Does anyone know of a website that sells free irish ballad music for the doble bass. Just started the double bass 15 months ago and LOVE irish music. Also I've just joined this forum so please excuse me if I'm in the wrong section
ignore that. some people on here are just absolute knobs.
the double bass is cool with irish music. walking bass lines suit the double bass for irish music, or just try and learn some funky bass lines.
as long as you can work out relevant chords for each tune, you can pretty much just play the root note of that chord and it'l work, but dont just play a bass scale in whatever key the tune is in. doesnt always work, and doesnt sound good.
Let me be the first to warn you (unless I get out drawn by a faster gun), that you are going to get some slagging, so I hope you have thick skin. I don't mind double bass in Irish trad, but I'm not sure what you're asking. Sessions are about playing trad tunes, reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, not ballads or songs, although the odd song may find it's way in if there is a respected songster in the crowd who is asked to sing one. I think double bass fits well in arranged tune sets, and I've heard some pretty good recordings incorporating it, but I've honestly never seen anyone bring a double bass to an open session. Maybe you should clarify if you want accompaniment for songs, or if you want to accompany for tunes.
" that sells free Irish ballad music for the double bass "
Qué?
So your looking to buy free stuff .8)
You say you love Irish music when you listened to it was it on the Double Bass.You would have a lot more enjoyment if you took up fiddle for Irish music,and kept the D.Bass for your other stuff.
As for dots for your double bass you will probably have to get it by ear which is by far the better option anyway,I think your best bet would be to look at bands for the double bass,do a youtube search or google it.
Good Luck and give the fiddle some thought if strings is your thing, for Irish music anyway.
One final thing if you do decide to grab it by ear on the D.Bass windows media player has a speed option which will slow it down for you,it's under enhancements I think.
Sorry lads. Right just to confirm I cannot throw this double bass worth 1000 euro out the window and am interested in gettin double bass music for all types of irish music and im wanting free music. I am convinced that I can work with the bass in a session group and noone can disencourage me from it
Thanks fluteboy. Wish it was fold away. No that wasnt me I have only hummed and hawwed about the thought and asked my local session comhaltas could I join and I can so that I better have previous experience
Disencourage? Actually I think I prefer that to "discourage." Hmm.
Anyway, don't let anyone talk you out of it at all, sb. I was just saying you're bound to get a bit of ribbing at this site, and you're going to get some raised eyebrows and perhaps a frown or two showing up to an open session with your db. Like I said, I enjoy some double bass in a set, and in some ways I think it fits better than guitar. I second some of the other comments, and you're going to get alot of them, you will benefit greatly from figuring out the accompaniment on your own, without the dots. Use recordings, and slow them down. You can do this in Quicktime that I know of. Cheers and enjoy.
Thanks Jimmy I can take a ribbing on the chin but I think that unelse the session makes a change to be more open then its popularity will eventually die out completely. Respect the double bass its a good instument ha lol lol dont bully it lol
"I am convinced that I can work with the bass in a session group and noone can disencourage me from it"
I think that having the strength of your convictions is not a bad thing, in itself. But you have to be careful with this music. You can't own it, it will always be bigger than you. Anyone who thinks they can mould the music to their personal whims is merely selfish and, without exception, make a dreadful hash of it. The gutter is littered with such attempts
So, while I agree that no single person should be able to "disencourage" you, you should always be open to the music itself wanting to "disencourage" you. Always be open to whether what you are doing is actually working and contributing. And not merely an expression of your own ego.
Best of luck, session bass, and more power to you.
Do not let the nay-sayers and self-proclaimed experts discourage you, music is a thing of freedom and personal expression, and if you want to bring a double bass into an traditional Irish session, go for it, and bless you.
You're, um, not from anywhere near New Hampshire, are you?
In traditional Irish dance music (as opposed to song), which is what this site is dedicated to, the melody is played in unison by multiple instruments. So the tune section here would be a great place to start.
I’ve played in sessions with bass players. Some things worked, others didn’t (in my opinion). I would advise against trying to play every note. I’ve never heard that work. It’s a mush. Try to play “contours”, the general shape of a tune in quarter notes/crotchets. Rests and empty spaces are critical. Vary it with playing octave oom-pah jumps on chord roots, but with restraint – that gets annoying fast.
Learn the tunes! Click on the “Members” tab at the right, then “Tunebook” at the top of the resulting page. That will give you a list of the most popular tunes on this website, and is a who’s who of standard session tunes. Note, though, that the tunes played in an actual session on any given night may include only a few of the tunes from the first couple of pages, possibly none at all. But it’s a good place to start.
Apologies if you already know all this, from your question it sounds like you are relatively new to sessions.
Don't take llig's comments in a bad way, sb, he is always brutally honest and he is probably throwing down the gauntlet and challenging you to some extent. What he said is poignant, though. I think what he's trying to say is that you should go forward and embrace the music, but what you want to avoid is to impose either your instrument or yourself into the music. The music, and the session, will let you know what it wants, if you're open to it. DB is not a typical instrument in the session world, imposing it at a session will not go well, either for you or for the other sessionistas. Go into it with an open mind, and a proper sense of respect for the session and the music, and a very small amount of humility, and you will go a long way and grow and learn.
No fidkid I didnt know that thanks for the info. Thanks for the encouragment rook now I am actually from County Wexford. Leahcim thanks for the advice and also I want be playing them in the N.C.H or youtube or anything.
Keep the info comin lads and lassies its quere good
Why not try Scottish music instead, if it's an option where you are? I can't imagine any Scottish session not wanting a (moderately competent) bass player. They used to be a standard part of the dance band lineup and some Scottish dance bands still have one; some sort of bass instrument has been used as far back as we can trace the repertoire (cello more often than bass in the early days).
Freddy at Sandy Bells in Edinburgh plays bass for his Irish session, and has done for about 20 years. I'm very rarely there so I wouldn't know how well it works. He did very well accompanying me the one time I've tried, many years ago (and that was for some Irish tunes).
There are more and more examples of the bass being used in Scottish and Irish music in lots of modern band lineups, an obvious example being Lunasa. You will be hard pushed to find a bass player that will turn up at a session and play the tunes on the bass though. It can be a bit too overpowering an instrument for that. It can be nice for what it is designed for though.
Ultimately you might want to take up another instrument in addition to the bass in order to learn the tunes, perhaps the mandolin or a whistle. That should help you get into the music and properly learn the twists in the tunes.
For learning the bass I would just repeat the advice to listen to what other people do. I don't know of any books specifically for the bass in Irish music.
Scottish music does have a certain amount of greater rigidity than Irish music which may well suit a bass more. Not convinced though. It could be that all it does is suit a less imaginative bass player more.
Freddy's a pretty imaginative player. He never does that:
dum / dom / dum / dom / dum dom dum dum / dum thing, for example. You have to remember though that he knows the tunes, he plays fiddle, and he knows the chords, he plays guitar. In fact, one of the the best things he does with the bass is strum it.
You might find some interesting ideas here: http://www.standingstones.com/cellopg.html
Even though it's about the cello, there should be some information that would be useful to a bass player.
I agree with No cause for Alarm; you should probably take up a simply melody instrument like whistle just to learn the ins and outs of ITM. You should probably also go to a few of you local sessions as just a listener to get to know the people there. Then you should definitely ask first before showing up and pulling your db through the door
Hey if you’re really hell-bent on bass clef Irish music, you can make your own, totally free, from any of the tunes in this database (any database with ABC notation, actually). It’s very, very simple. All you need is a basic text application, like MS Word.
1. Click on the members tab at right
2. Click on the tunebook tab at the top of the resulting page
3. Pick a tune, say, Drowsy Maggie
4. Copy the ABC notation:
7. Press submit. This will give you free, bass clef sheet music that you can download as a high-quality .pdf file or you can use the low-res preview, whichever works best for you.
I just learned how to do this kind of thing the other day, on this very site (thanks again, Random_notes and Mix O’Lydian). Hang around, session bass. You can learn a lot here.
Why did I think it might be a joke? Because he said he wanted to buy free ballad music. Because he said how he LOVES Irish music and wants to be involved in sessions, but seems to know so little about the topic. Because people do make jokes like that here, to wind others up. Like the guy posting about how he changes his trousers for different tunes. Because the idea of a beginner musician turning up to an ITM session with a double bass is funny in itself.
Right Bernie god you are some ludder. I am in my early teens I know all the lads at the session I just want some experience with the music that i'll play I AM 100% SERIOUS. Thanks for that info fidkid. I don't want scottish music I know I'm in for a task but I'm taking it on the chin
I play bass too, mostly electric but have an upright also, haven't really brought it along to any sessions but would like to!
Bluegrass has some great double bass which you could probably listen to & get some ideas from although don't get trapped in the bom-bum-bom-bum... Bands like Grada & Lunasa feature double bass most of the time so worth listening to.
Ah, can't beat a nice bit of bottom. Could always try a bass banjo to keep the detractors on their toes, by way of poetic justice, or should that be harmonic justice?
I have a mate called Fifi Bumstead, he does a act based on the Dubliners and the Nolan Sisters repetoires at hen nights and special clubs. I've heard him also say that you can't beat a nice bit of bottom.
What I haven't got from any of this is the sense that grasshopper here has any idea of what he's actually thinking of doing when he gets his bass to the session. This is a problem. The nice thing about the whistle - easy or not - is that you pretty much know what's expected of you. If you do that, you're in pretty good shape. If you don't, people complain about you when you're not around. The bass has no role in the session, so you have two jobs. First, you have to know what you're going to play, and then you have to figure out how to play it.
So how about it, session bass - what are you hearing in your head that you're trying to get across at your session? When you get there, are you playing pizzicato or arco? Are you playing the tune, or are you playing a bass part? If the latter, do you hear walking lines, or root-five alternating, or what?
If you can give us some idea of what it is you're trying to do, you might get more useful advice than you've gotten so far.
Ah no - not a silly question at all. it's not a word one would hear outside of Ireland I think.
'aomadan' is another kind of (not so serious) slagging word...
Don't know about double bass, but we have a guy play Cello at some of our sessions here and he is very welcome. Sometimes he's playing accompaniment based on chords and sometimes he's playing the tune, presumably one octave down.
It is really nice to have a real bass sound somewhere in the mix. And he knows how to play even the simple root notes of a chord in a manner fitting to the rhythm of the melody. In fact I recall a CD where a cello (or bass?) is playing a simple drone, but rhythmically fitting it to the flute (playing Piobaireachd). Works quite well to my ears. (Could be Chris Norman?)
It should indeed be spelled "amadán" and can be found in Scottish Gaidhlig also. It just means "fool". It is not so easy to guess from the spelling given though. I did wonder if that was what was meant.
session bass - As you have probably already gathered from previous responses, you'd be hard pressed to find double bass sheet music for Irish trad, either tunes or ballads - unless there are full band scores available for traditional bands that use bass (e.g. Lunasa - Does anyone know if things are available?). But I would be careful of learning pre-composed basslines and playing them in sessions, as this music is very fluid.
As you are just starting out on bass, I would recommend listening to bass*(see footnote) playing in as many different styles as you can (classical, jazz, pop, metal, punk, balalaika orchestra... - as well as listening to lots of trad, with or without bass) - and try to get an understanding of how a bass part relates to chords and melody (there'd be no harm in learning a melody instrument and a chord instrument as well). This will, very importantly, get you into the habit of listening - not just to the music as a whole, but to the details. You'll find that there are common elements between all the styles, some (but not all) of which will be applicable to trad.
As several people have said, it might not always be easy being accepted into sessions with a double bass - partly owing to the amount of space it takes up but also because people are simply not accustomed to playing with instruments any lower in pitch than the bottom D string of a Dropped-D tuned guitar. So, you will probably need to develop a very high standard (not necessary a high level of technique, but a high level of musical empathy) on your instrument to do the music justice, in the ears of most session players. However, I have no doubt that, if you are determined enough, you will do this. The way to do this, though, is not to find ready-made bass parts but to learn to listen and respond. I wish you luck.
*This needn't mean just double bass or bass guitar - it could be any instrument performing a bass role: tuba, cello, trombone, the left hand of a piano, low strings of a guitar.
Hmm. Learn to use the bow, for sure. Listen for the implied chord changes in the melody, and either play the root. or figure out how to consider the chord in any sort of moving line. The second choice is the best. You want a bass line to be fluid and moving and not just playing the root of every chord change. Get good arrangements for tunes your friends playe (tunes section, be sure to check to tune comments, for all possible variations and corrections!), and find all the chord changes visually. Pay attention when those changes occur in unexpected places .
Strongly consider studying counterpoint. unless you are following the tune in unison (which can work for opening and closing of phrases). With counterpoint writing, it is a general rule of thumb to move the bass line in the opposite general direction as the melody, of course for second parts it's like a reset button, you should move up an octave if the melody does, just in a way that doesn't sound obvious (so not on the same note, chord change...something) The bass line shouldn't be too far below the melody.
no, i didnt uswe an equaliser on the youtube track. i just played with the equaliser on my lap top and for my speakers. you could always record the track, then play it throws windows media player or something. you can download good recorders to record tracks on your pc for free
Double Bass Irish music
Double Bass Irish music
Does anyone know of a website that sells free irish ballad music for the doble bass. Just started the double bass 15 months ago and LOVE irish music. Also I've just joined this forum so please excuse me if I'm in the wrong section
All response appreciated greatly
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
This website lists all the free Irish ballad music for the double bass that anyone could possibly want to buy:
http://www.blankwebpage.com/
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by Bernie 29
Re: Double Bass Irish music
ignore that. some people on here are just absolute knobs.
the double bass is cool with irish music. walking bass lines suit the double bass for irish music, or just try and learn some funky bass lines.
as long as you can work out relevant chords for each tune, you can pretty much just play the root note of that chord and it'l work, but dont just play a bass scale in whatever key the tune is in. doesnt always work, and doesnt sound good.
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by FastEddie
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Let me be the first to warn you (unless I get out drawn by a faster gun), that you are going to get some slagging, so I hope you have thick skin. I don't mind double bass in Irish trad, but I'm not sure what you're asking. Sessions are about playing trad tunes, reels, jigs, hornpipes, polkas, not ballads or songs, although the odd song may find it's way in if there is a respected songster in the crowd who is asked to sing one. I think double bass fits well in arranged tune sets, and I've heard some pretty good recordings incorporating it, but I've honestly never seen anyone bring a double bass to an open session. Maybe you should clarify if you want accompaniment for songs, or if you want to accompany for tunes.
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Double Bass Irish music
" that sells free Irish ballad music for the double bass "
Qué?
So your looking to buy free stuff .8)
You say you love Irish music when you listened to it was it on the Double Bass.You would have a lot more enjoyment if you took up fiddle for Irish music,and kept the D.Bass for your other stuff.
As for dots for your double bass you will probably have to get it by ear which is by far the better option anyway,I think your best bet would be to look at bands for the double bass,do a youtube search or google it.
Good Luck and give the fiddle some thought if strings is your thing, for Irish music anyway.
One final thing if you do decide to grab it by ear on the D.Bass windows media player has a speed option which will slow it down for you,it's under enhancements I think.
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by J.D.Mc
Re: Double Bass Irish music
cross post 8)
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by J.D.Mc
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Sorry lads. Right just to confirm I cannot throw this double bass worth 1000 euro out the window and am interested in gettin double bass music for all types of irish music and im wanting free music. I am convinced that I can work with the bass in a session group and noone can disencourage me from it
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
And Eddie fully agree with ye thanks bud
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Saw a fella playing a double bass at the tullamore fleadh this year..was it you? No idea about music for double bass sorry...
Is it a fold away double bass so thats it easier to bring to sessions? Only messing! Keep it up!
# Posted on December 2nd 2009 by premier
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Thanks fluteboy. Wish it was fold away. No that wasnt me I have only hummed and hawwed about the thought and asked my local session comhaltas could I join and I can so that I better have previous experience
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Disencourage? Actually I think I prefer that to "discourage." Hmm.
Anyway, don't let anyone talk you out of it at all, sb. I was just saying you're bound to get a bit of ribbing at this site, and you're going to get some raised eyebrows and perhaps a frown or two showing up to an open session with your db. Like I said, I enjoy some double bass in a set, and in some ways I think it fits better than guitar. I second some of the other comments, and you're going to get alot of them, you will benefit greatly from figuring out the accompaniment on your own, without the dots. Use recordings, and slow them down. You can do this in Quicktime that I know of. Cheers and enjoy.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Thanks Jimmy I can take a ribbing on the chin but I think that unelse the session makes a change to be more open then its popularity will eventually die out completely. Respect the double bass its a good instument ha lol lol dont bully it lol
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
"I am convinced that I can work with the bass in a session group and noone can disencourage me from it"
I think that having the strength of your convictions is not a bad thing, in itself. But you have to be careful with this music. You can't own it, it will always be bigger than you. Anyone who thinks they can mould the music to their personal whims is merely selfish and, without exception, make a dreadful hash of it. The gutter is littered with such attempts
So, while I agree that no single person should be able to "disencourage" you, you should always be open to the music itself wanting to "disencourage" you. Always be open to whether what you are doing is actually working and contributing. And not merely an expression of your own ego.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by ...
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Best of luck, session bass, and more power to you.
Do not let the nay-sayers and self-proclaimed experts discourage you, music is a thing of freedom and personal expression, and if you want to bring a double bass into an traditional Irish session, go for it, and bless you.
You're, um, not from anywhere near New Hampshire, are you?
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Piece
Re: Double Bass Irish music
In traditional Irish dance music (as opposed to song), which is what this site is dedicated to, the melody is played in unison by multiple instruments. So the tune section here would be a great place to start.
I’ve played in sessions with bass players. Some things worked, others didn’t (in my opinion). I would advise against trying to play every note. I’ve never heard that work. It’s a mush. Try to play “contours”, the general shape of a tune in quarter notes/crotchets. Rests and empty spaces are critical. Vary it with playing octave oom-pah jumps on chord roots, but with restraint – that gets annoying fast.
Learn the tunes! Click on the “Members” tab at the right, then “Tunebook” at the top of the resulting page. That will give you a list of the most popular tunes on this website, and is a who’s who of standard session tunes. Note, though, that the tunes played in an actual session on any given night may include only a few of the tunes from the first couple of pages, possibly none at all. But it’s a good place to start.
Apologies if you already know all this, from your question it sounds like you are relatively new to sessions.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by fidkid
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Ah, llig, there you go again.
Don't take llig's comments in a bad way, sb, he is always brutally honest and he is probably throwing down the gauntlet and challenging you to some extent. What he said is poignant, though. I think what he's trying to say is that you should go forward and embrace the music, but what you want to avoid is to impose either your instrument or yourself into the music. The music, and the session, will let you know what it wants, if you're open to it. DB is not a typical instrument in the session world, imposing it at a session will not go well, either for you or for the other sessionistas. Go into it with an open mind, and a proper sense of respect for the session and the music, and a very small amount of humility, and you will go a long way and grow and learn.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Double Bass Irish music
No fidkid I didnt know that thanks for the info. Thanks for the encouragment rook now I am actually from County Wexford. Leahcim thanks for the advice and also I want be playing them in the N.C.H or youtube or anything.
Keep the info comin lads and lassies its quere good
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Why not try Scottish music instead, if it's an option where you are? I can't imagine any Scottish session not wanting a (moderately competent) bass player. They used to be a standard part of the dance band lineup and some Scottish dance bands still have one; some sort of bass instrument has been used as far back as we can trace the repertoire (cello more often than bass in the early days).
Freddy at Sandy Bells in Edinburgh plays bass for his Irish session, and has done for about 20 years. I'm very rarely there so I wouldn't know how well it works. He did very well accompanying me the one time I've tried, many years ago (and that was for some Irish tunes).
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Jack Campin
Re: Double Bass Irish music
I was just going to mention Freddy.
There are more and more examples of the bass being used in Scottish and Irish music in lots of modern band lineups, an obvious example being Lunasa. You will be hard pushed to find a bass player that will turn up at a session and play the tunes on the bass though. It can be a bit too overpowering an instrument for that. It can be nice for what it is designed for though.
Ultimately you might want to take up another instrument in addition to the bass in order to learn the tunes, perhaps the mandolin or a whistle. That should help you get into the music and properly learn the twists in the tunes.
For learning the bass I would just repeat the advice to listen to what other people do. I don't know of any books specifically for the bass in Irish music.
Lunasa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWLjhXXr68E
Capercaillie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V4QjMVBfWY
(There are lots of examples of Double Bass with Capercaillie but I couldn't immediately find any - sorry)
Box Club:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Md7_1CiO_T4
Treacherous Orchestra:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZZt6hEGVhw
The greatest double bass line of all time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohmSPv-rtSQ
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Double Bass Irish music
"You will be hard pushed to find a bass player that will turn up at a session and play the tunes on the bass though."
I could be wrong!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j86vYwnVzs0
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Scottish music does have a certain amount of greater rigidity than Irish music which may well suit a bass more. Not convinced though. It could be that all it does is suit a less imaginative bass player more.
Freddy's a pretty imaginative player. He never does that:
dum / dom / dum / dom / dum dom dum dum / dum thing, for example. You have to remember though that he knows the tunes, he plays fiddle, and he knows the chords, he plays guitar. In fact, one of the the best things he does with the bass is strum it.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by ...
Re: Double Bass Irish music
I thought you were joking session bass, I'm still not 100% convinced you are serious.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Bernie 29
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Why the hell would he be joking?
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Double Bass Irish music
You might find some interesting ideas here: http://www.standingstones.com/cellopg.html
Even though it's about the cello, there should be some information that would be useful to a bass player.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by mcswiss
Re: Double Bass Irish music
I agree with No cause for Alarm; you should probably take up a simply melody instrument like whistle just to learn the ins and outs of ITM. You should probably also go to a few of you local sessions as just a listener to get to know the people there. Then you should definitely ask first before showing up and pulling your db through the door
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by scordion
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Who said anything about the whistle being simple?
I am sure if you work hard at it and approach the matter with dedication and tact then you will be fine.
Just don't turn up with your bass in a "high-flying session" after learning it for a month as I have seen that with a cellist and it is not pretty.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Double Bass Irish music
We had a double bass player turn up once, and it was great. He didn't play the tunes though, just accompanied like a guitar.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Bredna
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Hey if you’re really hell-bent on bass clef Irish music, you can make your own, totally free, from any of the tunes in this database (any database with ABC notation, actually). It’s very, very simple. All you need is a basic text application, like MS Word.
1. Click on the members tab at right
2. Click on the tunebook tab at the top of the resulting page
3. Pick a tune, say, Drowsy Maggie
4. Copy the ABC notation:
X: 1
T: Drowsy Maggie
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
|:E2BE dEBE|E2BE AFDF|E2BE dEBE|BABc dAFD:|
K:D
d2fd c2ec|defg afge|d2fd c2ec|BABc dAFA|
d2fd c2ec|defg afge|afge fdec|BABc dAFD|
5. Insert “V:1 clef=bass” below the “K:Edor” so the new notation looks like this:
X: 1
T: Drowsy Maggie
M: 4/4
L: 1/8
R: reel
K: Edor
V:1 clef=bass
|:E2BE dEBE|E2BE AFDF|E2BE dEBE|BABc dAFD:|
K:D
d2fd c2ec|defg afge|d2fd c2ec|BABc dAFA|
d2fd c2ec|defg afge|afge fdec|BABc dAFD|
6. Copy this new notation and paste it into the ABC Convert-A-Matic here:
http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html
7. Press submit. This will give you free, bass clef sheet music that you can download as a high-quality .pdf file or you can use the low-res preview, whichever works best for you.
I just learned how to do this kind of thing the other day, on this very site (thanks again, Random_notes and Mix O’Lydian). Hang around, session bass. You can learn a lot here.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by fidkid
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Um, you don't really even need a text app. You can make the change right in the Convert-a-Matic. Just came back from playing. I'm going to bed.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by fidkid
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Why did I think it might be a joke? Because he said he wanted to buy free ballad music. Because he said how he LOVES Irish music and wants to be involved in sessions, but seems to know so little about the topic. Because people do make jokes like that here, to wind others up. Like the guy posting about how he changes his trousers for different tunes. Because the idea of a beginner musician turning up to an ITM session with a double bass is funny in itself.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Bernie 29
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Right Bernie god you are some ludder. I am in my early teens I know all the lads at the session I just want some experience with the music that i'll play I AM 100% SERIOUS. Thanks for that info fidkid. I don't want scottish music I know I'm in for a task but I'm taking it on the chin
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
The one thing you need is experience, I'm glad you know that. However, the one thing you won't get from your quest for sheet music is experience.
(Well ... maybe, if you're bright enough, you'll gain the experience of the recognition of the futility of your quest.)
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by ...
Re: Double Bass Irish music
"Llig":
>* he knows the chords*,
>*he plays guitar*
>. *In fact, one of the the best things he does with the bass is >strum it*
Quick call the hotline. The bodysnatchers have got Llig!
- chris
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by ramblingpitchfork
Re: Double Bass Irish music
"I don't want scottish music "
Oh dear. And I was just beginning to warm to you.
Never mind.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Double Bass Irish music
I play bass too, mostly electric but have an upright also, haven't really brought it along to any sessions but would like to!
Bluegrass has some great double bass which you could probably listen to & get some ideas from although don't get trapped in the bom-bum-bom-bum... Bands like Grada & Lunasa feature double bass most of the time so worth listening to.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by mantekka
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Did a ceilidh last week. We played jump at the sun and the double bass started it off, pizzicato. Immense. I almost didn't want to join in.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Joe Wass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
A "ludder"? What's that then?
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Bernie 29
Re: Double Bass Irish music
NO! No no no noo noo noo ... don't listen to blue grass bass playing.
(Listen to Edgar Mayer though)
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by ...
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Listen to Robbie Shakespeare, don't think he knows too many reels, tho!
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by strayaway
Re: Double Bass Irish music
A ludder is Bernie. You can be called an aomodan as well
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Ah, can't beat a nice bit of bottom. Could always try a bass banjo to keep the detractors on their toes, by way of poetic justice, or should that be harmonic justice?
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Solidmahog
A nice bit of bottom...
I have a mate called Fifi Bumstead, he does a act based on the Dubliners and the Nolan Sisters repetoires at hen nights and special clubs. I've heard him also say that you can't beat a nice bit of bottom.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by yhaalhouse
Re: Double Bass Irish music
I found this and I thought it might help:
ludder: slut or cheap-ass hoe
A misunderstood way to spell the Danish word "luder", which means whore.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by showaddydadito
Re: Double Bass Irish music
What I haven't got from any of this is the sense that grasshopper here has any idea of what he's actually thinking of doing when he gets his bass to the session. This is a problem. The nice thing about the whistle - easy or not - is that you pretty much know what's expected of you. If you do that, you're in pretty good shape. If you don't, people complain about you when you're not around. The bass has no role in the session, so you have two jobs. First, you have to know what you're going to play, and then you have to figure out how to play it.
So how about it, session bass - what are you hearing in your head that you're trying to get across at your session? When you get there, are you playing pizzicato or arco? Are you playing the tune, or are you playing a bass part? If the latter, do you hear walking lines, or root-five alternating, or what?
If you can give us some idea of what it is you're trying to do, you might get more useful advice than you've gotten so far.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Jon Kiparsky
Re: Double Bass Irish music
not getting involved, but a 'luder' is...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtDnm1o1y2o
(about 1.50 in but the whole clip is worth watching to get the jist of it...)
just seeing the term used here made me laugh and head straight for youtube
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by andy69
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Right, but I still have no idea what an "aomodan" is. Anyone?
Silly yank question: Is it a celtic word?
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Double Bass Irish music
We'll only tell you if you say sorry for the War of Independence.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by showaddydadito
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Ah no - not a silly question at all. it's not a word one would hear outside of Ireland I think.
'aomadan' is another kind of (not so serious) slagging word...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCd16mQO32M
(about 2.40 into the song)
...a bit like an 'eejit' I suppose? Might be spelled 'amadáns' (that spelling might make it easier to find some info on the web)
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by andy69
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Ah, thanks. I think showaddydadito may be disappointed. I was about to apologize for the War of Independence.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Don't know about double bass, but we have a guy play Cello at some of our sessions here and he is very welcome. Sometimes he's playing accompaniment based on chords and sometimes he's playing the tune, presumably one octave down.
It is really nice to have a real bass sound somewhere in the mix. And he knows how to play even the simple root notes of a chord in a manner fitting to the rhythm of the melody. In fact I recall a CD where a cello (or bass?) is playing a simple drone, but rhythmically fitting it to the flute (playing Piobaireachd). Works quite well to my ears. (Could be Chris Norman?)
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Crackpot
Re: Double Bass Irish music
I assumed it meant someone addled by quaaludes.
Session bass, the most sensible post so far has been Jon Kiparsky's. Think hard about his questions.
Good luck!
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by fidkid
Re: Double Bass Irish music
It should indeed be spelled "amadán" and can be found in Scottish Gaidhlig also. It just means "fool". It is not so easy to guess from the spelling given though. I did wonder if that was what was meant.
Well done Andy!
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by No Cause For Alarm
Re: Double Bass Irish music
session bass - As you have probably already gathered from previous responses, you'd be hard pressed to find double bass sheet music for Irish trad, either tunes or ballads - unless there are full band scores available for traditional bands that use bass (e.g. Lunasa - Does anyone know if things are available?). But I would be careful of learning pre-composed basslines and playing them in sessions, as this music is very fluid.
As you are just starting out on bass, I would recommend listening to bass*(see footnote) playing in as many different styles as you can (classical, jazz, pop, metal, punk, balalaika orchestra... - as well as listening to lots of trad, with or without bass) - and try to get an understanding of how a bass part relates to chords and melody (there'd be no harm in learning a melody instrument and a chord instrument as well). This will, very importantly, get you into the habit of listening - not just to the music as a whole, but to the details. You'll find that there are common elements between all the styles, some (but not all) of which will be applicable to trad.
As several people have said, it might not always be easy being accepted into sessions with a double bass - partly owing to the amount of space it takes up but also because people are simply not accustomed to playing with instruments any lower in pitch than the bottom D string of a Dropped-D tuned guitar. So, you will probably need to develop a very high standard (not necessary a high level of technique, but a high level of musical empathy) on your instrument to do the music justice, in the ears of most session players. However, I have no doubt that, if you are determined enough, you will do this. The way to do this, though, is not to find ready-made bass parts but to learn to listen and respond. I wish you luck.
*This needn't mean just double bass or bass guitar - it could be any instrument performing a bass role: tuba, cello, trombone, the left hand of a piano, low strings of a guitar.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by CreadurMawnOrganig
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Thanks for that info creature
Just wondering, is this a dictionary forum or what?
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
As long-winded as some of us can be, I'd call it more of an encyclopedia forum?
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Jimmy B
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Q. What do musicians do when they're not playing music?
A. Babble about it endlessly on teh interwebz.
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by SWFL Fiddler
Re: Double Bass Irish music
None of this "Apologizing for the War of Independence" stuff. ;)
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by Atahualpa Quigley
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Sorry didnt see Jons post. Well to be honest I can do both pizzicato and arco and will play as the tune suits me to play it
# Posted on December 3rd 2009 by session bass
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Hmm. Learn to use the bow, for sure. Listen for the implied chord changes in the melody, and either play the root. or figure out how to consider the chord in any sort of moving line. The second choice is the best. You want a bass line to be fluid and moving and not just playing the root of every chord change. Get good arrangements for tunes your friends playe (tunes section, be sure to check to tune comments, for all possible variations and corrections!), and find all the chord changes visually. Pay attention when those changes occur in unexpected places .
Strongly consider studying counterpoint. unless you are following the tune in unison (which can work for opening and closing of phrases). With counterpoint writing, it is a general rule of thumb to move the bass line in the opposite general direction as the melody, of course for second parts it's like a reset button, you should move up an octave if the melody does, just in a way that doesn't sound obvious (so not on the same note, chord change...something) The bass line shouldn't be too far below the melody.
# Posted on December 4th 2009 by Earl Cameron
Re: Double Bass Irish music
The bass player in this group might be able to help, he's a fantastic player.
http://www.colcannon.com/
# Posted on December 4th 2009 by Wyogal
Re: Double Bass Irish music
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmdNxlDiZSI
that is what the bass should sound like in irish music. and if its good enough for cathal hayden, then its more than good enough for us all.
# Posted on December 4th 2009 by FastEddie
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Maybe that's the point, but i can't hear the bassline. I think it's just the youtube video is too low of sound quality
# Posted on December 5th 2009 by Earl Cameron
Re: Double Bass Irish music
oo, i plugged in a set of speakers with a separate bass speaker, messed around with the equaliser, and could hear it. sounded great to me
# Posted on December 5th 2009 by FastEddie
Re: Double Bass Irish music
I need to make improvements to my sound situation
# Posted on December 5th 2009 by Earl Cameron
Re: Double Bass Irish music
Ok I give, how do you EQ a youtube video, do you have some method of downloading them or ....?
# Posted on December 5th 2009 by Earl Cameron
Re: Double Bass Irish music
no, i didnt uswe an equaliser on the youtube track. i just played with the equaliser on my lap top and for my speakers. you could always record the track, then play it throws windows media player or something. you can download good recorders to record tracks on your pc for free
# Posted on December 6th 2009 by FastEddie