• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Hello from a solo bass player!

B

Buddhapadge

Jul 18, 2006
37
2
Dublin, Ireland
paddykiernan.blogspot.com
#1
My name is Paddy, and I've been doing solo improv gigs for the last year and a bit or so. I've been on Talkbass for ages, but I only noticed this forum now! I suppose I come at the solo angle a bit differently than some of the people I've listened to on here, but I reckon there should be some interesting discussions in the future, hopefully.

I put out an EP last year that's available for free download here, I reckon a forum devoted to solo bass might be one of the few places that likes it. :-)

http://patrickkiernan.bandcamp.com/
 
#2
I've listened to the EP for the past few days. It gives me a similar feeling to when I listen to minimal ambient electronic music. Very atmospheric, calming but with a distinct tension throughout the tracks. Nice work!

Question: How do you approach improvising in an experimental context? It seems especially difficult to me without much in the way of a guiding tempo.
 
#3
I think improvising in this kinda context is very difficult, to be honest. I spent months practicing this kinda thing, and the recordings are pretty much all snippets from that. I never knew when a good idea was going to come, so I'd just plug into the computer and record everything. I found it helped to have an idea of what I wanted to do. As an example, I remember for the first track I wanted to set up a majorish sounding motif, and see how long it would take to shift it into minor. I used a DL4 on the recording, and I was really happy with the ghostly sound of the loops as they decayed.

A guiding tempo would have made things more difficult for me, though. The DL4 was pretty much the only equipment I used, and it doesn't have a metronome or any way to sync up to a rhythm track. As it happened I liked the surprise of looping out of tempo, and not knowing how each new idea would work. Sometimes you'd get really close note clusters, and I always enjoyed them. Since then, I've gotten a Boss looper that I run at the same time, deliberately out of sync. It almost feels like random harmony is being created. But that's an idea for EP#2... :-)

But anyway, thanks for listening to my music. It really means a lot to know I'm not the only one who likes it! :-)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back