Is having a "nice roll" underrated as a bassist?

[LukeSlywalker]

OP rolled away

 

[5StringBlues]

Oh man! I haven't had this much fun since I saw weezy Jefferson naked!

 

[lermgalieu]

View attachment 4845374 hi everyone, hope this helps

Not really, since that’s not the word that was used. Plus the OP wouldn’t make a lot of sense if you subbed “role” for “roll.”

 

[vvvmmm]

I hereby officially embarrass m'self:

 

[Lostgallifreyan]

This reminds me, I need to work on my “drip”

Awesome. On we go to page 14.

 

[GreyBeard]

Anyway, I think what @Cadillac_Mike is saying is that it’s frustrating that laypeople believe bassists are the “understudy” to lead guitarists, yet in reality, guitarists for all their flash and technique on guitar, very often cannot get a good feel or groove (roll?) working when picking up a bass.

And what really gets me is that guitarists that pickup a bass actually think they are laying down a nice groove when in reality, they SUCK.

 

[landrybass]

I mean, maybe they meant the technique like a banjo or guitar roll? Thumb, index, middle, on the plucking hand sort of thing.

 

[dalkowski]

Kustom.

 

[Fretless55]

I wonder if the term “roll” would be more recognized in a DB jazz format.

I know what roll means to me when I hear it.
It’s a good thing!

 

[devnulljp]

 

[H K]

Roll = groove?

Definitely not underrated. Tbh, pretty much what many consider to be the main difference between a bassist, and someone who just plays bass. It's also a staple for how we like to distinguish ourselves, pretty much in the exact same way you did. "He can play X, but can't keep the groove the way I can", is something I've heard 100 variations of. It's a good way to lessen the feeling of inferiority whenever someone else picks up your main instrument and shreds it, even though its not their main instrument

 

[PennyroyalWe]

 

[Rib 13]

 

[Pocket Dave]

And what really gets me is that guitarists that pickup a bass actually think they are laying down a nice groove when in reality, they SUCK.

Lots of problems with guitarists who don't have enough experience with bass.

1. A lot of guitarists - way too many - don't know how to groove with their own instrument; Rhythm guitar is a dying art. When done well, it requires listening to everyone, and especially the drummer. It also requires playing in such a way as to help make everyone else sound better. Listening and playing in such a way are both critical to playing bass.
2. Even to a good rhythm guitarist, playing bass requires listening differently. Good rhythm guitarists tend to focus on the snare drum, where bassists need to first focus on the kick.
3. Then there's that whole "bass as a different instrument that requires a different approach" thing, that includes everything from playing certain styles a nanosecond behind the beat to note length/duration to staying solid.

And I speak as an also-guitarist who's committed every one of these offenses at one time or another on bass in the past.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

Not really, since that’s not the word that was used. Plus the OP wouldn’t make a lot of sense if you subbed “role” for “roll.”

not necessarily my role to help, but I try.

 

[Pocket Dave]

FFS people, we probably all know what "roll" means in this instance. Go easy on the poor OP, wouldya?

Short for roll-in-the-hay with a groupie, right?

 

[tpaul]

It would be nice if @Cadillac_Mike would come back to clarify.

 

[Koshchei]

One night doing a live gig for my dad's band an audience member told me "you're a good bass player, you have a nice roll." That always stuck with me because I'm definitely not that flashy as a bass player. My dad who's a guitarist and I jam with a lot often picks up the bass and even though he's basically taught me everything I know about music theory and a way better guitarist than me; he can't even hold down a nice simple do do do blues bass roll like I can it sounds too choppy.

It just kinda baffles me how that works. Everyone thinks thumping on one note for the rhythm is like falling off a log and takes no skill but my dad who can play "Skuttle Buttin" note for note on guitar, can play a lot of surf and rockabilly stuff can't capture the organic roll I can get on one note.

He called you fat, I think.

 

[swarfrat]

Swing means fluidity. And you don’t find it everywhere. YMMV.

Sorry, I hear the words but not buying your definition. It's virtually always a put down for anything not jazz.

 

[tb-player]

I clicked on this thread because I knew it would be a bunch of TBers trolling the OP.

Yep.