Bass Guitar

Soloing in Jazz and Latin by Eric Starr and Nelson Starr

Although jazz and Latin are not the same, in many instances the soloing styles for both are similar. Since Latin has been influenced to a large extent by jazz, especially in Brazilian and Afro-Cuban styles, the general rules of

Figure 11-17.

Rock licks over a chord progression

Figure 11-18.

Rock licks with tension and release

jazz soloing apply to Latin soloing. The only caveat here is that jazz often has a swing feel, whereas Latin almost always uses straight eighths (see Chapter 8). For all the exercises in this section, it's advisable to play them with a swing and a straight-eighth feel.

Pulling off a compelling improvised solo in jazz is one of the hardest feats in all of musical performance. The following five figures start you off on the right foot.

You should also practice assimilating the chords and scales that you already know. Try to attach a scale to each type of chord. The simplest way to address this is to play the first mode, Ionian, on the first, or I, chord. Then play the second mode, Dorian, on the second, or ii, chord, and so on. For the fifth, or V, chord, play a Mixolydian mode. Figure 11-19 illustrates this concept using a ii-V-I chord progression. Bear in mind that you'll almost always use only a snippet of the mode because there won't be enough time to play the whole scale.

Figure 11-19.

Using modes on a ii-V-I chord progression

Roman numerals are shown in parentheses.

Let's reduce this down to an even simpler formula. Because the modes all use the same notes just in a different order, all you really need to use is one scale: the major scale of the I chord. So when you see a major ii-V-I, you may simply use variations of the major scale of the I chord over the entire progression. It all comes down to how you conceive of the notes in the scales. Remember, scales can always be reconfigured or played from different start points.

Next, add a few more ingredients. Start by including broken chords or arpeggios. Then add a new chord extension called the ninth. The ninth is really the same note as the second except it is shifted one octave higher. In Figure 11-20, you will see expanded arpeggios using ninths.

Figure 11-20.

Different chords with ninths

Now add in chromatics. Start by placing a nondiatonic, chromatic half step — one that is not part of the original mode/scale — on the weak beat. This is called an outside chromatic. For example, put the outside chromatic on the “and” when playing eighth notes. Also, be sure to end the melodic phrase on a strong or colorful note. This is exhibited in Figures 11-21 and 11-22.

There is still much to learn in the jazz and Latin realm, and much more information will be presented to you over the next several chapters. There are certain chords that you don't know how to deal with quite yet. However, Figure 11-23 (on the following page) puts it all together so far.