hmm...funny situation here

[MrFretless]

hi all...

i´m asking myself if you out there have the same trbls in your hometowns...
to get to the point i´m an aspireing bassist...
but yeah i think i´m not so bad but hey...here in town (vienna) there are no or i can´t see lower level-medicore jazzers in the clubs playing...so even at jamm-sessions its hard to come along with the higher level of playing...
there is such a gap...from the bottom to the better players...
hmm thats kind of sad... :rolleyes:

gruesze sebastian

[jazzypaul]

You know what you do then? You do what Bird did, you do what Ornette did. You get your ass kicked at a jam session. You have to, it's part of the learning curve. Anyone that tells you that they didn't go through it probably has the soul of a Blink 182 record.

The thing is, you take the ass kicking like a man. You ask the other players what it is that you can do better. You ask them if you had any strengths. You do it, week after week. Let these guys know you're serious. They may not like playing with you yet, but they'll want to play with you to see you develop. That's how I got my start. Got my ass shredded week after week after week after week. And then noticed one week that guys were complimenting me instead of rolling their eyes. That certain guys looked forward to playing with me. I still had a lot to learn, but the best players are also the most giving with their time and their energy and their knowledge. They want to see the knowledge go around. And it happens more often than you think. And remember the following words while you're at a jam session if you're that scared...

Summertime
C-Jam Blues
Hey guys, can we do a blues in F?

and if they call off giant steps..."I left my fake book at home."

[MrFretless]

oh yeah i know that ass kickin´ lol...
my first jam session began with a mediocore summertime...then girl from ipanema (never played that pice before) and at least all of me...yes and just in this point the singer began "...ääh can we play it a bit deeper...like a quart..." and yeah...it was horrible...but hey i learned a bit more... :D

gruesze sebastian

[DWBass]

I am also a bassist and I know exactly what you mean. I live in Newport News, Va. (Hampton Roads area which includes Virginia Beach). Anyway, I am having the hardest time finding upper level musicians with the ability to play jazz and even funk, r&b and latin music!! I have come accross many many musicians who, in their own minds, think they are so great but the moment I throw some latin, funk or jazz at them, they choke big time and actually try to steer me away from those styles and accept being in a blues or beach music band!! HELL NO!! :mad:

But I'm going to keep plugging and doing open mic nights in an effort for people to see and hear me. That way I can get the good musicians out of the woodworks!!;)

[champjams]

JazzyPaul -
You are my God. You are all emcompassing. My monitor shines brighter on your posts. .....Oh, I'm sorry - we're not supposed to use sarcasm.

Anyways.....

BIRD LIVES

[jazzypaul]

Chumpjams...there's supposed to be another s in fascist. Right now, you're the jazz Face-ist. Just like a republican to not know how to spell, right Vice President Quayle?

[champjams]

thanks teach.

[jazzypaul]

no problem, young grasshopper

[vinnie fingas]

im with jazzypaul. chumpjams, you got to get out more. see how the world turns dude.

[monk]

Of course jazzypaul is right on spot!

If what he suggests sounds too hard to you, then you are still not serious enough about music. Jazz always was a "swim or sink" thing, in the past even more so than today! That "cuddling pedagogy" is good for music schools so that un-gifted or fearful students can at least doodle something on their instruments (so that they sit at home peacefully noodling, instead of torturing cats, smoking pot or shooting their classmates...). But it's not suited for producing good musicians!

Even if you are already good on your instrument, there will always be bad spots in your playing, especially in session situations. A serious player notices these spots (or asks other musicians about them, like jazzypaul says), and instead of bashing himself for that, he goes home practicing patiently.

And one should NEVER play tunes one doesn't know when it's unclear whether one will pull it off prima vista!

Best Wishes,
Monk

[Scottone]

this is especially true for bassists. the bass is the fulcrum on which the jazz world turns- if the changes aren't correct, if a cat can't walk the line, if he/she can't drive the music forward, EVERYBODY feels it. the rhythm section can still have fun if the singer's lame, if the horn player is incoherent, etc. a weak bassist gives the drummer no support; the piano/guitar gets no dialogue, and the soloist is uncertain where the beat and/or the harmony is.
so believe me, if you're going to step onstage and pick up the bass, be ready with some tunes you know cold; check out the tunes they usually play at that session, and hit the shed.
that said, understand that you WILL make mistakes, and you will get the looks everytime you do. soak up that feeling, and use it as motivation for your practice session.
'cause in jazz jam sessions, it's shed or be shredded...

[Jakeweiser]

sometimes I think I can still feel the foot imprint on my ass the 1st session that I went to. Man that was hardcore guys who didn't pull any punches and just showed me how it went.

I was lucky to study with a guitarist who every single lesson never pulled any punches when he played. He showed me every week that he was the F'n man. It was like a jam every lession, you came in showed him what you did on a technical level and then it was time to play. He'd whip my ass all over the studio until finally he started to be pointing out things, then started to complement me, then started to offer me gigs he couldn't make.

But walking into a room full of strangers who you may admire is rough on the old brain. You just hope they call something you know, or better want you to pick the tune. Go out there, do your best and if you fold... you fold. If you burn, then you Burn. I've never met a fellow jazzer that was not excited (overly sometimes) to share there ideas with me about theory, composition or debate who the "best" is on there instrument.

It's a small content family.