Why you need to learn these bass techniques now 

By Jon Liebman
August 22, 2024

There I was, a totally green twenty-something student, hired to play bass with a true jazz legend.

The gig was a 10-day cruise through the Caribbean over the Thanksgiving holiday. And it was with the iconic clarinetist Buddy DeFranco (Glenn Miller, Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie…). 

This was a big deal!

And I just happened to be the youngest, least experienced guy in the band.

We were each given a book with every tune meticulously notated. I was very focused, concentrating on doing my best. We had a rehearsal, played a few shows… Everything seemed to be going fine.

Then one night, out of nowhere, Buddy decided he wanted to play a tune that wasn’t in the book. And I didn’t really know it. To make matters worse, I was the only one who didn’t know it! This could have been an extremely humiliating experience. 

Watch the video below and see how I survived the situation by applying some basic music theory, along with a bass-playing technique that totally saved my ass! 

I strongly encourage you to learn this stuff. It might do the same for you.

If you’ve ever experienced anything like like this, leave a comment below and share your takeaways. I’d love to hear your story.

Let’s play bass!

Jon