Happy being a "Pocket or Groove"player?

[pedulla-2007]

Being a pocket player myself and understanding my position in every band that I have played in, how many members feel the same way or strive to be "soloist's" requesting a solo in every song? Sometimes I feel my lack of theory has stifled my advancement, but my ear training has allowed me to play almost anything I can sing or hear. I am at the end of my career, and nothing worst than sitting back in your recliner with regrets of things you could or should have done. Any comments?

 

[mdogs]

Being a pocket player myself and understanding my position in every band that I have played in, how many members feel the same way or strive to be "soloist's" requesting a solo in every song? Sometimes I feel my lack of theory has stifled my advancement, but my ear training has allowed me to play almost anything I can sing or hear. I am at the end of my career, and nothing worst than sitting back in your recliner with regrets of things you could or should have done. Any comments?

Not sure why you would ever feel regret about doing your job well. I never set out to be a flashy bass player...it’s a good thing too!!! My favorite players are the guys holding down the bottom end, playing incredible lines and no one knows they are really there. That is unless they were to stop playing, then the whole song would fall apart.

 

[two fingers]

I can solo if asked. But I don't seek them out. What kind if bass player would "request" a solo anyway?

 

[buldog5151bass]

Play whatever is needed. Jamerson played Papa Was a Rolling Stone and My Girl, as well as What's Going On, and Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

 

[Scottgun]

I'm not sure why one would be eternally locked into a choice of one or the other (unless they went to bass Hell ). Really, it comes down to what serves the music better. Most of the time bass is there to supply the harmonic and rhythmic content and supply it directly and simply and that's all. But most genres have leeway in them to allow for bass to stretch out a little. I guess I've been lucky in the groups I've been in in that I was apparently good at locking down the usual stuff so that they'd encourage me to find a song that showcases bass playing or add a solo to an existing song.

 

[Bassmike62]

I'm actually proud of being a solid groove bass player and personally have no interest in soloing. Being that type of player also allows me to contribute vocals, which I also like to do. I'm more Michael Anthony than Geddy Lee and in no way remotely close to either. I'm just me .

 

[pedulla-2007]

Play whatever is needed. Jamerson played Papa Was a Rolling Stone and My Girl, as well as What's Going On, and Ain't No Mountain High Enough.

Now that you mention it, he was the King of the Groove!

 

[buldog5151bass]

Now that you mention it, he was the King of the Groove!

Apparently, he could solo his butt off when he wanted to, not to mention that some of his parts in the later Funk Brother Motown tunes are beyond a lot of bass solos I've heard.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Being a pocket player myself and understanding my position in every band that I have played in, how many members feel the same way or strive to be "soloist's" requesting a solo in every song? Sometimes I feel my lack of theory has stifled my advancement, but my ear training has allowed me to play almost anything I can sing or hear. I am at the end of my career, and nothing worst than sitting back in your recliner with regrets of things you could or should have done. Any comments?

When I was younger I used to play solos or what were essentially solos with the band pretty often.
Two minute mark on this track is a good example
2:40 on this song is another one
Really that entire album in particular had a lot of that sorta lead bass type of stuff. I did it a little bit on 2 albums before and the one after. That kind of stuff was a big part of my style for a long time when Nephilym was more of a one guitar band. The band is currently about to record our 6th album and over the years our singer also started playing guitar on more and more songs so I settled down a bit. This song for example there’s an actual bassline, I’m not just playing the root note the entire song but I also tracked all the strings and piano parts on this song as well so even though what I’m playing on bass isn’t as flashy I recorded a lot more parts on this song so I didn’t pout about not playing a solo lol.

 

[bluesblaster]

Correct me if I am wrong but I have read that Jaco was an ego maniac, who thrived on the soloing aspect of being a bassist in the limelight. It is that same cockiness that got him killed in a nightclub by a bouncer one night!

In the later years of his life he suffer with mental illness which unfortunately contributed to his demise. I knew people that knew him personally and told me of incidents that probably arent widely known, he was sadly in decline the last few years.

as for the original question, I prefer to play the groove mostly or if I do a solo to keep it short and to the point.

 

[pedulla-2007]

Wow that's very tasty work in the upper register, without trying to show off, and is an important part of the song! Nice work Boss, be Proud! The third video is outstanding can't stop listening.

 

[DirtDog]

It is my dream to be a groove/pocket player. I think I attain that every once in a while, depending on the tune.

I’ve been given chances to solo. I don’t care for it. I get lots of opportunities when I’m playing guitar/pedal steel.

 

[India_Sierra]

Correct me if I am wrong but I have read that Jaco was an ego maniac, who thrived on the soloing aspect of being a bassist in the limelight. It is that same cockiness that got him killed in a nightclub by a bouncer one night!

I wouldn't read too much into either Jaco's supposed ego or the circumstances of his death. He was mentally ill in his later years and appeared to lose his shy and humble character when he was suffering from mania. The circumstances around him being beaten to death are similarly murky because the circumstances of his death were never really properly reported on and I've never heard any first-hand account of what happened, never mind a detailed independent assessment of the facts. Please remember that Jaco's family remain active members of the music community and ill-informed and speculative nonsense like your post is quite disrespectful, both to them and to Jaco.

 

[Rib 13]

For me, it depends on the gig and the personalities of the people Im working with. I get hired because people want me to help make them sound good (especially the vocalists)....Unless its my band, its usually never about me and what I want ( being a studio/session veteran went a long way to this)....its more than just serving the song: its trying to make everyone else sound good.

However, I freely admit there are times when I despise this mantra, and its mainly with guitarists that believe the entire musical universe revolves around the guitar.

I remember a blues jam I was hosting a few years back and we played four 12-bar I-IV-V shuffles in a row at roughly the same BPM. On break to switch players, the guitarists and harp player were all standing around complementing each other on the different things they did. The drummer turned to me while walking to the bar andsaid "I dont know about you but I felt like I played the same song for 20 minutes". I not only laughed but it was a little more profound than that: I felt like I SAID the same thing for 20 minutes.

Its for this reason I really do enjoy both fronting/singing and playing bass in my own group as I have way more flexibility as a player and what I want to play (including song selection and soloing). I was told many years ago that if I ever wanted to do what I want in a band that I need to sing -- best advice I ever got! YMMV

Edit: It should be noted that in our day and age, folks that go see live music want to have fun andbe entertained (including call and response portions and sing-along portions -- this is the interactive age, after all). Depending on the type of band and club, they want to dance and drink -- Its now not just about music but the larger umbrella of "Entertainment". There is a subset that are interested seeing people play their instruments, they want to see that and be entertained by that: People playing their instruments --- Flashy guitar solos with 80s style fretboard gymnastics, slap bass, drum breaks, sax wailing, analog keyboard shredding -- all the usual cliches go over very BIG in a live setting. Too many folks (especially guitarists) are stuck in the older paradigms ( yay, another Strat-In-A-Hat playing SRV covers). YMMV and all dat

 

[Kieran Mulvaney]

Now that you mention it, he was the King of the Groove!

King James!

 

[Oddly]

This needs a poll.

Personally I've always been perfectly happy laying down a solid foundation and have never had any desire to solo.

 

[okcrum]

Correct me if I am wrong but I have read that Jaco was an ego maniac, who thrived on the soloing aspect of being a bassist in the limelight. It is that same cockiness that got him killed in a nightclub by a bouncer one night!

That would depend which personality he was at the time. Dude was untreated bipolar.

 

[AboutSweetSue]

I resist planned solos at all costs. It’s just not who I am, and that’s ok.

 

[CallMeAl]

I was a long time trumpet player, so had my fair share of time playing melodies and solos. Now I like to just hide in the shadows and be the secret sauce they cant quite put their finger on.

I'm in a trio, I'll play a solo or two on longer gigs; it's fun and all but I wouldn't say I strive for it.

 

[bucephylus]

Correct me if I am wrong but I have read that Jaco was an ego maniac, who thrived on the soloing aspect of being a bassist in the limelight. It is that same cockiness that got him killed in a nightclub by a bouncer one night!

I think it was just a bit more complicated than that.