More bass tutorials (& one r. guitar)

[Marcelo]

Here I add the classic bass version:

[Iain Purdon]

Nice - thanks Marcelo

These are not the original parts from the records as played by Jet/Lic but more modern, of the kind the likes of Jonesy and Griff might offer.

They've given me a few new ideas!

Iain

[Marcelo]

Hello Iain!

Only in Theme For Young Lovers I transcribed the part as the UB Hank version. All the others are respecting the original recordings by Jet.

Regards,
Marcelo.

[Iain Purdon]

That's interesting and has made me go back and listen to the originals that I studied all those years ago.

Having heard Theme for Young Lovers, which was the first track posted, and recognised that it was nothing like the record I approached the others with the same assumption and every time I heard something I didn't recall I felt confirmed in my belief. I will now relisten more carefully.

I'll suggest another look at one of them though. I made a detailed study of Man of Mystery as part of a thread here some years back and Warren Bennett chipped in with his diagnosis of the 3rd bar of the main melody, setting out what Jet played against what chord Bruce played. He was clearly right and I have played it that way ever since...

Anyway, all good stuff!

Iain

[Marcelo]

Hello Iain!

I made this material a couple of years ago when I had a band, but I remember that particulary in Man Of Mystery, as the original bass mix is difficult to listen -not to tell the solo part -, I tried to re-construct it more by my own perception and I know you are right this is no exact, but together with the band worked well and gave it an appropiate environment to re-create the original.

The bass arrangements by Jet are very interesting as he constructed these arrangements with a normal guitar intentions, very walked and melodics and gave an interesting result together with Hank guitar lines.

I have the classic version arrangement for bass for TFYL and I will probably post it soon. I didn't post because before because it's only a marcation of the tonics so I found more interesting the later one.

Please, give a look now I added the Bass lines classic version.

Regards,
Marcelo.

[Iain Purdon]

Hi Marcelo

At Shadowmania Bruce praised the bass parts that Jet wrote and rightly so. They are key components of the overall effect.

I know what you mean about Theme For Young Lovers. I first learned it off the record back in 1964. Years later Alan Jones showed me what he liked to play for it. Very nicely done and I took to doing the same. More recently I have reverted to the original bass line because I think it works really well - and we always end up sounding a lot more like the record! Licorice's original part has even fewer notes than your classic version. He told me his motto was KISS (Keep It Simple, Stoopid!)

But it's difficult not to chuck in extra notes on bass isn't it!

Iain

[Marcelo]

Hello Iain!

Thanks for your first hand information. It's very interesting for me so far away to know your experience near real figures.

Althoug I'm not bassist, I always pay attention about what bassists do and I find very interesting on that subway melody line roundig and giving richness to a composition. I feel a little disapointed when a bass only mark basically the chords. I also do not like an excesive draw but something that contribute to fill the holes and articulate the total structure.

Thanks again!

Regards,
Marcelo.

[Iain Purdon]

I feel a little disappointed when a bass only mark basically the chords. I also do not like an excesive draw but something that contribute to fill the holes and articulate the total structure.

I know what you mean, Marcelo. When The Shadows ... at Their Very Best was done, the old hits were re-recorded with Griff on bass. For all the tracks that were originally Licorice, Mark embellished the part no end. However the ones that originally featured Jet or John he reproduced more closely. It's not fair to say that the new versions are "better" than the old. They're just different, really.

When Jonesy joined the Shads he tells of Bruce telling him to play anything he liked, just not to get in the way of Hank's melody. I think he delivered on that instruction superbly.

Going off at a tangent, in our band (rock'n'roll) I used to be told off a lot for playing too busily on the bass. "2 in the bar, root and fifth!" was the frequent plea from the gaffer. I am finally learning that he's very often right!

"Less is more"...... well, sometimes!

Cheers - Iain