Playing To much and To little where in lies the good Creamy Middle section

Raynier · #1 07-12-2011, 05:06 PM

As obvious by the Tittle I'm trying to find the Good Soft Creamy Middle between playing to much and playing to little.
I've never been the kinda player to stick to Roots and 5ths and the Minor Pentatonic was the first thing I played without realizing it. So I'm just trying to find the Real nice Medium Between playing to much and to little.
The bands I'm playing with now Don't care what I do, but I'm still worried that I'm playing to much. I still keep the Groove and play in the Pocket It's just that I've been rejected from bands from playing to Funky on the Audition before.

Tupac · #2 07-12-2011, 05:09 PM

Are you talking about time spent practicing? The key is short bursts. Playing a 2 hour session in the morning and not touching it until the next day isn't good. Ideally, an hour when you get up and an hour when you go to bed. If you want to go longer, fit a session in the middle.

Raynier · #3 07-12-2011, 05:20 PM

Im talking about playing To much during a song

tangentmusic · #4 07-12-2011, 05:29 PM

Always play what's best for the song.

Sometimes less is more.
Sometimes a song needs a little more playing.

Originals really need to have the best "feel" in your parts. Serve the song.

Cover tunes - stick with the recorded arrangement best as possible

Tupac · #5 07-12-2011, 05:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raynier

Im talking about playing To much during a song

Oh, okay. I was wondering why you were going on about theory, lol.

vin*tone · #6 07-12-2011, 06:04 PM

What genre are you talking about?

This is the bible of ad-libbed groove here:
YouTube - ‪Jimmy Smith - Root Down (Part1)‬&rlm;

Amen.

StKevin · #7 07-12-2011, 06:05 PM

Too much or too little is entirely dependant upon each song. One band I'm in doesn't have a drummer. I have to keep each song interesting, because the guitar player sure doesn't. The other band I'm in I mostly hold the low end down and add an occasional flourish to each song where it sounds appropriate.

Raynier · #8 07-12-2011, 06:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vin*tone

What genre are you talking about?

This is the bible of ad-libbed groove here:
YouTube - ‪Jimmy Smith - Root Down (Part1)‬&rlm;

Amen.

Its a multi Genre Band anything From Blues to Contemporary Rock and all in between

Rockmusician · #9 07-12-2011, 06:15 PM

Everyone is different. I generally do not have to practice very much. I had shoulder surgery in April and couldn't play for a month. When I picked up my bass again, it was like I had never stopped playing.

On the other hand, I have a friend that starts to lose it if he doesn't practice every day.

mambo4 · #10 07-12-2011, 06:41 PM

+1000 to playing what's right for the song.

If you are loosing auditions due to overplaying it might pay to examine ther bands previous work and see what may be expected.

Rhythmic style will influence how dense to play quite a bit. Jazz or latin wants one kind of density,classic rock or funk another. So farmiliarity with stylistic traditions you are asked to play is helpful.

But the main thing that makes overeplaying bad in most cases is that it fills the musical spaces required for other players to sound truly awesome. I has often been said that a good bassline will make the rest of the band sound great. My rule of thumb is to strive for the simplest groove possible and then concentrate on listening...a lot! eventually spaces that would benefit from extra sauce become appearent.

**jmattbassplaya** · #11 07-12-2011, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mambo4

But the main thing that makes overeplaying bad in most cases is that it fills the musical spaces required for other players to sound truly awesome. I has often been said that a good bassline will make the rest of the band sound great. My rule of thumb is to strive for the simplest groove possible and then concentrate on listening...a lot! eventually spaces that would benefit from extra sauce become appearent.

Very good advice here.

Something I find very helpful in finding that sweet medium involves recording your rehearsals. When playing a song, do it once while only playing the most stripped down part you can think of, and then play the song again while being very liberal with your fills and runs. Once that's done you should sit down and compare the two back to back and take the best of both works to create the 'ultimate' bassline (so to speak).

IME, however, you'll probably find that less is more in most songs.

Chef FourString · #12 07-12-2011, 06:56 PM

People told Bach that his music had too many notes. Guess how that turned out.

jtapp2556 · #13 07-12-2011, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef FourString

People told Bach that his music had too many notes. Guess how that turned out.

+1

Buxtehude · #14 07-12-2011, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chef FourString

People told Bach that his music had too many notes. Guess how that turned out.

Actually that was Mozart.

cire113 · #15 07-13-2011, 03:26 PM

with bass for me usually less is more.. but it depends on what the "music" is asking for

Raynier · #16 07-13-2011, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mambo4

+1000 to playing what's right for the song.

If you are loosing auditions due to overplaying it might pay to examine ther bands previous work and see what may be expected.

Examining the bands previous work would be great except half the Bands around here Don't have any of it Available and The last one i lost to over playing he told me to let loose and go Crazy Guess there is such a thing as too crazy

Raynier · #17 07-13-2011, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mambo4

+1000 to playing what's right for the song.

If you are loosing auditions due to overplaying it might pay to examine ther bands previous work and see what may be expected.

Examining the bands previous work would be great except half the Bands around here Don't have any of it Available and The last one i lost to over playing he told me to let loose and go Crazy Guess there is such a thing as too crazy

Scot · #18 07-13-2011, 07:24 PM

As others' have mentioned, it really depends on the situation, the way you hear music and how well you can bring all your experiences to the table to come up with lines that support the music and are stylistically-appropriate. In the end, only you can really make a judgment about whether or not you're playing in that "creamy middle section". Some bassists play a busier style of bass rhythmically or melodically but make it work well in the context of the music they play. Others play more simply but with an incredible feel. Others are chameleons that can play very differently depending on the situation but play each like it's the only thing they play. All very valid approaches, IMHO.

The way I see it, bass is primarily a supportive gig so I try to focus on the big picture when I play. When I'm listening to the rest of the band and paying attention to whether or not people are moving and enjoying the music, I think I'm probably playing the right amount of notes without even thinking about it. Giving too much attention to what I'M playing is usually not good.

- Try singing the bass line you're hearing.

- If you think your line is too busy, pretend you're playing a tuba instead of a bass guitar.

- Learn inside and out the bass lines you really like.

- When stumped, as yourself: "what would my favorite bass player play?"