how do u make ur basslines

bass guy · #1 07-03-2006, 11:04 PM

how do u make ur basslines for ur song
i either play root note what the guitatarist wants me to play or simply wat sounds good

MysticMichael · #2 07-03-2006, 11:29 PM

Um, maybe you should just concentrate on playing CDs or tapes instead. At least no guitarist will have to instruct you on how to do that...

MM

lump · #3 07-03-2006, 11:32 PM

I make them out of duct tape and popsicle sticks. Been working so far.

bass guy · #4 07-04-2006, 10:55 AM

Aussiephoenix · #5 07-04-2006, 11:04 AM

playing root notes of what your guitarrist is doing is good for picking your course of action, but you could... (should?) evolve a bassline from there using accents on those notes...

I just listen to what hes playing and think something up that will fit around that... fill in what's missing, and accentuate the right parts... other than that, it just kind of rolls off my fingers... dont really "think" about it much...

iplaybassguitar · #6 07-04-2006, 12:52 PM

know the scales and modes.

know what key the song is in

know what and when the chord changes are

play something including either only the root notes, or a combination of notes from within the current chord

move with the chord changes

jwl · #7 07-04-2006, 03:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass guy

how do u make ur basslines for ur song
i either play root note what the guitatarist wants me to play or simply wat sounds good

it depends on what instrument the song was written on. if the song was written on bass, the bass line i came up with was either something i thought of away from the bass or something i stumbled upon while just messing around on the bass. the rest of the song is written around that. if i am writing a bass line for a song written on a dif instrument, i want to support the original part and try to make the song better in that way. there is nothing wrong with playing what the writer of the song wants you play. usually simple is best. it can also be very difficult to make a simple part interesting, but i like that challenge. but i am not really trying to draw attention to the bass. i like to write parts that at first seem insignificant, but upon further listening are actually crucial to the song. peace, jeff

sedan_dad · #8 07-04-2006, 03:58 PM

Get the key to the song from the guitar player and then forget him and play along with the drummer.
Thats where the groove is.

tZer · #9 07-04-2006, 04:14 PM

I listen and get the feel of the overall idea - imagine the groove or beat that would go with it - listen for traces or hints of songs gone by - for reference - then I apply my own personal take on how I feel the line should go.

Sometimes that means a very simple, straight-forward, root + fifth thing - sometimes it involves a more lyrical, melodic thing - sometimes it involves a more ryhthmic, percussive approach - and sometimes all of these things find their way in.

For me, the key is having a lot of 'frames of reference' to draw from. Again, for me, that means listening for the similarities to stuff I have heard by music I grew up listening to. I never steal or duplicate a previously gone bass line, but I definitely nod to them and apply my own style.

Finally, the most important thing to me is hearing how my part enhances and supports the overall idea of the song. Even though it is a lot of fun to dominate a song with an amazing bassline, often times that is not the best way to go. It is far more important to make the song sound right - which again, more times then not, means exercising restraint. It does not necessarily mean to be dull or uninspired - but interesting because of how appropriate your part is to the rest of the song.

All_¥our_Bass · #10 07-05-2006, 12:21 AM

Well, I noodle around in the key/mode that a song is in until something good comes out. But I usually provide the foundation for songs so I end up having a big part in them, plus I like to "alter" some of the diatonic modes for some neat and original tonalities, like Dorian b5, or Locrian dimin. 7.

KeithBMI · #11 07-05-2006, 01:52 AM

I just kind of noodle around. Most of the time he'll wrap his riffs around my off-key playing. We don't usually plan things out.

BuffaloBass · #12 07-05-2006, 01:52 PM

Bear in mind that the bass is often the "glue" between the melodic instruments and the percussion, so you should be, ( and I am NO pro at this - I'm a numbers guys for a livin' ) keeping ears on both the drums and guitar, and weaving a path right between them.

I have to learn more theory, but it seems my ears guide me ok. Thirds ( maj or min) , fifths fit just about everything, but eventually knowing the modes is key. That's where I am, learning the modes... after I've memorized the whole fretboard...

tplyons · #13 07-05-2006, 05:54 PM

If the music can get by with just roots, I'll do that, some passing tones to keep me alive, and just enough to really lock in with drums and bass.

Rhythm is more important than note choice, IMO. It's not necessarilly the notes you play that matter, it's WHEN you play them. Dynamics certainly help as well.

Digo · #14 07-05-2006, 06:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bass guy

i either play root note what the guitatarist wants me to play...

dont let the guitarist lead you to play your notes, bass is mind ****ing boring when you have to do the note that follows the chord

DubDubs · #15 07-05-2006, 07:15 PM

There a various ways I write a bassline.
If what the guitarists are playing is more melodic rather than chordal I'll just play what they're playing.

If the guitarists are playing chords I'll just play roots with some accent notes (like the 3rd, 5th or octaves et cetera) or whatever.

Very occationally the guitarist will have written a song and will have a good idea of what he want's the bassline to be so I'll learn that and maybe change it around, mayby simplify it, maybe make it more complicated, and just generally add my own style to it.

In longer jam types of things, the first time we play I'll just start playing root notes then progressivly add stuff untill I find a nice groove (*usually that locks onto the kick drum*). And then from then on I'll use that as my bassline unless I decide to let it evolve further.

In settings where a part or parts of the song are all chords you can also write a walking bassline. I have never written a walking line for my band becuase it just never fits in our songs but if I ever needed to it's nice to know how to do it.

seansbrew · #16 07-05-2006, 07:39 PM

There are many ways that I come up with basslines. If someone presents a song that they wrote I will usually listen to it a few times before I attempt anything. I will ask questions about the song so that I go into it armed with as much info as possible. From there I try to let go and listen to the sound that is in my head. I start of slowly and learn the tune in sections. My basslines will typically take hours, or even days to evovle into what I believe is appropriate for the tune. for the most part this works %86 of the time.
If the tune is a collaborative effort, I try to come up with as many ways to play a bassline as I can think of. From there I choose or sometimes ask for input at to what will work best with the tune. I have good instinct when it comes to making up bass parts. This is the whole reason that I started playing in the first place. I am definetly no Jaco, but I do pretty good in the studio. Especially when the pressure is on.
last but not least I try to keep an open mind and and try not to rely on theory for making up bass parts. Instead I try to imagine that I have to make the song move down the tracks like a train. What can I do to make this song a moving Juggernaught? I am in no way downplaying theory. Practicing alot of scales and chords gives me the tools from which I can create. but overall, trusting yourself is the best way to do it.

tZer · #17 07-05-2006, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seansbrew

There are many ways that I come up with basslines. If someone presents a song that they wrote I will usually listen to it a few times before I attempt anything. I will ask questions about the song so that I go into it armed with as much info as possible. From there I try to let go and listen to the sound that is in my head. I start of slowly and learn the tune in sections. My basslines will typically take hours, or even days to evovle into what I believe is appropriate for the tune. for the most part this works %86 of the time.
If the tune is a collaborative effort, I try to come up with as many ways to play a bassline as I can think of. From there I choose or sometimes ask for input at to what will work best with the tune. I have good instinct when it comes to making up bass parts. This is the whole reason that I started playing in the first place. I am definetly no Jaco, but I do pretty good in the studio. Especially when the pressure is on.
last but not least I try to keep an open mind and and try not to rely on theory for making up bass parts. Instead I try to imagine that I have to make the song move down the tracks like a train. What can I do to make this song a moving Juggernaught? I am in no way downplaying theory. Practicing alot of scales and chords gives me the tools from which I can create. but overall, trusting yourself is the best way to do it.

Well said. I agree. Theory, scale work, rudiments and the woodshed give you the tool you need to play what you want. The most important thing in crafting a bassline is to listen. It certainly does not hurt matters to have a good imagination and a lot of experience with as many forms of music as you can. Some of the best basslines are the ones that obviously marry a few styles together in an appropriate way.

seansbrew · #18 07-05-2006, 09:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tZer

Well said. I agree. Theory, scale work, rudiments and the woodshed give you the tool you need to play what you want. The most important thing in crafting a bassline is to listen. It certainly does not hurt matters to have a good imagination and a lot of experience with as many forms of music as you can. Some of the best basslines are the ones that obviously marry a few styles together in an appropriate way.

I didnt always approach the bass this way.I used to play flashy with a selfish attitude. I didn't listen to the other players enough. Only after years of playing many different styles and with different musicians have I learned to be a good bassist. Being humble is one of the best things I could have done for myself and for my playing. I will leave flashiness to the guitar players

#19 07-07-2006, 02:19 PM

Usually, I end up thinking like a "melodic drum set". As long as I'm in that frame of mind, I'm usually cranking out some half-decent bass lines.

matt"bass" · #20 07-07-2006, 02:26 PM

well, i've not done much band work in my time, only been playing a couple of years. But the dashboard confessional type stuff i've been doing acoustic and electric was a nice place to find myself as a bass player in a supporting position.

But basically, i look at the root notes being played, the rhythm being used in vocals, and thats where i step in and harmonize with that and set in the groove, using pentatonic scales as a really rough guide of the notes i should be playing.
In breakdowns etc. i will slide up to another octave and play a little fill that stands out just so the other members of the group don't get ahead of themselves, and that everyone knows im still there.

learn some scales thats the easiest way to begin constructing basslines i guess. it sure as hell helped me.