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Old me vs. new me - dilemma

NoBueno

NoBueno

Dec 9, 2014
25
52
Melbourne, VIC
#1
My old band is reforming after a 2-3 year hiatus to record our old songs we had written, and likely play a few shows for old times sake.

Since the band broke up, I've dedicated myself to becoming a "better" bassist (ie more restrained, focus on the groove), and now I have to decide whether to stick to my origina,l busy basslines, or simplify it and nail it home with the drums.

Our style is poppy funk-rock, so the bass is quite dominant in a lot of the songs, but I don't know whether keeping my original lines, or writing new ones is more of a disservice to the original songs.

Should I record them as they were then? - or as I am now?
Any thoughts would be appreciated!
 
#7
+1 for doing it as you play now. Reworking the parts sounds like it could turn out to be an exciting and rewarding effort. I personally love hearing old recordings of how I previously played parts compared to how they evolved years later.

You "voice" changes over time, just like everything else.
 
#8
I'm not a fan of note for note replication. It doesn't feel like musicianship to me. It feels like imitation. Heck, I don't think I ever play a song note for note the same twice. But I definitely keep the intent in the bass line, but I'll accentuate and "fill" differently all the time. Depends on a lot of things. I'm not sure that I can nail it down to anything specific. Mood, the atmosphere of the gig, the energy being created when you're playing with others, what the need of the song is that particular time you're playing it, what the drummer is doing...

Not to be all existential, but I look at a song (covers, originals, whatever) as a living, breathing, emotional thing, and you are translating it for the audience. It might say one thing one time and something else the next. Play what you're feeling when you play it. Otherwise I feel like I'm telling a lie or mechanically going through the motions. Just how I tackle things, I guess. But I've never been accused of conforming to the norm.
 
#9
There's nothing inherently wrong with busy basslines.

However, if they lack groove, do a busy but groovier version of them.

I don't subscribe to the old you/new you thing. You may be older, wiser and more refined in your playing, but you are still you. Respect your past. It's a part of how you got to where you are.
 
#12
Record both as demo rehearsals with full instrumentation, and listen to the demo's a lot of times until you have decided which versions of your bass lines that would probably serve the songs best.

I guess that would be my best advice.
 
#14
Let the past factor in.
Either all of you have grown in various amounts and everybody would like to give the old songs some refinishing or the others want to keep it the way it was.
Take the original line as a base and then add a touch of the new you here and there without completely rearranging everything.
 

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