Diary of a Bassist #26: Let's Get the Funk Out of Here!

[Anjohl]

Hey folks, for those new to the diary, I am a middle aged musician enjoying somewhat of a musical renaissance, including finally picking up the bass as a secondary instrument. I have been learning mostly on the fly gigging with 2-3 others, & documenting my gigs with brief writeups. See the links to past entries below!

Not a huge entry this week, we played Wednesday, and Matt (drummer) and I were both off. It went well, but it turns out we were both trying to lock into each other. I told him after to play his beat, and let me play into him, instead of us both being snakes chasing each other's tails.

I practiced more this week than normal, which paid off IMHO. My timing was better overall, and the two songs I worked on a lot (Wonderwall 7 Aeroplane) came off great. I got to really funk it up on the latter, not approaching Flea's massive line, but approximating it. I brought my new EQ & overdrive pedal, and both added a lot. I used the drive sparingly, but had the EQ on all night. The bass sounded much better with it!

All in all, a solid gig, rather uneventful, and maybe a little off overall. Biggest takeaway for me was my increasingly improving timing and comfort with the B string.

Past entries:

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5
#6 #7 #8 #9 #10
#11 #12 #13 #14 #15
#16 #17 #18 #19 #20
#21 #22 #23 #24 #25

 

[bassbrad]

Finding the right push/pull relationship with a drummer is always a challenge.
I'm going through that with a new drummer where we aren't quite there yet.

 

[Anjohl]

Finding the right push/pull relationship with a drummer is always a challenge.
I'm going through that with a new drummer where we aren't quite there yet.

I am in this weird place where my ability to play on feel is good enough to get by, but when I really focus, everything really tightens up and we sound as good as any band at our level IMHO. So I need to constantly fight against becoming complacent. Being transparent and inviting feedback/criticism here helps. Frank is the most experienced live performer & at playing in a band context, so his feedback is essential, but the drummer and I kindof need to have a personal relationship, you know? I have suggested that Matt (drummer) join Jim & I for our biweekly jams (Jim & I play in a duo as well), so we can work on some basics.