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Melodic? *may classify as a rant*

T

Thumpy McGroove

Jul 11, 2012
19
0
Maine
#1
The word melodic gets thrown around a lot when talking about bass-lines. I always here that term when someone refers to a metal bassist. Its not so much that i dislike melody but why does that become the criteria for judging metal bass players.

For example, I saw an interview with the creator of Metalocalypse (terrific show) Brenden Small (or Brandon) and he was talkin-up his new bass player for the Dethklok band. He talked about how they met at Berklee and constantly described his bass playin' as "melodic" and couldn't come up with any other descriptive words despite obviously trying (you would have to see the interview). So your telling me this guy studied at one of the most well-known music colleges in the world and couldn't come up with any other musical terminology to describe the bass player.

I guess this also illustrates that you can "buy a degree" and never actually learn anything.
 
#2
Part of the problem may simply stem from the deficiency the English language has for describing sound. It's almost impossible to describe any sound beyond loud or quiet without borrowing from other irrelevant words, like full, growly, bright, round, muddy, and so on. So he could very easily be a brilliant musician but is at a loss for words when trying to describe part of a song.
 
#3
ffutterman said:
Part of the problem may simply stem from the deficiency the English language has for describing sound. It's almost impossible to describe any sound beyond loud or quiet without borrowing from other irrelevant words, like full, growly, bright, round, muddy, and so on. So he could very easily be a brilliant musician but is at a loss for words when trying to describe part of a song.
Click to expand...

This.
 
#5
I play with two very good guitarists, both have music degrees - one worked in Nashville studios for a number of years. I am constantly told that I am a 'melodic' bass player - have been told that for twenty years. In my case, it is code for 'not knowing what the hell I am doing.' But, I have been able to get away with it for a long time. Sometimes, though, when i hear a really good bass player, I wish I could do that as well.
 
#6
When I play bass, I like a nice, green tone. I want the notes to rise with a sort of obsequious hegemony, and have a great deal of gloptitude. More importantly, I want the bassline itself to be very kindly and oceanic, with a hint towards puffy exuberance. Nothing steams my whistle like a bassline that just sort of sits there and types out envelopes for letters to the editor that will never be published, because the root notes simply can't afford the postage.
I want to hear harmonics singing jingles about hand sanitizer, while the rumble in the amp's bowels causes plumbing issues for 7.3 miles in any direction except North, causes ladies to faint as far away as Pittsburgh, and creates tiny fissures in the Earth's tectonic plates in the Southern Hemisphere.
Most importantly, I want it to be melodic.
 
#9
mellowinman said:
When I play bass, I like a nice, green tone. I want the notes to rise with a sort of obsequious hegemony, and have a great deal of gloptitude. More importantly, I want the bassline itself to be very kindly and oceanic, with a hint towards puffy exuberance. Nothing steams my whistle like a bassline that just sort of sits there and types out envelopes for letters to the editor that will never be published, because the root notes simply can't afford the postage.
I want to hear harmonics singing jingles about hand sanitizer, while the rumble in the amp's bowels causes plumbing issues for 7.3 miles in any direction except North, causes ladies to faint as far away as Pittsburgh, and creates tiny fissures in the Earth's tectonic plates in the Southern Hemisphere.
Most importantly, I want it to be melodic.
Click to expand...

I got about halfway through this before I realized that I really want to hear it read by Stephen Fry. This is brilliant! :D
 
#12
It means bass with structure, and playing in key and no fear to go out of the root note. An exploring the chord bassist. I hardly ever play JUST THE ROOT note. I add more notes and add some melody to the bassline, some basslines become the driving force of a song when they're melodic.
 
#13
mellowinman said:
When I play bass, I like a nice, green tone. I want the notes to rise with a sort of obsequious hegemony, and have a great deal of gloptitude. More importantly, I want the bassline itself to be very kindly and oceanic, with a hint towards puffy exuberance. Nothing steams my whistle like a bassline that just sort of sits there and types out envelopes for letters to the editor that will never be published, because the root notes simply can't afford the postage.
I want to hear harmonics singing jingles about hand sanitizer, while the rumble in the amp's bowels causes plumbing issues for 7.3 miles in any direction except North, causes ladies to faint as far away as Pittsburgh, and creates tiny fissures in the Earth's tectonic plates in the Southern Hemisphere.
Most importantly, I want it to be melodic.
Click to expand...

Yeah! that's what I wanted to say. :D

Melodic to me, is, as has been stated above, getting off of the root note and exploring the chord....this is not always what the piece needs, so it's also about knowing when not to.
Metal, to me, is much more percussive and angry, and melodic is not the first word that comes to mind when attempting to describe it.:D Not knocking it either, everything has it's place.
 

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