What are some fun things to do?

[dopey]

I have just began playing in our local church band, which consist of about 3-5 guitars(both accoustic and electric) a bass, drummer , keyboard and a handful of singers.

When I first decided to join I assumed i'd get some sort of sheet music. However, the way they play is they just have the songs written out, with chords above various parts such as "Holy" may have a G above the middle of it telling you when to change chords..

At first I didnt' know if it sound really good or bad, but after a 2nd practice with em the entire band seems to love the sound I bring to the group on tuba, However.. I am currently mainly just playing long tones, playing whatever the notes are on the paper, the root of the chords. But I am looking for something else to do? alot of the songs have a more up beat feel that u'd wanan drive or do somteihng. So what can I do? I've been doing a bit of gliss to the next note, like I'll be on a G and it'll change to C so I'll do G F E D C, and land on the C, Which adds a nice effect to certain songs, however.. Is there some other things I can do?

Thanks for your help, I am loving playin with this group as its a new sense of playing to me since im used to normal concert bands! and not being the only brass period in the group!

[Tubadan]

Say for instance if it is a 4/4 rock feel, and you see a G written above the words, that means a G major chord. During this time you can play G B natural or D, with maybe some passing tones to make it smoother. in this piece you might see a D7. That would mean you can play D F# A and C. again you can play passing tones to make it smoother but try not to put too many on down beats and dont accent them too much. The main point is that you should be creative... this is the fun part of music where you get away from the stuff that was already created and create your own music

[dopey]

Aight, So D means a D major chord ofcourse, however D7? that means a D major chord plus the 7th? which would be the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th of the scale right? so D F# A, but would the C be C#? or am I just wrong?

I do not know near as much as I wish I did about music theory and have just recently began trying to tech myself via net etc so I may be wrong..

Thanks tho, I'll have to try that.. they love the sound of the long tones but they keep telling me it sounds great just they feel I must be getting bored just playing whole notes, lol, but anymore suggestions are welcomed, I think this group will help me in alot of ways

[ArnoldGottlieb]

Ahhm,
While many of mandrakes idea's are theoretically correct, the seventh note of a D7 chord is C natural. You'll find some really great stuff and correct information at Jamey Abersold's site. I think it's http://jazzbooks.com Good luck. Peace. ASG

[Tom]

Ahhm,
While many of mandrakes idea's are theoretically correct, the seventh note of a D7 chord is C natural.

Playing a C natural (as your would if you saw D7) would make it a dominant seventh, because it's a major triad plus a minor 7th. In other words, a major chord with a lowered 7th.

A dominant 7th contains the root, major third, perfect fifth, and minor seventh.

Yes, the D Major 7 Chord is: D-F#-A-C#

The major seventh chord takes the standard major chord and adds a major seventh on top of the existing three notes of the triad. So, you'd have root, major third, perfect fifth, and major seventh. Do, so a a DMaj7 chord you'd add the major seventh, which would be C#

As others have pointed out, there is a difference (in this case between C and C#) between D7 and DMaj7.

I hope that makes some sense to you, Jacob.

I'd highly recommend buying a music theory book. Even if you don't "study" it, it can be a good book to refer to on things like this.

[dopey]

That makes perfect sense.

So would a Dm7 be D F A C? since a D minor has a lowered 3rd?

what books would you recomend? I have a few sites I tend to visit on my spare time and jus read a article or to trying to learn, but its soo much info if you sit too long your brain kinda goes to mush.

Thanks for the help, any other things I can do besides walking and playing the 3rd or 5th of the chords?

wat about a 4th? like.. if it says D.. play like. . D G D G D G then if it changes to G (key of D major) I can go like.. D E F# G or something?

[Scott Sutherland]

So would a Dm7 be D F A C? since a D minor has a lowered 3rd?

what books would you recomend?

Yes, you are correct about the minor 7th chord.

Here are a few common chord symbols for your reference:

D = D major (D F# A)
D7 = D dominant seventh (D F# A C)
DM7 (or Dmaj7)= D major seventh (D F# A C#)
Dm7 = D minor seventh (D F A C)
D+= D augmented (D F# A#)
Ddim= D diminished (D F Ab)

As far as books go, get the 1st and 21st volumes of the Jamey Aebersold series of Play-Alongs (Jazz:How to Play and Improvise and Gettin it Together). This will give you a good idea about where to start.

Remember, as a bass instrument, you will be playing with the bass guitar and the piano's left hand. Try and listen to what they are playing and mimic those notes/rhythmic patterns. I'd go pick up a CD of Christian choruses from a Christian bookstore and try to play along with them, copying the notes and patterns laid down by the bass player on the recording. The Tommy Walker stuff is a great place to start, but try and get a CD in the style that your church regularly plays.

Good luck!

[Dylan King]

Play what you hear, and hear what you play.

[Tom B.]

Jacob:

Every chord symbol has at least one set of notes associated with it that sound good when played over it. A very basic set would be the notes of the chord--G B D F in the case of a G7, for instance. But there are actually entire scales that will sound good with the G7 chord too, such as the Mixolydian scale which consists of G, A, B, C, D, E, F and G. The Mixolydian scale that goes with a Bb7 chord would contain Bb, C, D, Eb, F, G, Ab, and Bb. The pattern of half and whole steps in these scales is what makes them Myxolydian. Note the only difference between a Mixolydian and a Major scale is the seventh scale degree which is a minor 7th in the Mixolydian.

Having a scale to work with comes in very handy for us bass players, because, as you pointed out in your original posting, you like to play scalar passages to move from one chord to the next. When you went from a G chord to a C chord and played G F E D C, you were actually walking down some scale. If the G chord was a G7, then it was the Mixolydian scale. If it was a Gm7 chord, you were coming down the G Dorian Minor scale, but that's another story. Knowing which scales go with which chords eliminates some of the guess-work and complements what your ear is telling you.

what books would you recomend?

The Jamey Aebersold site has some free information you can download at his site:

[/url]http://www.jazzbooks.com/jazzhandbook/Default.htm[url]

But I would recommend getting a book by Mark Levine called the Jazz Theory Book. It has more information than most of us will ever absorb in a lifetime, but the first few chapters are entirely devoted to the questions you have asked here, and you will find clear explanations presented in a refreshingly conversational manner. If you start to get into jazz, the book will continue to serve you well for years.

Good luck.

Tom

[tubatooter1940]

Hi,Jacob,
You do have a lot to offer you church group with your tuba.Being the only bass you can do any thing you want.The long tones sound nice
because you are playing horn and the notes don't have to decay like they do on a piano or string bass.Walking up or down into the next chord helps
announce a coming chord change.Learn the arpeggios of the chords they are using and play the fair and foul game until you write your own part to
each song.
If you could record the rehearsals you could run tape at home 'til your
hearts content and try different things with each part of every song and refine out what you will do whith each verse,bridge,chorus,intro,and ending.Make a list of all the songs and the keys they're in.Drill until you have a bassline that you're proud of and then consider playing some lead solos. A high range solo on tuba has great dignity and a very pure sound with few overtones.
Good luck and above all have fun.
Dennis Gray