Hi all, I've been playing rock/metal bass for over 10 years now and I'd like to explore something else. Something not too heavy. Problem is I don't really want to be playing anything with generic arpeggios/bass runs e.g. jazz, as I have no interest in this - I'm looking for something a bit more involved and musical. Something a bit more riff/composition based. I've been thinking blues but not sure if that's what I'm looking for. Any suggestions appreciated. I hate to speak in 'genre' terms but any suggestions would be appreciated as I can find things to listen to and get a feel for. Thanks for help.
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New Music
- Thread starter masterchief85
- Start date
I write music in my spare time. I am looking for a style to get into other than rock/metal that allows compositional/musical bass lines rather than simple lines. Something a bit laid back compared to metal but still interesting. Hope that clears it up. Must be someone out there who understands what I'm saying.
Maybe I will rephrase: What are the best styles for involved bass playing and are fun to compose in?
I agree but I'm looking for something to really sink my teeth into and be quite obsessive about
I may try pop/new wave just for something different.
How about some bass driven electronica, a là Squarepusher. Tom Jenkinsons stuff is awesome.
Or you could try ripping off Zappa? (Note that I said 'try')
Or you could try ripping off Zappa? (Note that I said 'try')
Some kind of dance music, or maybe punk (if you don't mind writing lyrics--it's hard to imagine instrumental punk working all that well). Or some combination thereof.
On an angrier note: jazz is "generic arpeggios"?!? What are you listening to, Kenny G? Check out Ray Davis' work on Dolphy's 'Out to Lunch!' or Jimmy Garrison's lines on Coltrane's A Love Supreme (esp. his solo on "Pursuance") to find out why you're wrong.
When people accuse jazz of being boring I always suspect that their knowledge of it begins and ends with elevator music and wanky virtuosos a la Wooten or Clarke.
On an angrier note: jazz is "generic arpeggios"?!? What are you listening to, Kenny G? Check out Ray Davis' work on Dolphy's 'Out to Lunch!' or Jimmy Garrison's lines on Coltrane's A Love Supreme (esp. his solo on "Pursuance") to find out why you're wrong.
When people accuse jazz of being boring I always suspect that their knowledge of it begins and ends with elevator music and wanky virtuosos a la Wooten or Clarke.
Why not focus on writing music, and however it comes out, it comes out? If you really want to try pop/new wave, it will come out in your writing and instrument/sound choices.
I assumed he was talking about walking bass lines, even if those aren't really arpeggios.
I used to think the same thing about walking bass (that was when I was a drummer - I don't know if the two were related 
) but when I switched fully to bass and eventually got into improvised music, i.e. music that doesn't have written bass parts or very few written bass parts, I came to fully appreciate the difficulty of looking at a bunch of chord symbols and playing convincing walking bass lines in real time.
I would agree that a bunch of arrpegios one after another would sound kind of ridiculous, and so would every jazz player. A bassist who plays like that would most definitely get laughed off the bandstand.
) but when I switched fully to bass and eventually got into improvised music, i.e. music that doesn't have written bass parts or very few written bass parts, I came to fully appreciate the difficulty of looking at a bunch of chord symbols and playing convincing walking bass lines in real time.I would agree that a bunch of arrpegios one after another would sound kind of ridiculous, and so would every jazz player. A bassist who plays like that would most definitely get laughed off the bandstand.
That's ridiculously vague, but I think I'll still +1 that and try to narrow it down a bit.
Some noise pop (e.g. Pavement) could be fun. It'll give you a chance to write some simple but hooky tunes and then go nuts piling stuff on top of them (the same could be said for EDM, really).
