A latin bassline for you to scrutinize

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Hi everybody.

Due to a reinvigorated enthusiasm about playing with a tropical music band thanks to this, I started transcribing new music to expand the band's repertoire, as I used to do.

Unfortunately, most of new latin music is crap and the band's configuration isn't the most adequate to play that music, so adding new songs is something that doesn't occur so often nowadays.

Within that "crappy" music, there's a sub-genre known as "Tropi-pop", which features a young, handsome boy as the lead singer, plenty of acoustic and electric guitars as a background, fat and muddy basslines, latin and electronic percussion, a small brass section and accordion. It's a mix of several rhythms, mainly dominican Merengue, caribbean Soca and colombian Vallenato (ugh!). Recently, my bandmates told me that there's a Tropipop song which is a big hit and that I should transcribe it. I couldn't avoid to make an annoyed face when they told me that, but anyway I got the recording since it's a "big hit".

And, to my surprise, it turned out to be a really good song! Well, not a "work of art" but it's really enjoyable to me. In spite of the accordion (which I hate, but it has a comparatively discreet use here) and the singer's nasal voice, it is a really well done song with a very infectious groove, mainly courtesy of its bassline tied with the percussion section.

In all honesty, I can't remember when was the last time that I put so much practice time into a tropical tune. Most of the times I just listen to it, try to get the most characteristic parts of the bassline and then I do it my own way. But I was so impressed with this guy's playing (I'd like to know who is it) that I decided to learn this bassline note for note and took my time to transcribe it. Maybe I'm alone, but I feel it deserves a shot:




The chord progression is just I-V-IV-V with some vi, iii and II7 here and there. I've already learned it in its entirety and I've been thinking of posting a play along video to show how to play it, but I'm not sure about how interesting it will be to the audiences (specially because of the accordion and the lead singer's voice). Again, maybe I'm alone, but this is a very interesting bassline in my opinion. I'd like to hear yours as well, at least from glancing it.

[Vorago]

Name of the song? Performer?

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

"Borracha" ("Drunk", referring to a woman) by Felipe Peláez. Here's a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWqUocC9ExI

[Deacon_Blues]

That was a cool bassline, for sure.

[KayCee]

Thanks for sharing that. Great bass part, great playing, and it should be a fun challenge to play as written.

[rosanne]

"Thanx Alvaro! Like that line a lot. Really looking forward to *attempting* to learn it. This seems to be kind of adventerous for a tropical bass line - am I wrong? Has tropical style bass playing changed in the last few years? btw, if you can post your own video of it that would be great.

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Originally Posted by rosanne

"Thanx Alvaro! Like that line a lot. Really looking forward to *attempting* to learn it. This seems to be kind of adventerous for a tropical bass line - am I wrong? Has tropical style bass playing changed in the last few years? btw, if you can post your own video of it that would be great.

Well, to me it is really adventurous since as I said, tropical music has gone downhill in the last fifteen years. Colombian Vallenato, which used to be a very respectable folk music, became a soap opera narration and even the basslines, which used to be REALLY GREAT (you can download an example here - Warning: Lots of accordion but an awesome bassline. Recorded in 1986), became really boring. That's one of the reasons why I liked this line so much. Something interesting at last after so much time!

Thank you for your comments! Glad you find it interesting. I'll consider making the video.

[Twistad]

Thanks a lot! I'll certainly give the song a try, although i'm not really fond of that genre, I love learning different types of basslines.

[rosanne]

That is the first time I have heard Vallenato. What a treat ! - despite the (shudder) accordian.

[PocketGroove82]

nice job Alvaro!

I like the blending of the Caribbean style with merengue-style B string thumps. I can tell that one is gonna be fun performing live!

[Carias]

Alvaro, great job on that transcript. The bassist for this tune is Alberto Lopez. Plays mostly merengue, salsa but not much vallenato. There is a lot of fusion these days regarding vallenato and Felipe Pelaez (composer and singer of Borracha) has done several recordings with Fernando Echavarria (La Familia Andre)and grupo Bananas (Merengue and colombian tropical music band) as well. He composed the Joe Arroyo's hit "Ella y Tu" which is a combination of rhythms like champeta and vallenato.
Alberto is a young man and currently does a lot of recording with different colombian groups when modern style is called.
I hope you like the accordion sometime in the near future. I may invite you to a "Parranda Vallenata" in Valledupar, which I am pretty you are going to like.
A friendly hug!

[Alvaro Martín Gómez A.]

Hey Carlos, thank you so much for your reply! I really wanted to know who's the bassist for this tune. Maybe I should clarify that my "problem" with the accordion is an "acquired distaste". Although never a true follower, I was very enthusiastic about good vallenato tunes like "La Candelosa" and, in general, classic tunes by classic performers like El Binomio De Oro and Diomedes Díaz. The thing is, the fact that most vallenato lyrics became like bad soap operas, synthesizer abuse and (above all) no selectivity from radio guys (at least where I live - "Vallenato's World Capital") made me truly hate the genre. But I highly respect vallenato in an old-fashion context (BTW, I've been extremely curious about Jorge Celedón's live band since I've been told that it's the closest to classic Binomio De Oro you can see nowadays).

[Carias]

Jorge Celedon is the best vallenato icon nowadays. His band plays traditional vallenato and some modern tunes too. He has recorded "puyas" and "sones", which is something the vallenato artists do not do regularly. Very successful and acclaimed in Colombia and out of the country. His last hit is a mexican huapango called "Esta Vida" See: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM6eC37doL0
The bassist with Jorge is Lefty Oscar Tilano who features a Hohner B2AV 5-string headless upgraded (body changed) in DMS Studios in Medellin. The same place I sent my hohner to be upgraded.
Good for Jorgito and traditional vallenato with improved sound.