Jazzitalia - Lessons: Electric Bass

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Two exercises in order to begin...
by Toni Moretti
tonimore@inwind.it

I don't want to be a teacher on this explanation! I just want to share with you same good exercises that can be useful for you.

I won't tell you chords, major scale and minor scale and other things you should already know!

The first one is a rhythmic exercise that will help you to play on fourth sixteen of the quarter note (pict. 1). This is really good for understanding the right rhytm of the bass-drum (at the moment I work with only the drum on my monitor...).

Using a metronome setted on a slow tempo (70?), play the first exercise, then the second until the fourth; then play only the second and the fourth, then 2 measures of the 1/16 and 3/16 of quarter notes, then a measure, then 2/4, 1/4 on loop.

At the end take a chords section and play them moving the notes of the chord forward of 1 and then 3 sixteenth.
I also wrote 3 examples with moved values.

The second exercise is really good for the improvisation.
Take an easy section of chords (C, A-, D-, G7?) (pict. 2) and play all the notes of the chord starting from the third both in ascending and descending way.
Due to bass players are often obliged to play starting from the tonic, this exercise won't be so easy for everybody!!

Then don't play the tonic and play the ninth. The chord now is moved of one third, in first position. Our section started from C becomes now E-7, C7+, F7+, B-7/5b.
Then let start to change chords...use chromatic notes, etc. Do it playing standards...Enjoy!!

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Toni Moretti
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Last Modified Date: 11/01/2005

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