YOUR QUESTION:

09/16/2019 2:52:44v Dr Rozza

Hey,
Haven't seen you play in the U.K since 2008 on the All Tomorrow's Party at Minehead with Fantomas and some other bands you were in. Just wondering if you had any tips on sight reading bass charts, outlining guitar chords and counter point melody, please?
Oh..are you coming to the UK any time soon?

MY ANSWER:

I played in London and Cheltanham just last year, I believe, with Dan Weiss’ Starebaby. Sorry to have missed you, but no immediate plans to return. Hopefully something will come up.
Tips for sight-reading: make sure your reading in general is up to par. Practice reading. If you have to sight-read something, first make an over-view: mark the repeats, understand the form, take a second to pick out the more difficult rhythms and use a pencil to mark downbeats, subdivisions, etc. For outlining chords learn your arpeggios (including alt chords or whatever weirdness you’re into) in all inversions. Also, practice creating linear, melodic walking bass lines over a tune with many chords (such as a jazz standard). The staples of counterpoint are parallel, oblique and contrary motion. If you want to get in to fugues and the like I’d check out books by Hindemith or Schoenberg, for example.