Transcription Challenge

 This month I focused on Ray Brown. Here is a new solo I've been listening to on A-Train. This year all solos are memorized. I also have been trying to play last months solo during practice to see if I can retain it. More after this.... Next I took some time to relearn the slow blues solo Things Ain't What They Used to be solo from last year. Very fun but I won't post that. My last Ray initiative was to try and memorize a few Ray licks and take them through the cycle, and memorize and transpose a chorus of blues solo from Kadota Blues and Things Ain't in a few different keys. I'll post this video this week but here are the licks and solo.

This is an exercise I read about and is basically imposing 3/4 over 4/4.  Constant dotted half notes, anticipating over bar-lines.   Found this tricky to keep my place in the form, but I think it opened up a lot of future studies and exercises.  Tune is "all the things you are"...  but I guess you can hear that.

  Not the greatest video or sound. Messed with it for a few days but need to improve on this. Again quite a fast solo and some really great lines. I memorized the solo which I think really helps overall.

  Practice Challenge #1 These are 2 Dave Holland Licks that I'm trying to incorporate into my playing. My theme this month is memorization of all material. Both solo and licks are internalized. I found it difficult in some keys to get fingering but it is fairly slow. Both licks taken from a Dave Holland solo in Beautiful Love.

Here we go again.  Focus on longer flowing lines and connections this month.  Also working on technique and speed.  First up is a blues etude.  Rod Elias had me write out some etudes using constant 8ths or 16ths back in the day, so I am revisiting the idea.    Rob Easley · Jan2021 BluesEtude Rob Worked a lot on connecting material, and pushing my upper speed limit (which breaks on 8th notes at 220).  This next clip is a D minor vamp and I am trying to run one line direct into the next.   Rob Easley · Jan2021 Connect Lines Rob Here are a few of the connecting licks McLean: Blues for Wood McLean: Blues for Wood Langley: Cheesecake Masakowski: Tino's Blues Masakowski: I'll Pass Next up is a picking Etude by Steve Morse (Dixie Dregs).  Skipping strings has always been a sticking point for me (and all guitarists).  This is a focused, neo-classical etude that targets this issue.  Alternating picking throughout makes is tough. Final...

I have been thinking about doing this solo since we started.  Haven't dared until now, knowing full well that this would be near impossible for me to hit this tempo.  And I was right.  John's technique is flawless, using a combination of sweep picking and legato (hammer-ons, slides, etc).  The sweeping, picking across strings in the same direction, is something I should  need to work on.  I can play parts up to tempo, and fall flat in other areas.  This will be my technical study for the coming year.   You will recognise a lot of John-isms in this solo, that I intend to harvest, but as a whole, this solo is beyond me.  Also, I should say that a year ago, before this challenge, this would have been even farther beyond my reach...  so theres that.  

 Great solo Tom!  Great feel and note choices.  Hear some Marc Johnson in there.  This might be the first bass solo I ever transcribed.  I love the sound of the open strings that you intersperse throughout.  I understand this is for intonation purposes, but I am going to incorporate some of that into my playing.  Anyhow, this month's theme is inspiration for me.  And you have been a great inspiration through this project and through the years.  Thank you!