just got an e-mail from the bassist with whom i recently had a cool jam session.

she said she enjoyed our first get-together, but for the next one wants to focus more on tunes. in other words, play cover tunes minus the other instruments.

i'm having a bit of a prob with this, namely coz... there won't be any other players playing the melodies. also, it seems to run counter to my expectation for getting together with a bassist in the first place. i was hoping it would be an opportunity to try and work off one another in more of a groove setting. you know... she plays something, i chime in, or vice-versa.

i don't have a huge repertoire of other tunes in my head, but beyond that, i'm feeling like just having half of the puzzle playing tunes would be boring and not really helpful. i know she wants to know certain tunes, but it seems that's something you practice on your own time.

years ago, i jammed with a bassist and we just... jammed. i started off with a groove, he chimed in, i did some fills, he responded, etc. we had a nice time.

am i missing the point? it feels weird playing tunes when there's no one singing, playing guitar, etc.

yah, and that's something i'm starting to do more of...just on my own time.

i guess my hope was to take the combination of our knowledge and have an interplay between us, even if it was a bit limited.

we did play some police tunes the last time, and it was okay, but felt a little dull. just not something i'd want to do for 2 hours with no other instruments.