Bass is 'easy'

[AndyPanda]

I'm a new bassist - but I've been playing keyboards/sax/flute (etc.) for ages. (BTW - I'm that rare keyboardist who doesn't step on the bassist territory - if my left hand needs something to do I play a few sax/flute parts that I can play with one hand).

I am a song writer and have always written my basslines on keyboard when I'm sketching out a song idea... (but then I full need/expect/require a real bassist to take it to the next level and make it "real".) I have a plugin (Trillian) that does amazing bass simulation of upright and electric basses. Also if you ever listen to the pop tune "Black Velvet" (often held up as "how can I get this great bass tone?") the bassline was recorded on keyboard. So, IMO, this is all that the guy meant when he advised the OP to learn other instruments as well as bass.

With that said ... now that I am learning bass ... it is an eye opener for me.
I realize now why the bassist in the band doesn't like to play the basslines I wrote on keyboard (they don't fall naturally under the fingers)
I am realizing how all those great basslines came to be - those lines make sense on a fretboart
As someone said earlier - most pop tune bass lines are very simple to learn/copy (but knowing how to create a great bass line from scratch is a whole 'nother thing")

bass is a unique instrument with a unique philosophy or concept - I have always found that the bassline is what makes/breaks a tune. Bassline is what draws me into a song. The bass, IMO, is the most important part of a song. Since I've been learning bass, I've found that my sax playing has improved dramatically - odd as that may sound - Basslines have me thinking in a different way about things and it has really helped my rhythmic and harmonic choices.

 

[josiah goldfish]

Root notes sound good in some songs.

That was my instant thought too, one can still be a 'proper bassist' and only play roots, if that's what the song/tune calls for.

 

[frsbdg]

i took it to mean not that bass guitar is easy to play, but that it is easy to replace or emulate with a keyboard or computer.

That was how I interpreted it as well. That being said, my wife thinks bass is easy because all I do is just move my fingers.

 

[Space Pickle]

Probably "in the box".

 

[jnsnj]

I got the "bass is an easy instrument" line last night. My reply is always the same "Well it does have two less strings".

 

[timonvh]

Bass is not "easy", bass is simple.
Play in tune, in time and make the rest of the band sound good... simple.

So is golf - hit the ball straight and put it in the hole... simple.
And boxing - hit the other guy and knock him out... simple.
(end sarcasm)

Whaddayamean sarcasm?

 

[lancimouspitt]

Playing some bass parts is easy.
Coming up with those same parts can be very difficult.
Most don't realize that

 

[pcake]

Until you hear a person play, you have no idea what level they're at regardless of what they say about themselves.

The world is full of people with cheap guitars,basses and other musical instruments...people who think that they're the next big thing musically but can't play much of anything.

They're not musicians...they're people who are in love with the idea of being a rockstar. It's more about being being a rockstar than it is about anything musical.

A lot of good bands probably get tired real quick of all the posers that show up for interviews/tryouts.

And these days when you tell someone authentically that they suck on an instrument they can get pretty upset.

So if you just advertise yourself as a bassist for hire....well..there's a million of those around and a good percentage of them aren't very good. Ditto for guitar players and drummers.

Maybe a good way is to have your own website etc etc et or blog with actual sound clips of your work that you can refer employers to....if you are not in a position to actually demonstrate your
skills in person based on their general pre-conceived notions about prospective players....

i have cheap basses, but i don't think i'm the next big thing or a rockstar. just sayin'...

 

[twinjet]

Hello,

I contacted a few people asking if they needed bass parts for their projects and this is one of the replies I got...

"Thanks for contacting me, Patrick!

Since I work 100% ITB, I collaborate only with vocalists. But I know this market for many years, and would sincerely advise you to venture into additional musical instruments, to further increase your chances for a gig - guitars, mandolin, whatever. Just make sure it is an instrument which is problematic to emulate otherwise (unfortunately bass falls in a "easy to mockup" category, unless "starlike" quality and gear, or either complex funky genre is concerned).

Wish you a Happy New Year, and lots of success!
Vlad."

This was my reply...

"Thanks for replying, Vlad

I see what you mean about bass being in the 'easy to mockup' category, but for me, someone that just plays the root notes of the chords (e.g. playing G for a G major chord) is not really a 'proper bass player'. It's like in a boy band where one of the guitarists gets put on bass as they need a bass player. He just then plays the root notes on every song. A 'real bass player' would create bass lines which improve the song (this rarely involves just playing root notes throughout the song). Personally, when I write a bass line I make sure it is interesting and adds something unique to the song.

I do also play the Ukulele if that is something you would be interested in
Thanks, Patrick"

How do you feel about the bass being "easy to mockup"?

Thanks, Patrick

He's simply uneducated.

 

[ZenG]

i have cheap basses, but i don't think i'm the next big thing or a rockstar. just sayin'...

Right ...but if I'm correct you're not one of these self-entitled young wunderkind that thinks that because they can thump an E-string at 180bpm, it means they have a pre-reserved position in
any band they decide to join.

 

[pcake]

Right ...but if I'm correct you're not one of these self-entitled young wunderkind that thinks that because they can thump an E-string at 180bpm, it means they have a pre-reserved position in
any band they decide to join.

i'm nowhere near young, but even when i was , i was about playing, not being perceived as important.

 

[champbassist]

Playing bass is easy. Playing bass well is not.

I agree with the 'root note' perception. You can play simple root notes all you want and, yes, they will sound swell in certain songs - just as an example, I think With Or Without You by U2 works perfectly in that manner. Then again, a lot of songs could do much better with a little more movement and spiciness in the low end. That's where being able to play bass well comes in.

And I'm not even talking of the extraordinary Claypool/Wooten types here. Even in the usual rock framework of playing, there's much more to playing bass than people such as the guy mentioned in the OP seem to perceive.

 

[itsalljustaride]

Guitar can be just as simple as bass when you get right down to it. Countless artists made their most memorable songs with 4 chords or less, and if it's a genre where solos are sparse or non-existent, even better.

That said, someone who has attained a decent amount of skill playing guitar can do a decent job on bass as well if they know the basic principles of how those two instruments compliment each other. A lot of the basic skills transfer when you're talking about stringed instruments like guitar, bass, banjo, mandolin, uke, etc. especially in the left/fretting hand.

Learning another stringed instrument is probably still good advice though if you're going to offer your services for hire. If you're into uke, try out mandolin too. Plenty of room for more mando imo.

 

[el murdoque]

i took it to mean not that bass guitar is easy to play, but that it is easy to replace or emulate with a keyboard or computer.

same here.

 

[DirtDog]

Probably "in the box".

Yup - in the box. Meaning he tracks, mixes, masters etc. inside the DAW. Probably uses software instruments for everything except voice.

 

[IPA]

Your reply was just as asinine as his IMO.

I mean, you two basically said the same thing.

Sincerely,

Root Note Drone #52309571

 

[The BurgerMeister]

Probably "in the box".

yup. "in the box." as in, "in the computer." as in, there are many ways of getting a bass line onto a song that don't require paying an actual human with a soul to do it.

 

[Sixpack324]

I also thought the responder meant it was easy to emulate....

But....

I think playing bass well IS easy.......... Because I'm a bass player

I don't think playing guitar or drums is easy..... But I think Bass is easy...... Especially now that I have years of practice and experience on my instrument to draw from.



Just sayin'

 

[chungweishan]

I, too, usually compose "in the box" (not that I ever used that phrase or acronym before). So I'm using a lot of emulated sounds with the intention of replacing them later if I can. Currently, I started experimenting with only using iPad Mini's Garage Band which definitely limits the scope of what I can do, but it means thinking up new workflows to accomplish things.

With any instrument (including emulations), they all have an inherent limitation. I have composed songs on keyboard and realized it's far beyond my own capabilities on guitar and bass. I have composed songs that sound awful with computer emulation due to its tonal limitations.
--

The advice Patrick gave is good. There will be times when composers seeks out real instruments that aren't easy to emulate tonally. I actually tend to use a lot of Doublebass emulation, which puts me in a very bad position if I wanted a real doublebass sound because I don't have one nor can play one.

And there are just times when composers aren't seeking collaboration. They just want someone to play their compositions note-for-note whether or not it's just roots and fifths, or something completely wacky:

This is a bass line from "Dead Goon" - Mr. Bungle. The drummer, Danny Heifetz, composed it on keyboard, and Trevor Dunn had to figure out how to play it, quoting "no bassist in their right mind would dream it up".

 

[jjmuckluckjr]

Everything seems easy, until you actually try it. Don't confuse four strings with simple. Anyone can grab a bass and start playing in a band. But it takes a lot of practice to make 'simple' sound easy. Any fool can play the root /five, root /three pattern. Locking in with a drummer is a whooooole different skill set. Good luck.