Inappropriate Basslines?

[Muusers]

So do you know of any songs with bass lines that are just way too much or far too little for the overall feel of the song. In other words, are there songs which get ruined by the bass?

[baalroo]

3/4 of Marcus Miller tunes

[StyleOverShow]

Originally Posted by baalroo

3/4 of Marcus Miller tunes

That will draw some fire!

It's a matter of taste. Some current styles have the bass and the guitarist playing essentially the same lines, and yet others use the bass so simplistically that it is little more than a downbeat/tonic marker.

I caught a band at a holiday event over the weekend and the bass player was way too busy, all over the fretboard, competing with the guitarist and KB for solos and fills. By the third set he was steaming mad and playing in the background, and I suspect someone in the band had a little talk with him.

[baalroo]

Yeah I was sort of kidding, my point being that it's all subjective. To my ear a lot of lines that use any slap or pop technique sound out of place. Even worse for me is Victor Wooten, that guys sounds ridiculous to my ear.

[Dave Muscato]

Norah Jones & her usual bassist with her usual band are great, but when you add Jeff Berlin on top of it...

[funkymonk77]

Originally Posted by baalroo

3/4 of Marcus Miller tunes

I love marcus, but i laughed anyway.

bass ruining tunes...hell if i know, i wouldnt listen to it if it did

[MakiSupaStar]

Pretty much all of U2 and Van Halen's songs have inappropriate basslines.

[Dave Muscato]

Really? I think U2's basslines are great, definitive even.

[dmusic148]

Originally Posted by baalroo

Even worse for me is Victor Wooten, that guys sounds ridiculous to my ear.

Oh



Dear

[bigblondeafro87]

By playing music, you attempt to serve the song, not yourself.

I don't care how talented a bass player (or guitarist or drummer) is, every song is NOT a bass solo.

Busy basslines are generally not great for live dancing audiences, the general population of the dance floor is not that great at keeping a beat.

Someone once said that if you are always talking, you are never listening.

As for specific examples, I think Jaco, Wooten, Clarke, Phil Lesh, and maybe every other bass player has done SOME overplaying during their career. One challenge to truly mastering the bass is finding a balance between over simplification and over complication.

Underplaying also happens, overly simple basslines can destroy a song's dynamics if used incorrectly

[MakiSupaStar]

Originally Posted by Dave Muscato

Really? I think U2's basslines are great, definitive even.

I've never been able to get into them because of the basslines. Everything just seems phoned in and the least amount of effort. So much potential, so little execution. Just my opinion. I still love ya, if you like em.

[Jehos]

Bill Dickens. I like slap bass, but he's sacrificed all musicality for technique.

[chroma601]

I think the descending bass line in "These Boots Are Made For Walking" should be - well, something else!

[grovest]

How could a bass line be "inappropriate" if the whole band liked the line, and/or if a producer liked the line, and/or if the line is repeated on tour, etc. etc... It just seems that now that line is a part of the song, and to say it's not appropriate seems to compare the song that actually is with a song you would have preferred to hear, which isn't to say the existing line is "inappropriate" but rather you don't care for the song or just have different ideas.... Guess what there's a whole world of music and sound out there....

[Georynn]

Originally Posted by baalroo

Even worse for me is Victor Wooten, that guys sounds ridiculous to my ear.

His solo/ bass-centric stuff wasn't made for everyone. It is flashy and at times, way over the top, but that's the genre...

Have you listened to any Bela Fleck and the Flecktones?
That guy is playing exactly what the song calls for. Some of it is showy, but that comes with the style of music that they are playing, JAZZ.
If you don't like jazz that's OK, but perhaps you should avoid making blanket statements about a style of music you don't listen to regularly.

[Jeff Martinez]

Originally Posted by bigblondeafro87

I don't care how talented a bass player (or guitarist or drummer) is, every song is NOT a bass solo.

They are if you are a solo bassist.

[fenderhutz]

Johnny A. don't kill me.

The new Staind "Believe in Me" or what ever it's called song.

The chorus I can't stand that slide up on the two notes. Doesn't sound right.

*JUST AN OPINION*

A Perfect Circle "Orestes" Paz hits a note during the solo and after the solo that is too dissonant to sound good. Sounds like a mistake or a Freshman bassline.

[Elrend]

I´d hate to say it, but some stuff with Wooten is unlistenable...

[baalroo]

Originally Posted by Georynn

His solo/ bass-centric stuff wasn't made for everyone. It is flashy and at times, way over the top, but that's the genre...

Have you listened to any Bela Fleck and the Flecktones?
That guy is playing exactly what the song calls for. Some of it is showy, but that comes with the style of music that they are playing, JAZZ.
If you don't like jazz that's OK, but perhaps you should avoid making blanket statements about a style of music you don't listen to regularly.

First, jazz isn't my favorite genre, but I listen to a good smattering of it and have played in multiple jazz groups. Second, the flecktones ARE petty rad. Lastly, I never made any blanket statements about any genre, I just don't like a lot of Victor Wooten or Marcus Miller. Honestly, when I think about it I would say their bass TONE has as much to do with my dislike of them as their playing.

[Zappstorius]

Well it depends on the listener IMO. Some people think (myself included) that lots of 80's hair metal would've been far better if the bassists didn't play straight 8th root notes 95% of the time...