Well that was traumatic

[ilan]

I went to rehearsal last night. First rehearsal with a big band playing mostly swing-era tunes. I saw this as an opportunity that does not come very often. Playing upright in a big band playing Benny Goodman tunes and such, that was a dream for me.

But it all went so wrong. These guys all sight-read like crazy. My sight reading is crappy. I played maybe 5% of the written notes. It was war for me. And key changes all the time... wait... 6 flats is what? Gb? No time to think! And all the others just play through it effortlessly. I was so frustrated.

When it ended I talked with the bandleader. I asked him to scan and email me the sheet music a couple of days in advance, so that I can go through it at my pace.

I don't want to give up. I have to get better fast with my reading.

[drbassman]

Yikes, good luck!  One of my goals is to relearn sight reading once I retire.  It takes a lot of repetition!

[jumbodbassman]

Takes lots of repetition and practice.   Certainly a lost art on most of us.     not sure i would have to patience or energy  to get back to just being ok with site reading  which i was just ok at back 30+ years ago..
Nowadays not enough gigs to make it worth my while...
     

[Highlander]

The band I'm working with are all sight-readers - even the drummer...

[4stringer77]

Fortunately as the bass player in a big band, you shouldn't have to worry about reading too much. Most of the time if you can walk the changes, you'll be good to go. At least it's a swing band and you don't have to play up tempo versions of Giant Steps or Moments Notice. Try to make lead sheets of the charts with the changes in roman numerals if you don't already have them. That should help you get by on most of the playing other than the crucial melodic or rhythmic hits which should be sparse. Have fun, enjoy the feeling of being the rhythmic engine behind all that brass.

[patman]

I know the feeling...I was a Jazz and big-band major in college for a while...while I played rock n roll at night for a living. I played upright, also...

You just have to muddle through til you can take it home and shed...I never sight-read well, either.

[Hörnisse]

I had a similar experience back in College.  I'd only been playing for 2 years but thought I was pretty good.  My music professor asked if I could sit in with him in his Dixieland Jazz Band.  I figured what the heck.  Once we started playing I remember turning the volume down on my Precision Bass very slowly until I was barely audible.  He'd call out, B Flat!, and they'd be off and running.  Was a real eye opener for me.  I improved quite a bit with my sight reading after that event but after quitting the business for a 12 year period I'd gone back to learning by ear again.  Playing in cover bands the last 16 years made me lazy!

[Pilgrim]

When I was at my best sight reading - high school - I could keep up with big band music enough that I got to play in a band which was mainly the music teachers from my school district.  I don't know whether that was desperation or because I was competent.  At any rate, I'm not up to that standard of sight reading, which was based on six continuous years of playing classical music.  Big band isn't bad by comparison.

[Highlander]

I used to have to stand on a stool to reach the neck properly, so forget all those dots on that bit of paper down there...

[ilan]

And since when is Gb even a legal key to play in. I don't know of any rock song in Gb. And why don't they call it F#.

[Spiritbass]

Good for you! Sight-reading has to be good exercise for your brain. I haven't read music since playing baritone horn with the USCG band in the 70's...

[4stringer77]

And since when is Gb even a legal key to play in. I don't know of any rock song in Gb. And why don't they call it F#.

Because the alto sax is an E flat transposing instrument and the Tenor sax is B flat, so Jazz tends to be in flat keys. It could have been E flat minor instead of G flat major.

[ilan]

Got the sheet music and I have until Sunday to go through it. It's doable. First is a Glenn Miller medley. I don't think I have ever played anything in Db before... The drummer has arranged for me a crash course in sight reading. And next rehearsal I'll sit next to a tuba player, to share the bass duties. So all is not lost.

[Highlander]

How about the flat/sharp argument...?

Cb/B# etc...? which is right and which is wrong...?