Alternative to root fifth bassline

[2boom]

There really is a wealth of knowledge here. I appreciate all of you sharing your experience.

Great info....I’m following .....

 

[Groove Master]

Well I know what you mean but at the same time 1-5 IS the basic pattern for most styles of basslines.

I would try to play or interpret the bassines musically instead meaning go deeper in the rhythms, the velocity, the range, the accents, phrasing and so on. Feel the music and play with it. I'm sure you can craft a different bass part for every song using the 1-5.

 

[Malcolm35]

For example with slow ballads just the root at the chord change and nothing more, i.e. hit it and let it ring. Helps call attention to the vocal words being sung. Effective when the drummer brings out his brushes.

One thing we forget about is a lot of the songs will be danced to. That ole R-5 keep the beat/groove going.

 

[LBS-bass]

The key is to add interest SPARINGLY, and in such a way that it doesn't conflict with the basic feel or rhythm of the song. For me that usually means adding a quick turnaround or a walk sometimes, and a very occasional rhythmic hiccup that might follow along with the ride or hat if that is syncopated or swung. If there's a drummer, of course. And if there is, listen to the drummer to find interesting fills that you might lock in with for those kinds of things. And did I mention to do it sparingly? 1-5 is the heart of a lot of that music so you don't want to tamper with that too much. A bassist who can play that and remain interested and engaged in the music is going to have plenty of work in that genre, if he wants it.

 

[mambo4]

On top of 1-3-5 , the 2 and the 6 are usually quite safe to throw in, over major chords.

 

[SteveCS]

A root fifth baseline works very well with many Traditional, Country, and Bluegrass songs, but it can get boring and monotonous if you play 35 songs in a row using it. Anybody have some alternatives?

Whilst I agree with the observation that R-5 can get a bit monotonous, I think it has a lot of mileage as the underlying framework, with a bit of imagination. I captured this from our mixing desk at rehearsal a week or so back. It's pretty much all roots and 5ths with a few 3rds, pedals and double-stops just to spice things up a bit. Its a bit rough around the edges, but makes the point...