Locking in with the drums.

[John Wentzien]

I think I'm agreeing with Jimmy on this one ...

The other night I subbed for the host bands bassist at one of the local Memphis Blues Society open jam events. At such events you play with any number of different drummers, and that was true this night. Some can't keep time at all and then with others it seems effortless. I talked on the phone to the regular bassist next day (fellow TBer Slim Louis who is out on tour) and we mused about how you deal with time on those occasions. I told him I just closed my eyes played and tried to plough on, he agreeed BTW. So yeah the bass can really set the time and hope the drummer can sense the correction. But then again I que off the singer guitar player sooo to groove it's all gotta work.

As a side note ... I'm taking up drums to so it's really got me thinking about the whole groove picture. You see more when you can look at it from both sides. One of the practice methods I'm using is to record a bass track on a Boss looper and play back to my own bass line on the drums.

... In the end catching the groove is about all the elements working together.

Sat HI to Slim for me...great guy!
JW

 

[jokerjkny]

I read somewhere here a few days ago about holding a note and choking or cutting off just before a snare hit - supposed to accentuate the drum line and make for a tighter sounding rhythm section. I thought this sounded like a great idea to try out, knowing full well it will not work all the time. But get enough little tricks like that and it should make an improvement in overall sound.. This is the most important part of playing bass (at least in a band with drums) that I can think of - locking in with the rythm section..

much of the time, i actually avoid hitting any note w/ the snare drum backbeat. unless the song/MD calls for it, frankly sounds corny to me if you do.

 

[jokerjkny]

"Locking in with the drums" is one of those nebulous terms that essentially means "keeping good time." Yes, you can follow along exactly with the bass drum as a way of locking in, but while it does work for some things, it's ever so boring. I greatly prefer a bass player who knows when to plow right through the drummer, much like Jamerson used to in his best stuff, much like McCartney did in his best stuff, much like almost all my favorite bassists with the exception of Cliff Williams. Cliff mostly plays 16th note roots, but as far as I'm concerned, he can do no wrong

I also prefer taking the lead in the bass/drums dynamic. Since bass parts are usually based on what the main rhythmic instrument is doing (at least in pop styles), I think the drummer should take his cues from the bassist rather than vice versa. You can't tell them that or they get very upset , but I find it works better that way and makes for a more interesting rhythm section.

sage sage sage advice, and marks my own playing style...

but nothing to me says "good ears" than a bassist who can properly follow the bass drum. some songs do call for this. IME, hiphop, r&b, gospel, whatever's in a cabaret all lend to this.

i try to sing the drum pattern and/or usually just the kick drum line to myself. helps to internalize the feel and bring it to my fingers/bass.

 

[JimmyM]

Whoops...just noticed a typo. Cliff usually plays 8th note roots, not 16th note roots.

Anyway, I guess the moral of the story is everybody listen to everyone else and keep good time.