Do I overplay? Opinions Please!

**bobbybass85** · #1 11-11-2011, 08:31 AM

Morning Guys and Gals,

I'm wondering opinions on this. This is a link to a video of me playing with my church and I'm wondering if I overplay? I'm mostly wondering about the first 9 minutes (2 Songs).

Those songs are pretty representative of basic playing style. I'll add a lot more to a song if it fits, but those are two songs that I feel need pretty basic bass parts. In my opinion it's not over-the-top, just a little flair to keep it interesting.

I'd love to hear your opinion on if this is overplaying?

Also feel free to post your clips if you are wondering the same thing about your playing!

Thanks everyone!

Hopkins · #2 11-11-2011, 08:44 AM

Sounds fine to me. BTW your singer has a nice Anderson.

carlthegroover · #3 11-11-2011, 09:16 AM

It sounds cool to me, but it's a bit drowned by the rest of the band. Perhaps it's because there are three guitarists, no less? Why do they need that many? Since it sounded slightly U2-esque to me (especially the guitar melody), why not just one guitarist?

Oh and I couldn't hear a thing the backup vocalists "sang".

Bassman7PM · #4 11-11-2011, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carlthegroover

It sounds cool to me, but it's a bit drowned by the rest of the band. Perhaps it's because there are three guitarists, no less? Why do they need that many? Since it sounded slightly U2-esque to me (especially the guitar melody), why not just one guitarist?

Oh and I couldn't hear a thing the backup vocalists "sang".

+1 Everything is buried under the guitars. Bass, keys and vocalist are completely buried in the mix. Other than that your playing is fine.

Matthijs · #5 11-11-2011, 09:29 AM

I would not call this overplaying, but I do think your rhytm is to busy with all those guitars going on. A bit more emphasis on a basic pulse that you share with the drums would create more of a groove. You could use fewer notes or make more use of use dynamics or more variance in note duration.

electracoyote · #6 11-11-2011, 09:31 AM

I certainly didn't hear you overplaying. But four guitars and a keyboard hammering away?

The bass sounded fine.

Sonicfrog · #7 11-11-2011, 09:33 AM

I didn't hear any overplaying here. If you have to ask, you are no doubt aware that you tend to do it, which will more often than not keep you in check. You are listening to what you're playing, and listening to the band too. It's the ones that go "What??? I'm not overplaying " who are the ones who need a reality check.

I am sometimes guilty of overplaying... I just start having fun and I end up like Michael J Fox in the band scene in Back To The Future!!!!

Johnny B. Goode - Back to the Future (9/10) Movie CLIP (1985) HD - YouTube

sammyp · #8 11-11-2011, 09:34 AM

sounds good ...the drummer is playing a bit hot in the verse IMO..

THat's a really pro set up ....looks and sounds very good.

i've done a bit of worship band in the past ....they use so many players cause they're trying to give as many as they can an opportunity to play as possible ..

and yes .....for whatever reason ...most of it is smeared with some kind of U2 flavoring especially in the guitars ....which i find tough to swallow....gets very tired.

for whatever reason the Christian community at some point began to feel U2 was ultra spiritual in their sound and approach ....then there was a hang out (90s) between Delirious (worship band) and U2 which seemed to propel this sentiment.

i much prefer Lincoln Brewster's vibe!

my opiniions have nothing to do with your band ...you guys sound great ...just general observations in the worship world.

scottfeldstein · #9 11-11-2011, 02:02 PM

1. No, you're not overplaying. At least not that I could hear. Which leads me to...

2. As has been noted above, you and the audience are getting cheated on that mix: moar bass pls k thx!

3. Wow, an opportunity to play in a house band like that almost makes me want to join the local megachurch.

theretheyare · #10 11-11-2011, 02:30 PM

In an absolute sense, not at all, your lines are fine in themselves. But with all these guitars hacking away, and your tone amped more toward air-pushing than note definition, (which is a perfectly a valid concept, not saying one is better than the other) I'd try and work with the drums a bit closer; specifically by adding some breathing spaces: replace selected 8th notes with a rest, rather than lenghtening the previous note, and create some accents this way. Your lines will stand out more.

JimmyM · #11 11-11-2011, 02:41 PM

You know what? In that band, if you overplay, it might sound pretty good.

gumbynotpokey · #12 11-11-2011, 03:02 PM

Ok, man, here we go. First the context of me. I've been playing 3 services a week for 3+ years, and 6 a month before that for 3 or 4 more years. One church was very contemporary and upscale setup like yours (Aviom in-ears, all songs 3 yrs old or less, etc). The other is in a much smaller church with a total diversity of sounds/styles and older equipment.

Are you over-playing? Tough question to answer briefly. In a word, "no". Now I expand the answer, in no particular order...

1. Line. Your lines are appropriate and not showing off. They fit within the compositions and sound of the band.
2. Volume. You are somewhat buried in the mix. The articulation is not clear. Therefore, you are in the clear on this consideration.
3. Feel/look. You are into the music but not making a spectacle of yourself.

Is the band over-playing? Not literally. But yes, absolutely. In my view, this is a classic example of the crazy "wall of mids" that happens in too many church applications. We turn nice into permission, and that into too much instrumentation. The guys on the board can't fix it all. In-ears are deceiving when you can make your own mix. I like my sound, but so what?

We play with an acoustic electric leading, me on bass, an electric, a drummer, synth, and another on Hammond through a Leslie (and keyboard available if needed for a switch). We usually have too many instruments going in my view, given what is played and the parts people choose. Keyboard guys should play 3rds and 5ths (this is a worship context, not piano class) rather than classic piano chords and never move their left hand below middle C - leave the bottom register for the bass.

But I digress.

If I was you, I'd be switching my PU selection to pure bridge 'bucker and doing a lot more octaves and arpeggios just to hear myself. I appreciate your restraint and so does the audience, I'm sure.

That snare sound is a bit generic and flavorless for my taste. That represents the overall problem and it's not you. (If we were hearing less, we might be hearing more, and fixing what we're not noticing now).

4StringShooter · #13 11-11-2011, 04:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bobbybass85

Morning Guys and Gals,

I'm wondering opinions on this. This is a link to a video of me playing with my church and I'm wondering if I overplay? I'm mostly wondering about the first 9 minutes (2 Songs).

Those songs are pretty representative of basic playing style. I'll add a lot more to a song if it fits, but those are two songs that I feel need pretty basic bass parts. In my opinion it's not over-the-top, just a little flair to keep it interesting.

I'd love to hear your opinion on if this is overplaying?

Also feel free to post your clips if you are wondering the same thing about your playing!

Thanks everyone!

Sorry, I could only stand 50 SECONDS of that.

Piedro · #14 11-11-2011, 04:58 PM

no but your drummer do!

lefty · #15 11-11-2011, 05:09 PM

Is penny Marshall singing back up? No sounds good to me. the song is busy anyways. Yeah a lot of younger leaders are getting waaay to crazy with the U2 thing I don't get it? And yeah why so many guitars? One time our leader had 8 people playing on stage 4 singers 3 guitarists a guy who thought he could play conga's. Man, I thought for a second I was playing with Slipnot!

lefty · #16 11-11-2011, 05:10 PM

Oh yeah I like the back to the future comment!

Art Araya · #17 11-11-2011, 05:31 PM

You are not overplaying. Drums are over the top at times. If he wasn't winging his way thru it with random fills, you two could coordinate your fills together.

As others have said, the mix is not bass friendly.

nyde7 · #18 11-11-2011, 05:34 PM

First the mix is horrid!!! Drums and guitar way too loud (especially the drums). Did not hear keys at all. Lead vocals loud but where are the backup singers?
If there was any thing over played by you is that you did that slide down the neck to often. There is a lot more for you to play than you did, I know I would have probably added more since everyone else is staying with the basics.
I pastor a church and I would hire you in a minute! As pastor or music minister, I would play this video and ask for critiques. My critique would be as stated above, over all the band is great, sound man is missing the overall mix. As far as I am concerned, the only reason you turn someone down is you do not need them.
My question is, who is saying you play to much? My guess, the lead guitarist?

millsbass5 · #19 11-11-2011, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

You know what? In that band, if you overplay, it might sound pretty good.

+1
Cha-Ching!!!

SactoBass · #20 11-11-2011, 06:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4StringShooter

Sorry, I could only stand 50 SECONDS of that.

That's 30 seconds more than I could take. (Sorry.....just being honest.) If the song had different lyrics and a different melody, then maybe, but who wrote those lyrics?!

As for overplaying on the bass, nope, it was the right level IMO.