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So I have this friend that plays guitar and plays at bars around Knoxville. Mostly Jimmy Buffett, etc. We've been kidding around for several months about me sitting in with him on tuba. Well, it turns out that his weekly Tuesday night gig is right next door to the rehearsal site for my community band, so tonight, I actually did sit in with him. First time I've ever done such a thing.

What a hoot!

Playlist included La Bamba, Grapefruit - Juicyfruit (Buffett), Changes in Lattudes - Changes in Attitudes, Mustang Sally, and of course for Knoxville -- Rocky Top.

SO...

is there a place other/better than Abersold to find stuff about laying down improvised bass lines? It looks like this could become a semi-regular thing. Tonight was OK, but then it was totally unrehearsed, and consisted of stuff I know or have changes to.

Also, this is my friend's livlihood, and I want to make sure I don't compromise that.

I'll never forget the drunk at the bar yelling "Way to go tubaman!"...

MileMarkerZero wrote: I'll never forget the drunk at the bar yelling "Way to go tubaman!"...

Hehehe... Any requests for Freebird?

You could add the CD "Getting It Together", a starting point to playing grooves put together by Sam Pilafian & Frank Vignola (more often known as the duo Travelin' Light). Available at Summit Records, it's full of tracks about 5 minutes long, and has good info in the booklet. They know their stuff.

Other than that suggestion, I'm not really of much help.

so tonight, I actually did sit in with him. First time I've ever done such a thing.

Rock on, man!!

That's the stuff!!

To learn that type of playing -- just listen to the originals of the tune and play along... and just go for it and have the courage to make something up -- MOST IMPORTANTLY go with your gut -- dont necessarily worry about doing what you think should be academically correct (as this will lead you down the dangerous road of over-analyzing what you are doing...) just go with it and be the best musician you can -- if you intuitively listen and feel, you will instinctively know what works and what does not. Its much easier than you think!

FINALLY folks outside the tuba world are learning what a versatile musical instrument the tuba is -- and face it, folks love the tuba!!

One more thing while I am pontificating -- be sure to go easy on the "tuba schtick" (its easy to fall into that trap), as its my opinion that folks hearing/seeing the tuba in this situation really need to know that it is a serious musical voice!!


Congrats!

Hehehe... Any requests for Freebird?

No, but if there had been, I'd have given 'em a free bird.

MileMarkerZero wrote: is there a place other/better than Abersold to find stuff about laying down improvised bass lines?

IMHO, the short answer to that question is no. But the Aebersold series is geared towards a fairly narrow cross-section of players (i.e. "straight-ahead" jazz), and it sounds like what you are getting into doesn't really fall into that category. Transcription is always the best solution to this sort of problem. Listen to the originals and try to sort out what the bass player (or if you're ambitious, the lead guitar) is doing. Eventually, it may be nice to take a lesson or two with a seasoned rock bass player, or somebody like that. You may also be able to find some books somewhere, but being one of those "straight ahead" jazz players myself, I can't help you with that..

--------Personal sidebar -- topical content below--------
Hey, Steve, sorry I missed band last night. My daughter, a half hour after she got her driver's license, had her first fender-bender, then an hour later I ran by the drug store and when I got ready to leave the starter on my van was fried. I'm just glad your day went so much better than mine!
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When I was at UNT, one of my best friends was a guitar player. We played (for beer & pizza) at the student center as "The Fabulous Cheeto Brothers". Some schtick ("My Bologna", a couple of months before Weird Al's version came out), some pop & rock standards (lots of Neil Young, some Eagles, "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was a favorite), some of his compositions ("Penny, You're More than Small Change to Me" was my favorite). Dualing guitar & tuba was a crowd pleaser, as was "Sittin' at the Dock of the Bay", the only song where he accompanied my melody with some very tasty R & B licks. But when we were playing pop or rock music, I'd do as a couple others here have suggested, and learn to play it pretty much like the bass player on the record did -- not just the notes, but the articulation, the decay, the whole bit. I'd think you'd want to let the novelty of your instrument being tuba be forgotten at times.

Tell me, does he do "The Captain and the Kid" or "This Hotel Room"? Those are two of my favorites. And "There's Something so Feminine about a Mandolin" is one of the greatest songs in the world, and it's set -- where else -- "somewhere near Austin"! You can't beat that!
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Joe Baker, who thinks tuba works much better with rock than with modern jazz.

One other thing, before I forget. We also discovered that euph works really well with acoustic on some of the easy rock. We did a very nice "Up On the Roof" with me doing a little light noodling on the chords during the verses and doing the echos on the chorus.
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Joe Baker, who wonders what ever happened to Fred, the other Cheeto Bro.

***

You guys have it nailed,
Music is about fun and adding to what is going on.
Many guitar players-good ones even-find that thier performance lacks
punch and the ability to motivate a crowd to get up and dance. Adding
a tuba bass line and maybe some solos to a guitarist's playing is a lot
of help and crowds love it.
My geetar guy has a five night a week gig at a beach restuarant and has
little time or voice left for rehearsal with me so he records himself on the
gig playing the material he would like done with tuba.I take his tape and
repeat as necessary until I have my bass lines and solos worked out and
memorized.When I show up and we play the new material the added punch and solos really motivate us and the crowd.
Big fun,
The Fartman

You guys have it nailed,
Music is about fun and adding to what is going on.
Many guitar players-good ones even-find that thier performance lacks
punch and the ability to motivate a crowd to get up and dance. Adding
a tuba bass line and maybe some solos to a guitarist's playing is a lot
of help and crowds love it.
My geetar guy has a five night a week gig at a beach restuarant and has
little time or voice left for rehearsal with me so he records himself on the
gig playing the material he would like done with tuba.I take his tape and
repeat as necessary until I have my bass lines and solos worked out and
memorized.When I show up and we play the new material the added punch and solos really motivate us and the crowd.
Big fun,
The Fartman