A Chordal Approach To The Upright

Details
Written by Administrator
A CHORDAL
APPROACH TO
THE UPRIGHT
A PRIVATE LESSON
WITH DAVID FRIESEN 

BY ED FRIEDLAND  

 

 

 

                                     

 

Photograph by Staffan Claesson

David Friesen’s career has cast him in many roles. As a sideman and leader, he has played and recorded with a long list of jazz greats including Chick Corea, Clark Terry, Michael Brecker, Joe Henderson, John Scofield, Billy Harper, and many others. Since the 1970’s, he has cut some five-dozen albums under his own name or as co-leader. Among David’s many contributions to improvised music is his pioneering work in the realm of solo upright bass playing. Along with a handful of others, Friesen has made a compelling case for unaccompanied bass as a viable means of expression.

David first started developing his solo concept in 1972. “I had a little group together in Portland, Oregon, “and none of my bandmates would show up consistently for gigs; they’d always be off water skiing, mountain climbing or some other outdoor activity in the beautiful state of Oregon. I knew I could depend on myself, so I decided to develop a concept for solo bass.” Friesen uses a variety of non-traditional techniques in his solo playing, such as hammering notes with the left hand while playing rhythms on the body of the instrument with his right. On one of his albums, Long Trip Home (Records), he can be heard hammering melodies with his left hand and fingering the Shakuhachi (Japanese bamboo flute) with the other.

Figure 1

A unique aspect of Friesen’s upright playing is his use of chords. And he doesn’t just reserve them for his solo forays: David regularly interjects 3rds, 5ths, 10ths, 12ths, open-string drones, and various triple-stops into his rhythm-section work, too. “I use chords as pivot points to check my tuning as I’m playing,” he explains. “They help me to keep things in focus.” I recently hooked up with David while he was spending a week-long stint as Artist in Residence at Arizona State University. In addition to performing with drummer Joe LaBarbera and  pianist/A.S.U. Director of Jazz Studies Chuck Marohnic, David had a full schedule of class time with the students. One day, he spoke to my Jazz Bass Studio class about the finer points of solo playing. Later, in between his
many teaching obligations, David took some time out to share some ideas about his chordal approach to the upright.

Ex. 1 begins a chord progression using triple-stops. Playing three notes at once requires a lot of focus on the left hand. In addition to developing your strength for this technique, learning to relax the left hand and forearm is very important. The first thing you’ll notice in Fig. 1 is that Friesen uses his thumb to play the notes on the D string.
Typically, thumb position starts at the octave position...however, when pursuing new sounds, such rules often become irrelevant.

Using the thumb that low on the neck is a physical challenge at first, so it helps to get your elbow up fairly high. Note that David plays sitting down with the bass relatively low, almost cello-style.

Figure 2

The position shown in Fig. 2 offers a certain advantage when it comes to unorthodox techniques. If you don’t have to use your arms to hold the bass, they are free to play. However, it is possible to play these chords in the traditional standing position. Remember to keep your forearm relaxed.

First, let’s look at the chords individually; we’ll then string them together in a progression. The first chord in Ex.1 is an A major triad with C# on the bottom. Pay attention to the intonation between each interval in this first-inversion triad, and make sure your key center is accurate by checking the 5th between A and E against the open A string. Play the low C# with your 2nd finger, and then use your thumb for the A and your 3rd finger for the high E.

The next chord (Ex.2) is an E triad in the second inversion. Play a B on the E string with the 1rst finger, and slide the A from the previous chord down a half- step to G#. The E with the 3rd finger remains constant in all three chords we are
using in sequence. (See Fig. 3.)

Figure 3
Figure 4The third chord in the sequence (Ex. 3) is a
root-position C major triad, voiced root,
5th, and 10th (the 3rd plus an octave). This
one is the most difficult shape to play. The E on the G string stays put, the 1st finger slides up to the C on the E string, and the thumb slides down to play the G on the D string. (See Fig. 4.)
 

Ex. 4 shows all three chords in sequence, arpeggiated as David performed them for me.

A nice way to extend this idea is to play it through once and then transpose the entire sequence up a whole-step. (See Fig. 5.)


David Friesen uses a wide palette of approaches to make solo bass playing musical and interesting. Beyond the unique technical aspects of his playing, his commitment to creating music of value has been the sustaining force in his career...whether he’s walking bebop lines or playing bass and flute simultaneously. In addition to Friesen’s many recordings, there are two books devoted to him: Years Through Time features some of his original compositions, and Departure contains transcriptions from the album of the same name, which features acoustic guitarist Uwe Kropinski. (Both books are published by Hal Leonard.)

After you learn the chord voicings in this lesson, be sure to experiment on your own. You’ll find there are no limits to the potential of the bass...only self-imposed limits to the imagination.
 

Figure 5