Beginner theory G7/A and A7/C#

[Pete Thomas]

I have played it too many times, just as I noted in an earlier reply, none of the charts I have used for it has a slash chord instructing a 9 in those areas/bars....seems a bit of a strange thing to me to have bass play 9 in those spots. It doesn't sound great, really....kinda clunky.....

I agree. Having heard it many times, never heard a bass following the melody. Not that I'm too keen on always following rules, there's a reason why parallel octaves are frowned upon - notwithstanding allowances for a genre that does not have to follow classical harmony rules obviously.

If you were going to have the bass play the melody, an A bass on a G7 is not great IMO. A diminished or Dm7/A would be my choice.

 

[lydian]

I have played it too many times, just as I noted in an earlier reply, none of the charts I have used for it has a slash chord instructing a 9 in those areas/bars....seems a bit of a strange thing to me to have bass play 9 in those spots. It doesn't sound great, really....kinda clunky.....

I've played it with the ascending bass line for years. Sounds fine to me.

Here, Christian McBride plays it like that every time. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.

View: https://youtu.be/OXpmb3hwnD0

 

[skeller047]

I've played it with the ascending bass line for years. Sounds fine to me.

Here, Christian McBride plays it like that every time. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.

View: https://youtu.be/OXpmb3hwnD0

Oh walk that thing, master!

 

[turf3]

I do believe the question of whether it sounds good to play the melody notes on the bass, in the first, second, fifth and sixth bars of the bridge, has been CONCLUSIVELY ANSWERED.

 

[Pete Thomas]

I do believe the question of whether it sounds good to play the melody notes on the bass, in the first, second, fifth and sixth bars of the bridge, has been CONCLUSIVELY ANSWERED.

But was that question asked? The question here was about having 9th of a dominant chord in the bass. Whether it sounds good or whether the parallel octaves per se sound good is totally subjective. IMO it sounds OK to play the melody in the bass (but probably better not to) but I don’t think of it as good with the G7 chord sounding on top of the A.

 

[Colin the Bear]

But that's jazz for you. 😉

 

[JayeNM]

I've played it with the ascending bass line for years. Sounds fine to me.

Here, Christian McBride plays it like that every time. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me.

View: https://youtu.be/OXpmb3hwnD0

OK then, simply stating I never used a chart with that notation, sounds odd to me....

 

[JayeNM]

I don’t think of it as good with the G7 chord sounding on top of the A.

That's what sounds odd to me....

 

[lydian]

Guys (and gals), it's just a passing note, lasting literally milliseconds. It's not that strange. If Hal Leonard published it in The Real Dixieland Book, I assume an editor proofread it. It's also in the Firehouse Jazz Band Fakebook. 4 pages of comments over this minor detail is crazy (yes, I'm also guilty of fanning the flames). It exits, it's perfectly logical, more than one person on the planet chose to arrange it this way, it sounds fine. The OP's question was answered many posts ago.

 

[skeller047]

OP's question was answered many posts ago.

All the more reason to pile on!