Band writing your lines?

[xbrandonx]

As long as it sounds good I don't care if my cats write it.

I've been in bands where the singer could only say "eh, that does/doesn't sound right" and I've been in bands were the singer could pick up and play on the same level every instrument in the band.

I like having others in the band who know what they're talking about the old cliche two heads are better then one.

I know I've gotten under some drummer's skin when I turn around and say "that doesn't work there" then they try something else and it still doesn't fit. However they ask what I think should be changed and I'm no drum expert I just know that the combo doesn't work together haha.

 

[edot3021]

I try to work with the philosophy in mind that the better part prevails no matter who in the band came up with it. It is kind of the same thing when it comes to playing the part on the record also. Whether its bass, drums, guitar keys...whoever can nail it should just get in there and get it done. So far it's worked really well in my band.

 

[duff beer]

I don't think my egos in the way. I didn't say I was the best bassist. I know im not, and I know the bass line isn't the entire song but as a bassist it is my part of the song. If im being told what to play and dont have any control over it then give me a paycheck and i'll stand around playing note for note all day

The bass line may be your part to play, but that doesn't mean you get to re-write someone elses bass line. If someone else wrote the song, ALL the other parts may be theirs.

If you want total control over the parts played by others, you have to write the song. If someone else wrote the song, then you quite often have to play what they want. If you don't like the bass line, then maybe you can come up with a different one and it will be accepted.

 

[DeeDeeEntwistle]

The bass line may be your part to play, but that doesn't mean you get to re-write someone elses bass line. If someone else wrote the song, ALL the other parts may be theirs.

If you want total control over the parts played by others, you have to write the song. If someone else wrote the song, then you quite often have to play what they want. If you don't like the bass line, then maybe you can come up with a different one and it will be accepted.

Your right, I guess in the end It's my own personal opinion that if I had to play note for note bass lines someone else wrote I wouldn't be part of that band.

I'm not a root note only kinda guy, it would drive me insane not having complete control over my bass line.

But again, it's personal preference. I'm the main writer in my band so maybe i'm just a jerk off control freak? haha

 

[MIJ-VI]

Write the hits & be heard in the mix.

 

[i_got_a_mohawk]

If it sounds good, why not!

I'm always making suggestions on guitar parts and drum beats

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Serve the song doesn't mean play whatever "fits your style." I always ask the songwriter for a sense of what was in their head when they wrote the piece - rhythmically and harmonically. Saturday I was in a rehersal for a new jazz project and played a section progression of Dbm | Cmaj7 | Cbmaj7 | Db as specified in the chord chart. After we finished the take, the songwriter / lead mandolin asked me to stay on C in the third measure because it sounded better together with the chordal instrument. We played through it both ways and sure enough - he was right. Keep an open mind for there's lots to learn with music!

 

[Nedmundo]

I've had a wide range of experiences, sometimes within a particular band.

I've played in two bands with brilliant songwriters/multi-instrumentalists who play bass, and they would occasionally have a vision for a particular song that required a certain bass line. In one case, before my audition I was given recordings of several songs, some of of which were largely defined by bass lines that needed to be replicated. I had absolutely no problem with those situations. I wanted to help the writers achieve their visions for the music, so I played what they wanted. However, in both bands, I was given complete freedom to create my own lines in most tracks we played, and I learned enormously from those.

In other bands, the songwriters haven't been bass players and/or haven't had strong visions for the bass parts, so I've had total creative freedom. That works too. The songwriter and leader of my current band is very open minded, and will consider anyone's suggestions about arrangements, drum parts, guitar parts, backing vocals, etc. I don't think he's ever told me what to play, but he's made a few suggestions here and there.

 

[Adam Bomb]

One of the reasons I left my previous band was that I would come into rehearsal and the bandleader would say, "I wrote a new song. Check out the bass part." At first that was fine; I had a lot to learn, and just keeping up was a full-time job. And the bandleader wrote good bass lines. But in time I got restless. I felt that I was missing out on an experience that I needed as a new bass player: hearing where I thought the bass should go in a song. Sometimes I would assert my dominion over the lower registers, but it was tiresome and less than satisfying, having to do that.

The next band I joined, the guys had a dozen songs in progress, and not a single bass part. I don't think it ever occurred to them to write the bass part. That's what the bass player is for. Those songs all got funky-butt bass parts.

One of the things I like best about playing bass is getting the music that is in my head out into the air. It is not entirely a function of good and better. Folks seem to like what I'm playing. I love it.

--Bomb

 

[Crazyeelboy]

I'm all about collaboration - we share ideas and receive them between each other without territoriality. In our band, we have explicitly recognized that the creative process is the main reason why we do this and with that we share that process. This means that sometimes the guitarist suggests a bass part and (usually more often) I suggest a guitar part. We work through it and see what we like best.

In most cases, the guitarist will come in with a song idea and by the time we hack it out, the final product is totally different from what we started with. I think this works because we genuinely like and respect eachother's playing and creative talents - it all starts with respect. If you respect the songwriter's abilities, you are more likely to accept their ideas and vice versa.