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The temperature outside of Chiba was so high that I did not go on a long-distance bicycle trip anywhere, even on my days off, except for moderate sunbathing. Instead, I discovered many new things about music. Specifically, I practiced chord progressions in a more detailed manner, became more aware of right-hand articulation and rhythm, and copied and analyzed the new Brecker solo Nothing Personal Live. About rhythm, I found that I needed to be more aware of it, having watched two Brecker interviews this month. One of the videos is from 1984 when he was 32 and the other is from 1994 when he was 49.
Both explained the importance of a sense of time. He was also a great drummer and in both interviews, he played drums on jazz standards. It was a haunting performance. In the videos of his younger days, he looked shy before and after playing the drums and seemed apologetic about his skills, but at 49, he seemed confident. Brecker left a strong impression on me when he indicated that rhythm is more important than notes in those interviews. I liked his choice of colorful tone rather than rhythm but perhaps because of his extraordinary sense of rhythm is what made those tones more colorful. That’s how important rhythm was to Brecker, and he said he was always aware of it.
He said that in high school, after basketball practice, he would go home and drink milk and eat cookies while copying Elvin Jones’s solos on the drums. I need to be more aware of rhythm too. Need to increase rhythmic language.
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My goal this month was to improve my right and left-hand coordination. I wanted to master the three fingers by now. Thanks to a basic mechanical practice routine, my brain has learned it much better. The speed of plucking the strings in my right hand has also increased slightly. I was surprised because I didn’t think it would go any faster. It might be because I changed the strings of my double bass to Helicore light gauge.
Helicore reminded me that at the end of last month, I had my double bass repaired and the strings replaced at Brassland, a double bass specialty store near Kameari, Tokyo. It was wonderful to feel the improved playability of the new strings and the fingerboard and neck. On the other hand, my string height setup was too low and the G and D strings sounded more stuck the closer I got to the low position.
I had the string height set at 4.5mm, 5.1mm, 7.1mm, and 6mm starting from the G string before the repair, and he had it set at 2, 3, 4, and 5mm. However, considering the buzzing noise from the fingerboard, at least the G and D strings had to be raised, and the E string is now higher than before at 3.7mm, 5mm, 6.4mm, and 7.5mm, but it is still easy to play due to the loose tension of the light gauge.
Influenced by Yuri Goloubev, I believe that the G string should be kept under 4mm. He said 2-3,3-4,4-5,5-6mm from G string to E string. If I set the G string to 2mm on my current double bass, the string would hit the fingerboard and it won’t work. I am also concerned that if I raise the G string higher than 3.7mm, it will affect the playability. Therefore, I do not like the sound of the current double bass very much. However, I believe that raising the string height a little will improve the sound. I may sell this double bass next month as I am buying a Yamaha silent bass.
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Silent bass has a very organic sound. Since a few months ago, I visited Tokyo occasionally and tried it at Kurosawa Violin near Shin-Okubo station or Yamaha in Ginza whenever I had a chance. Every time I try it, I am amazed at the tone. I feel that the playability is just like a contrabass itself. However, when I looked at the fingerboard, I felt uncomfortable at first because I could see my feet since there was nobody.
I am not 100 percent certain but the string was a Helicore hybrid, and I am wondering what sound would be if I put a Tomastic Spirocore Weich on it. I currently have Tomastic Infeld flat strings on my bass guitar, and I like the dark yet clear tone. I also like the sound of the Spirocore Weich because of the clarity of the sound.
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For some reason, I was more aware of myself this month. As a result, there were many sudden inspirations. It is difficult to explain these in writing. However, each time I have an awareness, I need to update my software. In the process, mental stress, anxiety, and feelings of joy are mixed as I continue to focus on my subconscious, which I had not been aware of before. There was also a big realization of the technical aspect of playing double bass. After analyzing virtuoso Yuri’s performance, I realized that articulation and the left hand need more practice. In particular, I noticed that a lot of expressions can be achieved with the left-hand ring finger. This topic will be a subject of my focus next month.
Most of the music I was listening to this month was Brecker and Coltrane. However, the rhythmic patterns of Joe Henderson’s arpeggios resonated with me. I was also inspired by Monk’s use of rhythm patterns and dissonance.