Loving the simple stuff

[dbsfgyd1]

Lots of peeps are postin lots of threads lately on tunes they hate playing. I get it, and I believe we all have the right to play whatever makes us happy. If money, however, is the proverbial carrot at the end of our bass playing stick, then I think we'll be happiest if we learn to LOVE everything we play. I committed to this about a year ago, and I must in my best humble brag state that it's going exceptionally well. I thought it might be a good idea to kick this topic around for others who have committed or would like to one day commit to...

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Loving the simple stuff!

Some things to consider, but write whatever you want:

• What are your favorite simple songs to play?
• Do you have any tricks or tips for loving to play those songs?
• Can you play Eminem's Lose Yourself without straying on a single note?
• What's the most hated song that you love playing most?
• Do you enjoy seeing other bass busy up simple bass lines?

I'll chime in later. Have to get to my day job.

Unfortunately I worked many a decade with guys that will not play anything top rated, insisting on obscure “b” sides, and sales suffered. I have no problem playing what is called for a long as the audience is engaged. Speaking of staying on task, check out Gustav Holtz Mars from his syphonic work “The Planets”. 5/4 time signature and about 150+ measures of the same thing, over and over and over again I covered it in high school, and my A.D.D. was kickin’... loads of fun.

 

[bassstrangler]

@two fingers The ONLY time you could get me to play Spooky is during the week of Halloween.

Now back to simple songs we LIKE to play.

 

[dreamadream99]

Something I learned very early on in my gigging life, that I try to never forget:

It is never about me on a job. It is about the listeners. I will gladly play whatever they want to hear, even if I can’t stand the tune.

Also, if I’m a hired gun, I play what the contractor tells me to play—I don’t get a say.

 

[Altitude]

We do "Get Jiggy With It" which is one of those tunes with a 2-bar form in the bass that repeats over and over, from beginning to end.

I find a kind of Zen in trying to play the form the exact same way every time, except for a few fills and totally deliberate deviations, but to sound relaxed in doing so. It requires total concentration and it's not something anyone can do.

 

[HotelX]

This is one of my favorites. The Real Rock riddim. Only two notes but it is probably the most versioned reggae riddim of all time. This is a two hour mix of a hundred singers doing their version of it. Doesn't get much more simple than this.

 

[Joe Nerve]

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

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

Them there words are PRECICELY how I feel. I actually get off on the simplicity of songs theses days. I play them as heartfelt and committed as I possibly can, and take pride in make every note lock in and sing as though the world depended upon eac and every one. I know that sounds a bit over the top, but yeah... , I enjoy it.

I also like to consider tunes like that Eminem song, meditations. They’re like doing a chant for me.

 

[LBS-bass]

I was kind of a prog-head music snob when I first ventured into bass playing territory but quickly discovered that there are tons of songs I enjoy playing that I would probably never listen to if they came on the radio. I love to play and playing, in turn, has opened me to genres I never would have thought to enjoy until other musicians brought them to the table. Nowadays I can have fun playing just about anything, but here's one I'll play on Saturday night that's super easy but always fun:

 

[Kun2112]

In my humble (yet highly accurate) opinion™, the songs most musicians hate playing are songs that have been covered badly so often, that most only consider them as bad covers.

 

[JRA]

I ain’t asking about the songs, I’m asking about te players’ attitudes behind their enjoying them.

IME:
young = any tune is cool.
later = any tune is cool if there's an audience for it and i get to really play.
even later = any tune is cool if it can please the audience.
now = any tune is cool.

i can honestly say that i enjoy playing so much (these days) that in spite of preferences, i really don't care anymore what makes the setlists for the bands i'm in. i'll rock anything.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

• What are your favorite simple songs to play?

Some ZZ Top and AC/DC tunes.

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

Maybe a couple of shots? Just kidding. Usually if I'm playing a song that I don't like, I'm getting paid. Knowing that helps a little to get through the song

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

Yes, I love playing simple stuff. I had a gig with two hip-hop guys, and that's what I mostly did the whole night. An octave and an envelope filter pedal adds to the fun.

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

My songs? I'm fine with Eric Clapton's Cocaine.

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

Depends on how it's played. Some bass lines are so simple but great that changing a note is a sin IMO. John Deacon's bass lines come to mind.

 

[Clef_de_fa]

But I do add stuff during the solo






Probably my favorite to play

 

[SpyderX]

The simple ones are ok when you're first learning them, and maybe sort of ok after a few times playing them out...

... after that, I have to spice them up a bit (I'm sure, detracting from the song's original intent) just to keep myself from looking for squirrels...

If I'm playing out, I prefer keeping it simple - I agree, too simple gets too boring - so I like songs I can spice up at will without thinking about content too much. I'm paying attention to the drummer, listening for queues, and just generally enjoying the audience. I don't want to think. I don't like worrying about complex compositions. Been there. Not a medium I enjoy playing live. If I was a heavy jazz or progressive guy, it would be different, obviously, but I'm not. I admire and respect the hell out of you guys that are, but I'll just never be that guy.

 

[obimark]

???Hey Bulldog is quite an intricate bassline IME...

 

[Jigmay]

I try to find what made that bass line work so well in the original; was it tone, dynamics, note length, space, slides, small variations or fills, how it fits with not just the bass drum but hi-hat and snare (does the bass note always end before the snare strike?) etc. Incorporating that consistently live is fun and challenging.

That’s just the first step. Then, as the other poster said so eloquently above, then you step out of yourself and listen to the whole band! That’s where the magic just begins!

Mustang Sally: Why so much hate? This tune has a great groove and is a springboard for playing with slightly different grooves and feels and fills. I can play it straight and stretch it a little with the drummer, esp. over the solos.

If all of that escapes me then I remember what a great teacher told me: “ Play every note with total commitment.” (Jerry Granelli)

 

[40Hz]

It’s funny but I always used to make jokes about Mustang Sally until one day an old bluesman gently grabbed my lapel and said “Hey kid!” (I had just turned 60 at the time, but he was in his mid 80s so I guess he had earned the right to call me a “kid.) He said before I wrnt around “crabbing” a Wilson Pickett song like that, maybe I should first go and closely listen to the original recording. Because he said he’d bet money that I was like most wiseasses who had never played that song right even once. He told me go and really listen to it and then see if I felt the same way about it afterwards.

So now suitably chastised, I went and did. And he was right. It’s a cool little song. And I was playing it wrong. And the way I was playing it was what sucked - not the song itself.

Late life lesson learned. Thank you old blues guy!

 

[LBS-bass]

In my humble (yet highly accurate) opinion™, the songs most musicians hate playing are songs that have been covered badly so often, that most only consider them as bad covers.

There's a certain subset of songs that I just don't want to play anymore because I'm tired/bored whatever with them. That's not to say that it isn't good music, but it's more a thing that the setlist is a bit of a tell about the enthusiasm of the members for tackling new music. When I see those same songs - we all know what they are - in a list, I know that this isn't a bunch of people who are going to want to work on something new.

If I see one or two of those songs, it's a different thing. But a whole list comprised of tired songs from the 60s and 70s that everyone has played to death isn't going to get me interested.

That said, if one of two of those songs ends up on my playlist, I'll play them and have fun with them. Two-fingers has the right idea. Enjoy the stage time but don't get caught up in something that's ultimately just not your thing.

 

[brianrost]

A deep pocket is needed to make this tune really swing. A very old Aussie Classic that gets any Aussie crowd up dancing & singing out loud.

I used to sing that one (not very well) in a band back in the early 90s. I could probably do it a lot better these days. I love it, in any event. It's not that simple, either...

 

[Drgonzonm]

To all of the gigging bassist who are sick of playing Mustang Sally just know that some dude in New Mexico would love to play it one last time on stage. ALWAYS enjoy the experience of making music for others, it's a gift.

is there a Kanw version? (If @el jeffe bass understands the question, he's a true listener of 89.1 on the FM dial and plays new Mexico music. )
I ask because there is version of the Spider-Man theme.

 

[joebar]

I like playing simple tunes and locking in with my drummer.
I like making a joyful noise even if it’s only a few notes

 

[Spidey2112]

I'm paying attention to the drummer, listening for queues, and just generally enjoying the audience.

Keep up the good work!