Jazz bass method books versus actual performance : the case study of Charlie Haden.
Hamilton Pinheiro · 2018
The objective of this research is to compare what jazz bass method books teach with an actual performance. For this end, I analyzed and summarized several bass method books regarding bass line construction and compared them to transcriptions of Charlie Haden’s bass lines, trying to find considerable discrepancies. Firstly, I found that Charlie Haden used all the techniques that all authors teach in their books. Beyond that, I found that Haden extensively applied two techniques the authors cover superficially (implied harmony and sequences) and also expanded the concepts of chromaticism and building tension and release that are found in the books. I concluded that, although all researched books cover the required content to fulfill their objectives, Haden’s performances suggest that there is room to incorporate new approaches in future jazz bass books.