Listen to the Waylon Kennings recordings from the 70's, Taras Prodaniuk from the Babalonian Cowboys (Dwight Yoakam's band) from the early 90's and the Buckaroos Doyle Holly...whew!!!!!!!!!!!. It's not easy I am working on a 12 song list of 1960's country right now for an audition on Monday. Coming out of retirement to persue the music that I love and had not messed with much. Its about the song and the groove as everyone has said. I have played death metal, rock, metal, and can tell you this is as much fun as any Steve Harris line.
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Country Bass, something infuriating!
- Thread starter basstoven
- Start date
I've been playing Country Bass since I was barely a teenager. I am 35 now and I still try to pay attention not to embellish or throw too many licks in simply for the sake of the song. I think of it as doing the 1/5 thing with walk ups or downs to the next chord and little passing licks in between lines when tasteful all make up the art of Country Bass. If you want to hear some cool bass stuff, Lee Sklar played bass on Clint Black's album Nothing But The Taillights, and had some cool runs and licks in there.
MikeBass
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+1
A LOT of the new "modern" country is loaded with cool lines.
Keith Urbans new disc is one (Jimmy Lee Solas on bass- kills on it).
IMO, modern country is pretty much the last place in popular where you CAN play.
Most "popular" music on the radio is limited to just having the bass in the back ground supporting and not a bar is allowed for much else to happen (which is pretty much 180 degrees from "popular music from the Motown days I might add. weird....).
But modern/pop country (ala' Keith Urban and the like) as it seems is much more forgiving for us.
You need to play the song, but as I've noticed in popular country today, you can get away with more- if it works and not just for wanking sake.
What kind of music do you usually have here?
Oh, we got both kinds. We got country *and* western.
Oh, we got both kinds. We got country *and* western.
Good call on Lee Roy Parnell. I saw him at the James Burton Guitar Festival, and he was amazing, so I pulled out everything of his I could find.
I played rock, blues and soul, and didn't like country at all. A band I was in would play a country song occasionally, and I would suffer through it.
Then I had a guitarist (pretty well known locally) ask me to join him in a band that would play country dances. I first thought "no", but I really wanted to play with this guy. He knows every song ever written and has an uncanny ability to come up with a great sound under any circumstances.
We started working together, just the two of us. I was terrible trying to play country bass lines. He started guiding me some...I normally wouldn't have paid much attention to the guitarist's view of what I should play, but this guy was great, and what he was telling me was translating well to my playing. Essentially, he was getting me to understand that less can be more in some genres, and that I should just trust myself to feel what to play. He also told me that if I could adapt a bit, and play with precision and feel, the local country players would recognize it and and give me calls.
I eventually realized that playing country lines was challenging, and that there was a world of difference between playing one and playing one well. And I realized that it could be continually interesting to me, trying to play the most simply perfect line.
I still don't listen to much country, but I now enjoy playing it. I'm miles away from mastering it, but it has helped my playing in other styles of music. I play a lot fewer notes now, but my choices of when and how to play them has gotten better and better.
I played rock, blues and soul, and didn't like country at all. A band I was in would play a country song occasionally, and I would suffer through it.
Then I had a guitarist (pretty well known locally) ask me to join him in a band that would play country dances. I first thought "no", but I really wanted to play with this guy. He knows every song ever written and has an uncanny ability to come up with a great sound under any circumstances.
We started working together, just the two of us. I was terrible trying to play country bass lines. He started guiding me some...I normally wouldn't have paid much attention to the guitarist's view of what I should play, but this guy was great, and what he was telling me was translating well to my playing. Essentially, he was getting me to understand that less can be more in some genres, and that I should just trust myself to feel what to play. He also told me that if I could adapt a bit, and play with precision and feel, the local country players would recognize it and and give me calls.
I eventually realized that playing country lines was challenging, and that there was a world of difference between playing one and playing one well. And I realized that it could be continually interesting to me, trying to play the most simply perfect line.
I still don't listen to much country, but I now enjoy playing it. I'm miles away from mastering it, but it has helped my playing in other styles of music. I play a lot fewer notes now, but my choices of when and how to play them has gotten better and better.
Stick_Player
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I just realized I've only been to the airport in Nashville, once. I think for an hour or so. One of those pesky plane changes.
My favourite country electric player is Glenn Worf. He's all over records produced by Frank Rogers and Frank Lidell in particular, but can be heard across a bunch of country albums doing stellar work.
For upright, you can't go past Byron House (currently in the Band of Joy) and Dennis Crouch (T-Bone Burnett's bassist of choice).
Tom Bukovac is one of the best session guitarists in Nashville, but I saw him playing bass with Buxton Hughes in Oz recently and he killed it.
For upright, you can't go past Byron House (currently in the Band of Joy) and Dennis Crouch (T-Bone Burnett's bassist of choice).
Tom Bukovac is one of the best session guitarists in Nashville, but I saw him playing bass with Buxton Hughes in Oz recently and he killed it.
Yes. Steve was one of the Hot Links during Lee Roy's major-label run on Arista. Lee Roy used the band on his records whenever he could, so the links are on some of the hits (I've kind of lost track of exactly which ones). When Lee Roy lost his Arista deal and stopped keeping a band busy, the band pretty much moved en masse to working the road with Delbert McClinton (one of Lee Roy's best friends). They've been knocking it out full time for a number of years with Delbert, up to the first of this year when he scaled back on the road work to focus on writing & some other types of gigs. They'll still do gigs with Lee Roy when they can, although some of the guys have taken other steady gigs recently. They're all monsters. Keyboardist Kevin McKendree is out with Brian Setzer (maybe Steve is too? I'll have to ask him, or maybe he'll chime in. He checks in here from time to time).
I've been fortunate enough to do a couple gigs with Lee Roy and that band in the last couple years (in a horn section), and let me tell you, the groove is just STUPID good. Steve is one of my favorite players. His tone is, IMHO, the best in Nashville, every night, any night, live or in the studio, and his feel is just ridiculous. He's Berklee trained, plays upright as well, and he's a super nice cat. Any time you get a chance to hear him, do it. You'll either be inspired to become a better player, or you'll want to sell your basses.
I've been fortunate enough to do a couple gigs with Lee Roy and that band in the last couple years (in a horn section), and let me tell you, the groove is just STUPID good. Steve is one of my favorite players. His tone is, IMHO, the best in Nashville, every night, any night, live or in the studio, and his feel is just ridiculous. He's Berklee trained, plays upright as well, and he's a super nice cat. Any time you get a chance to hear him, do it. You'll either be inspired to become a better player, or you'll want to sell your basses.
now THAT, sir - was effing Hilarious! bravo!
I think that Josh must get around because I am certain he auditioned for a band I was once in as well!
I like your thinking and agree 100% I listen to all the artists you posted here and feel this is where some of the best bass playing is at. To me if it aint broke don't fix it. I love good tight root/fifth bass and its not as easy to do as some folks think.
It can. Just remember, no one pushed the envelope in Bluegrass like Victor did. Maybe you could do with country what Victor did with Bluegrass. You don't have to play at Victor's level to have a musical vision.
Any time you want to change things you are going to upset a lot of people who think that their way is the only way. They don't seem to get that there is more than one way to do things and different isn't the same as wrong. They think that "the right way" for them is "the right way" for everybody.
Know what your goal is, assemble the right people to accomplish your goal, and stick with it. For every person who will encourage you, there are ten that will tell you that you're wrong, or you're going to fail, or that 'it's not done that way." Don't listen to them and stick to your guns!
Just got into the country thing and although there are many simple lines out there,there are also ones that can kick your butt.Check out Ain't Living Long Like This by Waylon for example.Man that song is a workout for me.Not sure who played on the track,but I wonder how much influence Waylon had on it with his bass background.
I dont understand for the life of me why any bass player worth a damn cares if a song has a good simple bassline or a complex one..who cares? Serve the song, and know your role. In country, bluegrass, folk ,alt country you serve the song and lock it down, simple or not ..I love it and it makes the song what it is.
You think its easy? try it. You don't like it? play fusion, jazz, experimental something else if you have to have complex basslines and don't think country is for real bass players.
You think its easy? try it. You don't like it? play fusion, jazz, experimental something else if you have to have complex basslines and don't think country is for real bass players.
Pop country like they play on the radio mostly sucks anyway.
Huge huge country fan here btw. Check out a lot of the older stuff or guys like Wayne Hancock etc.
Western swing bass is played with a lot of......swing. There is a great thread in the double bass Bluegrass forum called " Country Bass Walk" or something like that.
Bluegrass calls largely for a thumping root fifth with some chromatic runs at the chord changes. If you walked it out it wouldn't sound right or fit....most of the time
A lot of music needs a simple bassline. Boring to play I know but it is what the song calls for.
You can't take a march by Sousa and add Flea style slap bass and a 30 minute solo....the bass instrument should simply go thump thump thump thump with proper notes and timing
Huge huge country fan here btw. Check out a lot of the older stuff or guys like Wayne Hancock etc.
Western swing bass is played with a lot of......swing. There is a great thread in the double bass Bluegrass forum called " Country Bass Walk" or something like that.
Bluegrass calls largely for a thumping root fifth with some chromatic runs at the chord changes. If you walked it out it wouldn't sound right or fit....most of the time
A lot of music needs a simple bassline. Boring to play I know but it is what the song calls for.
You can't take a march by Sousa and add Flea style slap bass and a 30 minute solo....the bass instrument should simply go thump thump thump thump with proper notes and timing
