Bass solos: really?

[Adam Bomb]

I have written a very short (8 measures) bass solo for one song in my band’s repertoire. I wrote that one so that no one can say that I “never” solo. And I have realized that bass solos make me uncomfortable, even sad. Mainly because I can’t do them - at least, not well, and not without a lot of planning and practice. But I do think that there is also something else.

Just now I was thinking about bass solos and the image came to me of a car with tricked-out brakes. Now, I’m not exactly sure how you would trick out brakes. Maybe if that part of the body of the car was see-through, and the brake parts were fluorescent pink, and the brake fluid was neon green. And dude is driving around showing off his tricked-out brakes. That’s a bass solo to me.

I think that there is a strong argument that the brakes are the most important part of the car. I realize that people tend not to think about the brakes as much as, for example, acceleration; but I also suspect that a lot more people who die in car crashes had a final thought that had to do with their brakes than their ability to go zero to sixty in a short period of time.

You would sell a lot more slow cars than you would cars with no brakes.

And sometimes you are consciously aware that brakes are rock stars. If you have ever been in a high-speed car chase in rush-hour freeway traffic, for example, and you have a thought like this: “OK. I am going to plow into that next clump of traffic at 90, decelerate to about 60 as quickly as possible, make a hard left, and floor it” - for example - afterwards, if you could marry any part of your car, you might choose your brakes.

My point is that brakes are *so* important that painting them hot pink actually devalues them. The point is not how brakes look. The point is how well they work.

And by that I am *not* saying, All a bass player should do is stay in the pocket (even though that is pretty much all I can do). I love it when monster players shred *under* the song. Cass Lewis of Skunk Anansie being my favorite example (and favorite player, period). Cass soloed for entire songs, playing a whole different song under everybody else that sounded so cool and gave the song its depth. That impresses the eff out of me. Bas solos, OTOH, make me feel like, Everybody wants a solo, even the bass player, so, here it is. I suppose it doesn’t help how often you can barely hear it. But mainly because they seem so obligatory. If I was not a bass player, I would go to the bathroom during the bass solo. (I just ignore guitar solos.)

Stanley Clarke can pull it off; but that’s more like the bass as a lead, which is fine and which is how I write. I’m talking about a “traditional” band, and everybody else stops and lets the bass player get a little. I suppose Jaco could pull it off, too. Really I’m mainly talking about when I go out to see live music.

The bass makes the whole song sound good. That should be enough. That’s why solos make me sad.

Also, because I can’t do them.

I hate long posts.

</rant>

--Bomb

[T-Bird]

Hi.



Well I play the short solo when we play the "Runaway" by Del Shannon. That always brings a big smile to everybody that notices it.

Bass isn't a traditional solo instrument in classic rock IMLE, but playing some of the straight forward solos with bass can really make the difference sometimes.

I play "guitar solo parts" in a couple of other tunes as well, one even in 2 octave unison with our guitarist, but those are Finnish tunes so no point in listing them here .

Regards
Sam

[Phalex]

Originally Posted by T-Bird

Well I play the short solo when we play the "Runaway" by Del Shannon. That always brings a big smile to everybody that notices it.

I used to cover the keyboard solo on Runaway back in the day. I miss that one now that you mention it. I might have to bring it up with the boys.......

[manutabora]

My opinion is that any instrument is just an expressive tool.

[Jared Lash]

I have a limited capacity for solos on bass OR guitar. A great solo on either instrument is a beautiful thing, but with most bands I wish they'd cut them out entirely.

On guitar there are too many players that can't get the feel or emotion of the song into their solo, either because they lack the talent or because they are too busy trying to show how fast they can play. Also, bands that have a guitar solo in EVERY song get on my nerves as well unless the guitar player is really talented.

As for bass solos, one problem I have is that too many bassists want to solo like guitar players, climbing up to the highest register they can. Not to say that's always bad, but I like a good low-end solo. Here's a couple good ones in the context of rock/pop bands.

Fight For Your Mind (bass solo starts around 4:30)
Aeroplane (solo starts around 3:40)

[Adam Bomb]

Wow! I thought I was going to look out my window and see torches and pitchforks. You folks are cool.

Thank you for those links, TheBigO! That first one is particularly informative to me. (Citing Flea is kind of cheating.) If I had been at that Ben Harper show, that solo would probably have been the high point of the whole set for me. The thing that struck me about it - besides how unbelievably funky - was that everybody else didn’t stop dead and wait for him to be done. They were all (or mostly) still jamming, and my man stepped up and they just changed the blend, or something like that. He *was* soloing, but it didn’t seem “that way” that most seem to me. That half of the song was the bass solo certainly suggests that it wasn’t obligatory! Yeah, both of those are sweet. I had forgotten all about that RHCP song, but I love it.

Shout out to my MBC peeps!

--Bomb

[rarisgod]

Have to agree with TheBigO. That's something I found with Cliff Burton personally, his solos sounded too much like guitar solos (distortion and all) IMO.
I think bass solos sound good in both areas, really. Low solos are terrific, but high ones can be excellent as well. The more they sound like bass/instrumental solos and not guitar-imitation-solos, the better.

[prof pop]

I notice that the crowd loves it when the bass shows off his chaps a bit.
Listening to the guitar doing it all the time seems kinda repatative.. its nice to have a change! IMO

[Jared Lash]

Originally Posted by prof pop

I notice that the crowd loves it when the bass shows off his chaps a bit.

I generally just show off my chops. But I do have some butt-less chaps that are pretty sexy too.

People do seem to dig solos from a bass player (and drummer) when playing live as long as you don't overdo it.

As for the rest of the band playing while Juan Nelson (Ben Harper's bassist) they can do that because as a group they know how to let a groove breathe. Too many younger bands are so dense that they have to stop almost everything for a bass solo to be heard.

[dgelting]

Originally Posted by Adam Bomb

The thing that struck me about it - besides how unbelievably funky - was that everybody else didn’t stop dead and wait for him to be done.

That is a big peeve for me - the mentality of "shhh, be quiet, the bassist is soloing!". How come everyone backs up other soloists, but when the bass or the drums are soloing, everyone shuts up?

I guess it's mostly tradition from when the bass was always quiet and couldn't get it's volume over the band. Nowadays that's not the case - there are all sorts of volume boosting devices to be used.

I'd rather not solo at all if everyone in the band is just going to sit there. I love to solo if I have a good rhythm section backing me up - I'd imagine most guitarists, sax players, etc, feel the same way.

[AnchorHoy]

Originally Posted by TheBigO

People do seem to dig solos from a bass player (and drummer) when playing live as long as you don't overdo it

Yep. That's the key right there - get in, make a Strong statement, and get out before the crowd starts to lose interest

A couple of classic examples:

Bad Case of Love - from BB King's "Blues on the Bayou" album. Michael Doster gets 12 bars to make his case, and delivers a beautiful 'traditional' style solo. No pyrotechnics here, but plenty of solid playing that locks in tight to Calep Emphrey Jr.'s drums

Slow Ride - from "Foghat Live". Nick Jameson steps out for a fairly short but plenty funky solo, with plenty of support from Dave Peverett's vocals and some tasty slide licks here and there

Broken Hearts - from the first Living Color album. A short & sweet solo from Muzz Skillings, and a perfect example of how chops and melody really can work together beautifully if you go about it in the right way

[dmusic148]

My Generation.

[greenboy]

Bass attracts a lot of lazy underachievers and most bassists are dullards and shouldn't be allowed to solo.



Sure, that applies to guitarists too.

[Largedon]

Originally Posted by TheBigO

People do seem to dig solos from a bass player (and drummer) when playing live as long as you don't overdo it.

This has been my experience as well. I typically do one solo a night with any of the cover bands I play with and it usually occurs in some funk song. I try to keep it short and sweet with a little finger pick soloing, a little slap and then get on with the song. Its amazing how people react to slap, I guess because its very visual to watch.

Personally I've never liked my solos. Feel like I fall into the chops fest, masturbatory sessions to quickly, but the crowd reacts positively so I guess I'm doing my job and am just being overly critical. I've never played a true "lead" instrument in my life, I played all low brass in high school, then learned drums before picking up bass. I started playing bass because I like playing bass lines, if I wanted to solo all the time I would've played guitar.

[PSPookie]

Originally Posted by greenboy

Bass attracts a lot of lazy underachievers and most bassists are dullards and shouldn't be allowed to solo.



Sure, that applies to guitarists too.

C'mon man. Tell it to us straight. Don't sugar it

[AngryJason]

Personally (and no offense to the virtuoso soloists that acheive beyond measure), but a great joy of mine is to hang in back with the drummer, outside of the spotlight, stay in the pocket, and just do my job....just one bassist's opinion...

[kenlacam]

This post sounds like the OP is disgruntled about lack of ability to play amazing bass solos, yes?
Bass solos have their place, just like drum solos, and keyboard solos. They may not be as prominent in songs as the lead guitar, but when done right and tastefully, they can sound just as good. Victor Wooten, Stuart Hamm, need I go on? True, bass solos should not be a part of every set list, nor a part of a regular thing, unless you're in a jazz trio. but for regular rock and roll bands, bass solos don't really have a place.
I just wanted to put it out there that bass solos are enjoyable, and it seems that those who hate them are those who can't do them.

[AngryJason]

Originally Posted by kenlacam

This post sounds like the OP is disgruntled about lack of ability to play amazing bass solos, yes?
Bass solos have their place, just like drum solos, and keyboard solos. They may not be as prominent in songs as the lead guitar, but when done right and tastefully, they can sound just as good. Victor Wooten, Stuart Hamm, need I go on? True, bass solos should not be a part of every set list, nor a part of a regular thing, unless you're in a jazz trio. but for regular rock and roll bands, bass solos don't really have a place.
I just wanted to put it out there that bass solos are enjoyable, and it seems that those who hate them are those who can't do them.

I guess I can agree to a point....but IMHO bass solos are a matter of taste....yes, In a Jazz setting, they can be both beautiful and energizing to the set....but to state that those who hate them are those that "can't do them" is simply a matter of opinion...bass solos have their place, but a solo just for the sake of a solo is rather unncecessary.....thoughts?

[greenboy]

Originally Posted by AngryJason

...bass solos have their place, but a solo just for the sake of a solo is rather unncecessary.....thoughts?

Singing many of the ideas people sing about is unncecessary. Playing an instrument is unncecessary. As unncecessary as anything else once you start pointing the gun. Since soloing is presumably composition either by improvisation or by pre-planning, maybe writing songs or instrumentals is too.

So what?

[JWClark(ABD)]

In my rock band, I play solos on about half the tunes. We've always divided it up, because a) I like to play, and b) it gives variety. It doesn't have to be a situation where everyone else drops out and we noodle for a while, like some 80s guitarist in stadium concerts. I love playing over a reactive drummer and solid comping from our guitarist. Playing alone or with just the hihat (as happens far too frequently in jazz) isn't as fun as playing in the ensemble. As far as rock not being the right place for it, John Entwhistle, Chris Squire, Brian Ritchie, Cliff Burton and () from Free (can't think of his name, and he's the only thing I like about that band), Les Claypool.