If youre looking for bass tabs, then click here these free bass transcriptions are provided for educational use only click on the transcription title to view and download the pdf. My transcription of james jamersons bass line on stevie wonders for once in my life. This bass transcription is paul chambers full bass line from miles davis famous 1957 album, round midnight. James jamerson james lee jamerson was an american bass player. He had a very unique skill set that gave him the ability to create and execute bass lines and grooves like no other bass player had ever done before. Igors chromatic exercise bass tab by james jamerson. The motown session bassist james jamerson is widely regarded as one of the most influential and important bassists in modern music history. My transcription of james jamerson s bass line on stevie wonders for once in my life. For those like myself who dont have the james jamerson biography, heres a pdf in both tab and music notation of his chromatic exercise. James jamerson motown soul funk uptown ruler this episode is dedicated to one of the baddest bassists to ever walk the earth, mr. James jamerson mainly used a 1962 fender precision he named the funk machine and that fat sounding, central split coil pickup is so important in getting that booming, round tone.
James jamerson fever in the funkhouse bass transcription. The bassist on this tour was obliged to play them exactly as written. Almost any student of electric bass will want to peruse this book. Thats what gave james jamerson his unique super power, and ultimately why he became one of the most gamechanging bass players in the history of modern music. Finally, a bit of recognition for the bass player everyone needs to know. Mar 02, 2018 in this lesson we are going to study a classic james jamerson bassline from whats going on by marvin gaye. Aug 09, 2014 welcome to this collection of james jamerson transcriptions theres also some bonus motown transcriptions at the end of the book too including the bob babbitt line on band of gold and stevie wonders awesome keyboard bass line on isnt she lovely. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of jazz online jazz handbook welcome to the bass chapter of the thelonious monk institute of jazzs online jazz handbook. James lee jamerson january 29, 1936 august 2, 1983 was an american bass player.
The function of a bass player in the jazz combo is to work with the piano player and drummer to provide both a harmonic and rhythmic stability for the tune. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the motown records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s motown did not list session musician credits on their releases until 1971, and is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history. James jamerson might be the most influential bassist youve never heard of. Bassist james jamerson was the embodiment of the motown spirit and groove the invisible entity whose playing inspired thousands and made it impossible for anyone to sit still while listening to a motown record. Free bass transcription of i heard it through the grapevine by marvin gaye. James jamerson was basically the first electric bass virtuoso, and these transcriptions of his lines provide a great reading workout. Part of motown records famed funk brothers, jamerson was a crucial element of the hit making machine at motown in the 1960s. There is a video floating around the internet of marvin gaye performing whats going onwhats happening brother live with none other than james jamerson backing him. From jazz bassist to popular music icon by joshua andrew zarbo, b. Welcome to this collection of james jamerson transcriptions theres also some bonus motown transcriptions at the end of the book too including the bob babbitt line on band of gold and stevie wonders awesome keyboard bass line on isnt she lovely. You can hear james original bass line in the youtube video below.
I play upright and electric bass and live in brooklyn, ny. James jamerson, bass of the motown sound udiscover. He knew how to define harmony and how to drive it forward. Legendary bassist james jamerson 1989 is the seminal source on james jamerson s. Apr 30, 2016 igors chromatic exercise bass tab by james jamerson. Regarding how to get the motown sound kinda mimics a standup bass, very little ring to it, i put labella james jamerson strings flat wound. Oct 12, 2016 max kays nephew jeremy kay makes an appearance in a reverb video seen below describing how to get that beloved motown bass tone played by bass great james jamerson. Jun 07, 20 there is a video floating around the internet of marvin gaye performing whats going onwhats happening brother live with none other than james jamerson backing him. Family members, friends and motown fans are mourning the death of bassist james jamerson jr. Funk bass transcriptions of bootsy collins transcriptions of basslines by other james brown bassists such as tim drummond, charles sherrell, and bernard odum. Recorded in 1965 for motowns bustling tamla label, here jamerson makes the bass swing as much as the sax. Theres also some bonus motown transcriptions at the end of the book too including the bob babbitt line on band of gold and stevie wonders. Other than the loving tribute standing in the shadows of motown.
James jamerson standing in the shadows of motown pdf. Thats what gave james jamerson his unique super power, and ultimately why he became one of the most gamechanging bass. Heres an updated transcription tab of james jamerson bass line for the 1967 classic from marvin gaye and tammi terrell aint no mountain high enough based on jamersons isolated bass track. James jamerson whats going on marvin bass transcription. Here are bass lines for 14 beloved hits from marvin gaye, the. Heres an updated transcription tab of james jamerson bass line for the 1967 classic from marvin gaye and tammi terrell aint no. A large part of jamerson s genius was his note choice. Alongside his fellow funk brothers, he helped weave the very fabric of tamla motowns imposing and infectious sound.
Pdf james jamerson standing in the shadows of motown pdf. I used to think that the most funky bass lines were slap bass lines and then i heard jamerson. James jamerson from jazz bassist to popular music icon. Theres something beautiful and inspiring about playing and creating bass lines that just feel good. Licks and the allstar list of contributors show you how by sharing jamerson s story and getting into the nitty gritty of his music and instrumentation. More than 460 free transcriptions for bass and other instruments on basslessons. Jan 23, 2017 my transcription of james jamerson s bass line on whats going on hi, im dave. Under section 107 of the copyright act 1976, allowance is made for fair use for purposes such as criticism, comment.
Maybe the most influential bassist ever, james jamerson was the uncredited. The life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson constructing walking jazz bass lines. My transcription of james jamersons bass line on whats going on. Im talking about the bass lines which make your favourite songs sound great.
This footage from the 1973 film, save the children, gives a rare glimpse of jamersons hook technique in action. The life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson constructing walking jazz bass lines book iv building a 12 key facility for the jazz bassist electric. James jamerson was described by motown founder berry gordy as a genius on the bass it is eye opening and ear popping. Max kays nephew jeremy kay makes an appearance in a reverb video seen below describing how to get that beloved motown bass tone played by bass great james jamerson.
The transcribed bass lines for 14 hit motown songs as played by james. Jamersons syncopated style frequently plays off of the bass drum, which has the effect of sounding like more notes than are actually being played. May 15, 20 martha reeves on her 1991 uk tour for which i played keyboards had james jamersons bass lines transcribed on many of her charts. Something very important to note in the video is that motown did not use amplifiers for studio recordings. His lines were simple yet effective, but always stood out. This page features over 180 free bass transcriptions in standard notation. James jamerson bass lines, tab and getting that tone. The life and music of legendary bassist james jamerson, a classic bookcd set by allan dr. Jazz bass line construction thelonious monk institute of. Theres also some bonus motown transcriptions at the end of the book too including the bob babbitt line on band of gold and stevie wonders awesome keyboard bass line on isnt she lovely. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the motown records hits in. As a session player jamersons career spanned 40 years, and though hes most associated with motown, he also did a lot of soul tracks and a few other genres. James jamerson already plays the bass on then thirteen years old little stevie wonders very first number one hit record, the live fingertips pt2 which features a very simple am d progression when the band is playing between wonders solos. For those like myself who dont have the james jamerson.
James jamerson standing in the shadows of motown download. For once in my life stevie wonder 1968 jamerson analysed. Learning how to practice james jamersons bass exercise will help you to understand. How to sound like motowns james jamerson reverb news. Now jamerson s work has become widely appreciated thanks to allan slutskys groundbreaking book. Jun 24, 2019 james jamerson bass transcriptions pdf bass transcriptions and more by bassist dave fink transcriptions.
Jamerson played bass on all the classic motown hits of the 60s and 70s and had a very distinctive tone and playing style. The samples are in pdf format and require adobe acrobat reader to be installed. Whats going on bass lesson marvin gaye james jamerson. Martha reeves on her 1991 uk tour for which i played keyboards had james jamersons bass lines transcribed on many of her charts. Motown was notorious for reusing the same backing tracks for different artists, which means that the mix is often quite different.
Jamerson played some great lines on saxman walkers records and home cookin is just about the best. Licks and the allstar list of contributors show you how by sharing jamersons story and getting into the. From the funkiest bass grooves to the most lyrical bass solos, from the 50s up until 2020. This amongst other details was part of her meticulous drive to recreate the a motown sound as accurately as possible on live gigs. James jamerson from jazz bassist to popular music icon digital. Have you ever wondered what the best sight reading books for bass are, or how to practise sight reading.
Funk and reggae and rock basslines these bass transcriptions inculde. Here are bass lines for 14 beloved hits from marvin gaye, the supremes, the temptations, stevie wonder and many others. James jamerson bass transcriptions pdf bass transcriptions and more by bassist dave fink transcriptions. Biographical information and excerpted transcriptions of his bass lines will inform my analysis of. James jamerson standing in the shadows of motown pdf audio.
From the whats going on album, i think the first album where jamerson actually received a playing credit. Jones was a drummer with the funk brothers, the studio musicians at motown records who played on virtually every hit during that labels heyday in the. Jamerson while correcting errors, creating a selective, centralized and updated source list for the literature on jamerson while expanding the amount of musical analysis of his specific bass lines and, with the analysis, solidifying the direct connection between jamersons jazz experience and his eventual evolved music persona. Welcome to this collection of james jamerson transcriptions. What better place to start than one of my favourite jamerson lines, for once in my life. May 19, 2016 my transcription of james jamerson s bass line on stevie wonders for once in my life. James jamerson the dude that never changed his strings. In this lesson we are going to study a classic james jamerson bassline from whats going on by marvin gaye. Licks slutsky publisher hal leonard, not much has been written about the bassplaying wonder. James jamerson is a guy that has caused me to fall back in love with bass playin and completely change the way i think about bass lines. My transcription of james jamersons bass line on whats going on hi, im dave. So anyone thats listened to any classic motown hits by stars like stevie wonder, marvin gaye or the supremes will have wondered about the awesome bass playing and tone of james jamerson. If you planned to sweeten the tracks, you had to either do a different mix when you recorded the original tracks or make an 8 track to 8 track transfer and put the perc and tdanscriptions together etc. James jamerson tabs, chords, guitar, bass, ukulele chords, power tabs and guitar pro tabs including igors chromatic exercise.
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