Just play the chord changes...

[Orengery]

Sometimes I feel that in my bass playing, I'm just playing the chords. It just feels like "following the rules" and doing all the right chord tones, scales, modes and whatever, gets boring and not creative enough. I'm just illustrating the music that someone else wrote.
How can I add more life and originality into my bass lines? Are there certain situations where I don't have to play the root and I can play something else? And how can I make the bass contribute new things into the harmony?

 

[4stringfarley]

Sometimes I feel that in my bass playing, I'm just playing the chords. It just feels like "following the rules" and doing all the right chord tones, scales, modes and whatever, gets boring and not creative enough. I'm just illustrating the music that someone else wrote.
How can I add more life and originality into my bass lines? Are there certain situations where I don't have to play the root and I can play something else? And how can I make the bass contribute new things into the harmony?

Sometimes less is more. When there's just simple chord changes I'll walk up or down to it. If the feeling changes I'll go from a 8 note to a 16 note.

 

[mambo4]

It just feels like "following the rules" and doing all the right chord tones, scales, modes and whatever, gets boring and not creative enough.

the "rules" are not causing a lack of creativity -that's on the player.

Mark J Smith Has advice on using the "boring, uncreative" stuff you are concerned with.


You may be using your brain and playing your knowledge.
Try to use your ear and play your music instead.

The best approach is to learn parts you like and use the theory to deconstruct it for better understanding.
Sound first, theory second.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Stop thinking of the chord changes as these individual isolated pockets of sound that you have to refer to sequentially, and start thinking of bass *lines* that function as linear melodies ...that just so happen to also outline or infer any important chord tones.

 

[StyleOverShow]

Yeah what @Bob_Ross said PLUS rhythm. You have to accentuate the beat/feel by pounding down with kick drum or leaving holes for the backbeat.

Generally until you know what you're doing stay pentatonic and accentuate the kicks and punches. Feel the power and when you think you are the magician's apprentice play more

 

[MalcolmAmos]

Sometimes I feel that in my bass playing, I'm just playing the chords. It just feels like "following the rules" and doing all the right chord tones, scales, modes and whatever, gets boring and not creative enough. I'm just illustrating the music that someone else wrote.
How can I add more life and originality into my bass lines? Are there certain situations where I don't have to play the root and I can play something else? And how can I make the bass contribute new things into the harmony?

Gets boring and not creative enough. Perhaps you need to move to electric lead guitar..... Not yanking your chain, just making an assumption. The bass is an accompaniment instrument; yes it can take a lead break, but, the solo instruments do a much better job of that... IMO.

How can I make the bass contribute new things into the harmony? OK let's talk about harmony ..... Harmony happens when the treble clef (melody) and the bass clef share like notes. How many notes? One per measure gets harmony, two would be better and three are really not necessary as one got harmony. So what is a guy to do?

Any of the melody notes being played during the time your chord is active could find their way into your bass line and harmonize that melody. Would take better ears than mine to pull that off so back to basic stuff that can be done. Root first, have room add the 5 or the 8. R-5-8-5 is a generic fit most anywhere bass line. Still have some room bring in the correct 3 and 7 (b3 and b7 if minor). The 2, 4 make good passing notes - that's everything in the first octave of the scale with the exception of the 6. Love R-3-5-6 under a major chord. Add the 2 and you've got the major pentatonic. If it's a major progression the major pentatonic's notes are going to fit. We've been talking - in other strings - about the R-10, as a double stop, that's the Root in one octave and the 3 in the next octave higher.

Major Scale Box.
G~~|---9---|-------|--10--|--11---| 1st string
D~~|---6---|-------|---7---|---8---|
A~~|---3---|---4---|-------|---5---|
E~~|-------|---R---|-------|---2---|4th string​

The further the notes are from each other the less chance for mud to develop. There are all kinds of ways to freshen your bass line, just do not fill it too full. Too full and you start getting fish eyes from the guys. When that happens, back off a little.

If you have room and are not stepping on someone's toes try to include some of the above notes into your bass line. I think you will find that roots to the beat is going to play a lot of bass. But, try things, perhaps R-3-7-8. If it sounds good it is good. Buddy of mine will use the R-3-R-3 with Country and no one has beat him around the head and face - yet.

Notes themselves are not all that important. What is important is the groove we play those note to. Something else you could add if you have a slow ballad type song; just a root and nothing else till the next chord change works wonders. Leave the beat to the drummer or rhythm guitar and one root note per chord change augments the lyric message, i.e. calls attention to the important lyric words, i.e. helps get the message or story across.

Throw in some extra notes, and if you do not get fish eyes, from the guys keep them in the next verse. Roots to the beat gets you asked back... Random notes go wasted.

Good luck.

 

[1stnamebassist]

Also check out chord inversions. You don't have to start a measure with the root note. Major third is a great one to use sometimes for a whole measure.

 

[Pacman]

How can I add more life and originality into my bass lines? Are there certain situations where I don't have to play the root and I can play something else? And how can I make the bass contribute new things into the harmony?

Transcribe, transcribe, transcribe. Find bass lines and performances that inspire you, and figure them out. Do this enough, and you'll find what you're looking for quite naturally.

 

[zontar]

Even if you are sticking to mostly or exclusively root notes--you can still make it interesting with rhythms.
Normally--unless it's syncopated or the note rings--you would play on the 1--and possibly the 3.
But beyond that--there is a lot you can do.

 

[Icemanaroonie]

Have you tried playing polyrhythms against other instruments?

 

[amusicalperson]

Have you tried playing polyrhythms against other instruments?

I just told a story about doing this earlier!

 

[Icemanaroonie]

I just told a story about doing this earlier!

I love throwing in polyrhythmic phrases! It's great on bass, you can do them against the guitars or against the drummer and it sounds nice either way. At the end of a chorus in one of our songs, we have a phrase of four eighth notes, split evenly across an F# then an E#, and I play triplets against it. Two 3:2 polyrhythms, and it works out very well.

 

[amusicalperson]

I love throwing in polyrhythmic phrases! It's great on bass, you can do them against the guitars or against the drummer and it sounds nice either way. At the end of a chorus in one of our songs, we have a phrase of four eighth notes, split evenly across an F# then an E#, and I play triplets against it. Two 3:2 polyrhythms, and it works out very well.

The drummer in my story couldn't take the polyrhythms.

 

[Orengery]

Have you tried playing polyrhythms against other instruments?

Could you explain a little more about that?

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Could you explain a little more about that?

A Part:
Here is a very extensive thread about the polyrhythms started by a very good bass guitar teacher and a superb Pro bass player, Adam Neely:
4:3 Polyrhythms in top 40 music

P.S. Just a note about using the polyrhythms IMHO
1. - Be careful, it's an interesting and a powerful tool which requires some advanced rhythmic skills from the bass player/drum player/other band musicians, and should be used carefully/in moderation (what is "in moderation?") in Pop music. Poor articulation/rendition of polyrhythms/rhythmic displacement could easily become your band's rhythmic nightmare.

B Part.

Sometimes I feel that in my bass playing, I'm just playing the chords.

Just think about the rhythm guitar player! What a boring occupation !

It just feels like "following the rules" and doing all the right chord tones, scales, modes and whatever, gets boring and not creative enough.

I TOTALLY agree with your statement about "following the rules". Last Saturday night, I got a "Disregarding Red Light" ticket . It was late, raining, no cars on the road, I was tired, and wanted to get home. - Do I need to follow the rules?

To sum up.
While I'm playing alone in the morning on my patio, I DON'T need to "follow the rules" - I'm not endangering ANYBODY'S life, but when I leave my house, I, more or less, must follow the rules.

I'm just illustrating the music that someone else wrote.

1. WRITE YOUR OWN MUSIC BASED ON YOUR OWN RULES OR NO RULES!
2. CREATE YOUR OWN BAND!

How can I add more life and originality into my bass lines? Are there certain situations where I don't have to play the root and I can play something else? And how can I make the bass contribute new things into the harmony?

"As you work on your next song, it's a good idea to think about how the melody line and bass line work together. That concept of the melody and bass line "working together" may not have ever been something you've given thought to before, and you may wonder what those two lines can possibly have to do with each other. But considering how they move together can give power to both lines."
Read here:
4:3 Polyrhythms in top 40 music

"You've got a great melody and a chord progression that works. So what can you do to add life to your song? Activate the bass line. Making the bass line do something other than just sitting on the chord root gives life to that aspect of the song, and will increase the energy level. In that sense, you can almost consider the bass line to be a second melody."
Treating the Bass Line as a Second Melody

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Even if you are sticking to mostly or exclusively root notes--you can still make it interesting with rhythms.
Normally--unless it's syncopated or the note rings--you would play on the 1--and possibly the 3.
But beyond that--there is a lot you can do.

I'd like to add this:
One of my Biggest Pet Peeves is to hear some comments from ANY bass player of ANY LEVEL,
"It's just the Root or it's just the Root and the 5th"/"Just play the Root and 5th".

Those are STALE AND DEAD NOTES, and it's up to the bass player to revive it.
There are NUMEROUS variations of ARTICULATION (how to play it) of even simple root-fifth basslines. (It's all about the GROOVE and Articulation).
What's more,
playing that SIMPLY-BORING root-fifth bass-line with a DIFFERENT drummer produces a slightly DIFFERENT feel.
If ANY bass player is BORED while
1. properly (!) articulating that simple Root-5th pattern, and
2. producing with the whole band/rhythmic section a SOLID GROOVE in each and every bar/measure of the song - change the music style, become a "jazzist", etc...

When some other bass players see only the (boring) Root - 5th bass-line, I see and HEAR MUSIC where my Root note is a very important part of it. What's more, (as you mentioned in you post)
THE RHYTHMIC interpretation/Dynamic Articulation of that "boring" Root note (in my HUMBLE world) clearly
separates Seriously-good Bass players from the beginners.

 

[Chad T]

I've played guitar for over 20 years, but bass seriously for just a little over a year. Here is my take:

I listen to the chord changes. Most times the root note is the winner, but sometimes it sounds nice to substitute a 3rd or occasionally a 5th instead. Then I just throw in passing tones by ear if it seems like the right thing to do. It helps to know scales, but I usually don't even think like that...just use ear/feel. Sometimes one single passing tone/note. Sometimes several weaved around the changes. A couple very easy filler passing notes/tones that usually sound good: 1) after playing the root, then drop down a string on the same fret and play that note (the 5th). 2) after playing the root, play the same note an octave higher. Mix it up. But for some songs, just pounding the root notes sounds and works great. Make that more interesting by changing the rhythm of those root notes.

Listen to songs that you really like and learn them absolutely note-for-note and think about what/why the player did it the way they did. That really helps generate ideas for your own playing.

 

[JimmyM]

I've played guitar for over 20 years, but bass seriously for just a little over a year. Here is my take:

I listen to the chord changes. Most times the root note is the winner, but sometimes it sounds nice to substitute a 3rd or occasionally a 5th instead. Then I just throw in passing tones by ear if it seems like the right thing to do. It helps to know scales, but I usually don't even think like that...just use ear/feel. Sometimes one single passing tone/note. Sometimes several weaved around the changes. A couple very easy filler passing notes/tones that usually sound good: 1) after playing the root, then drop down a string on the same fret and play that note (the 5th). 2) after playing the root, play the same note an octave higher. Mix it up. But for some songs, just pounding the root notes sounds and works great. Make that more interesting by changing the rhythm of those root notes.

Listen to songs that you really like and learn them absolutely note-for-note and think about what/why the player did it the way they did. That really helps generate ideas for your own playing.

Thread winner!

 

[Whousedtoplay]

P.S. 1. I don't want to rain on ANYBODY'S parade.
2. Nothing personal.

Somehow in this thread I have not seen ANY comments about the bass-line's contour, consistency, rhythmic pattern, GROOVE, etc.,
just "throw this, throw that", add passing notes, CHANGE RHYTHM (???), polyrhythms, play an octave higher, MIX it up, etc...

(I don't want to talk about John Myung's bass-lines.)

To me, it sounded like ANYTHING GOES for the bass-line - something like a cocktail of "anarchic chaos".

 

[Chad T]

Cutting back on caffeine might be a good idea.

As far as I can tell, nobody in this thread said to take every idea presented and cram all of them into every song. As has been mentioned, ears, feel, taste, etc. are important.