playing TOO much

Blunk · #1 03-23-2003, 03:55 PM

Hi,

Does anyone else ever find themselves just playing too much in a song?

Sometimes i just can't stop playing, i feel like i'm playing too much and trying to *cram* as much into a song as i can...i've made a concious effort to simplify my playing.

I think it could be because sometimes i just can't control myself combined with the bass i'm using at the moment is just >SO< easy to play!!! Its a 5 string Ibanez...its so sweet. And for awhile i was trying to prove myself as a bass player to the rest of the band.

I've gone back to using my p-bass to stop myself going nuts, and when i think i'm ready i'll pick up the ibanez again

And i actually like the bass lines i've come up with on the p-bass, simple yet very effective (even my band mates agree).

Coypu · #2 03-23-2003, 04:07 PM

The idea should be to listen to what the others are doing and lay down a bassline that serves the music and not the players self indulgence.

IAMERICCOCHRANE · #3 03-23-2003, 08:17 PM

You can shove in lots of stuff, but it has to fit the beat and the you must still hold down the bassline. If you can succesfully do both then go for it. But still, you will notice that the song will sound better if you try and just lay down a nice bass line to it instead of throwing in ten billion notes. And what Kind of Ibanez do you have? I Was just wondering because If its an SR 305B DX (look on the back of the head for that number) Then I have a question or two about it, PM me when u see this, or just tell me in the thread.

MotorMind · #4 03-26-2003, 02:46 AM

Sometimes my band will ask me to play something busy. Ongoing, the whole band will start to play busier and busier... until they totally obscure my line. Then I will usually get the request to play a lot less notes.

So it all depends.. if you have a band where everyone will try to compete with the bass as soon as it pops up, you'd better mellow out some more

chris griffiths · #5 03-27-2003, 10:44 AM

Use your own judgement. if I find that I'm playing too much I tend to start cutting back and following the kickdrum. I think you should try that. If you can pull back and just play on those beats then will be able to hear the spaces where you are supposed to be playing. also sometimes it's not how many attacks you make but Harmonically how busy you are. try playing many attacks and just one or two notes (my I suggest the root and the fifth? possibly even the Octave?) Also you could play a call and response game listen for a musical phrase then reply to it. this will keep you from playing all the time because you spend so much time listening