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"Forced" bass solo request...

#21
Panther said:
Just wondering if anyone was ever in the gig situation where you heard cat calls for a bass solo (albeit, drunken requests), or the singer suddenly prompts you to let loose, but you are aren't into that sort of thingy?

I love to do my thing during the song, but when it's all eyes on me, I tend to have a mental freeze, and I've never really practiced the instrument like that (but I am getting into it to push myself)...

How have you dealt with it?
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if the crowd TOLD me to do a bass solo i would love that :D, I would figure if the crowd is telling to solo u must be doing something right, just go crazy
 
#22
It happened to me a couple of weeks ago during a song. We were just grooving to the end of the tune and the guitar player stopped and said "Go Jonny" or something like that. I just went to my bridge pickup and kept the groove going. Then I introduced my new Wah pedal to the public while keeping the groove. I just slowly morphed it into something else with an occasional fast run but never lost the groove. Worked for me!

I was intimidated at first but it turned out to be quite fun. I have to admit I used to play lead guitar so that helps.
 
#24
Typically, I'd rather NOT solo. Ever.

However, I can, if pressed....I despise being pressured though.

bikertrash82 said:
Typically, with humor.

"Bass Solo!!!"
Step up to the mic...look pitiful....
"I'm not feeling the love"
"But we want a bass solo!"
"I am....uninspired. Maybe later"

You can run that schtick all night long and get more entertainment milage than you'll ever get from a bass solo.

Build it to a point where it become a running joke then when the "big solo" spot finally arrives....get a drum roll and play like, one note and make a huge deal out of it.

If you gotta suck, ya gotta suck with style.
Click to expand...

You sir are my new hero, and I am stealing that line as my sig.
 
#25
We have a spot at the end of "Knock on wood" where our singer introduces each of us and we get a few bars to noodle. The build up of the instruments is really powerful. I play within the structure and keep the groove. Then I go back to the song. As our keys player is introduced, we break into a couple bars of "Gimme some loving" together and then he gets his noodle time. I always get a good cheer, especially from the ladies who have been dancing and/or drinking.

I used to get a solo during another song, but I could never get the feel for it and always reverted back to something simple and grooving. We have taken that song out of the set list because it was not as powerful as others we now do.
 
#26
I played in a group that just stopped-drummer and all-and left me up there playing. It seems their former bassist had a great solo he played in that tune, and they just left him there to do his thing.
Well, to be truthful, I'm solo challenged, being a team player and all, but the next day I signed up for lessons from the best bass soloist in town. He taught me about Lydian and Mixlydian modes and told me to listen to Rick Laird. After that I was able to do a passible solo, but man, I didn't like it.
 
#29
I love the groove, but I hate to solo. That doesn't keep the guitar player from calling me out anyway. Usually, I just keep the groove going with some extra notes. A couple times, I'd pull out another song, like the star spangled banner or "somewhere over the rainbow". Depending on the setting, a complete non-sequitor can work well.
 
#30
I'm sort of nervous by nature myself. I try to have a few 30 second solo ramps in my trick bag. Just practice some things...see what sounds kick ass (discard what doesn't sound kick ass) to you and develop them during ur practice time at home. I never play these things exactly note for note but as long as i have a structure and a beginning, middle and end, It seems to work.
 
#31
my singer gives me 12 bars in "CC Rider" or else a slap in"Shake Your Bootie"

I confess, although I'm a blues based player, I've never been able to get into a groove with CC, unless I go into a fast walk

With SYB, a little slap/pop andf "Flashlight" go a long way
 
#32
Gard said:
Typically, I'd rather NOT solo. Ever.
However, I can, if pressed....I despise being pressured though.
Click to expand...
ABSOLUTELY!! I have read pretty much the same thing from many of the "greats". Many players are about groove first and foremost. That's not to say soloing doesn't have it's place, but in most standard bass gigs it does not. I read Rocco Prestia is almost annoyed when people shout for him to solo. I happen to have copies of two or three live short solos that James Jamerson played. To be honest they are pretty ordinary to say the least. BUT you could take away eveything but the bass on almost any Motown recording, and hear two plus minutes of some of the best solo bass imaginable. (IMHO)
 
#34
well, the passible thing to do, is slap an open note on the e string, then close your eyes or just randomly pop a note on the g, and keep doing that, but every like 3 slaps, double slap. it sounds passible, especially with wah.
 
#35
Try to always know(or make) one really cool bass solo that you can play without tom uch difficulty and practice it a lot (play it a few times everytime you just practice your stuff) so that if you get into this situation you'll be okay. And if you havre lots of fx available you should get just a tad crazy with your pedal board. For me I have a solo that really just a slight variation on teh intro to "Pigs(Three Different Ones)" - sounds pretty almost as good as the original recording except is quite a bit easier to play. Hope this helps for future refference.

bass player with no solo available: :confused:
audience: :eek:

bass player with solo available: :bassist:
audience: :cool: :D :hyper: :smug:
 
#36
lol there was a mini-performance (jazz) at my school and the guitarist just starts an improv and goes a little overboard. riff after riff after riff obviously just showing off until he started repeating himself. then his solo started to wind down as he ran out of things to play. as he struggled through a few half-hearted riffs he looked at the bassist with classic musician's "help me" look. so then the bassist cuts in with some mad chops on his own solo.

oooh guitarist gets served a slice of humble pie! how does it feel?
 
#37
I HATE being put on the spot like that. Similar story, I was at a jam/party, and this group of chicks walk up to me and their like, "This guys better than Les Claypool, go on... show 'em"

I paused... turned on a ring modulator and "invented a chord"

As she they were walking away, I heard the main girl say something like, "Well, that wasn't a good example, but he'll do something later."

:cool:

Yeah, I do some flashy stuff, and if asked to solo... I could... but I don't like solos... any solos really. So I joke and make some bad noises or do the bass solo from Terrier song by Kids in the Hall. :D
 
#40
I'm just curious.

It seems like we all have fun playing, and we practice to get the material down so we can have fun playing, but most posters either hate it or do it but don't care for it....does anyone practice soloing???

I'm not great @ soloing either, but I enjoy it and in my daily practice I try to play along with some wicked bass solos (slowed down on my MKII, naturally) just so I don't get that " finger freeze" when the guitarist, (or some honey from the audience) asks for one.

"Confidence is very sexy...doen't you think?" ~ an old Jack Palance cologne commercial
 

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