Double Bass Accompaniment

[lowendrachel]

Hi peeps. Today, my band have decided to stop our rehearsals due to Covid cases are going up.

What do you use to accompany yourself when playing? I have an iReal Pro, Drumgenius, looping pedal, EHX Freeze (drone), etc...but I’m thinking of getting a Roland TB-3. Thanks.

I play both double bass and electric by the way.

 

[jj.833]

I'm running playalongs on my phone. Google 'Aebersold' if it doesn't say anything to you.

Sometimes I create my own playalongs in Cubase, using drum machine and recording guitar or piano. It would be more rewarding to create them in keyboard with sequencer, but this topic seems to be too low on my GAS priorities for years now.

 

[thabassmon]

A few things over the years, other people are the best by when people aren't an option.

I have used Tascam BT1 mkii which had a function that could sort of remove the bass from recorded CDs, I'd play along with the bass free audio.

I used to use a Boss RC3 looper with a Boss FS6, which was fine for a bit but I grew frustrated with the delay when switching between different loops so I sold it.

I bought a standalone multitrack recording studio Boss BR1600CD, and would just make my own backing tracks.

If I feel like working on my soloing I'll pull up a backing track from youtube, and play on that.

These days because I prefer to just pick up and instrument and play without setting up gear, I try and figure out ways to carry the tune by myself, the bass is potentially a polyphonic instrument so I enjoy exploring that part of it. It is capable of basslines, chords and melody so I try different combinations, sometimes I'll sing the melody and play the chords and a bassline. It all just depends on the material, motivation and mood.

So I guess what I'm saying is, I have tried to use backing tracks, a looper, recorded my own accompaniment or tried to be a one man band. All the approaches are valid and each have their pros and cons. Try them all and see what works for you.