Hey all!
I’m transcribing a Christian McBride bass line for a student. How do I indicate open strings (often done as pull-offs or grace notes right before a fingered note)?
For instance…the D natural below is just a quick open grace note before the fingered Cb as far as I can tell.
Or here, the D natural right before the G.
I think a pro would know what to do, but my students might get confused if I don’t mark it in some way…
I have seen these notes sometimes notated with “x” noteheads, as if muted.
here is a pretty popular bass transcription site. might have some ideas
https://basslessons.be/transcriptions-list.php
Not a bad idea @judddanby!
@FredGUnn …you play with Christian, right? Any thoughts? This is actually part of his bass line on Walter Smith III’s version of “On the Trail.”
A local bass player in AZ just told me they like your solution @judddanby!
I’m waiting to hear back (confirmation?) from a bassist I work with (jazz gigs) who also teaches all ages.
Yep! We have a new big band album coming out August 1 with some ridiculous vocalists.
Honestly, I think it’s fine as you have it. Experienced players will know what it is instinctively and beginners are even more likely to play anything open that can be played open. LH fingerings go above so you can always add a 0 there if you want but I’d just leave it off. Some books, like Mike Richmond’s, even have both LH and RH fingerings but these are really just for instructional methods.
Pee Wee Herman, Weird Al,… (When one lacks jazzer irony…
)
Thanks for sharing the great examples, Todd! I’ve bookmarked them for my own future reference. And thanks for the valuable question, @Candlebane!
