I'm staying on roots most of the time when playing live?

[SanDiegoHarry]

Playing in my room with just me and drum machine I have the space to add fifths 7th's 9ths whatever's I want.

Playing live with band I find that I just stick to roots most of the time & adding much more than an occasional fifth to a root is about all I need, playing anything else often gets in the way or adds too much sound.

Is this 'normal'?

I know people say add chord tones, but for the stuff we play if often doesn't fit.

Depends.

Are you doing "blues jams" or jamming metal or... Jazz / Funk? Roots are present in all, but in Jazz / Funk you find you are FAR more "all over the place" than the root.

But yeah - if you're new, sticking to the roots is safe.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Playing in my room with just me and drum machine I have the space to add fifths 7th's 9ths whatever's I want.

Playing live with band I find that I just stick to roots most of the time & adding much more than an occasional fifth to a root is about all I need, playing anything else often gets in the way or adds too much sound.

Is this 'normal'?

I know people say add chord tones, but for the stuff we play if often doesn't fit.

Learn Jazz walking basslines.Like the book Joe Nerve referenced above.

For me it's not so much adding chord tones, but connecting one chord to the next.
The bar that precedes a chord change is usually where you can let go of the basic pattern and do something adventurous/imaginative/interesting. Depending on style obviously.

Jazz walking bass will show you how to connect chords together with passing tones.
This doesn't mean you have to play jazz,but the theory is the same for all genres.

 

[micguy]

The bass player is heavily responsible for the vibe/feel/groove. If that's happening, you're doing your job. If not, do something different.

A lot of times, a different rhythm can change the feel a lot without adding notes. Sometimes you chunk with the guitars, and sometimes half their rhythm, or even whole notes is what works. A lot of tunes I do, changing the rhythm from verse to verse gives the tune some direction and variety.

You can also move things up an octave from time to time to mix things up while playing the same notes.

 

[aaronious]

There's nothing "normal" about playing music.
Ask a question that has an answer.

Hahaaaaaaaa

 

[BigNotes]

Dunno if this helps, but those are the same changes as in Pink's _Perfect_... Better?

And about 1001 worship songs!

 

[Ewo]

And about 1001 worship songs!

LOL. Your choice: sacred or secular!

(Yeah, just went with my SO to a Newsboys show. Talk about a chord progression for the ages. I'm an old cat, and we used to refer to I vi IV V as the "ice cream" changes. Don't overlook how often that got used in the doo-wop era.)

 

[ERIC31]

Serve the song. If the song just needs roots...go with it. If it needs busier notes...do it. That's what I do. I am in no way any kind of a flashy player either.

 

[Topkat13]

I will tell what isn't normal and that's playing too many notes + crappy time. The cat who can lock in with the drummer and provide a "mattress " for everybody will get the gig 99% of the time. Nothing's wrong with root/5. We all see beautiful trees but not the roots that support them! (Holy sh*t and I made C's in highschool! ) Overtime you can learn a fill here and there. I live in Nashville and know some decent players who do this for a living...they've been telling me this for years...not the tree root thing...I made that up.

 

[Hounddog409]

Playing in my room with just me and drum machine I have the space to add fifths 7th's 9ths whatever's I want.

Playing live with band I find that I just stick to roots most of the time & adding much more than an occasional fifth to a root is about all I need, playing anything else often gets in the way or adds too much sound.

Is this 'normal'?

I know people say add chord tones, but for the stuff we play if often doesn't fit.

are you doing this and playing covers?

 

[Adam Wright]

it's okay to just play roots and fill in minimally around that. Lock in with the kick. You're laying a solid foundation/floor for the other instruments to build on top of.

 

[obimark]

Nothing wrong with roots but if you are playing only roots because your bandmates aren't leaving you any space, than that is a problem.
Even with roots there should be some space where you can do a bass fill, usually right before a chorus of going back into the verse or bridge.

 

[Zootsuitbass]

Not sure if anyone has addressed this question this way. I heard the OP say "when I play live I play different than other circumstances. Is this "normal""


My answer to that is YES. The circumstance can you play the same thing different. It's one of the awesome endless problem solving aspects of music. What sounds good in a studio with a perfect mix and actually CAN be heard is very different that what will work in a hockey rink. And Yes IMHO to simplify is usually the way to go.

 

[Nephilymbass]

Playing in my room with just me and drum machine I have the space to add fifths 7th's 9ths whatever's I want.

Playing live with band I find that I just stick to roots most of the time & adding much more than an occasional fifth to a root is about all I need, playing anything else often gets in the way or adds too much sound.

Is this 'normal'?

I know people say add chord tones, but for the stuff we play if often doesn't fit.

Depends on the music you play. With my band in most of the chorus parts for example I'm doing just that. I like to call it meat and potatoes type playing. But during the verses of our songs I often have actual basslines that get away from what the guitarist is doing. Don't think of playing simple stuff as a bad thing. Some of our most popular songs are songs where my parts are super simple.

Here's an example where during the verse I'm bouncing back and forth between playing the roots and basically a melody


heres another song where the bass is different on the verses but then just playing the root on the chorus.



Just depends on the song. Sometimes I stick to the root the entire song. Sometimes I do stuff to make the choruses a bit more interesting.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Noone ever was fired from a band for playing the root.

He said, and I repeat, no one was ever fired from a band for playing the root. It's a good suggestion to listen to James Jamerson and Motown hits. He's tasteful and addes notes like fine brushstrokes.

 

[Bondobass]

If you are playing cover tunes, play the bass lines from the original recordings.

Just about anything played on the radio is more than just root notes. Which makes bass a complex instrument…sigh...so much for the easy way out.

 

[zontar]

I mostly play roots--but some songs work better with alternate notes in part of the song--or a separate bass riff.
So I agree with those that have said to serve the song & to listen...

 

[Jhengsman]

Playing in my room with just me and drum machine I have the space to add fifths 7th's 9ths whatever's I want.

Playing live with band I find that I just stick to roots most of the time & adding much more than an occasional fifth to a root is about all I need, playing anything else often gets in the way or adds too much sound.

Is this 'normal'?

I know people say add chord tones, but for the stuff we play if often doesn't fit.

I think it depends upon the rest of the band. The rest of the Funk Brothers knew to leave room for Jamerson and Babbitt to do their things on the low end and left space for them. As I progressed from playing roots to my piano player stabbing a bass line for me to pick up to his left hand being lifted and leaving that space for me after years of Sundays playing together.

 

[consectaneus]

This is a good example of the sort of root playing with a little variation on the chorus and the occasional punchy accent that has been talked about. The bass is so forward in the mix too!

 

[lstelie]

Playing in my room with just me and drum machine I have the space to add fifths 7th's 9ths whatever's I want.

Playing live with band I find that I just stick to roots most of the time & adding much more than an occasional fifth to a root is about all I need, playing anything else often gets in the way or adds too much sound.

Is this 'normal'?

I know people say add chord tones, but for the stuff we play if often doesn't fit.

Hello,

I’m not a good bassist, I’m even not sure to be a competent one, but there is something strange (for me / the kind of music I play) in your message : it doesn’t mention tempo and chord change.

I my personal experience, bassist is at the very minimum a support job, the absolute minimum asked to a bassist is to ensure a perfect tempo. Nobody will want to kill your cat if you play roots with a perfect tempo.

The second point that depend likely on the kind of music you play (I play jazz standards) is to prepare chord changes. Except if you play with very highly skilled players, when it comes to long solos, your teammates will rely on you (and the drummer) for the tempo, and on you alone to lead the path through the grid.

In this situation in 4/4 : R, -, -, Approach Note / R, -, -, Approach Note ….. will sound likely quite boring but at least the soloists can rely on you.

My 2 cents

Luc