Not only is Cole Davis an excellent bass player, he is an even more extraordinary teacher providing high quality online lessons for FREE of cost to anyone other than your time and he makes that worth while. I really appreciate all the lessons and the words of wisdom he fits into every meaningful video.
I totally agree. That’s something I notice with excellent jazz players, both in walking lines and solos, it’s that creative use of open strings. Salsa players use them too, especially the open strings in conjunction with the octave harmonica, to give their lines a really hip bounciness.
As a brand new Double Bass player it's so refreshing to hear some alternatives to rules that seem to be antiquated and awkward for the sake of maintaining the status Quo.... great lesson Sir.
Larry Grenadier said that for improvising musicians you really need to be able to play scales/arpeggios/broken scales etc... up and down the neck using multiple paths of navigating the fretboard so no matter where your hands are on the fretboard you can find good starting notes and the appropriate path to create a line. Pretty tall order but it gives us a lifetime of practice.
Great content! I totally agree. Specially the part about the Ab7 scale. Though there is a reason to go down the G string instead of using the rest of the strings in the middle register and for not using much of the E string apart from the "cash register" position and that has to do with the sound and string hight. On one side the G string as well as the "cash register" position tend to have a more penetrating sound whereas the rest of the strings and areas on the fingerboard tend to have more of a mellow sound. And the E string due to its thickness and hight tend to have more of a muffled sound being it hard to produce a clean pitch therefore hard to play in tune. Meaning you have to have a quality instrument and luthier to find that "bliss point". Also the reason why you only need two shifts for the Ab7 scale is because you are using extensions once you get to the mid range which can be a bit of a discomfort if you have small hands and high and thick strings. Hope you found my comment interesting and i'd love to hear/see/read your thoughts on the matter, maybe even a video about it. Great work and it's a pleasure following you. Take care.
Thank you Ali! Sorry it took me so long to reply ... but I think this would be a great topic for a video. I've screenshotted the comment and will be sure to do a video on it!
After working this a bit... I have found that these fingerings work really well if you are comfortable with a string-skip in the right hand. "Getting from one place to another" also needs to account for right hand efficiency. I personally can play a smoother scale adjusting these fingerings to avoid any unnecessary string skipping (moving from A string to G string, D to E). Other than this observation for my own playing ability... these are invaluable.
Great video, I’ve just discovered your channel and I love your approach, so clever, yet very funny and amazing playing! I hope your going to continue with the channel, cheers from Belgium !
Great vid-makes so much sense. I kind of think of the whole L shaped "tetris" approach to shifting on the G string as the first step. Learning to shift on the thinnest, easiest to control string as a way to get the concept/distances of shifting. Then one should take that concept and start applying it to the D, A and E strings, like training wheels I guess. Hey, btw, also loved your vid on melodic/interesting bass lines. I watched it a few times and had a better gig that same night-thanks! Hoping not to be too presumptuous, but I would love to see a vid from you with that same concept but over songs with two beat changes (My Romance, I Could Write A Book, etc). Only having two beats per chord always makes me feel like I need to ignore certain changes or just box lines in more. Love your stuff and thanks again!
Hey Steve, thanks for watching! Glad this was helpful. Yes, I should definitely address that at some point. I agree also, there is a HUGE difference between playing bass lines with one chord per bar (like All The Things You Are) or with two chords per bar (like the tunes you mentioned) - very salient observation and something I will definitely address soon!
Economy of motion is awesome and important to practice. Open strings are a great place to start. But leaps are important things to practice too, and there can be economy of motion in how we leap, too.
Yes! open string scale playing is where it's at... But if playing arco, notes do sound better employing the Simandl method because of the placement of one's fingers in the various positions that will ensure the resonance of vibrating tones. i was always curious why Paul chambers played the line to So What from the lower position to the higher position when he could have essentially played the line across the neck with less hand position shifts.
My combo is doing So What now, and I am employing/mixing both techniques. For the D section I’m playing open D, then the A on the D string, then the remainder on the G string. For the Eb section I’m starting on the A string, the Bb on the D string, and the remainder on the G string. I do it that way because that’s how it sounds best to my ears while still allowing ease of movement.
Simandl technique was made for bowing. Bowing needs much more precise intonation, because more of the harmonics are heard when playing with the bow, the tone is much brighter etc. Stretching as much as you suggest will either make all the notes too close to each other, or, if you stretch precisely in tune, will hurt your hand and give you carpal tunnel/RSI. Another thing - when you are bowing, one finger always has to keep contact with the string, so it does not break your legato notes - and there are a LOT of them. When playing pizzicato, there is sound decay, so the notes will disappear by themselves. And that is also another reason to not stretch so much - your hand is given much less rests.
I’m aware of all that, but thanks for the lecture. I’m not playing or demonstrating anything with the bow in this video, or in any of my videos actually. It’s pretty clear that I’m talking about jazz playing in the first 45 seconds.
Cello player here. You're tone is amusing in a down to earth kinda way, it makes a lot of 'experts rhetoric' sound like hot air. I thought that maybe the sound in the negative tetris space was less attractive or something...sometimes the higher 'registers' on the strings sound a little...whispy to me
I really appreciate your sense of humor 😂 but mostly this incredible method of achieving excellent technique on this physical instrument that I love ❤ “The Upright Bass”…
I feel liberated from my L shaped upright bass cage!! Great lesson! And to be honest, as a player coming from electric, this is probably more of a transferable method for me. On electric bass you certainly don’t pretend the low e doesn’t exist and you have no qualms about walking up a scale from the middle of that string!
Hey Sam, I’m so glad to hear that!! It’s funny to hear so many people started on electric … I actually started on upright, so currently learning electric. Hope to cross paths soon
Great stuff. The concepts you address in this video are discussed in depth and great details in Hein van de Geyn's book. I use them all the time and this helps me a lot.
I believe many of us feel the tone of the notes on the E (and A to be honest) string higher up the neck are not as clear and present, so we tend to shun that area. I know that is how I view it. I will work on this - and order your pdf. Thank you for this insight.
When I bought the Simandl Method I just couldn't handle it. It was difficult for me, your positions and concept makes a big difference. Your book is only an ebook or can I get a print version?
Ordered! And so close to being #1500! You addressed a bunch of my learning challenges in this video. Endurance (I am almost always in 1/2 position) and learning the neck. Would you say going through this book would help me learn the notes/positions on the neck? Based what you shared the answer is a resounding yes. Finally - bass geek question. Your sound is exquisite. I know I've said this before in other videos. Can you describe your instrument and setup? Yes, I know tone is in the ears and hands of the player but I'm curious. Thank you so much Cole!
Hey Eric, so glad this was helpful - and thanks for your order! I would absolutely say that going through this book would help with positions. And my bass is a German carved flatback from 1900 ... as much as I'd love to take credit, I think a lot of it might have to do with how nice of an instrument it is. I'm lucky
Dude, funny I always perform with these kind of fingerings or use them when I'm working out a solo, head, or bassline but scale practice I always avoided open string/across fingerings. This morning I warmed up with these kind of fingerings and it felt like I was using a cheat code on my bass lol. I'm really curious if you've had experience with teaching this concept with more beginner students. Seems like it might be tough to get down if you haven't clearly mapped out the fingerboard yet. Do you kinda ease them into it after more Trad fingerings at first?
It really does feel like a cheat code! And that's exactly it, I always ease people into the fingerings ... and 9/10 students usually find them much more efficient :)
Hey davis. I love your videos thanks for sharing that infos with us. But for this concept, i cant get the goal. (Im a classical educated double bass player from conservatuary). I have technic but not like scales from different unusual positions. If u hear and play what u hear why is it important to play from e string or g string? I feel like its kind of waste of time to practice all that scales from that positions. If i stuck in some transcriptions i use that unusual positions but its very rare. Im comfortible with my g and d string scales and arpeggios
Hey, thank you for your response! It's not just about "different unusual positions" - learning the whole instrument will help you improvise more fluidly, and develop an easier flow of ideas in real time. If you "hear and play what u hear" and don't feel the need to improve on certain things, then that's great, maybe this video isn't for you! I, however, am a firm believer that playing scales and arpeggios in these different positions is essential to learning the entire instrument.
Ha - wow, you're right. It actually does look strange in this video. My bridge is in the right spot (I get monthly check-ups) but the camera angle/placement makes it look odd. Good eyes ;)
"... but I couldn't find it, so that quote is mine now." XD going to start using that
ha, glad you like it
"Great artists don't borrow, they steal." - Michael Rush. I came up with that quote.
Ii almost fell out of my chair with the Dragonetti comment. Great ideas my good man! Bravo to you!
Not only is Cole Davis an excellent bass player, he is an even more extraordinary teacher providing high quality online lessons for FREE of cost to anyone other than your time and he makes that worth while. I really appreciate all the lessons and the words of wisdom he fits into every meaningful video.
I totally agree. That’s something I notice with excellent jazz players, both in walking lines and solos, it’s that creative use of open strings. Salsa players use them too, especially the open strings in conjunction with the octave harmonica, to give their lines a really hip bounciness.
Cole Davis, I can't argue about anything he is teaching . I love the sence of Homour. Cole is just Funny as all !
Lol! Glad someone besides my mother thinks I'm funny 🤣
@@coledavismusic, OMG Cole ,You are definitley a Master of The Bass . You are also Hilariouse , I live your delivery !
As a brand new Double Bass player it's so refreshing to hear some alternatives to rules that seem to be antiquated and awkward for the sake of maintaining the status Quo.... great lesson Sir.
Larry Grenadier said that for improvising musicians you really need to be able to play scales/arpeggios/broken scales etc... up and down the neck using multiple paths of navigating the fretboard so no matter where your hands are on the fretboard you can find good starting notes and the appropriate path to create a line. Pretty tall order but it gives us a lifetime of practice.
Wow. Yeah, that does leave a lifetime of practice. Needless to say, Larry is a master. Thank you for watching as always!
Subscribing just for the posture of this man! I wish I have a half of this straightness...
thank you!
I actually saw the Dragonetti’s head and teeth when you mentioned it 😂 fantastic. Thank you.
ha! Wish I could see it in person one day
Great content! I totally agree. Specially the part about the Ab7 scale. Though there is a reason to go down the G string instead of using the rest of the strings in the middle register and for not using much of the E string apart from the "cash register" position and that has to do with the sound and string hight. On one side the G string as well as the "cash register" position tend to have a more penetrating sound whereas the rest of the strings and areas on the fingerboard tend to have more of a mellow sound. And the E string due to its thickness and hight tend to have more of a muffled sound being it hard to produce a clean pitch therefore hard to play in tune. Meaning you have to have a quality instrument and luthier to find that "bliss point". Also the reason why you only need two shifts for the Ab7 scale is because you are using extensions once you get to the mid range which can be a bit of a discomfort if you have small hands and high and thick strings. Hope you found my comment interesting and i'd love to hear/see/read your thoughts on the matter, maybe even a video about it. Great work and it's a pleasure following you. Take care.
Thank you Ali! Sorry it took me so long to reply ... but I think this would be a great topic for a video. I've screenshotted the comment and will be sure to do a video on it!
After working this a bit... I have found that these fingerings work really well if you are comfortable with a string-skip in the right hand. "Getting from one place to another" also needs to account for right hand efficiency. I personally can play a smoother scale adjusting these fingerings to avoid any unnecessary string skipping (moving from A string to G string, D to E). Other than this observation for my own playing ability... these are invaluable.
Totally! Getting comfortable with string skipping is the name of the game. Thanks for watching!
These videos are gold for bassists.
Thank you!
Great video, I’ve just discovered your channel and I love your approach, so clever, yet very funny and amazing playing! I hope your going to continue with the channel, cheers from Belgium !
Thanks so much Nicolas! I am continuing with it for sure. More videos to come!
Great vid-makes so much sense. I kind of think of the whole L shaped "tetris" approach to shifting on the G string as the first step. Learning to shift on the thinnest, easiest to control string as a way to get the concept/distances of shifting. Then one should take that concept and start applying it to the D, A and E strings, like training wheels I guess. Hey, btw, also loved your vid on melodic/interesting bass lines. I watched it a few times and had a better gig that same night-thanks! Hoping not to be too presumptuous, but I would love to see a vid from you with that same concept but over songs with two beat changes (My Romance, I Could Write A Book, etc). Only having two beats per chord always makes me feel like I need to ignore certain changes or just box lines in more. Love your stuff and thanks again!
Hey Steve, thanks for watching! Glad this was helpful. Yes, I should definitely address that at some point. I agree also, there is a HUGE difference between playing bass lines with one chord per bar (like All The Things You Are) or with two chords per bar (like the tunes you mentioned) - very salient observation and something I will definitely address soon!
Obrigado Cole Davis.
You are fantastic and very humorous. Thank you from sparing me physical and emotional trauma.
Thank you! I appreciate that a lot - and thanks for your order :)
Love you man you are amazing
Didn’t with what I could start my bass sessions, now, I know
Thank you from Paris
Hi Julia, thank you so much! Glad to be of help 🤗
Economy of motion is awesome and important to practice. Open strings are a great place to start.
But leaps are important things to practice too, and there can be economy of motion in how we leap, too.
That's a great point!
really solid dude right here.
Well done! Thank you! Simple is always best!
Yes! open string scale playing is where it's at... But if playing arco, notes do sound better employing the Simandl method because of the placement of one's fingers in the various positions that will ensure the resonance of vibrating tones. i was always curious why Paul chambers played the line to So What from the lower position to the higher position when he could have essentially played the line across the neck with less hand position shifts.
My combo is doing So What now, and I am employing/mixing both techniques. For the D section I’m playing open D, then the A on the D string, then the remainder on the G string. For the Eb section I’m starting on the A string, the Bb on the D string, and the remainder on the G string. I do it that way because that’s how it sounds best to my ears while still allowing ease of movement.
Man I'm getting started on bass for fun and all this information on your channel is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing!
So glad to hear that, thank you!
Simandl technique was made for bowing. Bowing needs much more precise intonation, because more of the harmonics are heard when playing with the bow, the tone is much brighter etc. Stretching as much as you suggest will either make all the notes too close to each other, or, if you stretch precisely in tune, will hurt your hand and give you carpal tunnel/RSI.
Another thing - when you are bowing, one finger always has to keep contact with the string, so it does not break your legato notes - and there are a LOT of them. When playing pizzicato, there is sound decay, so the notes will disappear by themselves.
And that is also another reason to not stretch so much - your hand is given much less rests.
I’m aware of all that, but thanks for the lecture. I’m not playing or demonstrating anything with the bow in this video, or in any of my videos actually. It’s pretty clear that I’m talking about jazz playing in the first 45 seconds.
@@coledavismusic well, okay then :)
Cello player here. You're tone is amusing in a down to earth kinda way, it makes a lot of 'experts rhetoric' sound like hot air. I thought that maybe the sound in the negative tetris space was less attractive or something...sometimes the higher 'registers' on the strings sound a little...whispy to me
I really appreciate your sense of humor 😂 but mostly this incredible method of achieving excellent technique on this physical instrument that I love ❤ “The Upright Bass”…
Thank you, I appreciate that a lot!
I feel liberated from my L shaped upright bass cage!! Great lesson!
And to be honest, as a player coming from electric, this is probably more of a transferable method for me. On electric bass you certainly don’t pretend the low e doesn’t exist and you have no qualms about walking up a scale from the middle of that string!
Hey Sam, I’m so glad to hear that!! It’s funny to hear so many people started on electric … I actually started on upright, so currently learning electric. Hope to cross paths soon
Great stuff. The concepts you address in this video are discussed in depth and great details in Hein van de Geyn's book. I use them all the time and this helps me a lot.
X
Brilliant Lesson! thank so much man
thanks for watching!
Inspiring as usual. Thank you sir!
Thanks for watching!
I believe many of us feel the tone of the notes on the E (and A to be honest) string higher up the neck are not as clear and present, so we tend to shun that area. I know that is how I view it. I will work on this - and order your pdf. Thank you for this insight.
Totally agree - that's why I created it! Thank you for watching!
When I bought the Simandl Method I just couldn't handle it.
It was difficult for me, your positions and concept makes a big difference.
Your book is only an ebook or can I get a print version?
Hey Oscar, I’m glad to hear that! My book is PDF only.
u got a point
Thanks a lot :)
love your vids
Thank you!
thanks bro really good shit
thank you for watching!
technique to me is the means to play what you hear, but it's not playing music, that's what technique and ear training allows
Ordered! And so close to being #1500!
You addressed a bunch of my learning challenges in this video. Endurance (I am almost always in 1/2 position) and learning the neck. Would you say going through this book would help me learn the notes/positions on the neck? Based what you shared the answer is a resounding yes.
Finally - bass geek question. Your sound is exquisite. I know I've said this before in other videos. Can you describe your instrument and setup? Yes, I know tone is in the ears and hands of the player but I'm curious. Thank you so much Cole!
Hey Eric, so glad this was helpful - and thanks for your order! I would absolutely say that going through this book would help with positions. And my bass is a German carved flatback from 1900 ... as much as I'd love to take credit, I think a lot of it might have to do with how nice of an instrument it is. I'm lucky
@@coledavismusic thanks! I’m pretty sure you make my Shen hybrid sound amazing too. 😄
Dude, funny I always perform with these kind of fingerings or use them when I'm working out a solo, head, or bassline but scale practice I always avoided open string/across fingerings. This morning I warmed up with these kind of fingerings and it felt like I was using a cheat code on my bass lol. I'm really curious if you've had experience with teaching this concept with more beginner students. Seems like it might be tough to get down if you haven't clearly mapped out the fingerboard yet. Do you kinda ease them into it after more Trad fingerings at first?
It really does feel like a cheat code! And that's exactly it, I always ease people into the fingerings ... and 9/10 students usually find them much more efficient :)
Hey davis. I love your videos thanks for sharing that infos with us. But for this concept, i cant get the goal. (Im a classical educated double bass player from conservatuary). I have technic but not like scales from different unusual positions. If u hear and play what u hear why is it important to play from e string or g string? I feel like its kind of waste of time to practice all that scales from that positions. If i stuck in some transcriptions i use that unusual positions but its very rare. Im comfortible with my g and d string scales and arpeggios
Hey, thank you for your response! It's not just about "different unusual positions" - learning the whole instrument will help you improvise more fluidly, and develop an easier flow of ideas in real time. If you "hear and play what u hear" and don't feel the need to improve on certain things, then that's great, maybe this video isn't for you! I, however, am a firm believer that playing scales and arpeggios in these different positions is essential to learning the entire instrument.
Franz 😂
lolz
Can we get a video on rh technique 🙂
absolutely!
Mistaken,not mistaked
Take a look at 1:30.. Am I the only one who find strange the bridge position on this video?
Ha - wow, you're right. It actually does look strange in this video. My bridge is in the right spot (I get monthly check-ups) but the camera angle/placement makes it look odd. Good eyes ;)
Yes but if you look at the picture frame (jazz bass) it’s distorted too ;-) Wide angle camera does this !