Solo Bass Arrangement: "Amazing Grace"

The most famous version of the timeless hymn “Amazing Grace” arranged for solo bass is the one recorded by Victor Wooten on Bela Fleck and the Flecktoness, “Live Art”. Victor’s version is funky and laden with harmonics as the main melodic technique. This version, arranged by Michael Dimin, is quite a bit different. Michael Dimin’s version is slower and played with a rubato feel. Although not as funky as Victor Wooten’s version it is much more harmonically rich. This arrangement was written specifically for student, David Sinclair, to play in church. It is in the key of G and arranged for a 5 or 6 string bass in standard tuning (the TAB is written for 5 string bass). Fingerstyle technique is used throughout. A beautiful ending utilizing harmonics is a tribute to Victor Wooten’s version as well as to Jaco Pastorius who revolutionized the use of harmonics on bass. The level of difficulty, on a scale of 1 - 10 is a 3. Since it is written to play rubato (rhythmic freedom). A solo bass recording, dedicated to the memory of bass player, Mike Casale can be found here: https://youtu.be/SG7MAX70j-E

These Solo Bass arrangements are written specifically for the bass. Taking into account all the possibilities as well as the limitations of the instrument. Arrangements are played one octave higher than written. Michael Dimin is the author of The Chordal Approach as well as The Art of Solo Bass and was a solo bass lesson columnist for Bass Frontiers, Bassics, Bass Player Magazine and Bass Guitar Magazines. Mike was an original Ask The Pro at Talkbass.com and a teacher at Gerald Veasly’s Bass Boot Camp, The National Summer Guitar Workshop, The Collective and more. Michael Dimin’s new video series based on his revolutionary book, The CORE Method is changing, forever, the way bass is taught.