Author Topic: Practicing (Read 814 times)

dnburgess · « **Reply #15 on:** February 04, 2004, 05:38:37 PM »

I agree with Magni that modes are well worth learning. I would say if you learnt nothing else, learn all your modes (i.e. scales, triplets, thirds, etc) over one and two octaves and you'll be able to fake your way through just about anything - I do.

David Houck · « **Reply #16 on:** February 05, 2004, 06:39:12 AM »

I would like to hear more about playing Bach cello suites on bass. You hinted that a low B is required. Can you point to some recommended sheet music? Is there anything to listen to where these suites are being played on bass?

bracheen · « **Reply #17 on:** February 05, 2004, 06:52:04 AM »

Dave, I have a Mel Bay book called J.S. Bach for Bass. This book comes with a CD by Josquin des Pres playing on electric bass. My bass teacher burned a CD for me with Edgar Meyer playing some of suites on double bass.
This particular book is transcribed for 4 string bass but the low B notes are included in parentheses.

Sam

adriaan · « **Reply #18 on:** February 05, 2004, 06:55:35 AM »

I didn't kow they had electric basses in the 16th century! Let alone electric power!

[Uhm - Bach was certainly 17th century, and he didn't mind taking on new instruments. I meant Josquin des Pr?s (a.k.a. Joske van de Velden) would have had a hard time finding a plug socket for his amp and stuff.]

(Message edited by Adriaan on February 05, 2004)

mint_bass · « **Reply #19 on:** February 05, 2004, 08:00:07 AM »

thanks this i feel will b alot of help i may try learning some bach as that is something very different from wat i usually do i do like to tap and fingerpick moonlight sinata by beethoven as it is so cool and flows well

son_of_magni · « **Reply #20 on:** February 05, 2004, 03:53:26 PM »

The Bach 6 Suites for Cello Unaccompanied is the sheet music that you're looking for. The reason I mentioned the low B is that the cello goes down to C, so there are a few notes below E that you wouldn't be able to play. When I play them on a E bass I just play everything up one string, or I just play pieces that don't have the low notes.

I would love to hear Meyer playing these. I know John Patitucci plays them too...

There is some dispute about what Bach had in mind when he wrote these pieces. Up until maybe 40-50 years ago they were considered cello exercises. And they are an excellent exercise repetuare (arrg, can't spell). One of the greatest cellests of the 20th century, Pablo Casals, played through the entire set, from memory, every morning as a warm up for his days practice. I know I will never practice that much! But eventually he and others recorded them and performed them live, and now they are considered legitimate performance music.

There are recordings available by Casals and Yo Yo Ma on cello.

Did I mention that Jaco also mentioned playing Bach to help his reading skills?

Um, I think in the 16th century they used that other bass, that big thing that's hard to carry around and blows up if you ever let it tip over.

dnburgess · « **Reply #21 on:** February 06, 2004, 12:53:09 AM »

Speaking of Bach - don't forget Bouree on Stand Up by Jethro Tull. Hugely underrated playing by Glen Cornick for 1969.

palembic · « **Reply #22 on:** February 06, 2004, 01:42:28 AM »

Well Brothers ...this is great info. There is a music-book shop just around the corner where I work for now. So I'll hop in at lunchbreak and look for those cello-pieces.

David: I remember Bourr?e very well.
This is in factr a story for the I'm dead ...again .... thread but anyway.
In school we had a guy who studied flute in formal music training. We were internals so we stayed in school for the whole week. Every evening he was allowed to practice in a room in the basement of teh school. With a couple of guys I was setting my first paces on bass and we were wailing around in another room. An evening I was with the flute dude and he played Bourr?e. There was sheetmusic with it with ...bass. He said ...com'on ...here's the music play along.
I couldn't read but I tried. It was a disaster ...awfull. The flute dude was very disapproving: You see ...that's no music what you playing there ...it's just noise ...this is music.
I had no answer ready and hurt badly. I thought he was right.
I was about 15 years old then. About 10 years ago I played Bourr?e to please a girl on her music exam flute.
I will always have mixed feelings about that song.

Paul the bad one

PS: the flute dude doesn't touch an instrument anymore and is a very succesfull and rich insurance salesperson.
I don't have a dime but still play ...music!

adriaan · « **Reply #23 on:** February 06, 2004, 04:07:01 AM »

Hm, great cellists and their reputations. A while ago I was listening to a video of Rostropovich doing the suites, and he was playing much too square for my taste. He handled the melodies a bit like Wagner handled harmonies: in blocks.

The beauty of these suites is that you could swear that you're listening to multiple lines at the same time, but it's all done one note at a time (except for the occasional double-stop). There was a TV series of Yo-Yo Ma doing the suites in various imaginary settings, and it's a great introduction to the music and the ideas behind it.

I'd recommend Pieter Wispelwey's recording - fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

son_of_magni · « **Reply #24 on:** February 06, 2004, 05:02:44 AM »

If you like Ma playing the suites, you should love Casals. The knock on Casals was that he was content to play Bach in the style of Brahms. Well, what's so bad about that?

bracheen · « **Reply #25 on:** February 06, 2004, 05:11:39 AM »

Karl, if you have a high speed internet connection I can try to email you the Meyer pieces. If I can locate the CD that is. Given my housekeeping techniques that may take a while.
It may be in my desk at work.

cdf · « **Reply #26 on:** February 06, 2004, 06:52:16 AM »

Read a quote from Casals on the topic of practicing once that went something like, if I don't play for a day I can tell, if I don't play for a week my wife can tell, if I don't play for two weeks everybody in the world can tell

David Houck · « **Reply #27 on:** February 06, 2004, 08:15:23 AM »

Thanks for the info on the Bach pieces; I'll look for them.

son_of_magni · « **Reply #28 on:** February 06, 2004, 08:37:29 AM »

Sam, you can send me anything of a reasonable size, I'd really like to hear it. If it's bigger that 20 or 30 meg it might be good to break it up into seperate emails. I have a video made by Ray Brown that has Edgar Meyer and Victor Wooton showing off their chops together. Pretty cool...

(Message edited by Son of Magni on February 07, 2004)

adriaan · « **Reply #29 on:** February 06, 2004, 09:51:45 AM »

What's so bad about playing Bach in the style of Brahms?

#1 - There's good musicianship and bad musicianship.
#2 - There's good taste and bad taste. You can use bad taste in good taste, but not the other way around.
#3 - There's always a different way of playing a piece of music, no matter how it is being played.
#4 - You can play almost any piece of music in a different style than originally intended.

What's so good about playing Bach in the style of Brahms? Like it or leave it.