Making basslines within a readonable amount of time

[Joshuadriller]

How do you guys create your basslines? Do you play the song over and over again? Do you listen to it while not playing? How do you prepare?? I'm working on a song right and I'm having a hard time doing it within a reasonable amount of time...... And I just figured out I have to record it tomorrow morning. Help?

 

[jefkritz]

if it doesn't just come to me, i listen a few times without playing, and when i start to feel it, i either try playing something, or if that isn't working, i sing. then i play what i was singing.

 

[Joshuadriller]

if it doesn't just come to me, i listen a few times without playing, and when i start to feel it, i either try playing something, or if that isn't working, i sing. then i play what i was singing.

Thanks for the advice. Anything is appreciated

 

[Duckwater]

I just improvise and see if I come up with anything interesting. Sometimes I feel it, sometimes I don't.

 

[Ben Noblit]

Jamming.

 

[bigred5987]

I use the chord chart with the lyrics on it. Listen to it then try to hum and sing a line while looking at the chart. Then I picture the fretboard in my head and work the notes out. Might be weird but it works for me.

 

[tsverrir]

If I'm having trouble with it, I load the song into my DAW and work on it part by part by looping individual parts.

 

[JimmyM]

I listen to the song in whatever form it exists, and I'll start humming possible basslines to myself. Then once I get something that sounds like it'll work, I'll give it a shot. If it works, I keep it, if not, back to the drawing board. It's all trial and error and trying to do what's best for the song.

 

[Jhengsman]

Jamming.

I agree, unless a songwriter has taken time to actually write you a line, say in the style of Jamerson I will be reacting to what the rest of the band gives me

 

[bassbully]

By listening to it and knowing the chord progession.... charting it out.

 

[dougjwray]

I can approach it two ways:

I know what "fits" -- I grasp the harmony, meter, etc. and can write something that will be functional. In an interview, Sting said something to the effect that "There are actually only about five bass lines." That's pretty pragmatic, but... it might be a good way to start thinking about it.

I listen to the song a few times without the bass. If I've listened enough, the melody will be in my head, and I can sort of organically come up with something musical, while I'm walking around or something. Often, I'll be inspired to reinforce the melody at key points by doubling it or harmonizing it, or I'll realize later that the main motif I hear for the bass is actually a keyboard part, say, from an entirely different song which was suggested to me by the one I'm working on. The other song might be something from a different genre, and decades old.

One of the fun things about being old, like me is that you have so many years of source material stuffed away in your brain. (Yet, I can't remember to take out the garbage when my wife asks me to.)

 

[gavinspoon]

The humming thing mostly works for me if I can't just jam something together.

Another trick is just to follow the vocal melody, like most things this sometimes works and sometimes it doesn't.

When I'm all out of ideas I follow the sage words of John Paul Jones "when in doubt play octaves"

 

[chaosMK]

I jam it out to get ideas, spend my own time on things. If I am recording, I spend even longer... I'll do it in two phases- get a very solid first run and listen for the fine points I need to work on (I mean sometimes specific attack style on certain parts makes a line, but I won't always hear it until I listen back).

Nothing wrong with spending time on things though. I'm no studio pro though, but my genres are proggier than standard fare.