Country

[Tsfender]

Hey guys,

I have listened to country all my life, and I'm started to move in that direction with my bass playing. Do you guys have any tips? Thanks!

[bluesdogblues]

Originally Posted by Tsfender

Hey guys,

I have listened to country all my life, and I'm started to move in that direction with my bass playing. Do you guys have any tips? Thanks!

Hi..what kind of country music?
There's many kind of it right?
For example, years ago I listened to (guitarist) Steve Morse play with (guitarist) Albert Lee in song called "General Lee" (I think Jerry Peek is on the bass) and it's very 'wicked', man!...
Before that I never thought that country music can be play like that

Just my 2 cents & good luck with your country music.. I'm sorry I can't be some help

[JTE]

"Country" is a meaningless a genre title now as "rock". What they play on the radio today is seemingly more like bad '80s pop/rock than country. However "country" can include a huge range of artists from the blatantly horrid Jason Aldean to people now lableled as "Americana" which is more country than what's on the radio.

And what kind of tips? Tips on how to play country bass, or tips on finding good country artists? At its heart, country bass playing is ALL about serving the song and not distracting from ANYTHING. Very precise attack, note length, providing support without drawing attention away from anything on top, etc. are the critical skills. No on in country music is hired to play bass because they have monster chops ('though many of the bassists recording and/or touring with major country artists have phenomenal chops- check out Keith Horne who plays(ed) with Faith Hill, Willie Weeks used to record and tour with Wynonna Judd, Leland Skar's worked with Reba MacEntire and George Strait, and Dave Pomeroy, who's all over some of Trisha Yearwood's most evocative recordings is a monster and has been since he played with Danny Flowers in Don Williams' band). They're hired to play exactly the right note at the right time and to not play anything other than that. It's all about having skills and the good sense not to use them.

For country music (at least what I in my very prejudicial mind deem "country") it's all over the place from Hank Williams (the first, not any of his increasingly annoying and unmusical progeny), Merle Haggard, George Jones, Patsy Cline, Red Foley, Bill Anderson, Emmylou Harris, The Desert Rose Band, The Mavericks, Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen, Gram Parsons, Dwight Yoakum, Johnny Cash, Roseanne Cash, Rodney Crowell (in my estimation the best songwriter in decades), Vince Gill, Hank Garland ("Jazz Winds From a New Direction" not withstanding), Don Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joe Shaver, Poco, etc.

NOT country in my estimation- Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift and her iambic pentameter lilting wanna-be's, Big & Rich, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, and that duo with the girl singer named Jennifer who has a voice like fingernails on the blackboard- some song that's just goes "Ah ah ah ah ah ah" in a horrible nasal honking screech...

John

[bluesdogblues]

I'd like to add to my previous comment:
Actually at my teenage years I played country music, Me and my friends formed a country band. We play anything that we think is country songs, and arranged the songs 'as close as we could as what we think is Country Music' - from Bob Dylan's tunes to Neil Young's.
I remember that I was learn much from that experience, especially from listening to a band named "Nitty Gritty".
I like them.
Maybe you can learn from listening to that band too

End of my 'two cents'.

GBU

[MalcolmAmos]

I'll try and make it a little simpler.

Country - ole time country - is playing roots and fives with chromatic runs to the next chord. Come to think about it that is just plain ole dirt simple bass that could fit with just about any style until you figured out what makes that style different. Back to Country......

Use the same fake chord sheet music the rhythm guitar is using. You, the rhythm guitar and the drummer work out your runs so you do not get in each other's way. Nothing worst than two of you taking off on a run a beat or two behind the other.

You will be expected to call attention to the next chord and that is done with your chromatic run.

How? Look ahead, target the next root (find where it is) miss it and then walk to it one fret at a time. That walk can be 1, 2, 3 or 4 beats, i.e. true walking bass line of R-3-5-X the X can be the dominant note of the next chord. As dominants want to move to their tonic, let them, by including the dominant, as the last note ("X") you get a strong pull to the next chord. You can get a pull to the next chord having the "X" miss the targeted root by only one semi-tone and then walk to the root. That short chromatic run, of only one semi-tone, also gives the pull we are looking for.

Another way (the country way) is to target the next root - leave early - and miss it by 4 frets (4 semi-tones) - same string as the coming root - then walk to it one fret at a time. Be on the new root for the chord change. Simple to do you just have to get the timing down. That chromatic run alerts the rest of the guys that a chord change is coming.

Scott talks about this on his last post. Walking bass lesson (Part 2) - CRASH COURSE!

In the country that I do anything other than that will get me some fish eyes from the guys.

Now -- if that is not what your band wants -- find out what it is they want -- I bet they had a bass before you so they will know what they are looking for. Give it to them.

Good luck - it's going to be fun.

[sammyp]

Originally Posted by JTE

"Country" is a meaningless a genre title now as "rock". What they play on the radio today is seemingly more like bad '80s pop/rock than country. However "country" can include a huge range of artists from the blatantly horrid Jason Aldean to people now lableled as "Americana" which is more country than what's on the radio.

And what kind of tips? Tips on how to play country bass, or tips on finding good country artists? At its heart, country bass playing is ALL about serving the song and not distracting from ANYTHING. Very precise attack, note length, providing support without drawing attention away from anything on top, etc. are the critical skills. No on in country music is hired to play bass because they have monster chops ('though many of the bassists recording and/or touring with major country artists have phenomenal chops- check out Keith Horne who plays(ed) with Faith Hill, Willie Weeks used to record and tour with Wynonna Judd, Leland Skar's worked with Reba MacEntire and George Strait, and Dave Pomeroy, who's all over some of Trisha Yearwood's most evocative recordings is a monster and has been since he played with Danny Flowers in Don Williams' band). They're hired to play exactly the right note at the right time and to not play anything other than that. It's all about having skills and the good sense not to use them.

For country music (at least what I in my very prejudicial mind deem "country") it's all over the place from Hank Williams (the first, not any of his increasingly annoying and unmusical progeny), Merle Haggard, George Jones, Patsy Cline, Red Foley, Bill Anderson, Emmylou Harris, The Desert Rose Band, The Mavericks, Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen, Gram Parsons, Dwight Yoakum, Johnny Cash, Roseanne Cash, Rodney Crowell (in my estimation the best songwriter in decades), Vince Gill, Hank Garland ("Jazz Winds From a New Direction" not withstanding), Don Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joe Shaver, Poco, etc.

NOT country in my estimation- Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift and her iambic pentameter lilting wanna-be's, Big & Rich, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, and that duo with the girl singer named Jennifer who has a voice like fingernails on the blackboard- some song that's just goes "Ah ah ah ah ah ah" in a horrible nasal honking screech...

John

i understand your point about new country industry ...but isn't that like saying Black Sabbath/ Deep Purple is what all metal is supposed to sound like?

you're right Jason Aldean is along ways from trad country but it's pretty fun to play on guitar or bass in cover bands....

your points on country bass playing are dead on the money IMO

[electracoyote]

I have been playing in a retro Country Western band for the past 7 months. Lots of Merle, Buck, and George. I learned more studying those old timers than I ever learned listening to New Country, that's for damn sure.

[powderfinger]

Originally Posted by electracoyote

I have been playing in a retro Country Western band for the past 7 months. Lots of Merle, Buck, and George. I learned more studying those old timers than I ever learned listening to New Country, that's for damn sure.

+100

I played in an old time country band back when. I too learned more than I ever had in a rock band as well. We played Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, Hank Sr., Waylon, George, etc. Had a BLAST doing it.

[JTE]

Originally Posted by sammyp

i understand your point about new country industry ...but isn't that like saying Black Sabbath/ Deep Purple is what all metal is supposed to sound like?

Not really. I don't have any issue with people who have clear roots in Sabbath or Purple but don't sound like them. But to be so far removed from the roots of metal that it sounds more like Bon Jovi or Journen and call THAT "metal" is what I see in contemporary country.

Originally Posted by sammyp

...you're right Jason Aldean is along ways from trad country but it's pretty fun to play on guitar or bass in cover bands....

Could be, but that awful record where he keeps trying to convince me that "she's country" while the track sounds like a bad AC/DC imitation is just plain bad. Other than the lyrics saying the word "country" and trying to evoke some vaguely rural images, the record has NOTHING to do with any form of traditional country music. It's just bad '80s pop all over again.

Originally Posted by sammyp

your points on country bass playing are dead on the money IMO

Thanks, and that's really the point of the thread. I apologize to the OP for going so far off-target.

John

Perhaps I was a bit over the top there... But to your point

[sd5]

Originally Posted by JTE

"Country" is a meaningless a genre title now as "rock". What they play on the radio today is seemingly more like bad '80s pop/rock than country. However "country" can include a huge range of artists from the blatantly horrid Jason Aldean to people now lableled as "Americana" which is more country than what's on the radio.

And what kind of tips? Tips on how to play country bass, or tips on finding good country artists? At its heart, country bass playing is ALL about serving the song and not distracting from ANYTHING. Very precise attack, note length, providing support without drawing attention away from anything on top, etc. are the critical skills. No on in country music is hired to play bass because they have monster chops ('though many of the bassists recording and/or touring with major country artists have phenomenal chops- check out Keith Horne who plays(ed) with Faith Hill, Willie Weeks used to record and tour with Wynonna Judd, Leland Skar's worked with Reba MacEntire and George Strait, and Dave Pomeroy, who's all over some of Trisha Yearwood's most evocative recordings is a monster and has been since he played with Danny Flowers in Don Williams' band). They're hired to play exactly the right note at the right time and to not play anything other than that. It's all about having skills and the good sense not to use them.

For country music (at least what I in my very prejudicial mind deem "country") it's all over the place from Hank Williams (the first, not any of his increasingly annoying and unmusical progeny), Merle Haggard, George Jones, Patsy Cline, Red Foley, Bill Anderson, Emmylou Harris, The Desert Rose Band, The Mavericks, Commander Cody & The Lost Planet Airmen, Gram Parsons, Dwight Yoakum, Johnny Cash, Roseanne Cash, Rodney Crowell (in my estimation the best songwriter in decades), Vince Gill, Hank Garland ("Jazz Winds From a New Direction" not withstanding), Don Williams, Trisha Yearwood, Martina McBride, Willie Nelson, Ray Price, Waylon Jennings, Billy Joe Shaver, Poco, etc.

NOT country in my estimation- Jason Aldean, Taylor Swift and her iambic pentameter lilting wanna-be's, Big & Rich, Toby Keith, Trace Adkins, and that duo with the girl singer named Jennifer who has a voice like fingernails on the blackboard- some song that's just goes "Ah ah ah ah ah ah" in a horrible nasal honking screech...

John

You sound like somebody I could genuinely enjoy sitting down and enjoying a beer with, assuming, of course, that you're a beer drinker. It's pretty rare for me to find this much text anywhere that I completely agree with, but my friend, you have hit the nail squarely on the head with regards to what really is (read that "used to be known as") and what now passes for country music. Also, + about a zillion for your list of real, worthwhile country artists, amazing bass players touring with country stars, and maybe most of all, for playing the spaces! And thanks for reminding me about The Desert Rose Band - hadn't thought about them in years.

Now I need to go read the rest of this thread and find out who I don't agree with.

[JTE]

Originally Posted by sd5

You sound like somebody I could genuinely enjoy sitting down and enjoying a beer with, assuming, of course, that you're a beer drinker. It's pretty rare for me to find this much text anywhere that I completely agree with, but my friend, you have hit the nail squarely on the head with regards to what really is (read that "used to be known as") and what now passes for country music. Also, + about a zillion for your list of real, worthwhile country artists, amazing bass players touring with country stars, and maybe most of all, for playing the spaces! And thanks for reminding me about The Desert Rose Band - hadn't thought about them in years.

Now I need to go read the rest of this thread and find out who I don't agree with.

Life is too short to waste any of it on cheap beer or bad drummers!

[Tullykennedy]

i shouldnt read some of this stuff!!!!! lol........oouch

[Russell L]

John (JTE) said it all about right, I think.

A suggestion---pick out some tunes and play them like the record. You'll begin to get a feel for all this stuff without having to analyze it too much.