Tonight brings a test of my skills of playing by ear. My friend, John, has invited me to join a couple of other musicians and provide the bass line for a covers band at a party over in Sidcup. There hasn’t been an opportunity to rehearse beforehand, so I’m relying on being able to wing it between the few songs on the list that I know well (Alright Now, Day Tripper and one or two others) and the general predictability of most pop-rock standards (I, IV, V with a bit of ii and vi for good measure).

We’ll see how it goes. I’ve done plenty of jamming in other contexts, like folky open mics and contemporary church worship sessions, so I’m going to take the song sheets he has managed to put together for me and jump into it with both feet (and both ears wide open).

Tags: playing by ear, bass, music