Bond's Jam

Hello All,

If you're looking for a master of the classic Stick technique—bass/chord in the left hand, melody in the right hand—then you need look no further than Ron Baggerman. In this month's lesson, Ron expands on this theme, giving a repeating left hand progression and a right hand melody that evolves with each passing. As always, my advice is 'do like Ron.' Start out simply, make sure the left hand is solid, get the melody under your fingers, then keep expanding and letting the melody evolve.

When I'm teaching, beginning students often ask, "How can I split me head and think about the melody line and the bass line separately?" My answer is, you can't. For me, the trick is to be aware of how the two hands work together to create one complete musical statement. I remember the moment when things locked into place and I stopped fighting with my Stick. Instead of trying to make it two separate instruments I let it become one big music-making tool. If you're struggling with playing the two parts at the same time, you might want to slow down, and try to get a sense of what it feels like in both hands to be playing the part. Treat it like one musical statement voiced with both hands, not two independent events.

Good luck,
Jim

MuckandBrassStandardNotation.pdf
MuckandBrassTab.pdf
MuckandBrassBASSONLY.mp3
MuckandBrassMelodyandBass.mp3