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Ambient/Post-Rock/Textural bass playing thread

#3,461
lucas303 said:
(I've posted about him everywhere else on TB, so why not here too...)

Check out Colin Marston's bass playing with Gorguts (for example). Not post-rock, but he's definitely not just hammering away at roots and fifths. Here's an example:

Click to expand...


Wow, Imma gonna have to check out that band. I'm not even really into that technical metal stuff, but that cannot be ignored.
 
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#3,465
lordradish said:
Probably a lot easier to play chords on yours, for sure.
Click to expand...
steubig said:
eh, i have 19mm 34-inch-scale 6-string basses. playing interesting chords is very possible. (not saying that it isn't probably easier on bob's bass)
Click to expand...

Well, my other Modulus 6-string has 18 or 19mm spacing, and to be honest I don't notice much difference in which chords I can play easily on one bass versus the other. It's the getting from one chord to the next -- or one note to the next -- cleanly, quickly, and without unwanted extraneous noise, that seems most impacted by the wider spacing. And conversely, depending on what type of part I'm playing, often the plucking hand is more negatively compromised by the narrower spacing of the SPX bass.

The thing I would offer re: playing chords on bass, regardless of how many strings they have or what their string spacing is, is this:
Just because you can play it doesn't mean you should.
iow, if you had some hypothetical 6-string bass guitar that was as easy to play full six-note chords on as a typical electric guitar, you might be tempted to play full six-note chords on it.
I would caution one to listen closely and decide if that's really the sound you want to be making. There's a reason most of the guys who play chords on bass use simple 3-note shells, or drop 2 voicings, or their right hand to tap a low note a couple octaves below the upper structure partials, etc.
 
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#3,466
all true @Bob_Ross

and really, if you listen to pianists (and guitarists), they're not all playing massive chords all the time anyway, they're choosing their moments and paying attention to voice leading.

and, because we're lower, we have more overtones, which muddy things up if we're not careful (or create delicious overtone rubs if we want them).
 
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#3,467
Bob_Ross said:
Well, my other Modulus 6-string has 18 or 19mm spacing, and to be honest I don't notice much difference in which chords I can play easily on one bass versus the other. It's the getting from one chord to the next -- or one note to the next -- cleanly, quickly, and without unwanted extraneous noise, that seems most impacted by the wider spacing. And conversely, depending on what type of part I'm playing, often the plucking hand is more negatively compromised by the narrower spacing of the SPX bass.

The thing I would offer re: playing chords on bass, regardless of how many strings they have or what their string spacing is, is this:
Just because you can play it doesn't mean you should.
iow, if you had some hypothetical 6-string bass guitar that was as easy to play full six-note chords on as a typical electric guitar, you might be tempted to play full six-note chords on it.
I would caution one to listen closely and decide if that's really the sound you want to be making. There's a reason most of the guys who play chords on bass use simple 3-note shells, or drop 2 voicings, or their right hand to tap a low note a couple octaves below the upper structure partials, etc.
Click to expand...
Oh, exactly. I tend to not do more than 4 note chords on the thing, and use a lot of the other techniques you mention. It's just nice to have the extended range to do a bit more with.

In this instance though, I can and should, simply because I enjoy a degree of harmonic complexity in my music, but that's not to say a person on a 4 stringer couldn't make some amazing soundscapes with a different approach, as many surely do.
 
#3,468
lordradish said:
Oh, exactly. I tend to not do more than 4 note chords on the thing, and use a lot of the other techniques you mention. It's just nice to have the extended range to do a bit more with.

In this instance though, I can and should, simply because I enjoy a degree of harmonic complexity in my music, but that's not to say a person on a 4 stringer couldn't make some amazing soundscapes with a different approach, as many surely do.
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Yep, on four string it’s a max of 3 notes per chord voicing....at least for me when let’s say I do chords over a jazz standard like Autumn Leaves ,Stella, Just Friends, Have you met miss Jones......or (insert standard of your choice).

I particularly like Maj9 chords on the I of a tonality for example....omit 5th, or just play Root, 5th, 9th.
 
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#3,469
all this got me thinking this morning. i often practice standards in the morning (good harmonic/melodic practice for me) and tend to do chordal stuff as part of that. i realized that i do a lot of broken chords (two notes on one beat, two on another, etc.) and a lot of passing diads or held notes with passing notes that create or extend harmony. and a lot of voicings that use a bit of dissonance and tension (2nds, 7ths, 9ths, etc.). 4-note chords are usually reserved for the top four strings (6-string bass), but sometimes i do want the effect of lower overtones . . .
 
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#3,470
Ok apparently I've been sleeping on this guy for wayyyy too long.

Insane beatmaker named DAKIM. Buddies with fly lotus dibia$e and ohblive. From what I gather he's the low profile basement dude.

Anyways I wanted to share since it's been quite a while since something this awesome has totally floored me.



Maybe not for eveyone....bit imo....this is freakin insane beats.

Cheers everyone.
 
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#3,471
ugly_bassplayer said:
Ok apparently I've been sleeping on this guy for wayyyy too long.

Insane beatmaker named DAKIM. Buddies with fly lotus dibia$e and ohblive. From what I gather he's the low profile basement dude.

Anyways I wanted to share since it's been quite a while since something this awesome has totally floored me.

Maybe not for eveyone....bit imo....this is freakin insane beats.

Cheers everyone.
Click to expand...

i don't do spotify, but checking an album of his on youtube. sounds really cool. thanks for the heads-up.
 
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#3,472
steubig said:
i don't do spotify, but checking an album of his on youtube. sounds really cool. thanks for the heads-up.
Click to expand...
Only reason I spotify is that I can't buy records anymore since I have priorities.....my family.

I have maybe over 1000 albums here that i brought when I was younger. I worked in record stores and spent most of my $ on records. I mostly take my samples form there instead of sound banks or preloaded things.

I simply can't afford it anymore. Choices, none of them I regret.

:)
 
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#3,473
ugly_bassplayer said:
Ok apparently I've been sleeping on this guy for wayyyy too long.

Insane beatmaker named DAKIM. Buddies with fly lotus dibia$e and ohblive. From what I gather he's the low profile basement dude.

Anyways I wanted to share since it's been quite a while since something this awesome has totally floored me.



Maybe not for eveyone....bit imo....this is freakin insane beats.

Cheers everyone.
Click to expand...


no Spotify here either, but isn’t he that the SP404 ninja dude? I remember a Boiler Room set he did that was mind blowing
 
#3,474
dukeorock said:
no Spotify here either, but isn’t he that the SP404 ninja dude? I remember a Boiler Room set he did that was mind blowing
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Yessir indeed he is. Sp505 and old korg micro sampler keyboard. Insane how he pulls it off live. Like I said in a previous post.....its been a long time since i have been floored by the sheer musicality and creative juices an artist has.

Simply beautiful. At least for me it is. Makes me smile.....and that is quite an achievement. Haha


:)
 
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#3,476
ugly_bassplayer said:
Yessir indeed he is. Sp505 and old korg micro sampler keyboard. Insane how he pulls it off live. Like I said in a previous post.....its been a long time since i have been floored by the sheer musicality and creative juices an artist has.

Simply beautiful. At least for me it is. Makes me smile.....and that is quite an achievement. Haha


:)
Click to expand...
He's certainly good at what he does, a bit too frantic for my tastes, though, some of them sound like polyrhythms that are a bit skewed.
 

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