I play bass for my uncle's merengue band. He usually wants me to keep the bass line simple and use and effect we call ponche (ghost notes which sound like a kick drum) as much as possible. Not to long ago we recorded this video. My uncle was complaining that i was doing too much. I listened closely and although I could have kept it simpler I don't think I was overplaying really bad. What do you guys think was I doing too much?
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Am I overplaying?
- Thread starter Manuel101
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Thanks, its his band and I have to do what he tells me. It can get kinda of annoying specially when we are playing live if I am not playing the way he wants he will motion to me by opening and closing his hand letting me know to use the ponche. He wants it more like in this video around the 2:32 mark and also the 3:27 mark
Your intro is really distateful. You play sustained notes that get in the way of the groove instead of staccato bursts that would reinforce the percs.
Oh and stop the glissandos they become annoying after a while.
Other than that you're not insanely noodly but you're standing out. We hear the singer, the bass and the rest of the band.
IMHO it is a mistake in this kind of music, where the listener shouldn't get but a steady hypnotic rhythm making him lose control of his feet.
I think you'd improve the song by playing less notes. One could say it is the definition of overplaying.
Oh and stop the glissandos they become annoying after a while.
Other than that you're not insanely noodly but you're standing out. We hear the singer, the bass and the rest of the band.
IMHO it is a mistake in this kind of music, where the listener shouldn't get but a steady hypnotic rhythm making him lose control of his feet.
I think you'd improve the song by playing less notes. One could say it is the definition of overplaying.
In general I would say "No," but I play prog bass and no one EVER accused a prog bassist of overplaying, so I'm a bit biased.
I think the intro fits but that's a matter of taste. Everything I do is a conscious decision but I will admit that this wasn't the bands best performance. We had different musicians and didn't rehearse so the chemistry wasn't as good as it could be. Watch the video closer and you can see the guira player for instance nodding his head because the conga player was about to do something at he wrong time
Disclaimer - I'm not familiar with the genre so don't know what a typical bass line is.
While I quite enjoyed your baseline it did seem to stand out too much (on good headphones) and kind of overshadowed the vocals at times. I agree with Jazz Ad that your glissandos were way too frequent, a couple during the whole song would have been far more effective.
When I was your age I overplayed horribly but thought I didn't, only years later did I realise that I did.
While I quite enjoyed your baseline it did seem to stand out too much (on good headphones) and kind of overshadowed the vocals at times. I agree with Jazz Ad that your glissandos were way too frequent, a couple during the whole song would have been far more effective.
When I was your age I overplayed horribly but thought I didn't, only years later did I realise that I did.
The bass is louder than normal because after the video was recorded i raised the low frequencies because my subscribers would normally complain that they couldn't hear the bass. Depending on the bassist some merengue bass lines can be super busy or very simple. Each band has their sound some sound busy others don't. Also I didn't make up this bass line like I said we hardly rehearse so I basically emulated what the bassist did on the cd recording I was given
Ah, that explains a lot if you boosted the lows for your Youtube channel.
Probably best to be not quite so busy if "the boss" is complaining despite what you (and other Tbers) might think.
I asked because I was wondering if I was in fact too busy or if it was just him being picky. Also he is not going to fire me lol we are family.
Don't be so sure about that.
Yeah, I'd say you are overplaying just a bit. Like others, my main complaint is with the glissandos - you do it way too much in my opinion.
Living in Inwood, I hear a lot of merengue. The thing I don't hear from the bass in your video is the groove. I hear noodly things, a gliss, more noodles, etc. In the stuff I hear coming out of cars and clubs, the bass is pounding root/five with (maybe) fills at the end of phrases and acting more as a part of the drums. The bass is the foundation, and if it's all over the place, the structure above it has nothing to rest on.
There are different sub-genres of merengue. You are referring to classic merengue but this band plays urban merengue which is simply not as groovy as the classical. I have played in maaaany merengue bands and all of them can be easily recognized because they all have their own sound. Check out this video for instance
This is merengue "a lo maco" it is a bit more syncopated than regular merengue. I play with this band too and their approach is totally different. I usually get calls to play with these bands and I have to get CDs from them to become familiar with their sound
Yeah I didn't mention it in my previous message but the band is good. Nice songs, good arrangements.GREAT BAND!!!
Glad you enjoy it. It's always good to hear other genres and see what people come up with
