Bassism

Re the bass discussion: this follow-up post deserves to be read and thought about, too, I think:


I would just like to thank all of you for your interest in my post. I truly appreciate the insightful (and perhaps inciteful) comments!

Regarding the Guildhall Summer School, I'm afraid I played down the real point, which is that there is such widespread interest in jazz strings. I salute all of you who have taken the time and effort to organize such programs.

I'd like to clarify one thing: my comment about bass ensemble music was not intended to reflect my experience at ASTA (which I thought was a blast, and again I was welcomed at every turn), rather it reflects my experiences with chamber music in academic/institutional settings, which in my case were few. I know with certainty that there are, in fact, many chamber music coaches who are happy to accomodate bassists and are familiar with the plethora of chamber repertoire involving at least one bass part. I just never met one! ;)

Regarding the fact that the bass is and has been an intergral part of the jazz scene for ever (while the violin has been only on the fringe at best, jazz cello is a rare anomoly, and jazz viola is virtually unheard of in the mainstream), I was trying to point out my desire for the bass to be accepted more as a melodic instrument rather than a rhythm instrument. Several posts addressed this issue in detail; I found several comments very enlightening.

I guess the obvious issue for "bass as melodic instrument" is that of range. It is an elementry aspect of orchestration: low notes, especially mellow ones, just don't speak out, and other players/instruments (whether in jazz, symphonic, or whatever) have to step aside when the bass [part] is featured. And I don't know that there is a solution for this, or whether it is even a problem, except in the minds of some bass players who need the attention (e.g., myself). I tend to get on my high-horse sometimes when there's no threat of [whatever people get on high-horses for].

One thing I intend to do is check out some of the available arrangements for string orchestra and study how the bass and rhythm functions are handled/distributed. Meanwhile, I've nothing to complain about in real life. My friends and fellow musicians always cheer me on when I take arco solos, even if they sound like humback whale calls. And when I get tired of playing the low notes, I go get my fiddle.

Thanks again for everyone's input. Y'all are good! (I intend to email a few folks directly regarding their observations.) I'll keep thinking on this.

Maddie Dietrich
Basest of Bassists