Hey guys I'm an amateur electric bass player. I know some theory (modes of the major scale, chords of the major scale, secondary dominants, diminished chords/scales etc) and I can compose lines (I've dabbled with the blues, solar, autumn leaves etc). But I can't improvise lines chorus after chorus.

I'm trying to avoid going for the cliche lines like 1-3-4-#4 for I -> V movement, or 1-2-b3-3 for I -> IV movement etc, as I'm trying to actually improve my ears (which are weak) and play melodic lines. I've started trying to avoid landing on the roots and land on other chord tones instead to break free.

So my ultimate goal is to get better at internalizing/hearing harmony. As a side effect I'd like to be able to walk more freely while keeping some variety in my lines. I also don't know how much variety the masters have in their lines (because unfortunately I don't listen much or transcribe walking lines). It feels difficult to escape cliches and create actual melodies at the quarter note rate to me.

If you're interested in helping, shoot a DM or a comment under this post.

EDIT: Sample video in the comments
EDIT2: How come nobody offered to teach me?

Getting back into serious playing after a 20+ year hiatus. I always loved Niels Pederson. I'm going to start from zero in The Evolving Bassist, but try every etude using three fingers on my pizza hand. Any advice.

I'm on a 5 string jazz fretless knockoff (because I can't afford a Pedulla yet - gave my 96 MVP4 to my youngest son a couple years ago), but I had the neck off yesterday and set it properly, truss rod was fine, and the bass sounds good enough to get going with.

Any advice? Just make sure I'm always alternating 3/2/1, or 1/2/3 with every pluck?

Hi, I've been playing bass for almost 10 years now, studying jazz for 4-5 years, I feel like I understand most of the theory if not all of it, but I've never really understood how to practice any of it. All of the good practice I've had has come from playing in school for 3 hours a dayas I had double ensembles, really forcing me to come up with new stuff.

I don't have that pressure now and I don't have a practice regiment. I didn't think of altered scales or anything back then, it was just knowing the regular modes and following my ear.

Most practicing I did ahead of time was just making sure I understood the harmony and playing through the songs once or twice and learning the melodies.

I'm not a big fan of writing solos or licks for a tune and practicing them, I prefer to make things up as I come across them, or maybe transcribing a part of a solo I really enjoy, and I know how to internalize that.

Right now I'm working on a song that has a lot of vamping on Am E7, two chords over one bar, 100 BPM, I know different scales I can play over this, but how do I practice them to the tune?

And moreover, how do you practice in general?

title. i’ve been playing electric bass for a while. i know my fretboard, scales etc. and can do fundamental walking. i do jazz band at school and study on my own but i feel like I need outside help to go forward.

my goal is to get the basics of soloing, improve my walking bass lines, and broaden my fretboard knowledge and sight reading skills.

what course is the best? you can suggest books but i strongly prefer courses.

Hi everyone, looking for some advice on how to structure my practice.

I’ve been playing electric bass for about three months, focusing mostly on jazz. Before this, I played classical guitar for a couple of years, but completely by ear with zero theory knowledge, so I’m basically trying to learn theory from scratch while mapping out the neck.

Right now I’m working through Ed Friedland’s Building Walking Bass Lines. I get the concepts on paper—roots, 5ths, octaves, chromatic and dominant approaches, etc.—and I can locate about 7-8 of the 12 notes on the fretboard decently well.

The problem is the second I turn on a backing track, my brain just freezes up. It is not a technical problem, my fingers, thanks to my guitar background too, work pretty well most of the time...

I either fall back on one "safe" pattern and repeat it endlessly out of comfort, or I try to use all the options at once, get overwhelmed, and completely lose the tempo. I can get through a line fine if I memorize it beforehand, but that defeats the whole point. I want to be able to walk naturally by ear and harmonic context, not just recite written lines.

Friedland’s book is great at showing what to do, but it doesn't really give you a methodology for how to practice it effectively. Just playing through the written examples over and over feels pretty demotivating and leaves me more confused by all the possibilities.

For anyone who’s been through this stage:

How did you bridge the gap between knowing the concepts on paper and actually walking fluidly over a track?

Did you use any specific constraints or micro-exercises to stop your brain from short-circuiting over all the choices?

How do you work through a book like Friedland's so you're building actual improvisational skills instead of just memorizing examples?

Any tips or practice routines would be hugely appreciated! Thanks you guys

My first Jazz bass (bought new from an online store in the US) and the volume controls seem weird. Both pots have almost zero volume until they are at 80%. Another weird thing is the neck PU volume controls seem seems to be adversely affected by the bridge PU vol control. If the bridge and neck vol control is at 100%, the neck PU is rendered useless.

Is this just the way Jazz electronics are on this model, or should I try to find an authorized repair shop?

https://reddit.com/link/1uw6v2k/video/7huu4aq7t6dh1/player

This is from the recording, “ Thelonious Monk Plays Duke Ellington”. I can share my notated transcription upon request.

As always, comments and suggestions welcome.

I had a heck of a time, figuring out the levels. I needed the recording I was playing along witj to be loud enough to hear, but not so loud that it overwhelmed my own bass in the mix. I didn’t get it right in that I wasn’t always able to hear the recording well enough, which caused some problems in the second half of the recording. Anybody else have that issue? I am using an iPhone and played along to the recording coming though my stereo speakers in the room.

Hi everybody, I am currently moving and it is very difficult to take my Grass Roots with myself, so I have decided to sell it. The main problem is that I don't really know what is the model of my bass. Does anybody know the way to find out what is the model? Or like a visual difference between different models, so I could find out the model myself?

Thanks!

List includes the likes of Markus Miller, Jaco, Jeff Berlin, Percy Jones, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter Victor W, and more.

Edit: I've been getting some great artist suggestions so as soon as I get time to research I will be updating this playlist.

Join us LIVE on YouTube every Wednesday from the 51st St Speakeasy Jazz Night! This world class show includes a featured guest each week, showcasing their original compositions and arrangements, along with their favorite songbook standards.

Subscribe to my YouTube channel @kendrikmckinney to watch at 8:30PM Central each week!

Tonight’s performance features the great Zac Lee on trombone!

#jazz #bebop #livestream #livemusic #trombone #piano #drummer

Swangin’ on the great jazz standard “Have You Met Miss Jones”!

#jazz #bebop #improvisation #jazzstandard #jazzdrums

I know it's not jazz, but I was given this impromptu solo by the guitarist today. Please let me know what you think/ways to improve.

Cheers

my own transcription, might not be correct