how to be a "tight" bass player!?

[varunkapahi]

for a long while i have played in a blues rock situations where things are'nt as "tight" you know everyone is a bit improvisational and i can take a fill here, while sticking to the groove, and there but now most bands demand you to strictly stick to very defined parts so the whole band sounds very tight and every bit is pre planned. so what things one needs to keep in mind in order to focus himself to be very tight?

or maybe am not getting the whole meaning right and being tight refers to something else? please enlighten me!

tight means?
you groove hard
you remember all the changes and execute them well
you dont throw in random fills off the top of your head at the end of each phrase or section
add some point ?

thank you

[A9ismine]

metronomes i find so handy when practicin and brus]hing up on your reading and theory

[nealw]

To me, in a rock/pop setting, it means locking in with the drummer so well that the rhythm section sounds like a single instrument.

[Mr wiggl3s]

Cliffy B was the best, because he accented the band, added to the song at all the right times, and kept it real when playing (nothing super fancy, playing at 3,000 BPM, etc etc), also he helped a lot in the recording studio

[chump stain]

I think you can improvise fills and still be tight. I do it. Although I do have a idea of what the fill will sound like while I'm playing it.

[whocaresnotme]

Listen to Tower of Power and AWB for aural lessons on "tight". Song recommendation: "Funk The Dumb Stuff"-T.O.P.

Not sure that "tight" is definable.

"It bugs me when people try to analyze jazz as an intellectual theorem. It's not. It's feeling."
-Bill Evans

[Mrdak]

Do a whole bunch of one on one practicing with your drummer.

[Eminentbass]

I've always thought of a band as a tight unit. A good bassist can sound messy because of a sloppy drummer and vice versa. If you're playing songs verbatim then it's about knowing your part well but in an improvisational situation it's about the band members listening to each other and respecting each other's space. That's part of it at any rate I wouldn't know how to suggest practicing becoming tight as an individual, my perception is that it's a natural byproduct of getting fluent on the instrument and playing with more authority as one learns more and improves.

[mambo4]

Tight doesn't absolutely mean you can't improvise.
But it's easier if everybody knows what's coming.

Tightness comes from everybody nailing the important rhythmic phrases or downbeats especially during the transitions from one section of the song to another. So "random fills of the top of your head at the end of each section" can be a detriment there.


In a typical pop situation with the snare on 2 and 4 A common 'trick' used to help tighten a groove between bass and drums is to leave a "hole" for the snare hit: sustain your notes right up to the snare hit, and then stop it juuuust before the hit.

[Jazz Ad]

Practice, record, listen, feel bad about your timing, resume practising.

[varunkapahi]

bump

[slybass3000]

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

for a long while i have played in a blues rock situations where things are'nt as "tight" you know everyone is a bit improvisational and i can take a fill here, while sticking to the groove, and there but now most bands demand you to strictly stick to very defined parts so the whole band sounds very tight and every bit is pre planned. so what things one needs to keep in mind in order to focus himself to be very tight?

or maybe am not getting the whole meaning right and being tight refers to something else? please enlighten me!

tight means?
you groove hard
you remember all the changes and execute them well
you dont throw in random fills off the top of your head at the end of each phrase or section
add some point ?

thank you

It is funny you ask that because my first bass book coming up covers that topic.

It means being precise with the drummer.

We can talk about the "pocket" too.

The great drummer Steve Gadd did explain it very well by saying that it is an agreement among the band where the ONE is !!!


Best description of the "pocket" I've heard.

[notdavey]

I play in an all improvised jazz / funk band and we are tight as hell and we are making the stuff up on the spot. Locking in with the drummer (in my case someone I have been playing with for 10 years and have a sort of ESP) is essential be it for rock, blues, pop, jazz, etc. Just be 1) tasty 2) in time 3) locked in with your drummer and 4) listen to what everyone is playing.

[dvh]

Originally Posted by notdavey

I play in an all improvised jazz / funk band and we are tight as hell and we are making the stuff up on the spot. Locking in with the drummer (in my case someone I have been playing with for 10 years and have a sort of ESP) is essential be it for rock, blues, pop, jazz, etc. Just be 1) tasty 2) in time 3) locked in with your drummer and 4) listen to what everyone is playing.

+ a million on that. Anything that has to be played note-for-note, beat-for-beat the same way every time is deathly…

Unless everyone is an uber cat it takes a while of playing together to become a tight unit.

[guroove]

I find it helpful to stand next to the drum kit facing the drummer if I'm playing with a new drummer and we're working on locking in together. It sounds really tight and funky when syncopated 16th notes get locked in. There is a little wiggle room for your individual notes to feel natural, but the notes should happen more or less together.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

how to be a "tight" bass player!?

Practice Kegel exercises at every opportunity.

[A440Hz]

Originally Posted by varunkapahi

tight means?

tight (tīt') adj. : a state of being in musical synchrony such that it is pleasing to the listener, causing spontaneous movement of the body. See Prestia, Rocco, and Garibaldi, David..



In all seriousness, it's not about landing on the beat or the correct subdivision. It's about landing consistently in the same part in relation to the beat, whether it's behind the beat or in front. It's about things being consistent, predictable, but above all, fonk-ay. And having the bass and drums, in particular, being in agreement on the feel and keeping that feel solid during the song.

EDIT:

I think you're (the OP is) using "tight" to refer to song form, not groove. I think of tight = "good groove" not "strict form." Your experience may vary, since this usage of "tight" is, well, loose and casual.

[duderasta]

Originally Posted by bongomania

Practice Kegel exercises at every opportunity.

LMAO
bah! now I have to clean the pepsi off my monitor!

OT: I actually feel that being really tight means being able to improvise! anyone can play note-for-note memorized patterns..
the key is a good feel for each others "style" and communication when things aren't intuitive... can be audible cues from the singer, a nod from the guitard, or a well aimed drumstick... The point being improvising shouldn't be feared, but as a band you have to practice at it, so you can communicate, without it being too obvious.

[DougD]

Originally Posted by slybass3000

It is funny you ask that because my first bass book coming up covers that topic.

It means being precise with the drummer.

We can talk about the "pocket" too.

The great drummer Steve Gadd did explain it very well by saying that it is an agreement among the band where the ONE is !!!


Best description of the "pocket" I've heard.

+1
Also, it's very important that the players LISTEN to each other and work as a unit, not individuals. It's ok to play fills, it is NOT ok to step on someone to do it. A band that's tight knows how to let a groove develop and knows how to stay out of each others space.

[okcrum]

Originally Posted by Mrdak

Do a whole bunch of one on one practicing with your drummer.

^^^^
This, if you're in a band. Go to all the jams you can, and play with as many different good drummers as possible. You'll learn to hear tight if you're listening to the drummer. Some guys' pockets aren't so large and you have to work a little more to tighten it up with them.