Exactly what J Wilson said. I'm a MetalHead, but I know country music. I'm a Texan, of course I know country.
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I gotta ask country music
- Thread starter Indiana Mike
- Start date
. . . . . which is why we Texas musicians often have a leg up on other guys: Play gigs where the set list includes Strait, the late Johnny Bush, Bobby Bland, Stevie or Jimmy Vaughn, some cajun, some Tejano, some Johnny B Good and the Winter Brothers, Porter Waggoner, AC/DC and Zeppelin, and who knows what else, you have to learn a lot of different styles to keep 'em dancing. And BTW, Lone Star beer is dreadful !
Damn, do we HAVE to play 'Wipeout' and 'Matilda' AGAIN ? ? ? ? ?
Damn, do we HAVE to play 'Wipeout' and 'Matilda' AGAIN ? ? ? ? ?
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
So Anyway, get yourself some western shirts....and someday a Nudie Suit. That's all the attention you'll ever need.
Ed Friedland with the Mavericks and Chris Scruggs with Marty Stuart are the guiding light for this style of bass playing.
Good Luck to you!
Ed Friedland with the Mavericks and Chris Scruggs with Marty Stuart are the guiding light for this style of bass playing.
Good Luck to you!
I've never played country music professionally in my life (or even at a party for free), but I could if I had to! I play Metal for a living. But, I respect REAL country like the Carter Family, Gid Tanner & The Skillet Lickers, Jimmie Rodgers etc. Also those newcomers like Ernest Tubb, George Jones & George Strait.
Scully is the brand name
excellent quality western shirts with a high but justified price tag
Scully is the name brand. The family who owned the business, I believe. Just like a 'Nudie' suit, was a custom made outfit by a tailor named Nudie Cohn. A 'Manuel' is a custom made outfit by Manuel Martinez. Manuel used to be head tailor for Nudie Cohn. He started his own Co.
EXACTLY!!!
Stumbled on Michael Rhodes in 2001 when his many different sounds from deliciously aggressive(Ain't Nothing 'Bout You) to perfect-fit bass tone for country(Go West, Lucky Me Lucky You, I Fall) hit my ears coming off of the Brooks and Dunn(yeah, done) "Steers and Stripes" album. Michael is an amazing talent to learn from. Our keys/guitar guy from who'd spent years in Nashville was acquainted with him.
It's OK.
We play "Amarillo By Morning" "Folsum" "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" "Don't Close Your Eyes" and others...here in Texas.
Jazzdogg
Less barking, more wagging!
Thanks! When I lived in L.A., I used to drive past Nudies all the time, but never went inside. I wonder if they're still in business?
Look into the, Root Five pattern.
It's used a lot and fits in with the boom-chick drum beat. lol
New country is country rock, mostly rock based.
I just finished 4 years of playing it.
Try and find a guitar player to work up basslines with.
It's used a lot and fits in with the boom-chick drum beat. lol
New country is country rock, mostly rock based.
I just finished 4 years of playing it.
Try and find a guitar player to work up basslines with.
Nudie Cohn died in 1984, and his children kept it open for a few years, but closed in the 90s. They now sell t-shirts & merch with the old logo.
For the classic country/western swing kind of stuff, the bass player, drummer, and rhythm guitar player need to lock in on the Boom-Chik rhythm and have the drummer playing a swing feel on the hi-hat or ride. Lots of 1-5 lines but, as folks have been saying, throwing in chromatic or diatonic passing tones can add some nice movement and tension, as well as signal to the band that the chord is going to change.
As someone else in this thread mentioned, it's fun to think of this music as really stripped down jazz. I'd say you want the rhythm section to sound pretty similar to a swing band's rhythm section when their bass player is playing a two feel line. And just like that swing band, you can switch to a four feel line during the solos or chorus to build it up and bit and provide variety.
It's not rocket science, but when you lock in and the crowd is dancing it sure is fun!
As someone else in this thread mentioned, it's fun to think of this music as really stripped down jazz. I'd say you want the rhythm section to sound pretty similar to a swing band's rhythm section when their bass player is playing a two feel line. And just like that swing band, you can switch to a four feel line during the solos or chorus to build it up and bit and provide variety.
It's not rocket science, but when you lock in and the crowd is dancing it sure is fun!
People here should remember- Classic Country music DID NOT use drums before the 1960s.
Most country bands considered it a travesty, or sacrilege to have drums in country.
Some radio refused to play it. Buck Owens 'bucked' the trend.
Listen to the bass on some older country with no drums in it.
Most country bands considered it a travesty, or sacrilege to have drums in country.
Some radio refused to play it. Buck Owens 'bucked' the trend.
Listen to the bass on some older country with no drums in it.
I really like the walking bass line with a shuffle feel in country music from the late 50s/early 60s. Echoes of that could still be heard in George Strait who was sort of throwback in the '80s. I think it still pops up in newer country music and something to definitely have in the repertoire.
Ray Price had a big hit with this one. This bass cover shows how effective simply outlining the scale of the chord with a swing feel can be:
Here again with Jimmy Walker 1963. Practically the same line:
Here is Lee Sklar talking about his Nashville days. The music starts at 12:20. A great example of how appropriate a root/5 with a simple walk up between verse and chorus can be:
Ray Price had a big hit with this one. This bass cover shows how effective simply outlining the scale of the chord with a swing feel can be:
Here again with Jimmy Walker 1963. Practically the same line:
Here is Lee Sklar talking about his Nashville days. The music starts at 12:20. A great example of how appropriate a root/5 with a simple walk up between verse and chorus can be:
I may not have the quote exactly right, but Dave Pomeroy said something like "Think of the simplest thing you can play. Then play half of that." So that's what I've always done. (I'm talking about traditional country music.)
If you are doing modern stuff you will either need a 5 string or a Hipshot Xtender key on your bass for some low D notes.
There is some great music coming out too that is modern - I am particularly fond of female sung music: Check out Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Carlisle, and Maren Morris. Maren is the super poppy one of that bunch. Also, check out the Pistol Annies and the Highwomen.
If you really need your butt kicked learn a bunch of Dwight Yoakam tunes note for note and just play along with his Dwight sings Buck tribute album to Buck Owens. It's fantastic. It's not hard, but if you fall out of pocket or hit bad notes you will know.
There is some great music coming out too that is modern - I am particularly fond of female sung music: Check out Kacey Musgraves, Ashley Monroe, Miranda Lambert, Brandi Carlisle, and Maren Morris. Maren is the super poppy one of that bunch. Also, check out the Pistol Annies and the Highwomen.
If you really need your butt kicked learn a bunch of Dwight Yoakam tunes note for note and just play along with his Dwight sings Buck tribute album to Buck Owens. It's fantastic. It's not hard, but if you fall out of pocket or hit bad notes you will know.
The key to country music is don't overplay. Space is as valuable as notes. Listen to Ronnie Milsap, Waylon Jennings and Alabama for a little variety. For the classic country shuffle, look no further than the great Ray Price.
I love Dwight Yoakum's first guitarist Pete Anderson. He's one of my favorite guitarists. His guitar licks are just tremendous. I like his new solo stuff too.
He did some shows without Dwight. I saw him in the '90s in a small club, just him and the rest of the backing band. I remember the bass player played a Fender Bass VI. I'm also a big fan.
