Such a great lesson. I’m saving your videos for after my Upton flatback arrives later this year.

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Cool thanks for watching! I know you’ll love the Upton. Great basses!

Your videos have a refreshing, straight to the point and fascinating style and content.

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Thank you!

This was great. I have been in a rut over what to do on waltzes and this gives me lots of ideas. Now just to practice them!

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Thanks Arnie!

intersante

Really useful. Thanks!

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

With pleasure

Thank you a lot. Putting it on my bag of tools. Great lesson

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Thanks so much!

i like this guy

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Hey thanks!

Great video! The story about your friend and his remark is very interesting. I'm working on a masters thesis about the "jazz waltz" and the history of the subject seems to be a very uncovered and "uncanonized" topic at least in the sense that there seems to be no "history of jazz in 3/4 for dummies". Here’s some thoughts about stuff I’ve found and gathered so far. The "building blocks" (marches and military music of 1800’s, ragtime etc) for early jazz seem to not include much music in 3/4 although popular waltzes were performed by many early jazz (dance) bands. For example Fletcher Henderson's orchestra in the 20's. But it seems that waltz (or the 3/4 meter) as a compositional form didn't catch on as a basis for music considered jazz containing all the usual elements of improvisation, swing, syncopation, blues etc. I've gone as far that I've read some research and listened to bunch of traditional West African music (from Nigeria, Ghana and Benin), the original source for all things rhythm in black american music, and by far everything I've listened and have read about is in an even meter. It seems so that the 3/4 meter came to jazz through the "European side of things” and the dance culture of the early 1900s. Meaning that there wasn’t a form in jazz in 3/4 not considered waltz but still considered jazz, if this thought makes sense. The names of early tunes also suggest, that what was considered “waltz” was the main inspiration for the choice of the meter. But it didn't REALLY become a thing in jazz before the early 40's when Duke Ellington chose to compose an interlude in waltz time on "Black, Brown & Beige”. From the rhythm sections perspective it is radically "more jazz" than earlier jazz and waltz combinations such as "Waltzin' The Blues" by Benny Carter from 1936 (great jazz soloing but the rhythm section is playing a very stiff classical style waltz). Also waltzes recorded by popular 30’s swing bands (for example Benny Goodman or Glenn Miller) don't really contain enough "jazz" elements to differ too much from waltzes from the European classical music tradition. What for me seems to be the most central thing about ”jazz waltz”is the abandonment of the stereotypical “bass on 1 and chord on 2 and 3” pattern of the “classical waltz”. Though on many cases that pattern is held by the drummer, usually on the hi hat and with various levels of accenting. Later, even the drummers have stopped playing that pattern and it is often completely obsolete in modern “jazz waltz” performances when drummers use the hi hat more freely “a la Tony Williams”. The abandonment of the stereotypical waltz pattern frees the bassist and chord instruments to treat each bar more freely and utilize more syncopation and different accompaniment techniques to make the music more conversational and rhythmically flexible. So far for me, the Duke Ellington treatment (Live in Carnegie Hall 1943) is the most swinging early jazz waltz and the most radically differing from “non jazz” waltzes of the time. He wrote a very very cool “tutti” section as the climax of the “waltz interlude” on which the band plays a very rhythmically diverse array of syncopated eight note lines in 3/4. On the recording released by Prestige in 1977 (but recorded at the original concert I believe?) the drummer Sonny Greer delivers amazing support mainly from the snare and the bassist Alvin Raglin even plays occasional walking basslines in 3/4 and also other rhythms in the spirit of “playing in one but more actively”. If anyone had the patience to read this and has some thoughts on the subject, I’m very interested in hearing those!

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

I really appreciate you watching and for this very interesting read. I appreciate your insights, but I do have to push back on West African music. To my understanding - and the way that I’m able to actually count certain traditional Pieces - I would describe it best as 6/8. To me that’s what translates to the underlying triplet feel in regular swing. I admit I don’t know sacred music of Indonesia, or first peoples of the Americas, or other regions of Africa, or Inuit peoples, for example. So I’m out of my depth. But, FWIW, I always have associated triple meter as being more “rounded” - and in a sense “organic” or “human.” Which connects well to the humanness of sacred rituals. I think that much of what you wrote is in line with what I know. Though I do want to be careful to intimate the idea that playing in 3 was “given” to black Americans from Europeans. I’m sure you didn’t mean that - I just am careful to guard against it. Anyway thanks again!

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Oh! And I love the mention of the Duke concert!!!

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Sorry - last thing- I just reread what you wrote and what I wrote. I don’t want to come off as disagreeing with you! I think you’re spot on!

@tuomas3964

4 ай бұрын

@@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki No offense taken what's so ever! I think the characteristic that defines "jazz waltz" is the fact that the time singnature is actually 9/8 when taking account the underlaying triplet feel in the nature of jazz a quarternote in general. In afro cuban 6/8 music the bass usually plays "rhythms in three" but the underlying pulse is in two (or four depending on how you hear what a full bar is) if you know what I mean. The original versions of Afro Blue by Mongo Santamaria demonstrate this in a latin jazz setting. Or the track "Jungla" on Dizzy's recording Afro. When tracing back the roots of the swing feel in general, it is always usually linked to the 6/8 (or 12/8 damn these definitions) music of african and afro caribbean cultures. The element of a "pulse in three" with a 9/8 tendency does not seem to appear in any of the historical "building blocks" of what came to be known as jazz.

Grazie.

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Grazie Mille!!!

Letsgoooo!!

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

Hahah

If I may ask there are two questions about the sound. I found myself loosing consistency in sound if I am not absolutely sure of what I am doing, how to overcome this hill as faster as possible? Second question, managing the sound playing live can be tricky, which main guideline do you have for optimising this aspect? Thank you a lot.

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

First, thank you for the monetary gift! For consistency in sound, it's a little hard to say without hearing and seeing your playing, but can you describe *how* it is inconsistent? (you can write in Italian if that helps! I will use Google translate). And for playing live, do you mean regarding amplification? Or do you mean acoustically without an amp?

@MrDanilop45

4 ай бұрын

@@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki thank you. 🙏🏻 it loosens mostly the attack and volume (I believe I am thinking too much about the notes and forgetting about the right pressure on the string with both hands). I was referring about amplifying the instrument.

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

@@MrDanilop45 OK...hmmm..let's see...have you heard the cliche "practice makes perfect"? We say that in the US. A better thing to say is "PERFECT practice makes perfect." In other words, we have to practice *like* we are performing. So I would recommend to actually practice these things: 1) repetitive right hand work only; look in a mirror, put on a metronome, and go for many minutes just playing repeated notes like open strings etc. The idea is to train your right hand to not change intensity 2) did you happen to see the sight reading video that I did recently? Along those lines, spend time practicing on pieces that you have to read but specifically DO NOT STOP no matter if you play a wrong note or not. Teach yourself that the intensity and feeling of being strong are the most important things. *Not* the exact notes

@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki

4 ай бұрын

@@MrDanilop45 Amplifying the instrument...it can be difficult of course. What kind of equipment are you using? In general I try to use as little of the amplifier as possible. Hopefully it just adds a little "extra" - trying to not make it the main source of your sound. If the amp sound too "boomy" no matter what settings you try, put it up on a chair. Also try to place it behind you at some kind of angle. Not too far, but better than in front of you or to the side.

@MrDanilop45

4 ай бұрын

@@LearnJazzBasswithMattRybicki I have two pickups one is the realist under the bridge, the other one (I have it as backup) is the K&K Bass master rockabilly plus (two pickups one inserted in the bridge and the other one attached to the bottom of the fingerboard). The K&K has his own mini amplifier. I don’t have chosen an amplifier yet, so I use what I find on stage, or I attach directly to the mixer. But every time is a different situation.