Dave Holland – Bass

This trio recorded four albums, all on the ECM label. The first two came out in the mid-1970s whilst the second pair came out in 1995. The concept with the second two albums was that one of them was written compositions (Homecoming) whilst the other was more improvisation led (In The Moment). This transcription is from the more structured recording and features a Dave Holland tune called ‘How’s Never’. It is a riff based tune with a 16-bar bridge. There is a lot of repetition in the riff based part but, as is often the case with Holland’s playing, the riff’s never stay still for very long. There is a lot of subtle variation across the piece which makes it necessary to concentrate. It is also important to note the repeat bars as they are crucial if you are to stay on course. It is also important to note that Holland bends a lot of the notes in the riff to create a bluesy tension. Have a listen and see if you can incorporate the nuances when you are reading the dots.

For those of you who notice these things, I am trying to work on my layouts and trying to keep it so there are four bars on each line, making it easier to read. The difficulty is, however, I cannot get Sibelius to space things evenly which, I think, makes the score look even more untidy that it does with odd numbers of bars. I am working on my Sibelius chops so forgive me if it irritates you as much as it does me.