I want to explore a more rythmic style of bass playing.

My playing at the moment is coming on well i've been hammering down on theory and i can see results which is grand, but i want to add some rhythm based exercises to my practice and playing.

I've done a quick search and sorry if this has already been posted (feel free to direct out of your sight and else where)
but if not i would love some advice, techniques, fun stuff, links etc that have worked or are working for you.

Thanks very much

t'paul

I just got a metronome after playing for about 6 years. You can play with a drum machine or a drummer and think your timing is decent, 'cause the beat will pull you along, but playing with just a click is much more difficult. I really wish I woulda bought one of these things sooner.

Pick up a decent DRUM book...maybe one that has some transcribed 2-4 bar grooves(guys like Clyde Stubblefield, Bernard Purdie, Mike Clarke; bands like The Meters, Ohio Players, AWB, Sly & the Family Stone, etc).

Now, what to do?
Learn the kick pattern & play some notes to it. See if you can really lock it down tight...don't deviate just yet.

Next, try learning the snare drum part. Do not play the Kick patter, now it's just the snare...this should put you in the backbeat, play notes of your choosing.

Now, back to the Kick pattern. Try displacing certain notes...
Example: Kick drum plays-
l1---(2)--a(3)e--(4)-&-l

Displacement-
l(1)-&-(2)--a(3)-&-(4)e--l

Beat 1 from Example A is now displaced 'forward' by an 8th note(moved from "1" to the "& of 1")
"e of 3" from Example A is now displaced 'forward' by an 16th note(moved to the "& of 3").
"& of 4" from Example A is now displaced 'back' by a 16th note(moved to the "e of 4").

Another rhythmic thing is to learn the Clave...be able to tap out the Pulse with one hand(Beats 1 & 3) while tapping out the Clave with the other.
Eventually, learn to add/drop beats from that to get into an Odd-phrasing kinda thing.

Just food for thought.

Jim,

Your reply made me wonder...

Are there any drum books with accompanying CDs that have good (ie varied and interesting) looped drum parts that one could play along with? I'm tired of the preprogrammed ones in my Zoom Micro-trak, and I'm too stupid (lazy?) to learn how to program new ones.

Thanks for any help.

+1 drum book.

Rhythm Section Drumming - Frank Coriola is a great book.

It is a drum book but they have specifically geared it towards playing and so they include bass lines for the exercises and patterns, and they have the full band backing on CD. There is a second CD coming out minus bass part, so that the bass player can use it too.

Huge range of styles from straight 8ths to funk to Afro cuban. I'm having a ball using it and it's given me a ton of patterns to program into the drum machine too!

Thanks, Daffy! That book sounds exactly like what I'm looking for.

Cheers.

Thanks, Daff...sounds like a decent book.

Riddimking-
The books I have may have a cd; generally, I program the beats into my drum machine...this allows me to speed up/slow down/swing them/displace notes/omit notes, etc as I want.

The one cd I did use a lot was the Drum cd that accompanied the Goines/Ammeen book, Funkifying The Clave For Bass & Drums. Great book & info!

loads to get my head round but i'm looking forward to the challenge.
I dont suppose anybody has a copy of any of the mentioned books for sale do they? If not i'll scout around

Thanks very much for the tips and for alerting me to the meters, i'm loving that.

thanks again paul