Now, as a double bass player, I find this task to being difficult. If you were a virtuoso player, this may be laughable, but for me, it's quite frustrating and yet humbling at the same time. I would like to take this opprotunity to state that playing Charlie Parker's Bebop Jazz Heads is difficult. Now, I'm not talking about walking the changes, but the actually melody. This to me is hard. Listening to various other jazz players get through it as if they were just breathing makes me feel like my playing can be closest described as "death". Anyway, even listening to a double bass player get through Bach's Prelude flawlessly provides me with this wonderful feeling of "you suck." Anyway, I'm still ploughing through these little pieces/heads in the hopes of at least achieveing some level of mastery. Although sometimes disheartening to hear these jedi-like bass players, knowing that the potential of a double bass of doing what they do is pleasing.
Right now I'm enjoying (every blue moon so as not to dig a bigger self-depressing hole) Christian McBride/Roy Hargrove/Stephen Scott Trio's Parker's Mood. There's this one track where all three of them play the head together. To me, I really like their sound (no offence to any drummers out there). Anyway, when I got serious about playing double bass, I took it upon myself to learn "Scrapple of the Apple". Anyway, I tried playing it last night, and found to my delight that I can get through it pretty well. Like a lot of things that need some work, I have to watch my tone and pitch, as well as speed and dexterity.
Well, I'd love to learn more Parker heads, it'll just take some time and dedication.
