Loving the simple stuff

[mdlewis]

I think the simple songs are the hardest to play - to really work the band has to groove as a solid unit. This requires a lot of concentration (for me) and it's easy to blow it. It's a lot of fun, but it's kinda like being a drummer playing disco off-beat hats for 20 minutes. You can't make the same mistake once. Having nailed it is a kinda high that's different than nailing a difficult lick, but if the audience is with you I think it can be even more fun.

Good Lovin' (Young Rascals), Crimson and Clover (Tommy James), & Ain't That a Lotta Love (Taj Mahal) are some oldies that fit this description. Last one:

 

[tb4sbp]

Pink Floyd - Comfortably Numb a very slow and dragging song on bass
But during the chorus I find that adding in the slides is great sounding, fun and good practice
It is almost like waiting to open a present... anticipation!
And I used to jam this out with only one guitarist and a metal drummer so the ending was a big "BIG" finale
Holding the song together and building are keys to a song like this
Dynamics and flair goes a long way!

 

[Panther]

Good one .

To be fair... I don't know a single Eminem song outside of this one, and wouldn't know this one if my band didn't already do it when I joined, but for those unfamiliar with it, I guess it should be posted:

Want to add that I hope this doesn't turn into a thread of simple song posts. We've done that a bunch of times already.

I'm more interested in people's thoughts about playing simple stuff.

i can't even get through that on one listen..

 

[birminghambass]

Great thread idea! I really like playing Can't You See and the Black Crowes songs we do. All very simple, rootsy bass lines. Locking in with the drummer and and paying extra attention to the dynamics keep it interesting.

 

[Jakeman]

"Stay With Me" by Faces. I could encore every show with it.

 

[electracoyote]

I'm with you Joe, if they are paying me and people are dancing and singing, I'm happy playing anything, and playing it straight faithful the way it was recorded.

Even songs that make me quickly change the radio station take on a new meaning when being played for an appreciative audience.

That's entertainment.

 

[JimmyThunder]

My band has a song that usually goes on for 10 minutes, and over 9 of those minutes the bassline repeats the same two notes over and over. When I first heard it I thought "this is going to be torture, but this song has been in the band 10 years longer than me so I'll shut up" and now, 5 years later, it's my favorite song to play.....I really get off on the hypnosis factor. By minute 4 I'm in another world where it's just me and those two notes spinning in a dance.

 

[dheafey]

2 songs I swore I would never play: "Play That Funky Music" and "Mustang Sally". Guess what? I ended up playing. It was right around the time I had a major epiphany: I'm a performer first and a musician second. The crowd absolutely loves these songs and when the dance floor is packed, I can feed off the energy.

I once saw an interview with John Mellencamp and he was asked if he ever gets tired of playing "Jack and Diane". His (paraphrased) response was, "Some guy saves up for months to buy his girl a ticket to one of my shows and hopes to hear all the hits. You're damn right I'm gonna play "Jack and Diane"".

 

[subtlestew]

I'm just going to leave this here, in reference to the OP:

 

[The Chuck]

I'm just going to leave this here, in reference to the OP:

Well done!

 

[The Chuck]

This is one of my favorite simple songs to play. I don't know what it is but I love playing it!

 

[rtslinger]

Free Bird sorry for the haters, but this one has worked for us for years. As for songs in general I love to play bass guitar, for me it is as much a passion as exercising is, so there isn't anything (unless beyond my abilities) that I won't play. whether it is a drone note line throughout the piece or a simple repetitive line like in Mustang Sally I'll play it. As a weekend warrior I do at times take liberties and get creative and add things here and there, but usually I will stick to the song as written.

 

[trevcda]

I'm with you Joe, if they are paying me and people are dancing and singing, I'm happy playing anything, and playing it straight faithful the way it was recorded.

I can totally agree with this, with one caveat: It has to be performed well. I can't stand performing a song that been over-simplified by a hack who is too lazy, untalented or both, to learn the song. I don't care how well it goes over with the drunk crowd. I mean, you have to be able to hold your self, and by association the people you perform with, up to a certain standard.

I'll add to that, most simple songs are not as simple as most people (performers included) seem to think they are. That's where many go wrong.

I remember my favorite drummer and I working with a couple of talented metal guitarist on an 80's project several years back. The drummer and I had played our fair share of rock, but also worked in a number funk/ska/R&B situations. The guitarist wanted to play the song Play that Funky Music, a song that's been over done to death and works every time. We run through at a rehearsal and Thing One and Thing Two going at it with full on distortion, box chords and absolutely no taste or groove. Drummer and I stare at each other come to a dead stop at the same time. Eventually the guitarists notice there's no bass and drums happening, and also stop. I ask them if they are f'ing kidding me, thinking they might have been goofing off or, at best, attempting to do a metal version of the song. Nope they were completely serious and thought they were as funky as could be. Both the drummer and I said there was no way were playing that song like that in public. That band, although a kick ass rock band, didn't last much after that.

 

[DirtDog]

I like playing old "cowboy" country. It's all very simple, but it gets people dancing, and I like the reaction I guess. There aren't really any tricks to playing it, just lock in with the drums and go.

Yep - same here - I throw in the occaisional "soo-ey" and "yee-haw", though!

 

[Mechanical]

My bass teacher says (paraphrasing) that the job of the bass player is to get people to nod their head to the groove.

No matter what I play, that's what I look for.

 

[Inky13]

Simple is the only thing I'm capable of.

 

[Plutonium244]

Here's a simple song that I had to play while working in an event band many years ago. I learned to embrace many things that were theretofore not in my playing "wheelhouse" but learned immensely from that experience. By making yourself do what you normally wouldn't, you grow. So, I learned not to hate playing this song, but instead challenged myself to play the most perfectly rounded eight-notes, like droplets of water, you'd ever effin' heard. And it's harder than you'd think-- to be that exactingly uniform for that length of time, without ever even playing a pickup note. And that, ladies and gentleman, is how I learned to be a professional instead of a hobbyist prima donna. You gotta be willing to get down in the dirt.

 

[mambo4]

Frankly I have never not enjoyed playing a song.

Onstage, in front of an audience, with 3 + other musicians, trying to execute a tune, there's no "simplicity".

Do you have any tricks or tips for loving to play those songs?

Some get bored once they have reasonably mastered tune, and no longer have to pay attention to execute it.
To me that's just the first level of performance. thinking about executing my part is a distraction.
Once I no longer have to pay attention to the physical execution, i can open up my awareness to everything else happening.
I can now pay attention to the drummer, the singer, the rest of the ensemble and the audience
I can play my part as not as a memorized behavior but as an emotional response to what I am experiencing in the moment
A living breathing interpretation and conversation with the band and the audience - unique and unrepeatable.

If you believe there is any simplicity there, then you are selling the performance short via lack of attention.

Like Emimem said:
You better lose yourself in the music, the moment
You own it, you better never let it go
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
This opportunity comes once in a lifetime

 

[stringthrough]

ZZ Top has some cool tunes with simple basslines that are real fun to play.

 

[4SG]

• What are your favorite simple songs to play?

Tom Petty tunes. All his stuff is lowest common denominator rock, but it's pleasing. Lots of room to move as a bassist.

• Do you have any tricks or tips for loving to play those songs?

Wouldn't say it's 'trick' per se, but what I do is learn to play the song straight, then add some phrases or notes that I can drop in when appropriate.

• Can you play Eminem's Lose Yourself without straying on a single note?

No idea. Don't know it and have no interest in Eminem. Sorry.

• What's the most hated song that you love playing most?

Probably some Beatles tune that no one wants to hear anymore. I have infinite patience for the Beatles.

• Do you enjoy seeing other bass[ists] busy up simple bass lines?

Sure, if they don't ruin the song. A favorite player is Bruce Thomas of the Attractions. His lines are super busy, intricate and melodious, yet they never get in the way of the song. He hangs back when he needs to and lets it rip when the opportunity presents itself. Proof that you can play busy bass lines on simple pop songs (not that Elvis Costello doesn't have some complicated changes) that totally improve them. Give a listen to Thomas' playing on 'Strict Time', which only has a couple of chords, to get an idea of what I mean.