I had the honor and privilege to study with the AMAZING musician Billy Bauer. He tells a story of when at a performance, Miles Davis asked another horn player to sing his part. The horn player hesitated and Miles exclaimed, “If you can’t sing your part, you can’t play it!!! Now, I am not expecting every musician to be a vocalist. Believe me, my sight singing teacher in college was a VERY patient man…lol. But I have to say that the more I progress as a player, teacher and

Even beginners can't escape the whiteboard..lol ‪#‎bass‬ ‪#‎basslessons‬ ‪#‎skypelessons‬ ‪#‎whiteboard‬ #www.charleysabatino.com ‪#‎workingonyourcraft‬ ‪#‎beyourownbassgod‬ ‪#‎stopworshippingandstartcreating #whiteboard #lessons #woodshed #theory #beginners

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The concept of intonation goes way beyond playing a note of the correct pitch. It encompasses other aspects that can greatly affect it. Intonation consists of 3 equal parts: Tune, Tone and Time. These three parts must all be present and balanced for true intonation to occur. If the note is out of tune, not fully sounded or not played in correct time, it will not sound "right". So you may ask, “How do I work on this?” The first thing to do is work on each part separate

I hear this all the time...theory is he basis of creativity..it is the framework..your starting point....it gives you the tools to create...the ability to channel your creativity..it keeps you from playing the same stuff or relying on licks and patterns. Especially when coupled with ear training. I can tell right away someone who is creative and knows what they are doing and someone who is just faking it. I have taught MANY players that had this opinion and, when they began

I have said many times, basslines don't just happen...they are built. They are the product of music fundamentals, playing experience and musical insight. Therefore, bassline construction consists of a process. One that looks at the line from the bottom up and takes into consideration your inspiration and the line’s effect on what the rest of the band plays Every bassline consists of harmonic, melodic, rhythmic and dynamic components. All of these need to be thought out an

Second only to soloing (improvisation), no subject is more feared or misunderstood by students than walking lines. It seems that they feel it is an advanced skill that they are either not ready for or is not applicable to them because it is just for playing jazz. While it is MOST prevalent in jazz, it is also present in other styles and proficiency in walking lines will aid in all aspects of playing. Ok, you may ask...how? Well, walking lines require the ability to "think ah

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One of my Facebook Friends requested a mini lesson on Upright Bass Posture...it ust so happens I did a video about that...here it is... Lots of luck!!! Message me with questions.... #uprightbass #posture #woodshed #practice #minilesson

The blues scale is an interesting phenomenon in use and theory. It is the basis for so much music and is used by countless musicians. However, despite its wide use, many don't know it's origin, it's real application and why it sounds so great. The blues scale is one of those things that was played first and then written down and analyzed later; much like folk music from many cultures. The best explanation of the evolution of the blues scale comes from “The History of Jazz”

Yeah, I know. ...you learned about these in middle school. You had to memorize the sharps and flats for the test and immediately forgot them. I don't blame you. Many times key signatures are taught without any background information or application and players tend to ignore them. Here I will explain where they came from and why we as players need to know then. Ok, we are monks around the 11th century. When we chant in the "mode" that starts from C to C, the melody ends convin

I want to address a problem I hear frequently from players and students. They tell me they play "the same old things" and are in a rut. This is something I also struggle with...every player does. I call them "isms"....Charley-isms...Joe-isms...Mary-isms...etc. They are the comfortable riffs or musical pathways that we go to again and again in our playing. While these "isms" work musically, they are inherently not musical as they become "cookie cutter" inserts to musical si

Pentatonics are among the most widely used scales. They are present in many genres of music and are very powerful. So why? First, let's step back a bit. Let us look at arpeggios. Arpeggios are the notes of a chord played one at a time. See my previous blog post onArpeggios for more info. Playing these over chords gives complete tonal backing of the harmony. However, there comes a time or a place when one wants to go beyond chord tones. Anything beyond a chord tone can b

A lot of players don't realize HOW you practice is as important as WHAT you practice. Your practice schedule should be as thought out as the material you are trying master. The key is PLANNING. You need to plan your practice time to maximize its benefit. At first, it will be just session to session. .it will eventually expand as you feel more comfortable. This will help you to set broader goals and progress more quickly. So, how do you do this. First, write down the area

So many players I meet in person and on social media drool over "celebrity" players and bass gods. It is OK, IMHO, to REALLY like a player and to be inspired by him/her. The issue becomes when you base all your effort on playing like them. We don't need Jaco/Wooten/Burton/Miller/Jamerson/Graham/etc. clones...they exist and we are grateful. What we need are players that take from them and make something new and individual. All of these players, and others, are AMAZING tal

Arpeggios are so important to the musician. However, many players consider them the "starting point" of playing. I disagree. The role and importance of arpeggios is seen throughout a players development and their use and relevance is quite far reaching. I practice arpeggios EVERY day and use them in my lesson plans to players of ALL levels. Let's start with a definition....an arpeggio is the notes of a chord played one at a time...EVERY chord, simple or complex, has an ar

I had the priviledge to study with Billy Bauer..he was an AMAZING teacher and musician. One of his pet peeves was that string players relied too much on finger patterns. He was a big proponent of learning the notes...ALL the notes. I totally agree...playing music with finger patterns is like visiting another country with a phrase book...you are only going to get so far... So learn the notes!!!! Learn them as they are, not as part of some pattern.....take one note per day..

A popular quote by Charlie Parker is (paraphrased), "You gotta learn all the scales and then forget them..." It is such a true statement.....the object is to learn all the fundamentals...all the theory...all the technique and then get to the point where is tis second nature so you can react to the playing situation at hand CREATIVELY, INTELLIGENTLY and truly expressing YOURSELF... It was very evident yesterday at a rehearsal.....the tunes were challenging, both in form, harmo

I regularly tell atendees to my clinics to stop listening to bass players....lol While I don't mean to COMPLETELY stop, you should listen to other players..if not, you have nothing new to inspire your playing. Ella Fitzgerald was one of those players that helped me...specifically, this tune "How High the Moon" The story goes she was at a gig and someone requested this song...the band knew it, but she did not know the words, so she improvised...the vocal solo she did was ICON

Hitting the electric HARD today...lots of rudiments and Slow Methodic Practice.... #woodshed #electric