Matching Bass with Guitar

[ooc148]

Does anyone know an easy way to match a bass with a guitar so it all sounds good together??

[Adam Barkley]

Make sure your playing doesn't clash horribly?

If you aren't sure how to do this play what the guitar does for a few bars then experiment with ways that you can branch out and still keep the riff/groove going.

Also talk to guitar player (they are people too ) ask him or her questions if you have them.

For something easy start with a bluesy, scalar bassline while the guitar plays a lick, or try something funky and make him try to adapt to you.

If that doesn't work fall back on easy well known riffs (Sabbath, Zeppelin, Beatles, etc) and you and your guitarist should be able to jam something out.

Hope that helped, thats what I do when I jam with new guitarists.

[Christopher]

Tuner!

[stephanie]

The fail-safe solution is to play the root note on your bass of the chord the guitarist is playing. For example, if the guitarist is playing a C major chord (C E G) you can play the note C, which is the root.

This isn't going to get you very far, so you want to take the time to learn about chords, their functions, and how they relate to what the other musicians are playing. This is one thing that will aid you in creating interesting basslines harmonious with the guitar.

There's so much more to it, but that's the basics. Baby steps.

Check out Jazzbo's lovely article on Introduction to Chord and Scale Theory:
http://www.talkbass.com/html/modules...article&sid=31

[Stingraymund]

Your job as a bassist is to match with the kick drum.

If your guitarist can't match up with you, then that's your guitarist's problem

[RicPlaya]

Originally Posted by Stingraymund

Your job as a bassist is to match with the kick drum.

If your guitarist can't match up with you, then that's your guitarist's problem

Lock in on the drummer!! Not only the kickdrum. In most rock the drummer will be hitting something the same time the bass does, not always the kick drum, it seems like it sometimes.

[Palomorado]

are you talking about:

-harmony
-rhythm
-tone


please let me know and then i can help you...

[Blackbird]

Originally Posted by ooc148

Does anyone know an easy way to match a bass with a guitar so it all sounds good together??

Listen to what the other person's playing.

[JimK]

...who sez it has to match?


Now where's that Derek Bailey-Bill Laswell-Tony Williams' disc I've been lookin' for?