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Bass Solo Rant

#41
One Drop said:
You can practice all you want and be the most exquisite soloist with the most creative melodic chops and the most singing sweet tone and you'll probably still bore the pants off of the audience in 5 seconds unless they came to hear solo bass or are a group of bassists, and even then most won't be that interested.
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Pretty much. That's the cue to look for other styles of music and better listeners in the audience. Also, a day job helps, so the focus isn't on paying bills by pacifying nonmusicians.
 
#42
Faulknersj, THANK YOU for this thread! I have been wondering this since practically the first day I picked up the bass. This crap annoys me to NO END! There's no real reason for the entire band to basically drop out on a bass solo. Worried the crowd won't be able to hear the bass? Either turn up the bass volume or have the band play quieter. Alternatively, EQ the bass differently. When the other players drop out like that unless it's planned to set up hits or something (which it almost never is) you're essentially stopping the music entirely. It ruins the atmosphere that the music created up until that point and leaves the bass player to fend for himself without a soundscape to play off of. People who perpetuate this, stop it. It's lame.

/rant
 
#46
We have 2 songs where I have a nice solo and from the get go my guitard and drummer always drop in volume (and I usually kick on a boost in volume). In both circumstances they play a few chords, light drumming and off I go. We had an instance once where I played and everyone dropped out in practice and it made NO SENSE....never again it just was weird....
 
#47
Yea I can't stand it either, I think I'm gonna drop out on the next round of sax/piano/guitar solos so they get the point. If you have an organist in your group you could have them play simple bass parts on the pedals in addition to comping chords.

Kwesi said:
Just set one up myself yesterday! It double as volume boost for slapping too since my fingerstyle is cuts through a little more. Of course this is all very "just in case" seeing as I haven't played with a band in years.
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I am intrigued by this...how is your fingerstyle louder than your slapping? Do you play aggressive fingerstyle?
 
#49
johndough247 said:
Yea I can't stand it either, I think I'm gonna drop out on the next round of sax/piano/guitar solos so they get the point. If you have an organist in your group you could have them play simple bass parts on the pedals in addition to comping chords.



I am intrigued by this...how is your fingerstyle louder than your slapping? Do you play aggressive fingerstyle?
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You ever seen Uriah Duffy play? I kinda play like him but with about a million times less skill. So yeah, I think I'm on the more aggressive side of things. In order of how easy it is for my playing to be heard it's:

1. Pick
2. Fingers
3. Thumb
4. Slap
 
#50
Mr. Lovejoy said:
You do know the Bass isn't tuned *that* much lower than a normal guitar, right? Many of the notes are just the same as on a electric/acoustic/etc. Guitar.

That said, it's all about how you tune your sound from there on out.
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No need to be condescending, we are discussing personal taste here.
 
#52
RBrownBass said:
Pretty much. That's the cue to look for other styles of music and better listeners in the audience. Also, a day job helps, so the focus isn't on paying bills by pacifying nonmusicians.
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I've listened to all kinds of music from all over the world, and rarely find examples of styles where the bass instrument(s) take solo spots or holds a main melodic role within the ensemble. Apparently a lot of others feel as I do or there would be more out there. I'm aware that this has something to do with the inability to project bass notes without amplification, but the same phenomenon holds true with amplified music of all kinds.

Lead style playing within a song or piece of music excites me very much, bass in a solo role not so much, at least on an emotional level. I can appreciate the chops and the musical ideas, but in the end I just rarely feel it and the explanations are an attempt to discover why.

Willie Weeks gets a pass.
 
#53
Kwesi said:
You ever seen Uriah Duffy play? I kinda play like him but with about a million times less skill. So yeah, I think I'm on the more aggressive side of things. In order of how easy it is for my playing to be heard it's:

1. Pick
2. Fingers
3. Thumb
4. Slap
Click to expand...

Didn't know who he was beforehand, just youtube'd him. Gotcha...lowish action and really digging in, cool. I'm assuming by thumb you mean plucking and not thumping (slap).
 
#54
Kwesi said:
Faulknersj, THANK YOU for this thread! I have been wondering this since practically the first day I picked up the bass. This crap annoys me to NO END! There's no real reason for the entire band to basically drop out on a bass solo. Worried the crowd won't be able to hear the bass? Either turn up the bass volume or have the band play quieter. Alternatively, EQ the bass differently. When the other players drop out like that unless it's planned to set up hits or something (which it almost never is) you're essentially stopping the music entirely. It ruins the atmosphere that the music created up until that point and leaves the bass player to fend for himself without a soundscape to play off of. People who perpetuate this, stop it. It's lame.

/rant
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You are more than welcome Kwesi!!! Thank you for sharing man!
 
#55
One Drop said:
...Willie Weeks gets a pass.
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+1. His playing is pretty much what Vic was saying in a nutshell in terms of not dropping the groove when soloing.

BTW If somehow anyone in here hasn't heard Willie Weeks' famous bass solo...get off TB and go find a copy of Donny Hathaway's "Live" Album immediately (seriously, that whole album is amazing)...Willie's solo on "everything is everything" is basically the How-to-perform-a-bass-solo-with-a-groove instructional manual :D
 

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