each measure, against the major scale for that chord. The first two measures (17, and 18) will give you this:
1 1 b7 6, 56 2 1 61,
Again, I am using comas to represent measures, I will always ignore ghost notes (note heads that are show as an X) because they are not notes, they are percussion. I tried to group notes by each beat. Measure 18 starts with two eighth notes so I put those two numbers right next to each other to try and make it easier to read. You need to analyze this way for the entire 12 measures. Now memorize the number analysis, and combine it in your mind with the bass line that you already have memorized. To put it another way, you will no longer play the line as if you were whistling a melody, you will be thinking of the numerical analysis for every note as compared to every chord, and you will be doing this for every note you play. If you are new at thinking this way, it may seem very difficult at first, but if you want to get good, you can’t avoid this. If it’s really hard, just take one or two measures a day. Now when you play the line, do it slowly, always being conscious of the chords that are occurring, and of the number analysis of what you are playing. Play these 12 measures for about a week until you are comfortable with thinking about these three concepts (chords, numbers, and playing the line). Then take the next 12 measures for the following week and apply the same approach. When you do this, you will internalize these licks and ideas into your own playing. You will greatly increase your facility for memorizing changes, and understanding the notes against the chords. In short you’ll be well on your way to becoming a monster on your bass. These two skills are essential for improvising in either a walking line or a solo.
Now let’s talk about ideas from this transcription. Take note of how often a chromatic note is used on beat four of a measure to lead into the chord tone of the next measure. I counted eight instances of this at measures: 12, 32, 34, 43, 44, 50, 80, and 92. Use this technique on every measure of an easy song to get it in your playing. Next look at how many times Jimmy plays a natural sixth (the note when compared to the major scale) over a minor chord. I counted at least four instances at measures: 2, 12, 23, and 36. The major sixth note will almost always work on a minor chord in jazz, especially if you’re not sure what kind of sixth to use. Now look at how many times Jimmy uses a “push” or anticipation. The most common that I found were pushes on “and of 1” and “and of four”. Examples of this are in measures: 11, 12, 45, 73, 81, 89, 93 and 96. The last idea we’ll talk about is implying a different chord change. Jimmy constantly implies two measures of A7b9 instead of playing one measure on E half diminished, then one measure on A7b9. These chords occurs on measures five and six of the twelve measure progression that you should have memorized. Check out measures: 21, 33, 45, 69, 81 and 93. You can do this on any 2-5 progression, but I don’t recommend doing it every time except in special situations.
Now let’s talk about some licks. First, we’ll look at some licks that Jimmy seems to use often. One lick is: 1 2 3 1. This happens at measures 24, 96, and 99. The next lick is: 1 2 3 5, and occurs at measures: 19 and 84. Another common lick is: 8 7 6 5, and this one happens at: 23, 49, and 83. Take one of these licks and use it on every chord in a simple jazz tune like Autumn Leaves, or All the Things You Are. Remember to adjust each lick pattern to fit the chord tones. You don’t just play 1 2 3 1 on any chord, you have to adjust to the chord tones. On a minor seven chord you would play 1 2 b3 1. All these licks are basic ideas to use as building blocks for walking lines and can be used often in a single song. Now let’s look at some really “flavorful” licks, which should be used more sparingly. Take each lick and analyze against the major scale of the chord in order to use the idea on any chord in your own playing. In measure six, Jimmy plays all fourths, which matches perfectly with what McCoy Tyner is playing on keys. Most likely, Jimmy and McCoy had played this song enough that they both knew they would play this here, and it’s a great touch. Fourths are a distinct sound and produce a really nice effect to add variation in your walking. Next look at measure 12, especially beats three and four. This is a great lick to use on a minor chord to take you back to the root. The “push” on the “and of four” should be included as part of the lick. The next nice lick is measure 34. Beat four of this measure should be analyzed as simply a chromatic note leading into the root of the next measure. Lastly, check out the nice two measure lick at 37. This would be great on any 7th (dominant) chord. You have to take your analysis of each lick, and apply them over a variety of different changes from a real tune before you will see them occur naturally in your own walking. Remember to always adjust the numbers of the lick for the chord tones of the measure that you are playing
That’s it for this month. Just wait for next month when we finish this song out. There’s lots of stuff to work on here, but if you have any questions about anything you can always shoot me a message through the website, or better yet, take it to your instructor. Concepts like these are always better explained and demonstrated in person. The suggestions here will give you real results, but it’s also real work. There’s no magic wand, if you want to sound better, it takes work. But it’s a lot of fun, don’t give up. Remember that it always gets easier the more work you put into it. Until next time.
Gear News
New Gear: Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass
Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass…
Esopus Guitars is proud to announce the new “Tailwater” bass guitar, from legendary bass luthier Stuart Spector. This 32” scale bass is handcrafted by Stuart using the only finest woods and components at the Esopus Guitar workshop located near Woodstock NY in the Catskill Mountains.
From its fully carved spruce top (the top is carved on both its exterior and interior surfaces) with a thumb rest that is elegantly carved into the top, to its custom-made Fishman piezo pickup and super hard Carnauba wax finish, every detail of the Tailwater is part of creating the ultimate playing experience.
The Tailwater bass features a fully chambered spruce over alder body (15.5″ lower body bout width, 2.25″ body thickness measuring from the peak of the carved top) that delivers a super comfortable tonal tool for all your low-end needs.
Each Tailwater bass is hand-signed and numbered on the back of the peghead by Stuart Spector. A very limited number of Tailwater basses are handcrafted each year at the Esopus workshop.
“I am proud to present the Tailwater bass, a bass that I have spent the last three years perfecting. The Tailwater is a culmination of all of my 45 years of experience, knowledge, and passion for bass guitar crafting. I am so eager to hear what fellow musicians create with this exciting new instrument.” -Stuart Spector
Direct Pricing : $4995.00 plus options.
For more information about Esopus Guitars and Stuart Spector’s handcrafted instruments, visit www.EsopusGuitars.com.
Bass Videos
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Ian Allison Bassist extreme…
Most recently Ian has spent the last seven years touring nationally as part of Eric Hutchinson and The Believers, sharing stages with acts like Kelly Clarkson, Pentatonix, Rachel Platten, Matt Nathanson, Phillip Phillips, and Cory Wong playing venues such as Radio City Music Hall, The Staples Center and The Xcel Center in St. Paul, MN.
I had a chance to meet up with him at the Sellersville Theater in Eastern Pennsylvania to catch up on everything bass. Visit online at ianmartinallison.com/
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
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Features
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
Checking in with Bergantino Artist James Tobias
James Tobias, Bassist for psychedelic, Reggae-Rock titans Audic Empire shares his history as a musician and how he came to find Bergantino…
Interview by Holly Bergantino
James Tobias, a multi-talented musician and jack-of-all-trades shares his story of coming up as a musician in Texas, his journey with his band Audic Empire, and his approach to life and music. With a busy tour schedule each year, we were fortunate to catch up with him while he was out and about touring the US.
Where were you born and raised?
I was born in Dallas, Texas and lived in the Dallas area most of my life with the exception of 1 year in Colorado. I moved to the Austin area at age 18.
What makes the bass so special to you particularly, and how did you gravitate to it?
I honestly started playing bass because we needed a bass player and I was the one with access to a bass amp and bass. I played rhythm guitar and sang up until I met Ronnie, who I would later start “Audic Empire” with. He also played rhythm guitar and sang and we didn’t know any bass players, so we had to figure something out. I still write most of my songs on guitar, but I’ve grown to love playing the bass.
How did you learn to play, James?
I took guitar lessons growing up and spent a lot of time just learning tabs or playing by ear and kicked around as a frontman in a handful of bands playing at the local coffee shops or rec centers. Once I transitioned to bass, I really just tried to apply what I knew about guitar and stumbled through it till it sounded right. I’m still learning every time I pick it up, honestly.
You are also a songwriter, recording engineer, and a fantastic singer, did you get formal training for this?
Thank you, that means a lot! I had a couple of voice lessons when I was in my early teens, but didn’t really like the instructor. I did however take a few lessons recently through ACC that I enjoyed and think really helped my technique (Shout out to Adam Roberts!) I was not a naturally gifted singer, which is a nice way of saying I was pretty awful, but I just kept at it.
As far as recording and producing, I just watched a lot of YouTube videos and asked people who know more than me when I had a question. Whenever I feel like I’m not progressing, I just pull up tracks from a couple of years ago, cringe, and feel better about where I’m at but I’ve got a long way to go. Fortunately, we’ve got some amazing producers I can pass everything over to once I get the songs as close to finalized as I can.
Describe your playing style(s), tone, strengths and/or areas that can be improved on the bass.
I honestly don’t know what my style would be considered. We’ve got so many styles that we play and fuse together that I just try to do what works song by song. I don’t have too many tricks in the bag and just keep it simple and focus on what’s going to sound good in the overall mix. I think my strength lies in thinking about the song as a whole and what each instrument is doing, so I can compliment everything else that’s going on. What could be improved is absolutely everything, but that’s the great thing about music (and kind of anything really).
Who were your influencers in terms of other musicians earlier on or now that have made a difference and inspired you?
My dad exposed me to a lot of music early. I was playing a toy guitar while watching a VHS of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble live at SXSW on repeat at 4 years old saying I wanted to “do that” when I grew up. I was the only kid in daycare that had his own CDs that weren’t kid’s songs. I was listening to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, and The Doors when I could barely talk. I would make up songs and sing them into my Panasonic slimline tape recorder and take it to my preschool to show my friends. As I got older went through a bunch of music phases. Metal, grunge, rock, punk, hip hop, reggae, ska, etc. Whatever I heard that I connected to I’d dive in and learn as much as I could about it. I was always in bands and I think I kept picking up different styles along the way and kept combining my different elements and I think that’s evident in Audic’s diverse sound.
Tell me about Audic Empire and your new release Take Over! Can you share some of the highlights you and the band are most proud of?
Takeover was an interesting one. I basically built that song on keyboard and drum loops and wrote and tracked all my vocals in one long session in my bedroom studio kind of in a stream-of-consciousness type of approach. I kind of thought nothing would come of it and I’d toss it out, but we slowly went back and tracked over everything with instruments and made it our own sound. I got it as far as I could with production and handed it off to Chad Wrong to work his magic and really bring it to life. Once I got Snow Owl Media involved and we started brainstorming about a music video, it quickly turned into a considerably larger production than anything we’ve done before and it was such a cool experience. I’m really excited about the final product, especially considering I initially thought it was a throwaway track.
Describe the music style of Audic Empire for us.
It’s all over the place… we advertise it as “blues, rock, reggae.” Blues because of our lead guitarist, Travis Brown’s playing style, rock because I think at the heart we’re a rock band, and reggae because we flavor everything with a little (or a lot) of reggae or ska.
How did you find Bergantino Audio Systems?
Well, my Ampeg SVT7 caught fire at a show… We were playing Stubbs in Austin and everyone kept saying they smelled something burning, and I looked back in time to see my head, perched on top of its 8×10 cab, begin billowing smoke. We had a tour coming up, so I started researching and pricing everything to try and find a new amp. I was also fronting a metal band at the time, and my bass player’s dad was a big-time country bass player and said he had this really high-end bass amp just sitting in a closet he’d sell me. I was apprehensive since I really didn’t know much about it and “just a little 4×10” probably wasn’t going to cut it compared to my previous setup. He said I could come over and give it a test drive, but he said he knew I was going to buy it. He was right. I immediately fell in love. I couldn’t believe the power it put out compared to this heavy head and cumbersome cab I had been breaking my back hauling all over the country and up countless staircases.
Tell us about your experience with the forte D amp and the AE 410 Speaker cabinet.
It’s been a game-changer in every sense. It’s lightweight and compact. Amazing tone. And LOUD. It’s just a fantastic amp. Not to mention the customer service being top-notch! You’ll be hard-pressed to find another product that, if you have an issue, you can get in touch with the owner, himself. How cool is that?
Tell us about some of your favorite basses.
I was always broke and usually working part-time delivering pizzas, so I just played what I could get my hands on. I went through a few pawn shop basses, swapped in new pickups, and fought with the action on them constantly. I played them through an Ampeg be115 combo amp. All the electronics in it had fried at some point, so I gutted it out and turned it into a cab that I powered with a rusted-up little head I bought off someone for a hundred bucks. My gear was often DIY’d and held together by electrical tape and usually had a few coats of spray paint to attempt to hide the wear and tear. I never really fell in love with any piece of gear I had till I had a supporter of our band give me an Ibanez Premium Series SDGR. I absolutely love that bass and still travel with it. I’ve since gotten another Ibanez Premium Series, but went with the 5-string BTB. It’s a fantastic-sounding bass, my only complaint is it’s pretty heavy.
Love your new video Take Over! Let us know what you’re currently working on (studio, tour, side projects, etc.)
Thank you!! We’ve got a LOT of stuff we’re working on right now actually. Having 2 writers in the band means we never have a shortage of material. It’s more about getting everything tracked and ready for release and all that goes into that. We just got through filming videos for 2 new unreleased tracks with Snow Owl Media, who did the videos for both Love Hate and Pain and Takeover. Both of these songs have surprise features which I’m really excited about since these will be the first singles since our last album we have other artists on. We’ve also got a lot of shows coming up and I’ve also just launched my solo project as well. The debut single, “Raisin’ Hell” is available now everywhere. You can go here to find all the links distrokid.com/hyperfollow/jamestobias/raisin-hell
What else do you do besides music?
For work, I own a handyman service here in Austin doing a lot of drywall, painting, etc. I have a lot of hobbies and side hustles as well. I make custom guitar straps and other leather work. I do a lot of artwork and have done most of our merch designs and a lot of our cover art. I’m really into (and borderline obsessed) with health, fitness, and sober living. I have a hard time sitting still, but fortunately, there’s always a lot to do when you’re self-employed and running a band!
Follow James Tobias:
jamestobiasmusic.com
Facebook.com/james.tobias1
Instagram.com/ru4badfish2
TikTok.com/@jamestobiasmusic
audicempire.com
Bass CDs
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
Avery Sharpe and his Double Quartet to release, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
A new recording will be released on JKNM Records by internationally renowned bassist/composer Avery Sharpe, “I Am My Neighbors Keeper” is scheduled for release in June 2024.
Sharpe has composed a new work that highlights our commitment to one another. Avery initiated the project as a response to the political and racial division that has grown over the past seven years in the country. “The U.S political climate has drastically changed in the past 40-plus years, especially during the last seven of those years. In this age of greed, which Sharpe refers to as “IGM,” I Got Mine, basic human compassion has been eroded. Racial, economic and social strides are being turned back.
“We have food insecurity, the unhoused, pandemics, school shootings, domestic violence, and an opioid problem, just to name some. There is a need to remind people that each of us is here on this planet for a very short period of time. It doesn’t matter if one has a religious approach or a secular approach, it all comes down to concern and compassion for each other. Through these compositions and recordings, Avery’s mission as an artist is to remind us that we all are interconnected and that ‘We Are Our Neighbor’s Keeper.’ When we help to uplift one, we uplift everyone,” Sharpe said.
Each movement in the piece describes the values we should strive for to help one another for this multi-media (video slide show during performance) and multi-discipline performance.
Many of Sharpe’s projects and recordings have been about “standing on the shoulders of ancestors, heroes and sheroes.” Among his recordings and projects, include “Running Man” (celebrating the athlete Jesse Owens), “Ain’t I A Woman” (about Sojourner Truth), and his most recent project “400: An African American Musical Portrait” (marking the 400 years from 1619 to 2019).
Avery Sharpe has recorded and performed with many jazz greats from Dizzy Gillespie to Yusef Lateef. He had an illustrious run of 20 plus years with the legendary Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner, of which he recorded more than 25 records with Mr. Tyner and performed countless worldwide concerts.
Visit online at averysharpe.com/
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
Interview With Audic Empire Bassist James Tobias
New Album: Avery Sharpe, I Am My Neighbors Keeper
