Disco

[iceshaft07]

Hey everyone. Just wondering what characterizes Disco in terms of bass (if anything). I heard the song "You should be dancing" by the Bee Gees, and it has one of my favorite bass lines (tied with "Higher Ground").

And if you can recommend any Disco songs, that would be great!

[jenderfazz]

Octaves everywhere!! Okay, maybe not. That's what I do to give a disco feel but I don't do it for a living. Someone will have a much better answer for you.

[markjazzbassist]

Originally Posted by jenderfazz

Octaves everywhere!! Okay, maybe not. That's what I do to give a disco feel but I don't do it for a living. Someone will have a much better answer for you.

+1

get real familiar with root, 5 and octave and you should be decent. also familiarize yourself with a metronome. it's all in the rhythm.

[JimK]

Originally Posted by iceshaft07

Hey everyone. Just wondering what characterizes Disco in terms of bass (if anything).

Get used to hearing this rhythm-
l1_&a 2_&a 3_&a 4_&al
The LOW Note is played on "1"
Its OCTAVE is played on the "&" and "a"

A tune like Chic's "Dance-Dance-Dance" will build endurance for this...any of the Village People's hits, too ("YMCA", "Mach Man", etc).
Disco bass can be very repetitive...that is, a certain rhythmic figure is played ad nauseum; that is, the kind of 'jamming' you would expect from Jamerson and the Classic Rock bands(Led Zep, Allmans, Cream, + all the rest) probably wouldn't work. You can't give 'dancers' too much information...keep it steady & the same.

And if you can recommend any Disco songs, that would be great!

These two were prominent...and they both have bass breaks!

"Boogie Oogie Oogie"-A Taste Of Honey.
You have a great octave bass figure + some nice chromatic walkups/walkdowns during the chorus + a signature trill. iTunes has the entire album on its site.

"Car Wash"-Rose Royce
1/4 note throbbing + more octave bass with the now standard Disco walkup (e.g. D-d B-b- C-c C#-c#, etc)
Jobe's bass breaks on this hit are legendary.