http://lornehemmerling.hubpages.com/hub/Wh...and-Melody-Line

Hello GMCers,
my name is wayne and I'm a bass player. my background is mostly pretty metal but i'd like to start branching out into the world of jazz. or more to the point, i'd like to play What a Wonderful World for my fiance on our wedding day (in September). i've included a link that i've found very helpful in learning the chord, melodic, and arpeggiated aspects on the song. but what i'd like to do - and i'm not fluent in music theory enough to do it myself - is to combine the 3 for solo bass. would any of the awesome guitar instructors out there be willing to help out a bass player in need? i'll be playing this on a 5-string acoustic bass but maybe just keep it on the E, A, D, G strings since those are the strings both guitars and bass have in common. please and thank you to any instructor up to creating this custom lesson (which im sure will be fun and useful for everybody)

http://lornehemmerling.hubpages.com/hub/Wh...and-Melody-Line

Hey mate - this sounds like a great and complex endeavor you are onto here. Unfortunately we are not allowed to make cover lessons of famous songs and also share tabs and stuff like that. What we can do, though is guide you through your endeavor.

How I'd start?

1) Make a chart with the chords, know the key and tempo you'd like to work with
2) Establish a structure of the song - maybe you don't want to play it whole.
3) Learn the vocal melodies and play them while changing the bass root notes - this is a great way to observe the relationship between melodies and the harmonies.
4) Implement some passing notes - you will thus create arpeggios which sustain the register between the bass and vocal lines (some sort of mid ground)

Share your thoughts with us and we will help you further

Cosmin

I'm really confused as how you applied the chord melody, the melody and arpeggios on a solo bass.

i didn't yet. thats what i was asking help for.
in my head i hear partial arpeggios and chord fragments with the top not of it all playing the vocal melody line. its in my head but i cant seem to get it to my fingers




thanks, man. i'll keep on keeping on. although since i wrote the request, i've come to the realization that what i hear in my head may be more than one instrument. can you further explain what you mean by passing tones? is it the same as pedal tones? thanks man

Ah no Mate - I'll make a vid for ya in which I will talk a bit about the approach to give you a hint and then you can work your way around orchestrating this piece, k?

Hey buddy, here ya go



This post has been edited by Cosmin Lupu: Jun 17 2013, 11:17 AM

wow thank you, Cosmin. I can definitely work with that. i'll keep you up dated on my progress...

Always a pleasure mate - especially that I know what it means to write music for a loved one