Hey One drop any constructive criticism? This band is very new to reggae and we are looking to get better.
Hi Guy!
Sorry for not replying earlier, i wanted to listen on my sound system before replying, then lost track of the thread. I like the song, but honestly I think the bass line would gain a lot by heavily muting the notes on the first part of each phrase, maybe keeping the held note only at the end of each or alternate phrases.
The long sustained notes are dragging the song rather than setting up tension and release, or a hypnotic effect based on staccato repetition. Also the slides and glisses don't add much, I feel they are needless transitions and dilute the rhythmic effect and the power of the line. The only time slides work for me in reggae are if they are built into the line and help bend time or create an effect.
I'd also leave a few notes out, left implied (the line is completed in the mind of the listener, you only need to suggest it by the previous notes. If you pare this line down even more you will start to create the real spaces that make the best reggae so involving and interesting, as each note gains in value by its scarcity and the space that surrounds it.
If you go back and listen to some reggae bass lines you might be supervised how drastically they are usually muted with high SPLs and such fat tone each note takes a physical shape and has the punch and roundness to act like a huge drum while still playing the melody and outlining the harmony. It's a pretty unique feature of the genre and one that few really get right.
I think the approach works equally well in crossover styles or rock reggae or hybrids- the nature of the other instruments can reflect the other style but the core drum and bass almost always benefit from remaining authentic.
Hope this isn't too harsh or nitpicking- I approach music from an emotional and impressionistic angle and the way I describe it might not be helpful to some but useful to others.
One other thing - I always think of reggae bass as a low human voice, it can help when writing basslines because you can write effectively for the song if you are doing a duet or playing a bass vocal line under the singer. In the case of the song above, he is holding long notes with each ending syllable holding a few measure; if you are playing shorter clipped notes behing it acts like a background bass singer's part, accenting and propelling the line rather that pulling attention away from it or competing as it is now.
