Jazz Improvisation with Andrea Fascetti: Bebop Special for Bass…

HI MY BASS FRIENDS!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE POSITIVE FEEDBACK ABOUT BEBOP FOR BASS. THE EXERCISES I SUGGESTED IN THE OCTOBER ISSUE ARE THE LAST IN A SERIES DEDICATED TO BEBOP STYLE. YOU KNOW THAT I INSIST IN TALKING ABOUT THE SAME INFORMATION, AS I THINK THAT REPETITION IS THE GREAT “ SECRET” THAT HELPS YOU TE BECOME A BETTER MUSICIAN AND A FINE BASS PLAYER. PLEASE ADD THIS EXERCISES TO YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE!

TODAY I’M VERY BAD – LOL! I WROTE FOR YOU AN EXERCISE USING THE INFORMATION WE FOUND IN DONNA LEE. IF YOU REMEMBER I SUGGESTED TO YOU SOME EXERCISES ABOUT BEBOP STYLE… IF YOU’RE NOT SURE, PLEASE CHECK THE PAST 6 LESSONS.

NOW, ON WITH OUR USUAL HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT:

HERE YOU WILL FIND A SHEET WITH MY EXERCISES. I USED ALL THE THINGS I FOUND FOR THE DONNA LEE  ‘STYLE’. I SUGGEST THAT YOU ANALIZE THE NOTES AND WRITE YOUR OWN PHRASES.

BUT NOW I WILL GO A STEP FURTHER… I WROTE AN EXERCISE THAT LETS YOU WORK WITH BEPOP STYLE AND INCREASE YOUR TECNIQUE USING VERY USEFUL PHRASES.

1) IF YOU NOTICE, THERE ARE NO RESTS! IN THIS WAY YOU LEARN TO CONNECT THE CHORDS IN A MELODIC WAY AND YOU INCREASE DRAMATICALLY YOUR TECNIQUE. AS USUAL, STUDY THE EXERCISE VERY SLOWLY AND WITHOUT A METRONOME. WHEN YOU HAVE IT “UNDER YOUR FINGERS” YOU CAN INCREASE SPEED!

2) ANALIZE THE NOTES (IS THIS THE FIFTH OF THE CHORD? ETC.)

3) PLAY IT IN SOME OTHER KEYS, ESPECIALLY THE DIFFICULT ONES (IN ALL 12 KEYS IS BETTER)

I PLAYED THE EXERCISE FOR YOU. REMEMBER THAT THIS IS ONLY AN EXERCISE AND YOU CAN WRITE ALL THE EXERCISES YOU WANT ON YOUR OWN.

BTW… I PLAYED IT VERY FAST JUST TO LET YOU KNOW THAT IF YOU PRACTICE HARD, YOU HAVE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES WITH YOUR INSTRUMENT.

A CLOSING WORD… THIS EXERCISE IS DEDICATED TO THE LOVING MEMORY OF MY TEACHER CHARLIE BANACOS, WHO TAUGHT ME ALL I KNOW ABOUT BEBOP.

GOOD LUCK AND GOOD PRACTICE 🙂

ANDREA