Double Bass Country Bass Walk

[Tejano Bass]

frede - Please check your PM . . .

 

[michaeln]

I played country electric bass for several decades. I just LOVE those shuffles. In the Roger Miller one posted above, it appears they had both a double bass and an electric bass (the guy sitting next to the pedal steel player... although I can't tell, maybe it's a guitar) playing the same walking bass line, which is something I have not seen before. They sure nailed the feel though!

 

[Jake deVilliers]

I played country electric bass for several decades. I just LOVE those shuffles. In the Roger Miller one posted above, it appears they had both a double bass and an electric bass (the guy sitting next to the pedal steel player... although I can't tell, maybe it's a guitar) playing the same walking bass line, which is something I have not seen before. They sure nailed the feel though!

Yup, he's playing slab with a pick, doubling the DB player. If you look at the credits on country records of that era you'll see quite often that there are two bass players credited, one for double bass and one for 'tic-tac' bass. The bass guitar is muted and you just get the 'pop' on the front of the note followed by the 'poom' of the DB. Its a great sound!

 

[michaeln]

Ahh yes, I remember the Tic-tac bass stuff now, thanks for refreshing my memory.

 

[superman]

Thats Billy Linneman on that clip playing the upright,,he was THE Opry bass player since the early 70s,,and one of my biggest influnences,,he is really a great player,,and can play a shuffle like no other,,Billy credits Junior Huskey as his main influence,,he worked at the Opry along with Junior from about 1964 till Junior passed in 1971,,then Billy retained the staff job till about 4 yr ago,,He is the guy that showed me the trick with the Underwood pick up, where you drop out one side of the pickup,,and it gives you a lot more punch.Billy has been in bad health here of late, he had a brain bleed ,then a massive heart attack while in rehab,,then on top of all that both legs had to be amputated below the knee,,say a prayer for Billy,, he really needs it now,I plan to go see him soon,Kent

 

[LEUllman]

This is one of the most useful and illuminating posts I've read in a long time. Thanks, folks! If anyone has other great examples of different country walking styles and patterns an aspiring bassist should know and love, please post 'em.

 

[buffalobillh]

 

[superman]

There are lots of examples of great walking bass, Junior Huskey was a great player,,Bob Moore had a very reconizable style,Joe Zinkan pushed a shuffle like no one eles,Really most of the best Bluegrass recorded back in the 50s-60s was usally a session player on bass,if it was cut in Nashville,,Monroe,Jimmy Martin, Flatt&Scruggs,Mac Wiseman,Osborns,Jim&Jesse,all used session players on lot of their recordings,, you can learn that alot of "country" was used in bluegrass,, and vise versa,,
Junior Huskey played some of the greatest country/bluegrass bass on Jimmy Martin's Decca recordings,,I use both hand in hand,,even Monroes 40's stuff is really swinging 4 beat bass,,but the whole band is playing with the bass,,it's alot different than how bluegrass is approchaed these days,Kent

 

[buffalobillh]

Some western swing:

 

[Johnny Crab]

Amazing thread!

I'm REALLY trying to develop a patch in the Line 6 stuff here to emulate the tic-tac.
In the late 60's a junk(made in Japan back then) P clone bass with black tapewound(?) strings played with a pick came close.

 

[superman]

Heres a great cut from Ray Price, in about 58 or so,,Joe Zinkan on the bass

 

[superman]

Heres a very good example of walking bass,,upright, tic tack ,and the electric guitar is also walking the same lines

 

[iiipopes]

Guitars, Cadillacs and...sorry, I had an off-moment there.

Tic-tac? Get on with guts, do the 1-3-5-3 thang, and get a guy with you on a Telecaster using his thumb with a thumbpick, neck pickup, tone rolled off, flatwounds, and completely palm muted, with reverb. Play the bass lines together on the same string, fret and beat at the same time. The octaves will meld together to tic-tac heaven.

 

[buffalobillh]

Here's an excellent example of how a shuffle should be played:

Jake Hooker - The Outsider

 

[buffalobillh]

Here's a cut from Jake's latest album with Bob Moore - bass, Paul Franklin - steel, Pete Wade & Jimmy Capps - guitar, Pig Robbins - Piano, Jim Loessberg - drums, Bobby Flores - fiddle, Amber Digby & Tommy Hooker - backup vocals.

Nothing Left to Lose

 

[smoothgroove615]

Hey Frede! I'm a touring/session bassist here in Nashville. My advice to you is to always listen to the left hand keyboard part when walking a country bassline,as the two must be in unison. This will help if you don't know the tune and it will make your line sound authentic. Just concentrate on getting a big warm sound and you should be there! Good luck! Peace, Anthony "Smooth Groove" Joyner

 

[buffalobillh]

 

[martinc]

buffalobill:

The Ray Price youtube song "Pick me Up on Your Way Down" HAS to be the wonderful Bob Moore. The notes sound like raindrops hitting a lake and that little occasional delayed note just adds to the great walking lines.
Bob was on many of Ray Price's clasic hits including "Heartaches By the Number", "Crazy Arms", City Lights, etc.
There are more fine examples of Bob Moore's classic walking bass on Ray Price's excellent "Time" CD which was recorded in 2002 with Harold Bradley, Jimmy Capps, Buddy Harmon, Buddy Emmons and other classic players.
Also.....if you can find an old Willy Nelson CD reissue CD put out by Quality Entertainment in Europe of his old songs recorded in Nashville done before his outlaw period began, you will hear many examples of classic Bob Moore walking bass lines.
Bob Moore's walking bass lines which sometimes have some very subtle twists to them were an inspiration to me when I was first learning (and am still learning) that style.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

Billy has been in bad health here of late, he had a brain bleed ,then a massive heart attack while in rehab,,then on top of all that both legs had to be amputated below the knee,,say a prayer for Billy,, he really needs it now,I plan to go see him soon,Kent

Damn, that's tough - say Hi for all of us Kent.

 

[buffalobillh]

buffalobill:

The Ray Price youtube song "Pick me Up on Your Way Down" HAS to be the wonderful Bob Moore. The notes sound like raindrops hitting a lake and that little occasional delayed note just adds to the great walking lines.
Bob was on many of Ray Price's clasic hits including "Heartaches By the Number", "Crazy Arms", City Lights, etc.
There are more fine examples of Bob Moore's classic walking bass on Ray Price's excellent "Time" CD which was recorded in 2002 with Harold Bradley, Jimmy Capps, Buddy Harmon, Buddy Emmons and other classic players.
Also.....if you can find an old Willy Nelson CD reissue CD put out by Quality Entertainment in Europe of his old songs recorded in Nashville done before his outlaw period began, you will hear many examples of classic Bob Moore walking bass lines.
Bob Moore's walking bass lines which sometimes have some very subtle twists to them were an inspiration to me when I was first learning (and am still learning) that style.

Yes, you are SO right!

I've been a Bob Moore Junkie since I was a kid. Junior Husky, too. Fortunately, I have many albums featuring Bob Moore, Junior Husky, Henry Strzelecki. Lots of Ray Price, Johnny Bush, Faron Young, Conway Twitty, and a huge variety of Nashville A-Team stuff. I grew up learning to play like Bob and didn't know any different. (I also listened to Junior, Henry, and EB'ers like Leland Sklar, James Jamerson, Tony Levin, and many others.) Bob's style is something to study and enjoy. Unfortunately, you don't hear that style on the radio (unless you're on Willie's Place XM/Sirius).

Come to Texas on a Saturday night and you can hear that style in the right dancehall somewhere. If you can listen to Carolyn Martin (husband Dave is a super fine bassist), Time Jumpers (and the other not-so-public stuff featuring Dennis Crouch), Jake Hooker (also featured on many Heart of Texas and StarTex sessions), or catch us live somewhere. In any of these, you'd get your fill of bass playing inspired by the aforementioned legends.

Introduce yourself to me at one of our shows, and I'll buy the first round.