Segment 8: Master Class for

String Bass/Tuba/Bass Saxophone (19:20)

For use in Lesson #18.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To go to a specific chapter, slide the elapsed time indicator in the video screen to the timing point shown for that chapter below.

Chapters:

1. Clinician introduction: Vince Giordano (0:00)

2. Different Styles Use Different Bass Instruments (0:32)

3. String Bass or Electric Bass? (1:16)

4. Your Role (2:53)

5. Playing the Bass Line: Chicago Style (3:30)

6. Playing the Bass Line: Mainstream Style (3:57)

7. Playing the Bass Line: New Orleans Revival Style (4:25)

8. “Slap” Bass (4:59)

9. Soloing: New Orleans Revival Style (5:34)

10. Soloing: Chicago Style (7:08)

11. Soloing With the Bow (9:55)

12. A Look at the Tuba (10:17)

13. Playing the Bass Line on Tuba: San Francisco Style (11:10)

14. Playing the Bass Line on Tuba: Chicago Style (11:40)

15. Soloing on Tuba (12:11)

16. A Look at the Bass Sax (12:58)

17. Playing the Bass Line on Bass Sax: New York Style (13:25)

18. Soloing on Bass Sax (14:23)

19. A Message From Vince (15:12)

20. Clip of Milt Hinton (15:30)

21. Clip of Bob Haggart (17:16)

22. Clip of Eli Newberger (18:07)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A detailed description/transcription of this video segment follows for reference

Clinician Introduction: Vince Giordano

Vince: [plays a short solo on bass] Hi, I’m Vince Giordano, and welcome to our little talk about the role of the bass instruments in traditional jazz. Before we start, I just want to talk about my bass here. This is made out of aluminum, and they were made in the late 20s/early 30s. I know most basses are made out of wood, which I do have, but this seems to work for me and I have a lot of fun with it.

Different Styles Use Different Bass Instruments

In traditional jazz, there’s a few different styles that we like to talk about. The Classic New Orleans Style, we use the bass or the tuba. The New Orleans Revival Style, it’s usually the bass. Chicago Style, Swing, Mainstream: usually the bass. San Francisco Style: tuba. The European “Trad” Style is usually the bass. The New York Style, which sometimes is “chamber style” jazz as they call it, all three are used—the string bass, tuba, and bass sax. And today, with a lot of the younger players playing traditional jazz, sometimes the electric bass is used.

String Bass or Electric Bass?

Now we’re going to talk about the role of the string bass and the electric bass in traditional jazz. I prefer the upright string bass; to me it has a more mellow sound, you have more control, and notice you have a better voice, you are able to do more flexible things than on electric bass. I use metal strings for my playing, though there are quite a few bass players who use the gut strings, which also is a wonderful way to play the music. If you do play the electric bass in traditional jazz, I think what you really have to worry about is, please, don’t play it too loud. Once you turn up your bass, the drummer has a tendency to play a little louder, then the guitarist or the banjoist, he plays louder, and then everyone’s playing too loud; so try to keep it at a good volume. I also like to play it in a very staccato style [demonstrates on electric bass], and make sure that you’re running the beat nice and clear, with no holdover, so that you’re not droning on the bass [demonstrates] —so it still has the percussive feel and sound of an acoustic bass. So if you have that in mind, I think you’re going to be on the right path. Try to make this instrument as close as you can to the feel and the sound of an upright bass.

Your Role

Being the bass player in traditional jazz is great, it’s actually majestic; because your role, your part of this wonderful experience, is to anchor the chordal underpinning of the ensemble, or the soloist. You concentrate on the chord roots, or the fifths, and some passing tones, and of course you lock in with the rest of the rhythm section. The bass is usually 4/4, kind of a walking bass, and the tuba is 2/4.

Playing the Bass Line: Chicago Style

All right. So here’s a little demonstration of Chicago/Swing Style bass playing, which is 4/4. We’ll work on the Bb blues. [plays a blues bass line on the bass] Something like that.

Playing the Bass Line: Mainstream Style

To modernize this, maybe a little bit more Mainstream, you have a little bit more sustain, like this. [plays a blues bass line on the bass]

Playing the Bass Line: New Orleans Revival Style

In the New Orleans Revival it’s basically a 4-beat feel, and then put a little bit of slap in there, and a little bit of syncopation. [plays a bass line on the bass]

“Slap” Bass

“Slap” bass is done by pulling the string and slapping back on the fingerboard. [demonstrates] And you might do this slow at first, and then eventually: [demonstrates, accelerating]

Soloing: New Orleans Revival Style

Well say you’re in a New Orleans trad jazz Revival Style band, and it’s time for you to solo—you know you’ve been working hard on the bass, and supporting everyone and now it’s time for you to have your solo. So, we picked out a tune called “Hindustan”, which is going to be in Bb; I’m going to kind of count it off for you, and I’m going to show you a little bit what you could possibly do. Don’t ever be afraid of playing the melody. It’s a great novel effect, because everyone’s been playing jazz, and playing all kinds of wonderful solos, but you could play a little melody and I’ll demonstrate a little of that, a little of the melody, and then I’ll go into a solo sort of in the New Orleans trad Style. So here’s “Hindustan” in Bb. [begins soloing on “Hindustan” on bass] You might want to just play like this, just a straight bass line. [continues playing]

Soloing: Chicago Style

Now here’s the same song, sort of in Chicago/Swing Style. [plays solo on “Hindustan” on bass] So that solo in the Chicago Style was basically just around the bass line, which can work; another way to be more adventurous and try some other sort of melodic [thing], is something like this. [begins soloing on “Hindustan” on bass] Here’s another one. [continues playing]

Soloing With the Bow

Here’s a little bit of bow; I’m not going to give you a full chorus but, give you an idea of maybe what you can do with the bow. [plays bowed solo on “Hindustan” on bass]

A Look at the Tuba

Here’s my tuba. This is a Bb recording tuba. Tubas come in many different styles, looks, shapes, keys. The tuba sometimes comes in the key of C, also Eb. More people play the Bb tuba than the C or the Eb. The bell leans out this way, which is good for the rest of the band to hear the music, and also the audience. If you have an upright bell [gestures upward] that faces that way, which I used to have, sometimes it’s a little hard to hear out there, so you might want to have a microphone put on, you know, mounted on top; or if you could possibly play your horn leaning out a little bit, you know, position it so that the rest of the band and the audience can enjoy your wonderful sounds.

Playing the Bass Line on Tuba: San Francisco Style

Here’s a little bit of San Francisco Style tuba. It’s a 2/4 style, with a leaning into 1, so like a “4-1, 4-1” emphasized. [plays a bass line on the tuba]

Playing the Bass Line on Tuba: Chicago Style

Now if you’re in a Chicago Style, where it has more of a 4-beat feel, you’re trying to sound like a string bass when you’re playing in a Chicago Style rhythm section. [plays a bass line on the tuba]

Soloing on Tuba

Here’s a little bit of “Hindustan” on the tuba. [plays solo on “Hindustan” on tuba]

A Look at the Bass Sax

The bass sax here is another alternative; they’re a little bit less common of course than tuba, and a lot more expensive. I use a baritone mouthpiece for this. If you want to check out some great bass saxophone playing, study Adrian Rollini, Spencer Clark, and the great Joe Rushton.

Playing the Bass Line on Bass Sax: New York Style

I’m going to start off with a little blues line, like sort of what I was playing on the tuba and the bass, and then later show you what Rollini might have done. Here’s a very kind of simple bass line in blues, in Bb, on the blues. [plays a blues bass line on the bass sax] And Rollini would probably go up to the high register, and fool around a little bit, and jump around, something like this. [plays a blues bass line on the bass sax]

Soloing on Bass Sax

Here’s “Hindustan” on the bass sax. [plays solo on “Hindustan” on bass sax]

A Thought From Vince

I see a lot of young folks playing traditional jazz today. I just see all the fun that they’re having; they’re taking Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke’s music, and doing it in their [own] style, almost like they’re creating a new piece of art.

Clip of Milt Hinton

Now, here’s a little bit of solo slap bass by the great Milt Hinton.

Milt Hinton plays “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”

Milt “Judge” Hinton: Now the young bass players come here, “Judge, how do you do that?”, you know? And I’m delighted to show them. Because I want them to do it, I want them just like I took what Mr. Zardis did: [demonstrates “slap” bass] I took it, and did: [demonstrates double/triple-time slaps] See, I want to see some young guys come on and double that.

Clip of Bob Haggart

Bob Haggart plays “Big Noise From Winnetka” with Ray Bauduc

Clip of Eli Newberger

Here’s an amazing tuba solo by Eli Newberger.

Eli Newberger plays “Is It True What They Say About Dixie” with the New Black Eagle Jazz Band

 

Performance Clip Details

Ch. 20: Milt Hinton, “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho”, 1987, and “slap” bass demonstration, 1989: Milt Hinton bass

Ch. 21: Bob Haggart and Ray Bauduc, “Big Noise From Winnetka”, 1951: Bob Haggart bass, Ray Bauduc drums

Ch. 22: New Black Eagle Jazz Band, “Is It True What They Say About Dixie”, 1990: Bob Pilsbury piano, Peter Bullis banjo, Eli Newberger tuba, Bill Reynolds drums

Music heard under the “A Message From…” chapters is performed by the Capital Focus Jazz Band youth group of Washington, DC.