The Chameleon Bassist???

[lowfreqgeek]

What's the widest range of styles most of you have played in a "short" span of time? Maybe in a year's period, or so.

Personally, I've worked hard for many years to be competent in a lot of styles, and the effort has served me well. I've had the opportunity to record pop, jazz (traditional, fusion, and smooth), country, rock, and even some alternative punk. Nothing on a major label, but enough people in enough different styles like my playing enough to call me.

Same with gigs and bands: I've done everything from blues to country to jazz to funk to punk and hard rock, and sub-genres have included some reggae, latin, folk, etc... What I prefer to play and what I get to play aren't always the same thing, but I'm never lacking something interesting to do or something new to learn.

Some of the best compliments I've ever had were along the lines of "you must play a lot of ____" referring to whatever style I'm called to do at the moment.

So I'm curious how many others venture out of their comfort zone to try new styles and genres of music that they may not even care to listen to?

[Eminentbass]

I've played most styles with the exception of fusion. What's had me out of my comfort zone lately is jazz. Even though I studied jazz, I've only had the chance to play it regularly over the last year. I'm able to keep up more now than when I started but each gig is still a learning experience. As far as playing music I don't listen to, I'd say show music. I've taken on some amateur theatre pit work as an incentive to getting my reading level up after getting offered dep job in a professional production and having to turn it down because I wasn't confident in my reading ability.

For me, it's often that I enjoy listening to music that I wouldn't necessarily care to play and vice versa.

[groooooove]

in the last month i've gigged with-

psychedelic / funk / jamband / rock band

jazz trios/quartets

sat in with a friends fusion band

hip hop band

funk/dance band

and 2 months ago i did a college orchestra performance of beethoven's 6th..

its sorta a lot..but really it mostly comes down to my roots being in pocket playing.

edit- actually it was two hip hop bands, one being mine and the other i just get called for gigs occasionally, however they're defiantely classified more as neo soul. there we go, now do i win?

[tobie]

Playing in a charismatic church band implies any style / genre at any time in any single service without any warning!

[faulknersj]

This thread is inspiring! I have been giving a tremendous amount of thought to better embodying the spirit of this thread in the years to come. Kudos for the inspiration!

[BryanM]

In a given night I probably play punk, funk, soul, jazz (of all varieties), rock, blues, pop, hip-hop, country, jam-band, folk and piano (our keyboardist really likes my fretless).

[lowfreqgeek]

Originally Posted by groooooove

in the last month i've gigged with...

...there we go, now do i win?

I think you might.

[bassbrad]

I try to be a complete bass player, very much a chameleon, currently I am in a jazz band, scifi fusion prog jam thing, classic Texas Boogie original/ cover band, Blues Power Trio and a jazz new age chamber ensemble. I also play musicals from time to time. I also do a lot of demo session work ranging from classic rock, C&W, singer songwriter, funk, R&B and a bit of anything else that is needed.

[StyleOverShow]

I am an R&B/Funk guy at heart. Grew up in the genre and will always have that approach.

The times and opportunities have changed over the decades and I regularly play straight ahead jazz, R&B/funk, classic rock through 90's and that's about it. I played with a blues band for a string of gigs earlier this year and 'lost interest'.

I don't venture too far afield from these areas, and I avoid metal, surf, latin jazz, punk and c&w opportunities. Just not that adventurous I guess.

[Gawd]

Probably right now. I'm playing with a cover band doing pop rock, grunge, classic rock, basically all popular stuff from 60's on. I'm playing with a death metal band. And working on music with a classical guitar player, a mixture of flamenco, Arabic, and Afro-Cuban influences.

[TheVoiceless]

When I was in High school, I was in a metal band, played bass in the marching band and concert band, and played some shows at a baptist church. It was a small high school so we didn't have tuba or baritone players, so I would play them on bass. My range is pretty much rock based, including some jazz, blues influenced rock. In the past 5-7 years I was in an original metal band, 3 piece rock/blues/jazz group and an indie alternative/folk rock band.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

While many people have given to me lots of compliments that I truly appreciate but consider undeserved, one strength that I can say I feel really proud of is the fact that I'm the only bassist in my town (and many miles around, for sure) that can perform with a decent amount of competence in so dissimilar genres like tropical music and most rock variants. I even play double bass in the only symphony orchestra in my town. That doesn't happen because I'm a super talented player or something like that, but because I have a really open mind (that's really what I'm proud of). I mean, most musicians in my town are only rockers, only classical, only jazzers, only Latin, only vallenateros... and most of them would be able to play in other kind of bands for sure, but they don't show the least interest in any other style aside from the one they feel at home with. This thread I created long ago is a clear example of the situation, which I find deplorable to say the least.

[ludwig109]

Originally Posted by tobie

Playing in a charismatic church band implies any style / genre at any time in any single service without any warning!

speed metal?..

[HaVIC5]

Paul Jackson.

[factorplayer]

Originally Posted by tobie

Playing in a charismatic church band implies any style / genre at any time in any single service without any warning!

hey, it could happen....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHb4gs1hwck

[cactus waltz]

Argh, I keep thinking this is a thread about Herbie Hancock.

[somegeezer]

I mostly play and listen to Metal, but I'd be comfortable playing most styles. Doubt I'd really be all that good with Jazz or Funk, but I'd give them a go. I've played both before but never really listened to myself.

[DWBass]

R&B, Funk, Soul
Jazz
Latin
Reggae
Pop
Rock
World Music
Folk
Praise/Gospel