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Compositions for Bass
by Tyrone Brown

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Yo kiddies, I'm back!! I know, I know----it's been a while. My absence brings to mind one of my favorite quotes, "Life is what happens while you're making plans." John Lennon. In my last two columns, we discussed jazz harmony analysis and the interesting bass trick called, "The Move".

(refresh yo'self here: http://www.basssessions.com/apr06/jazz.html and http://www.basssessions.com/aug06/jazz.html )

Now, the last 20 measures of, "It Could Happen To You". Measure 21 and 22 implies the vi-7 and the V7 of the IV chord, the relative minor of the tonic, Ebmaj7. The keyboard voice suggests C-7 and a C-maj7. This is strictly left up to the cat bangin' the boards. It doesn't have to happen. It could simply be played as ii-7/V7 of IV. However, boppers like to ii-V everything and this is probably why this chart is written as such. (Remember, fake books are exactly that, a fake and at times largely incorrect.) These two measures could be simply played, ii-7-V7 by the dog house kicker and er'thang be cool. The next two measures are simply, the ii-7-V7 of the I chord.

The next three measures are "The Move". The I chord for two measures to the ii-7. The next measure is more deceptive resolution. You could play the same ii-7-V7 of vi as previously stated. That again depends on the 'board player. Just listen.

At bar 29 (9 as depicted here), we have again, "The Long Move". See grasshopper. It's four bars of the "Long Move" followed by the ii-7 chord. The next measure again has the b7dom chord which I have no trick for you other than to remember that this change exists. The next measures contain the "short move" which takes us out to the turn around. Here again, in the first two measures of the last 4 bars you could simply play a ii-7-V7 leading to the turn around and still sound hip.

In summary, "It Could Happen To You" could be thought of in this fashion: "The Move", to one bar of deceptive "Back Side ii-7-V7" resolution, to "The Long Move" to a b7dom, to a I chord, to a ii-V of vi-7, to a ii-7-V7 of V7, to a ii-7-V7 and then another "Move", one more bar of deceptive resolution to another "Long Move" to a b7dom, to another "move", which then can be thought of as a ii-7-V7 @ the ii-7 chord and then we have the turnaround.

I know this summary sounds incredibly confusing but if you learn "The Move" and "The Long Move" and apply the concept as stated, memorizing tunes will become much easier.

Peecnlub, k-dub

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About the Author:

k-dub, keeper o da funk is an electric/upright bassist living in hot 'lanta and can be reached via email at k-dub@funknotes.com

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