bass simplcity

[bass guy]

does anybody feel ike their bands not letting them play enough i mean only 1 note for every song can getboring even some famous band like acdc have really simple bass

[Vic Winters]

I think it depends on what the song calls for. There are certain songs and musical styles that sound good with alot of bass improvisation and others where it sounds better when it's more reserved. My band doesn't mind if I go off on little improvs by myself as long as it doesn't take away from the song. Rooting, however boring it can be does give the notes played more power, and if that is what a song needs, that is what the song should get.

[SunneyBoy]

yeh it can get frustrating , iam a pretty busy player sometimes and i have found that there is definately artistry in simple in the pocket bass playing. iam working on it. but its not as easy as it sounds ! ps IF you wanna keep the gig keep it simple !

[Havoc]

I like Duff from Guns n Roses (now Velvet Revlver) bass lines. They are simple, yet they add a totaly new layer to the song.

[scorpionldr]

Originally Posted by bass guy

does anybody feel ike their bands not letting them play enough i mean only 1 note for every song can getboring even some famous band like acdc have really simple bass

here's what I say: bass is only simple if you let it stay that way. throw in some fills, work out some things, STAY CLOSE TO THAT ROOT NOTE IN THE MUSIC, and maybe you'll end up with a solo you never know

[IanStephenson]

If the pedaling the root note is the right thing to do, and it's a good song, then I can play one note all night and enjoy it.

Boring parts are only boring when they're not working, so if you're getting bored - mix it up. If you think you need to get busy, then go for it, but don't overlook the potential of milking the simple things.

Ian

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by bass guy

does anybody feel ike their bands not letting them play enough i mean only 1 note for every song can getboring even some famous band like acdc have really simple bass

The question is what sounds best overall and makes the band sound good in that moment - not what satisfies your ego....

Do people come along to gigs to see endless bass solos or to hear some good music....?

[pklima]

I'm the other way around. When bands ask me to solo it just means I have to do more work for the same money.

I love nothing better than to lay out for almost an entire song and then come in at the very end. Or lay out during the verses and play a pedal tone on the refrains. Not a lot of people are willing to let me do that, though.

[bassbully43]

Great thread...i am a rooter and fill guy in a classic rock band i dig blues and do a lot of 12bar with turn arounds and few fills so im a king of playing alot of the same patterns and notes...yes i can groove all night on the same patterns and do many times. It all about the dynamics of the songs timing and feel my band plays several A,D, E songs Gloria, rock and roll, jonny B good,etc and i stay there alot or around there for others but i add fills and octives to jazz the songs up...sometimes i stay on the roots and play heavy and the band gets the songs rockin and the crowd gets into it. I can feel the bottom i lay down on these heavy roots and feel how it leaves when i play a fill or do a quick run...ill pedal all night its my job and the drummers to lay it down and im damn proud and feel we do a good job...gotta love those roots.

[Lazylion]

Originally Posted by bassbully43

...yes i can groove all night on the same patterns and do many times. It all about the dynamics of the song's timing and feel ...sometimes i stay on the roots and play heavy and the band gets the songs rockin and the crowd gets into it. I can feel the bottom i lay down on these heavy roots and feel how it leaves when i play a fill or do a quick run...I'll pedal all night its my job, and the drummer's, to lay it down and I'm damn proud and feel we do a good job...gotta love those roots.

Exactly. A lot of times that's what the bass needs to do. And if you can't enjoy that, if you can't make yourself do it... switch to guitar!

[ak50324]

Is it rooting to play the 3rd/5th/7th of the chords? I usually play with a funky beat in mind, but it took days of convincing my guitarist not to play super complex parts with added deep end distortion. A couple power chords are enough for me

[KromaatiKlauun]

I'm a simplicity supporter, sometimes an overdone line can make the song fall down (hey! there's no bottom!), or is simply boring. I think's better to do great songs and think of all the band as a team, we're mainly the defense, so lets go for it!!! Always remember, if people is enjoying the music, it's because you're all doing a good job

[s_u_y_*]

It depends what you're playing, and who you're playing with.

For instance, I play with both a busy guitarist and a busy drummer. This means I know I have to play a much supportive role (though they let me have a bass solo once in a while when we jam).

In bands where the guitarist is not playing much, then I feel I should decorate more.

At the end of the day, what counts is that your bass line works, and never seems like it cluttering the track.

I agree with pklima's approach. Sometimes I consciously lay out for most of the track, but build up towards the end, as if to climax.

[Hyde]

Much as I enjoy playing busy bass parts, there's not much that annoys me more than a bassist who can play fills and solos till the cows come home, but can't make the root note sound good. I think alot of songs need simple bass parts, but that doesn't mean they have to be boring! I would much rather listen to someone who keeps the rhythm interesting and funky than some idiot who's trying to fit Wooten-esque bass parts in a song that they just don't fit in.

[Jazzin']

I like to improvise all my basslines. I like to play songs eith no bassline written, only chords, but my bandmates are always saying "you're the bassist, you're supposed to play boring lines, get used to it"

It's not that I don't want to play simple things, it's that I want to be able to choose what I'm doing. That's the reason I like playing jazz so much, because it's full of freedom.

[meisenman]

I'm currently reliving the Eighties, and I've got some Fixx on the iPod.

If you want to hear a simple but very effective bass line, check out Red Skies at Night. Same note over and over, but it's the little flourishes that make this bass line work for me (reminds me of U2).

I'd love to be able to think up those little bits. Just need to transcribe more songs () and get them into the memory bank . . .

Michael

[Marcus]

Whatever works for the situation.