Category Archives: Advanced

How Far Do The “Basics” Go?

Posted on June 22, 2017 by Dwight Mabe

I took a somewhat unusual path to bass. I started as a guitarist at a very early age – 51/2! I spent a few years with a cello in elementary school. In high school, the jazz band director asked me … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced, Basics, Chords, Intermediate, Introduction, Inversions and chord tones, Music Theory, News, Scales | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Practice Tips

Posted on March 16, 2016 by Dwight Mabe

Practicing isn’t really a “whatever works for you” type of skill. It is a vital skill that we all need to use more efficiently. I’ve been revisiting the jazz standard Donna Lee (originally attributed to Charlie Parker but seems to … Continue reading →

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Slonimsky – First Look

Posted on January 10, 2016 by Dwight Mabe

I’ve been digging through the Slonimsky book for a couple of weeks now. It uses several terms that are a bit unusual, so  I recommend anyone trying it to keep a good music dictionary or music theory dictionary at hand. And before we … Continue reading →

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Diminished Scales and More: Nicolas Slonimsky

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Dwight Mabe

The diminished scale has always fascinated me. I understand the 8 notes, half-step, whole step or whole step, half step variations. Lots of musicians from many different genres have used it such as John Coltrane, Jaco Pastorius and Frank Zappa. But after seeing a post by … Continue reading →

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Transcription: A Necessary Process

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Dwight Mabe

I received a couple of questions on the sight reading post that bear some further comments. Most of them are answered by transcribing music. Transcription is an important tool for all musicians in all genres. In some genre, all that is … Continue reading →

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Sight Reading – Some helpful tips

Posted on September 9, 2015 by Dwight Mabe

Sight reading requires 2 major skills and few sub-points to work: You have to know the written language of music – notation, dynamics, rhythm, etc., very well to sight read effectively. 2.  You must know where every single note possible on your … Continue reading →

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Lesson Inquiry

Posted on August 28, 2015 by Dwight Mabe

Lesson Inquiry     

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Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding – Footprints

Posted on May 27, 2015 by Dwight Mabe

Wayne Shorter and Esperanza Spalding – Wow! Set back and relax and soak it in!  

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Why Summer is a Great Time for Lessons

Posted on May 21, 2015 by Dwight Mabe

There are quite a few reasons for taking lessons in the summer, none the least of which is the fact that the weather is better. Having taught students with a wide variety of ages for a few decades now, it … Continue reading →

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The Importance of Warming Up

Posted on April 15, 2015 by Dwight Mabe

I went for a number years with little or no warm-up before practicing or playing a gig. It never seemed really necessary. Playing a lot of gigs for over a decade was a big help in keeping me thinking that … Continue reading →

Posted in Advanced, Basics, Ergonomics, Intermediate, Practice example, Tips, Tone, Warmups | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments