PHOTO: DAVE PELESCHAK
BASS
Jason Raso is a professional bassist from Guelph, ON. His latest album, Man of 40 Faces, is available at www.jasonrasomusic.com. “Yesterday” is
available on Jason’s EP Standing Solo: The Beatles for Electric Bass. Proceeds from the EP will help fund the ultimate goal of recording a full-length
album at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London. Jason proudly endorses Fodera basses, Gallien-Krueger amplifiers, and D’Addario strings.
www.jasonrasomusic.com.
By Jason Raso
Arranging for Solo Bass
M
y introduction to the
world of solo bass
came early on in my
development. Many
of the bassists I was listening to
performed unaccompanied pieces
and I loved hearing players like Mi-
chael Manring, Stuart Hamm, Victor
Wooten, and Stanley Clarke in a solo
setting. Listening to them in such
an intimate way opened my ears to
just how beautiful the electric bass
could be. I began writing my own
solo pieces and exploring some of
my favourite songs.
Arranging a composition for solo
bass is a fun challenge. Let’s take a
look at my arrangement of “Yester-
day” by The Beatles.
The first thing I did was to learn
the melody by ear in the original key
of F. I then transposed the melody to
the key of C. My goal was to keep
the arrangement comfortably in
the range of any four-string electric
bass. Next, I added chords and incor-
porated some of the string quartet
lines from the original recording. I
felt it was important to keep this ar-
rangement simple and focus on the
beauty of the melody.
Once the arrangement was com-
pleted and transcribed, I rehearsed it
until it felt natural under my fingers.
The rehearsal process also allowed
me to develop my articulation for
the piece. Adding some slides, ham-
mers, ghost notes, and vibrato really
brought the arrangement to life. At
that point, it was ready to perform.
Give “Yesterday” a try today, and
try arranging one of your favourite
songs tomorrow!
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