Drum and Bass technique.

anothercreation · #1 06-22-2009, 02:24 AM

any advice on how to follow the drummers break/jungle/dnb beat?

JohnDavisNYC · #2 06-22-2009, 06:58 AM

go out to clubs a lot and listen to good dj's spinning good tracks!

or take lessons with me.

or not.

playing that type of music requires an understanding of the music from a non-bass perspective to be able to effectively fit in... it is not just 'fast funk' or something like that... you must understand the musical heritage of the genre, and then it becomes easy.

also, a lot has to do with the drummer. play with a good drummer, and it is much easier than someone who is struggling to keep at tempo with the breakbeats, etc...

but, at the end of the day it has very little to do with technique and much more to do with sound, concept, and musical understanding. clean technique is critical, but beyond that, it is all about the feel and the notes and the sound.

john

JBP-Douglas · #3 06-22-2009, 07:06 AM

You need to do a lot of listening, work on endurance and download some jungle grooves to play along.

Or, of course, listen to John, he is the man. Awesome work with Nerve

bass12 · #4 06-22-2009, 07:11 AM

Buy a keyboard! A lot of jungle from around '94-95 incorporated reggae bass lines, so you could begin there. Lots of D&B doesn't actually have a bass line (how ironic...), while a lot just features glissando-type fills. John (above) is right - a lot of it is about sonic texture, so you might want to check out some effects to deepen your sound. Some artists to check out include 4 Hero, Rebel MC (from '92 onward), A Guy Called Gerald, Photek, Goldie, Dillinja, and Roni Size. You might also want to have a listen to some of the stuff from Art Of Noise's "The Seduction Of Claude Debussy".

iwannalearnbass · #5 06-22-2009, 09:36 AM

I was wondering the same thing as you--I have been trying this the last few days: slapping with triplets and hammer ons:

For instance with tabs on the E string
5-7-7 4-5-5 5-7
T-H-T T-H-T T-H

Keep doing it until you find a groove that sounds drum and bassy: Then speed it up

anothercreation · #6 06-23-2009, 12:13 AM

that's sick .

iwannalearnbass · #7 06-23-2009, 12:45 AM

Oh yeah. My drummer and I keep busting into these drum and bass jams and the guitarist gets really pissed off because he doesn't know what to play over it lol.

anothercreation · #8 06-23-2009, 12:55 AM

hah i could see that happening

JohnDavisNYC · #9 06-24-2009, 10:41 AM

i gotta say, slapping and drum'n'bass are pretty much polar opposites... i can't think of a single dnb track with a slap bass sample... there are a few Squarepusher tracks with slap bass, but that isn't really dnb per se, but dnb influenced idm.

it is really all about dub reggae for the old school jungle bass styles, and the more modern stuff you just gotta listen to it, it is much more angular and generally very aggressive synth sounds. lots of new dubstep stuff has INSANE bass parts and sound.

john

bigblondeafro87 · #10 06-24-2009, 07:09 PM

^^^ agreed, I say get into reggae and dub (lee scratch perry, augustus pablo, scientist, telepath, kali live dub, etc) and you'll begin to understand the basslines and textures much better. The lines tend to be simple, but you have to nail the rhythyms, note lengths, articulations, and general feel for it to sound good. If you are sloppy it will show. After you really start getting the dub thing down, then I'd say your ready for expermenting with effects and trying to nail some dnb tunes down.

anothercreation · #11 06-29-2009, 01:31 PM

Thanks for the bands, i was wondering if you guys could help me out with some more dnb bands.

project_c · #12 07-02-2009, 06:02 AM

i produced d&b for many years before becoming a bass player. it's a studio driven sound so it is not easy to reproduce with bass guitars, but some general pedals you may find useful:
-synth
-fuzz / light drive
-filter
-chorus
-eq for subs

more specifically, you'll need to experiment, but for example, the Boss OC3 going into an envelope filter will give you almost the exact sound Roni Size uses for the bass on the tune Snapshot.
a fretless bass will enable you to create more organic sounding falling/rising lines (in a d&b context anyway).
you will also find that d&b bass lines do not necesserily require you to be able to play 16ths at 175bpm, but accuracy and timing is very important.
check out every single thing on this site, it's the truest, most legitimate and up to date breed of d&b you're likely to hear anywhere:
www.abunchofcuts.com

ignore bands like pendulum, they are the mcdonalds of d&b IMO. you have to dig a little deeper for 'proper' d&b.

anothercreation · #13 07-02-2009, 12:01 PM

i have the syb-5 and i cant seem to get the sounds i would like to get out of it. it's very cool, don't get me wrong i just wish i could control true LFO rate, filter, etc. like as done on many synths. i want to be able to control the sounds with my mind, hands an expression pedals. i play all these awesome synths and i want to be able to control sound like that just with my bass.
the moog filter seems legit unless there just as good ones for a cheaper price.

DerBass008 · #14 07-03-2009, 11:32 AM

Hey, project C. Great help with that link!. I'm just discovering this new style and I'm thrilled with it. Awesome resource!

bigblondeafro87 · #15 07-07-2009, 03:13 AM

A moog lpf is a good idea for the first pedal in the board. My plan is to pick one of those up first. Second, I'm getting a boss oc-2 and then some sort of fuzz the can do over the top fuzz sounds for running through the filter.

Go see some live electronic bands especially. Studio sounds don't give you the full flavor of the music.

DerBass008 · #16 07-07-2009, 11:21 AM

I'm just starting to listen Lamb. They have some incredible stuff!.

Also, I would ask you some dub-reggae artists/bands for playing along.

bass12 · #17 07-07-2009, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DerBass008

I'm just starting to listen Lamb. They have some incredible stuff!.

Also, I would ask you some dub-reggae artists/bands for playing along.

First, don't get caught up in the (flawed) notion that there is a difference between reggae and "dub" bass lines. Dub is a remix process - the bass lines don't change. For reggae, Studio One is your best friend, as it has been the most influential label in the history of Jamaican music. Most of the bass lines that have been (and still are being) recycled originated at Studio One. There are dozens of Studio One compilations out there (featuring artists such as Jackie Mittoo, Michigan & Smiley, Horace Andy, Dennis Alcapone and countless others) - I would recommend checking out those on the Heartbeat and Soul Jazz labels. For a later take on many of the classic Studio One "riddims", check out anything produced by Henry "Junjo" Lawes (most likely featuring the Roots Radics band as backup). Junjo productions worth seeking out include albums by Eek-A-Mouse, Barrington Levy, Yellowman, Michigan & Smiley, Cocoa Tea, Frankie Paul, Don Carlos, Hugh Mundell, and Wailing Souls. Also check out some of the dub albums by Junjo's main engineer, Scientist. The best of these is probably "The Big Showdown" featuring dubs from the Barrington Levy album "Englishman" mixed by both Scientist and Prince Jammy. For other dub check for compilations under the King Tubby's name. The British label Blood & Fire has some great Tubby's compilations (one of the best is "King Tubby & Soul Syndicate: Freedom Sounds In Dub"). A lot of the mixes on King Tubby album's were not actually done by Tubby himself, but at his studio by his apprentices (including Jammy and Scientist). For some modern dub (with an old-school feel), you can check out Twilight Dub Circus. There is a ton of music that has come out of Jamaica, but if you start at Studio One and then go to King Tubby for dub, you can't go wrong.

AleemRadunzel · #18 07-09-2009, 06:10 AM

Are you shure your trying hard enough =P as i use an syb3 and i can make it work.. and yours is the digital expression pedal upgrade.. i know they aint easy to use but persevere you can do it with it

try this

G-------------------------------------------15
D
A-0-12-12-12/0 12 12 10 10 10 10 13 13 13

anothercreation · #19 07-12-2009, 01:44 AM

well its not like i dislike it. i use the syb5 everyday. i have it dialed and i make legit sounds from it.

i just am looking for good lfo. which isnt so depth with this pedal is does have great wazes but the **** can be so random way to often if you know what i mean , haha.

moogmoogers make some good stuff. im gonna in hanse some of them once i save up some money again. to be specific moog low pass filter and ring modulator. the thing is that only has 2 types of lfo waves! i know im just being picky but still, *** ha.

anothercreation · #20 07-12-2009, 01:46 AM

well its not like i dislike it. i use the syb5 everyday. i have it dialed and i make legit sounds from it.

i just am looking for good lfo. which isnt so depth with this pedal is does have great wazes but the **** can be so random way to often if you know what i mean , haha.

moogmoogers make some good stuff. im gonna in hanse some of them once i save up some money again. to be specific moog low pass filter and ring modulator. the thing is that only has 2 types of lfo waves! i know im just being picky but still, *** ha.