Uploaded March 2016 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
BECOME A PATRON: patreon.com/joshfossgreen
Thank you all for listening! This is another off-the-cuff solo bass improvisation, performed on my Peavey Cirrus with no effects.
I played this one in drop D tuning (DADG), which resulted in a couple moments of "let's see, where the heck is the note I'm looking for?", and also some interesting moments in the music that probably wouldn't have come up if I was in my comfort zone of standard tuning (you can hear one of these at 3:32).
I had fun starting the piece by staying pretty strictly in the D major scale. When I was younger and foolisher (not a word), I thought the major scale sounded "too square," but over time I've been able to appreciate it and use it more skillfully so I don't feel that way any more. I liked how I started with the major, ended up exploring some funky modulations (including some time in the relative B minor), and then recapitulated the starting melody.
Because of that recapitulation of the original theme, my mind went to "There And Back Again," which is the subtitle of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," so I couldn't resist the literary reference.
I love improvising freely like this because it's full of surprises for me as the player. I feel like I get to listen to the music as an audience member, as well as being the dude whose fingers are making the sounds come out. Thank you for being in the audience with me!
patreon.com/joshfossgreen
joshfossgreen.com/onlinebasslessons
BECOME A PATRON: patreon.com/joshfossgreen
Thank you all for listening! This is another off-the-cuff solo bass improvisation, performed on my Peavey Cirrus with no effects.
I played this one in drop D tuning (DADG), which resulted in a couple moments of "let's see, where the heck is the note I'm looking for?", and also some interesting moments in the music that probably wouldn't have come up if I was in my comfort zone of standard tuning (you can hear one of these at 3:32).
I had fun starting the piece by staying pretty strictly in the D major scale. When I was younger and foolisher (not a word), I thought the major scale sounded "too square," but over time I've been able to appreciate it and use it more skillfully so I don't feel that way any more. I liked how I started with the major, ended up exploring some funky modulations (including some time in the relative B minor), and then recapitulated the starting melody.
Because of that recapitulation of the original theme, my mind went to "There And Back Again," which is the subtitle of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit," so I couldn't resist the literary reference.
I love improvising freely like this because it's full of surprises for me as the player. I feel like I get to listen to the music as an audience member, as well as being the dude whose fingers are making the sounds come out. Thank you for being in the audience with me!
patreon.com/joshfossgreen
joshfossgreen.com/onlinebasslessons
