Is it taboo to be melodic in a two guitar band?

[TheIndieKid]

I'm relatively new to the whole band and rehearsal thing, and I'm still trying to find my voice. In a alt-rock band with two guitarists, I'm trying to think of ways to be exciting as the bass player, but not step on toes with my playing. I sit here and idolise players like Robert DeLeo and John Paul Jones in the rock scene, yet I realise that they are in four piece bands. There's more room for harmonic freedom. How do those of you who play in five piece, two guitar bands find a way to make your playing exciting, if you don't mind me asking for some tips? Do you mess around with rhythm instead of notes or not?

 

[ThudThudThud]

I've generally found that I'm more melodic when there are two guitar players.
With just one guitar I've often been the rhythm/root guy (with flourishes....).

 

[bholder]

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law"
"If it sounds good, it is good."

 

[Joedog]

Dude: if there were such rigid taboos, a lot of the new exciting music wouldn't exist, and we'd all be listening to the same old same old. Use your ears, and log a poopie load of hours. AND quit over thinking. Your voice, come it will. If you do exactly what some other bass players tell you, would it still be YOUR voice? Experiment. Some stuff will work, some not so much. That's how we learn. Listen to your band mates, and try to tune into each other. A band is (or should be) a collaborative effort. Some songs will work great with "exciting" bass lines, others with super simple, heavy thunder. Heck, sometimes both in the same tune! It's all about how you want to express the song. That's why they call musicians "artists". Have fun!

 

[40Hz]

Two guitars gives you the luxury of not having to fill in a lot of background. So you should be able to be more melodic in that setting without shirking your primary duties as the bassist.

 

[JimK]

McCartney was pretty melodic in his two guitar band(s)...

 

[mambo4]

I was in a rock band with 2 guitars plus keys.
My approach was always :
play the simplest possible line that serves the rhythm of the song - at first.
learn my part of the tune backwards and forwards
then start listening to what everyone else is doing
learn the song really well as whole - get a deep feel of what the song as a whole is doing.
eventually , places appropriate "to make your playing exciting" become apparent.

Do you mess around with rhythm instead of notes or not?

Long ago I would have looked for the earliest opportunity to trot out some cool technique or riff
But now I start with using rests, dynamics, articulation , space, emotion, and interacting with other player's parts.

In a sort of hippy-dippy way, I think the song itself will tell you what it needs.
but you have to listen.

 

[two fingers]

Have one of the guitarists make you a quick and dirty scratch track you can jam along to. Then go home and play along with it. At first, experiment playing on the 3rd or 5th of the chord instead of the root and see where that takes you.

 

[Oddly]

I'd guess this depends partly on what the two guitars are doing.
If one is a steady rhythm player, that gives you a bit more room to explore.
If they're both mainly lead solo players, then someone's got to hold it all together, and that's gonna be the bassplayer.
If they're both rhythm players, get your 'Jaco' on and go wild...

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Ditto ^^. Is the foundation being taken care of? That is our main duty. Take care of this and then help yourself to what ever adds value to the song. In a good two guitar band one will play accompaniment (basic chord progressions) while singing the song and the other will augment his efforts using another voice, aka melody rendition - augmenting not competing.

Where do you fit into all this? Depends on the other guys leaving you some space. If they have taken all the space you are left with the bottom end foundation. That is not all bad as they do need your bottom end foundation to hold the song together.

Every body has there part to play. It's when everybody wants to play melody we lose our way. There will normally be a chromatic run or fill the bass can add - if it does not step on toes.

 

[csc2048b]

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law"
"If it sounds good, it is good."

bass notes under will