Jamming Tips?

danjl131 · #1 08-05-2008, 01:22 AM

Hey i have been playing bass for a while and am quite knowledgable of theory, notes rhythm, keeping time, etc. I feel as tho I kno enough at this point to start jamming... only thing is i keep hearing about locking in with the drummer? how is this done? i heard it has to do with the bass drum but what about the other drums? and how do the bassist and drummer work out when they each do fills (separate times, or at the same time?) i have jammed with guitarists and i know how to support them harmonically but focusing on rhythm and locking with drums is something i wanna learn and get better at... any help with this would be appreciated thanks

Gordon of Eden · #2 08-05-2008, 01:38 AM

Essentially you want to pay attention to what rhythmic pattern the kick is playing and bass your pattern on that. For sme kinds of music it is very appropriate to mirror the kick closely and lock in to the feel the drummer is creating. This is not to say you can't add what is going on with the rest of the kit to create accents and fills or even play off of the drums to create different effects. Agood drummer may also pay attention to what your doing and incorporate that into his performance. It is fun and easy to get together with a drummer and work out cool parts and once you get the hang of it you can often get to where you come up with things on the fly. I have found with some drummers I have an instant level of communication and with others it may take a little longer before we really gel or "Lock in" the way I like.

Thunderthumbs73 · #3 08-05-2008, 01:53 AM

"Locking in" with the drummer has a lot to do with the bass drum, and the patterns the drummer will use when playing it. If the drummer's bass drum foot is decent, there will be predictable patterns that they will play throughout the song, and each time they play that song.

I regard "locking in" as not necessarily playing exactly and only bass notes/bass rhythms that the bass drum/drummer will play, but being very, very mindful of what is going on in terms of the bass drum at all times, and always playing something complimentary with those patterns. That complimentary thing could be to play exactly the patterns of the bass drum, or some modification of that, or even something that doesn't line up with the bass drum very much, but sounds purposeful, predictable to a degree, and of course complimentary to the bass drum pattern.

And then you have the rest of the drums.

The interesting thing is, that the more you play with the same drummer, the more you will come to "feel" the way the way they play and when they do fills and such. They have natural tendencies or patterns they gravitate to. And so do you. They are "reading" you (or should be) just as much as you are reading them.

So you play more with your drummer, and you'll get of when they will do fills and other things, and also the kinds of fills they will do (eight notes, triplets, 16ths, etc...) and from that, you can build your own set of fills that are complimentary. For my part, I have a very good sense when my drummer is going to do drum fills which are triplets and sometimes I play those exact same rhythms. Sometimes I don't. Time will help give you this intuitive sense.

Another thing, is to just listen. Listen to music. Focus on the bass and drums. Focus on the bass drum and the bass player's rhythms. See what lines up. And what doesn't. Listen to the drum fills. Where are they? How frequent? What is the bass doing at these times? Just listen. You can learn a lot from good listening, and not just passive "background music" kinds of listening.

Work with a drummer one on one, minus the rest of the band. Play basic grooves in different tempos, and play different feels. Start simple. No need to make it quantum physics. Just play some fun grooves, but make it more than fun. Like active listening (see above), bring your active listening into your one on one session with the drummer so that it's the most productive time possible. After all time to just play one on one with a drummer and focus on these bits is often a rare thing.

Hope this helps.

Gordon of Eden · #4 08-05-2008, 01:59 AM

Yes that's what I was trying to say

dvh · #5 08-05-2008, 08:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gordon of Eden

Agood drummer may also pay attention to what your doing and incorporate that into his performance. It is fun and easy to get together with a drummer and work out cool parts and once you get the hang of it you can often get to where you come up with things on the fly. I have found with some drummers I have an instant level of communication and with others it may take a little longer before we really gel or "Lock in" the way I like.

Exactly. Except I would say a good drummer WILL pay attention to what you're doing. Bassists and drummers should play off each other and if the drummer is someone you "click with" (as in your personalities) you're into a great groove.

I've played with drummers of all sorts but if it's someone I don't click with, I can still lock in but it is far less fun.

bigblondeafro87 · #6 08-05-2008, 10:22 PM

Try to play ideas that extend over multiple bars, use tension and release to add feeling, and I like 'musical acceleration' where you start the line be playing slower notes (half notes, quarters, whatever) and building up speed and intensity, with note choice and with rythyms, to arrive at a place where you can relieve that intensity with great effect. A band that really understands these concepts is Widespread Panic, listen to some of their live performances for ideas.

MysticMichael · #7 08-05-2008, 10:46 PM

Speaking to the topic of your thread title - "Jamming Tips" - in general - and not necessarily to just the technical issue of locking in with the drummer, I would suggest really listening to what the other players are playing...and to try to discern what the music "wants" to do, i.e. what it seems to be saying, and where it seems to be going.

Listen intuitively - not analytically - because on this level you're opening yourself to inspiration - not sweating the details of how you're going to actually implement. At this point you should be hearing a bass line in your mind - hopefully a part that ties together melody, harmony and rhythm in an elegant yet economical way that still grooves nicely. It could be simple and basic or clever and innovative - whatever the music calls for.

Play it. Then experiment with it and innovate upon it as you go, on the fly. Repeat as often as necessary...

It's always worked for me, at least...

MM

nickonbass · #8 08-06-2008, 02:38 AM

I think you have to be able to meet the drummer half way. If a drummer can't play time very well - it's really hard to lock in with them - but if they play time really well then it makes locking in a whole lot easier.

I think it's good to try and sometimes mimic the rhythms a drummer is playing and also to play 'against' it - to compliment it.

At the end of the day - it is just one part of the whole picture.

ie play for the song. Always play for the song.

ElectrAcoustic · #9 08-06-2008, 07:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticMichael

I would suggest really listening to what the other players are playing...and to try to discern what the music "wants" to do, i.e. what it seems to be saying, and where it seems to be going.

+a million.. Listening is the key to jamming.. as the bass player you should function as the bridge between rhythm and harmony and need to have a foot in each camp to do so. Lock in with the drummer but also keep an ear out on the harmony instruments.. they may start comping chord substitutions or may go off on a tangent and you need to be listening and reacting to those as well. Best case scenario, they're all listening too and you'll get to a point where you are all having a musical conversation. Best of luck..