Added a bassline; critique please

[EricssonB]

A few months ago I took up a songwriter up on a Craigslist ad asking for a bassist for some chill tunes. Long story short, I got a CD and told him that I'd put some basslines down for him and we'll probably end up playing a coffee shop somewhere around town.

01 Outside You

It's a style that I've never really played before, so I tried not to play over-the-top as I might normally.

Let me know what I should/could fix before I send it over to him.

[MakiSupaStar]

I like the song. Kind of dylanesque. Did the bass player ask that you lay down the bass for him, or did you take it upon yourself? Personally, I'd prefer to lay my own bassline on it and go from there. You might get more buy in. Now let me add I only heard this on my iPhone so it's hard for me to really gage the bassline. This is why I'm reserving comment on the bassline itself. Cool song though.

[EricssonB]

Oh yeah, it's my bassline. His CD is all bassless, so I've learned them by ear and started recording some.

[scottfeldstein]

I really dig your bass tone, let me say that right off the bat.

Generally, I'm into what you're doing on that recording. I think I'd have played it largely the same way. I might have ventured on some higher register riffs here and there, but generally the same thing.

Watch your rhythm. Can't put my finger on it, but occasionally something didn't seem spot-on to me. Do you hear that, too? Maybe that feeling would disappear with the addition of a drum kit, not sure.

[EricssonB]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

I really dig your bass tone, let me say that right off the bat.

Generally, I'm into what you're doing on that recording. I think I'd have played it largely the same way. I might have ventured on some higher register riffs here and there, but generally the same thing.

Watch your rhythm. Can't put my finger on it, but occasionally something didn't seem spot-on to me. Do you hear that, too? Maybe that feeling would disappear with the addition of a drum kit, not sure.

Thanks. Part of the initial conversation was that he wanted a dirty bass tone underneath it all: "That's what I have!" My final take will actually use my amp's DI, rather than my Muffpi direct to the mixer's preamp.

And yeah, I know what you mean about it being a bit off. My recording sessions go like this:
- I start off relaxed and do a few rehearsal takes
- Every time I mess up, I get more tense and end up messing up even more.
- I give up after an hour and nail it the first try on the next day. Too bad I have to work tomorrow.

[scottfeldstein]

Well, you're hearing what I'm hearing, so I guess I've added exactly nothing.

Shame you can't use that pedal in the final recording. This is one of the reasons why I got a SansAmp bass driver DI--so I can go direct and still get some phat tone.

[EricssonB]

Pedal > Amp > XLR-out to mixer. Works great.

All I've got to do is haul the thing upstairs from the garage and plug it in. Just works better when it's not midnight and the wife is out of the house.

[cracked_machine]

Heeeaauuurrreeertrruuuurrrrrrtt!!!

Oh lord this guy is awful! Run! Run far away from this guy!

[EricssonB]

Oh cool, thanks for the input, crackead. I really appreciate that.

@Scott and others -- anything wrong with the notes that I'm hitting or the style that I play them in?

[scottfeldstein]

I'm diggin' the style. It's just where I'd go with it.

In my mind I was doing some of your noodlier passages in a higher octave, but I don't know. That's just a matter of taste maybe. And if it was your intention (or his request) that you show some restraint, maybe that's a good move on your part.

Like I said, earlier: nail that rhythm and you're gold. Either make up a drum beat in your head and play with it...or try to mirror what he's doing guitar-wise...something. Just make sure it's not in-between. You don't want tentative notes in there where you're trying to "catch up" with the 1, etc. If that makes even the slightest bit of sense to anyone but myself.