----ASTON BARRETT------

jmcdan3 · #1 10-29-2007, 10:49 PM

Lets discuss his style and technique. I feel him to be the reason that i picked up a bass guitar. I just cant seem to groove like that. Anyone have any suggestions or comments on his playing?

SKATE RAT · #2 10-29-2007, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmcdan3

Lets discuss his style and technique. I feel him to be the reason that i picked up a bass guitar. I just cant seem to groove like that. Anyone have any suggestions or comments on his playing?

smoke big spliff?

jmcdan3 · #3 10-29-2007, 11:23 PM

yea i heard that!!too bad i gave up on the stuff. seriously tho,he uses a lot of very basic stuff-sticks with a lot of lydian patterns. anyone else notice anything?

SevenReasons · #4 10-30-2007, 12:27 AM

To point out the obvious, a really loose, layed back, behind the beat feel.

lefty007 · #5 10-30-2007, 07:08 AM

I'm into Barrett big time right now, and I've been studying what he does.

He is a very tasty player that had the privilege to be at the center of reggae almost from its creation, and he actually helped develop the genre as it grew, so to me, he's really the source.

As mentioned, being layed back (playing ever slightly behind the beat) and having a solid drummer (that won't let it drag) is key to his style. Being steady is also a key to his playing. It takes a lot of discipline to play the same bass line for a whole song withouth altering it with fills.

Lastly, I hope you have a copy of the Bass Player Magazine issue that came out recently with him on the cover. Also, get a hold of as many Bob Marley tapes as you can, and there are a few great DVD out there that feature his playing. Just playing along and get soak in the nuances.

Bass Boy · #6 10-30-2007, 08:45 AM

This is a cool DVD: http://www.amazon.com/Catch-Fire-Bob...3755480&sr=1-3

jmcdan3 · #7 10-30-2007, 09:55 AM

yea i have all of the albums (even the lee "scratch" perry dubs) and a few dvd's. How exactly do you play behind the beat?? Any other familier patterns? Im trying to emulate his style into a hip hop band that I'm joining.

robgator · #8 10-30-2007, 10:15 AM

how to play behind the beat....drink nothing but decaf before the gig. Seriously, finding that all-elusive pocket is tricky sometimes. What I try to do is to play very simply at first...with one finger on my right hand, plucking the strings. Find the groove first and then work up from there - adding more notes, etc. Also, work with your drummer...that is key.

bassist15 · #9 10-30-2007, 02:57 PM

Family Man says he tries to emulate an upright soundwise while playing. He plays mostly in the middle of the neck because he believes that is the best sound. There is an interview on bassplayer.tv that has alot of his stuff on it.

Sounbwoy · #10 11-02-2007, 02:41 PM

1. Have good drummer that UNDERSTANDS reggae.
2. Don't overplay. Leave space. The groove is first and foremost.
3. Low end is king. It shouldn't be overwhelming, but everyone should KNOW you're there.
4. You CAN use fills. Fams' style is what I call "musical". He puts stuff in that you wouldn't expect. The key is restraint.
Listen and compare "Master Blaster"-Stevie Wonder and "Is This Love"- BM&W. It's the same basic beat, but notice the difference in the approach of the bass. The Master Blaster bass line is what I call "choppy" and "abrupt". Is This Love's bass line is more laid back and relaxed.
Also Marcus Miller's "Silver Rain" will show you both examples in the same song, both in the groove and the solos.

Monkey · #11 11-02-2007, 11:04 PM

Family Man has been a huge influence on my playing.

First and foremost (to me) is to not over-play. Reggae is about the sum being more than the parts. If the bass player, drummer, or guitarist overplays, often the whole feel goes down the drain. When playing reggae, I concentrate on my tone, and playing over the neck to get a huge, fat sound.

Family Man had (has) the knowledge and wisdom to construct basslines that are both melodic and rhythmic, and carry the tune without overwhelming it. I've been playing reggae for over 20 years, and I can hold down a groove with very little variation for a long time, knowing that structure and tone I am providing are completely driving the band and the enjoyment the audience and dancers are experiencing.

When I'm playing roots reggae with a grooving band and the audience is cooking, I feel like I'm at the helm of a giant ship and have complete control!!!

All hail Family Man (and Robbie Shakespeare, Flabba Holt, etc.)!!!!

Andrew Jones · #12 11-02-2007, 11:23 PM

While I agree with everyone that the drummer needs to be strong enough not to let it drag,if you play behind...........

The way I hear it and believe is that the Chop/Skank Piano/guitar pushes/plays ahead. This is the feel that really cant budge or the groove looses foward momentum.

The Drummer can play on or ahead but I notice that alot of guys play on the beat.

Aj

One Drop · #13 11-03-2007, 06:51 AM

He is probably the most melodic of the big bassists in reggae. he like to accent or follow the vocal element in songs, and has said on many occasions that he sings through hi bass, and that you can't play a part properly until you can sing it.

Part of this is the way he shapes his notes, also giving them a distinct vocal quality. Not many modern reggae bassists play this way, having a more powerful attack and more even tone, and so getting less shape to each note.

He also underplays more than most bassists in any genre- the notes he leaves out are very often quite counter-intuitive, and contribute to the tension and release within each song that is very hard to emulate without being extremely familiar with reggae riddims and feels. My suggestion is you listen to him and reggae in general until you've completely absorbed these feels. They have to become part of you before you can play them convincingly, because the parts are so simple and stand or fall on their nuance and timing. Use the spaces as much as the notes- easy to say, hard to do musically.

All this is impossible without a rock hard steady drummer, because he's got to be steady enough to support a player playing with the time- Fams drags the beat considerably on many tunes, which sets up a lot of tension with the forward driving drums, but he also plays ahead of it sometimes, if you really listen hard, and often within the same track.

All of this falls apart if the other band members don't understand their duties in a reggae band properly- each one is contributing small parts to make up a whole, like a jigsaw puzzle in real time. So everyone has a strong rhythmic role as important as their melodic and harmonic ones within a song. If you don't feel the rhythm strongly enough (in other words, if your solo playing of a reggae line doesn't imply a strong beat in itself) in your own playing, you won't be able to hold the bottom down convincingly in a reggae band.

Very good points above about the role of guitar/piano keeping chop time, and of course organ thrown in under the mix subverting everything and setting up jerky cross rhythms
to create even more tension and drive, even in a laid back groove.

So, don't despair if you can't get their yourself- get the feel down and find yourself a ruling drummer for a start. That last part is the hardest, IMO.

pbass2 · #14 11-03-2007, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmcdan3

How exactly do you play behind the beat??

One thing that works for me, especially if I feel I might be pushing a little too much and want to pull myself back, is I really make a point of focusing more on the drums, especially the kick, than what I'm playing myself (assuming I know the song well enough to do so

. Then I try and get into a head space where it's as if my notes are being "triggered" by the kick or whatever drum, hat, whatever is hitting on the beats my notes fall on. It's kinda like you're not playing a note until you've heard the drum hit that accompanies it, and THEN you play---of course, we're talking about micro milliseconds of delay between that beat hit and your note. If I think this way, I automatically pull back, and never have that feel where my attack sounds rushed.
Then there's the really extreme behind the beat playing, like Pino on "Voodoo"---totally sick.

One Drop · #15 11-04-2007, 11:40 AM

Another thing you can do is to go to as many shows as possible and dance to the music. This might sound a bit weird but if you lock in to the drum and bass you'll get a much deeper understanding of how they work together rhythmically in the context of reggae.
As they say in Jamaica, 'who feels it knows it'.

Check this and hear how and when Fams is dragging the beat, and when he's on top of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgeGsr9HZ_4

pbass2 · #16 11-04-2007, 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by One Drop

Another thing you can do is to go to as many shows as possible and dance to the music.

Indeed!!!! As Deiter would say, "now we must dance"

Always boggled my mind how many musicians DON'T dance. heck even just in your living room. A very important part of anybody's groove education . . . .

sir juice · #17 11-12-2007, 12:06 PM

i find a lot of playing laid back is in posture.

just completely relax. you'll be suprised how much is helps.

then try and consciously play slightly after each space where the note should be, after a little while, you'll start to groove like that naturally.

I base all my grooves on reggae, whatever style i'm playing, just laid back behind the beat simple stuff. Just try not to forget how to play on it, in case that's wanted of you by a bandleader