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Bass lines that make you yawn

#142
I've gotta be honest, there is no bass line that makes me yawn. And I love the sound of bass by itself. I guess that's why I play bass! I love everything about it! Even the repetitive lines.

I remember seeing a youtube video of Albert King and Stevie Ray, they were jamming out and the bassist had to play pretty much the same bass line for over an hour straight. All of the comments were saying "that poor bassist!" But I was thinking, "that lucky bassist! "
 
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#146
bucephylus said:
Your post and thread enable a lot of somewhat unfortunate comments, IMO.

First, taking this Ace tune, which is actually a pretty hip tune; you have to recognize that the existing footage of Ace from the day was mostly aimed at supporting the commercial success of the song. So, though you may find a bass pedal groove to be boring, those guys were laughing all the way to the bank. And part of that is the bass line needed to support the lyric is a simple pedal. Fine.

But, for example, here is one way the tune might actually get done in performance:


Which, ok, it's still not the 3rd movement of Beethoven's 6th; but, you can definitely hear some other stuff going on that makes the groove deeper and increases the interest. So, just because a studio part is not so challenging (maybe, though I suspect there are players on here who still can't hold a good pedal groove, just sayin'), that doesn't mean that a cat has to emphasize the lack of interest in the part live.

Part of being a bass player in a popular music context is that we can add or change things up as long as the supportive part is honored and the feel of the tune gets across. Other than that, it's open season on creativity. In fact, it can become pretty interesting figuring where and how to toss in interesting fills and variants without anyone noticing at all. Or slightly changing up a rhythmic figure to groove harder. And, further, there are literally tons of mainstream tunes, some mentioned in this thread, that have interesting and quirky little twists carefully and tastefully inlaid, which cats miss altogether. The studio cats are experts at that.

Cats posting that they hate such and such tune because of the bass part are just missing the point. Popular music is about telling new stories and bringing something fresh every time. If you can't get with that, and you are purely interested in reciting things, then go play orchestra. Yes, you have to support the vocals and do your job with the groove. But, assuming you are covering those aspects, there is almost always room to keep things interesting. And, the better you get at it, the less anybody notices. Pretty hip.
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I mean at the end of the day, if someone finds a bass part or a song boring, they just find it boring and that's pretty much all there is to it.
 
#150
abotaun said:
I thought about asking for other people's experiences with this after hearing How Long by Ace on the radio and thinking that it would be painful to play live. I guess there is some movement in the chorus, but otherwise I think it would feel like a long song for the bass player.

Any other songs that you would have you daydreaming as you played?

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I don't find any boring.
I just like playing with a band for an audience. I don't find anything boring during a gig. Not even the tear down.
 
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#155
abotaun said:
I thought about asking for other people's experiences with this after hearing How Long by Ace on the radio and thinking that it would be painful to play live. I guess there is some movement in the chorus, but otherwise I think it would feel like a long song for the bass player.

Any other songs that you would have you daydreaming as you played?

Click to expand...

Songs often have associations in our minds that render them a lot more interesting to play. How Long, for example, makes me recall a certain dancer at a certain bar near one of the Navy bases in San Diego decades ago. If I was to play in a band that covered that song somebody would probably have to poke me with a drumstick to let me know the song had ended. Its minimalist bass line wouldn't bother me in the least.

I have noticed that in those songs with uber simplistic lines or endless repetition in the bass, it's the bass that sets the groove. IOW if the bassist is in the groove the dance floor is full and the servers are busy. I always loved those nights. If the bass is mentally elsewhere the audience will be elsewhere, too.
 
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#156
I think boring might be the wrong word. I think some lines could potentially be improved, but that's the joy of a cover. You could add things as you'd like. With that said, knowing when to let the song groove with a simplistic part is as much a skill as anything else.

My old band used to cover White Stripes or Black Keys songs. I had fun on those.

Also covered Weezer. Those tended to be a bit simplistic. Places to add, but sometimes you just need to groove.

The choice of notes (and their number) should always serve the song.
 
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