Inner Urge is a tricky melody on upright. Some of it sits up high, the bridge goes up into thumb position, and there are arpeggio sweeps at the end of the bridge. Try that bridge down low and you’ll be shifting and stretching. Here’s how I play the melody, and the spots that are easier than they look.
Quick answer
Start your right hand on the second finger, bar the second finger of your left hand to play the F-sharp to the B, and use the open G as a free space to get up the neck. On the bridge, move up into thumb position, pivot the thumb to the B-flat and hit the E-flat with the third finger. Down low you’d have to shift and stretch.
It’s Joe Henderson’s tune, the title track of his Blue Note album Inner Urge, with McCoy Tyner on piano, Bob Cranshaw on bass and Elvin Jones on drums. It’s one of the best tunes in modern jazz. Dave Holland, the great Dave Holland, once told me this was the first time he ever saw a major 7 sharp 11 chord, and this was really the first time that chord was introduced to modern jazz through a tune.
Before the bridge: second finger, half position, open G
I want to get to all the fingerings, but on this tune the right hand is very important. Start on your second finger. A lot of people start on the first finger and then wonder why they can’t play fast. If you start on the first finger, the second finger has to come all the way around, and that’s very awkward. Start on the second finger and it’s very easy. It’s the same thing I do on Teen Town, where I start all of my lines on the second finger.
In the left hand, the first thing I do is bar my second finger, so I can just play the F-sharp to the B.
Next there’s a spot you can play in half position. I know I talk about playing all over the bass and doing all kinds of different stuff with fingerings, but here it’s actually more efficient to stay put. So I play it right there.
Then the open strings save you. I use the open G, and then the open G again, as a free space to get up the neck. Practice that motion. It’s literally like picking up a pencil and putting it down. It’s that simple.
Then I get up the neck, play the F with my second finger, and those high notes are right there. That phrase looks and sounds difficult, but it’s actually very easy.
You don’t need a lot of chops or technique or fancy stuff to be able to play that.
Cole Davis
How do you play the Inner Urge bridge on upright bass?
On the bridge I move my hand so the thumb can play the B-flat. We’re on G, we play the C, and then I’ve got all this real estate between my thumb and my third finger. I use that free space to pivot and play the B-flat, and hopefully play it in tune, which I didn’t do the first time through in the lesson. Then I hit the E-flat with the third finger. After that, I bring my third finger over. Again, that’s pivoting.
We think of thumb position as the tough part. On this bridge it isn’t. Down low you’d have to shift and stretch, and up here you’re making little pivots to get around. That’s the freedom thumb position gives you. In Understanding Thumb Position, we play the whole E whole tone scale without shifting, using the same kind of little pivots.
The sweeps are easier than you might think, too. Starting from the C major 7, the first one is just a C major 7 arpeggio, and another arpeggio follows it.
Practice these moves first
- Right hand. Start the line on your second finger, not your first.
- The open G. Use it as a free space to get up the neck. Pick up the pencil, put it down.
- The thumb pivot. From the C, pivot to the B-flat, then land the E-flat with your third finger. That’s a good pivot to practice. Check that the B-flat is in tune.
- The whole melody. Once those feel easy, play it all the way through without the track. That’s how I finish the lesson.
What’s in the transcription
The full transcription is the Inner Urge melody written out as a PDF with my fingerings, plus the video lesson, about nine and a half minutes, where I play through each of these spots. If thumb position itself still feels shaky, start with my three thumb position tricks.
Start with the open G tonight, then take the bridge one pivot at a time.
Go deeper
Joe Henderson: Inner Urge
The melody to Inner Urge on upright, bridge and all. The bridge goes up into thumb position, and it’s easier up there than it is down low.
FAQ
Who played bass on Joe Henderson’s Inner Urge?
Bob Cranshaw, with McCoy Tyner on piano and Elvin Jones on drums, on Henderson’s Blue Note album Inner Urge. Henderson plays the melody on tenor saxophone. My lesson is that melody, played on upright.
What chord is Inner Urge known for?
The major 7 sharp 11. Dave Holland, the great Dave Holland, once told me Inner Urge was the first time he ever saw a major 7 sharp 11 chord, and this was really the first time that chord was introduced to modern jazz through a tune.
Is Inner Urge difficult to play on upright bass?
Some of it looks difficult and sounds difficult, but it’s actually very easy. For the phrase that goes up to the high notes, you don’t need a lot of chops or technique or fancy stuff. The open G works like a free space to get up the neck, and the sweeps on the bridge are easier than you might think.
Which right-hand finger should I start a fast line with on upright?
Your second finger. A lot of people start on the first finger and then wonder why they can’t play fast. If you start on the first finger, the second finger has to come all the way around, and that’s very awkward. Starting on the second finger, it’s very easy.
Can you play part of Inner Urge in half position?
Yes, in one spot. I talk about playing all over the bass and doing all kinds of different stuff with fingerings, but there it’s actually more efficient to play it in half position, so I play it right there.
