When to shine?

[TOM274]

People always say bassist have to learn when to hold back and when to step out and shine. When do you think are the right moment to shine?

[chokeslam512]

Those "people" are g*****ists. A bassist shines when (s)he plays a wicked solo or simply plays in the pocket and keeps the drummer on time... so bassists shine non stop.

[EricF]

I don't shine. I'm more of a continuous glow.

[GianGian]

For me there's no such thing...you have to feel the music and play with your heart. "Shining" should be a consequence, and not a concious effort. There are players like Steve Harris who don't have "moments", he is just "shining" during the whole song. You don't need a solo, or to play a thousand notes to "shine".
Just play what feels right, and if you "shine", fine, but if you don't, it is ok too. The bassists we often get to hear solos and "shining" spots are often the ones who are playing too much.

[Yerf Dog]

After the show.

[Chris K]

Maybe the question is not WHEN, but HOW to shine. Apart from being very, very dependable and steady you could try for some well-dosed finesse by:

- playing clever passing notes to really give sense and direction to chord progressions
- a sniff of syncopation here, a ghost note there to add variation and pulse

And then there are your solo's. The opportunities to play solo depend on what style of music you play. In jazz a lot, in pop much less.