Blues Bass Club

[GwenOnBass]

Seen enough to always carry my VT Bass. I can go ampless if that's what I find, and I can coax a tone that works out of the rattiest backline.

 

[Hundred proof]

My go-to rig a Mark Bass LMII into a 1x15 a couple of drive pedals and my trusty T45

 

[Hundred proof]

My pedal board

 

[Mvf]

Ok, This sounds like my club! Please count me in

 

[Feral Feline]

1. IMO:
- Start playing with others ASAP, the rest will come.
- Knowledge is power, but have the knowledge to not abuse that power.
- Sight reading is a great skill to have (see sentence above), and a great way to learn and gain knowledge even if you never ever sight read on a gig. I can sight-read, in just a few hours I can read an entire sheet of music.

2. Amp is an EA300 MicroAmp with Wizzy 10, but I've played through just about any backline you can imagine (Ampeg, Behringer, Fender, Aguillar etc) and I haven't had to use my own amp for a few years now, thankfully as I've got enough to haul around with just the bass and modest pedalboard.

Preamp was a PZed-Pre, in the loop was Empress ParaEQ, Aphex Xciter, Boss Limiter and various other FX rotating in/out.


A pic from a few years ago, when The Other Band had a fortnightly Thursday residency, ie alternating Thursday nights with another band:

My old bass^, fully carved, still have it, mostly playing my CCB plywood now. Same Underwood pickup.
Any number of strings would do, I'd love to have a fiver, but $$$. Also, though six-string contrabass violone would be killer fun, they're either old and astronomically expensive, or they're few-but-new and $till out of reach.
If I was confident and competent enough to play a slab bass in public, I would. I play a Squier Jag at home.

I like the idea of playing Neon Pink strings on a Stingray, or rasta-coloured strings on a U-Bass, a cello-modded with a bass-guitar neck, a washtub or gastank, 7-strings or 4-courses of 3 for a down n dirty dozen... yep, anything goes.


For the last year I've gigged a stripped back pedalboard, through an FDeck and a Turbo Tuner; but I still haul out some FX every now and again just to keep things fresh and spicey.

Alas the monthly acoustic blues jam is dead, for lack of a willing venue, gone for nearly a year now, although some impromptu jams sometimes pop up.

I tried to find a newer photo for y'all, but...
I've seen some newer photos floating in the ethers — damned if I can find any recent ones. Maybe I should self-promote more. What can I say? I'm not a flash-geetawrist, I'm a bottom feeder, feeding bottom to whoever needs it...

 

[GwenOnBass]

A lemonade stand I once frequented was also an antique shop. The upright bass and piano - always for sale - kept many a patron in free entertainment. It is on that DB I played Long Black Veil for the first time. And not played the upright since. That's some 42 years passed, by my reckoning. No pictures, so it didn't happen.

 

[Polish Thunder]

Question for all of you Blues bass players.

For a song like SRV's Pride and Joy, do you learn it note-for-note (either by ear or by Ed Friedland's notation in his Blues Book) or by playing a basic walking bass line close to what Tommy originally played and then improvise/personalize to feel?

For most of the standards, I can play using a traditional pattern (i.e., R-3-5-6-8-6-5-3 shuffle), but on a blues song that has slight variations on almost every bar, I wonder if it is worth learning it note-for-note. My thought is that Tommy played it slightly different every time he played it live with Stevie.

 

[ArtechnikA]

You are correct, there is no -one- version of that song. There's the studio album version, and one each for every time it was played live - and in all those versions, rarely were any two verses played identically... The 'special sauce' in that song is Tommy's bouncing off the open E (Eb...) string during the walk. Get that, and you've got the song. I try to keep the walk close to the same, because it adds to the song's signature feel. But no band I've played with was likely to be confused with Double Trouble, nor were they trying to be. (I did see a SRV & Double Trouble tribute act once, and they were great...)

When I play blues originals with the original artists, I try to play them the way they want it played (and on one in particular, that's note-for-note) but mostly, interpret the song, serve the song, and pay attention to the other players.

MHO...

 

[Skip Chucker]

Question for all of you Blues bass players.

For a song like SRV's Pride and Joy, do you learn it note-for-note (either by ear or by Ed Friedland's notation in his Blues Book) or by playing a basic walking bass line close to what Tommy originally played and then improvise/personalize to feel?

For most of the standards, I can play using a traditional pattern (i.e., R-3-5-6-8-6-5-3 shuffle), but on a blues song that has slight variations on almost every bar, I wonder if it is worth learning it note-for-note. My thought is that Tommy played it slightly different every time he played it live with Stevie.

That's what I love about blues rock, you have enough room to lay the groove and you can explore the space. Just don't mess up the turnaround.

 

[Polish Thunder]

Another question:

Is there anybody on this thread (or knows of somebody) that would offer online lessons (Skype or Zoom) for Blues bass lessons?

I am looking for an "experienced" blues bassist that can critique my blues playing, give advice, and maybe offer some tricks of the trade.

I am not interested in a jack-of-all trades player who dabbles in the blues occasionally. I am not looking to learn how to sight read or practice the Hypolydian Mode (in these lessons), but to focus just on playing the blues.

I have already gone through most of Ed Friedland's Blues Bass book and Frank DeRose's Essential Blues Bass Grooves lessons, so I am not starting from scratch. It is more to fine tune.

Feel free to PM with with any contact information or advice.

Thanks all!

4th scale degree in lydian

 

[Tazziedevil]

Question for all of you Blues bass players.

For a song like SRV's Pride and Joy, do you learn it note-for-note (either by ear or by Ed Friedland's notation in his Blues Book) or by playing a basic walking bass line close to what Tommy originally played and then improvise/personalize to feel?

For most of the standards, I can play using a traditional pattern (i.e., R-3-5-6-8-6-5-3 shuffle), but on a blues song that has slight variations on almost every bar, I wonder if it is worth learning it note-for-note. My thought is that Tommy played it slightly different every time he played it live with Stevie.

I would Play close to the recorded version with variations every verse.

 

[rtslinger]

So a blues number I played along with during the bands down time

 

[Geepers]

Ok, reviving this thread coz blues is 100% all I play (blues, rock blues and jazz blues) and I'm ready to expand my influences.

Who are the TOP THREE blues bassists I should be listening to?

Thanks in advance,

 

[Polish Thunder]

Ok, reviving this thread coz blues is 100% all I play (blues, rock blues and jazz blues) and I'm ready to expand my influences.

Who are the TOP THREE blues bassists I should be listening to?

Thanks in advance,

I would start with Calvin "Fuzz" Jones (Muddy Waters) and Johnny B. Gaydon (Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Paul Butterfield) for traditional blues. Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan) for Texas Blues. I would also focus on the bass lines classic blues songs. Donald "Duck" Dunn played bass on Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign" and that is a classic song and bass line for sure.

 

[Feral Feline]

Ok, reviving this thread coz blues is 100% all I play (blues, rock blues and jazz blues) and I'm ready to expand my influences.

Who are the TOP THREE blues bassists I should be listening to?

Thanks in advance,

All solid good suggestions by Polish Thunder, and I'll add you've gotta get to the roots of the blues and build a strong foundation.

Here are my top three:

1) WILLIE DIXON
LEGEND!
"Blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he is perhaps best known as one of the most prolific songwriters of his time. Next to Muddy Waters, Dixon is recognized as the most influential person in shaping the post–World War II sound of the Chicago blues.
...
He received a Grammy Award and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame."


2) ERNEST "BIG" CRAWFORD
"He played with Muddy Waters, Sunnyland Slim, Little Walter, Memphis Minnie, Jimmy Rogers, Big Maceo, Big Bill Broonzy, Washboard Sam, Memphis Slim, and Mahalia Jackson."

3) RANSOM KNOWLING
"Best known for playing bass on many blues recordings made in Chicago between the 1930s and 1950s, including those of Arthur Crudup and Little Brother Montgomery."



https://www.talkbass.com/threads/famous-blues-bassists.410446/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/who-is-your-favourite-blues-bass-player.1455129/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/what-makes-a-good-blues-bassist.182820/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/albums-featuring-good-blues-bass-playing.222144/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/great-blues-bassists.1218385/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/history-of-blues-bass.739626/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/whats-the-recipe-to-be-a-great-blues-bassist.588938/
https://www.talkbass.com/threads/blues-double-bassists-other-than-big-willie.511744/

Favourite Blues Bass Player and why?

Hi bass-chatters I’m really interested in hearing who your favourite blues bass player is. Bass players often get overlooked for the more famous guitarists or singers in Blues so it would be great if any one can come up with the lesser known ones as well. I am planning a bass video course with a ...

www.basschat.co.uk

These articles just repeat names already given in the thread here, but also elaborate on some specific tracks to check out:

The Most Influential Blues Bassists: Part 1 – No Treble

www.notreble.com

The Most Influential Blues Bassists: Part 2 – No Treble

www.notreble.com

1 DIXON


2 CRAWFORD


3 KNOWLING

 

[5StringBlues]

Duck on the Muddy Waters Fathers and Sons album as well. Any BB King bass player that you hear on live 60s records.

I would start with Calvin "Fuzz" Jones (Muddy Waters) and Johnny B. Gaydon (Albert Collins, Johnny Copeland, Paul Butterfield) for traditional blues. Tommy Shannon (Stevie Ray Vaughan) for Texas Blues. I would also focus on the bass lines classic blues songs. Donald "Duck" Dunn played bass on Albert King's "Born Under A Bad Sign" and that is a classic song and bass line for sure.

 

[leeeroy57]

Count me in! I'm in a blues band based in the UK, although we mostly play in Europe.

 

[Hot Rats]

I got a nice recording of a bass solo I was put on the spot with. The guitar player just looked at me and said "Go! man" So, I had to come up with the goods right quick. The bass is my Warmoth 32" P-Bass with DR DDT's and the amp is a Tone Hammer 350 into an Ampeg 6x10.

 

[Geepers]

Count me in! I'm in a blues band based in the UK, although we mostly play in Europe.

Outstanding

 

[Michedelic]

That's fine and all, but what Magic Sam or Otis Rush material are you doing?