Pino on SNL W/D'Angelo

[Dr. Cheese]

I think he draws attention to himself musically, at least for some people. And you can't overplay if the person who hires you pays you to play that way.



His way of supporting the ensemble is playing the way he plays. At least in my opinion. I never get the impression that Pino is doing the "hey, look at me" thing so many bassists do. It's more of a just doing what I do vibe. That's how I've always carried myself on projects. It's not about me but I can definitely help move things along in a positive direction.

The bottom line is carrying the groove is hard. Playing simply with feeling and energy is hard because it takes discipline and conviction. Too many folks get bored and kill the groove by adding needless notes. At a related level, adding licks and fills without killing the groove is hard too. Lord knows, I have been guilty of adding a lick and suddenly finding that I have lost the beat. Personally, I have opted for simplicity after asking my drummers about the effectiveness of my fills.

 

[Matthew_84]

The bottom line is carrying the groove is hard. Playing simply with feeling and energy is hard because it takes discipline and conviction. Too many folks get bored and kill the groove by adding needless notes. At a related level, adding licks and fills without killing the groove is hard too. Lord knows, I have been guilty of adding a lick and suddenly finding that I have lost the beat. Personally, I have opted for simplicity after asking my drummers about the effectiveness of my fills.

Very well put sir. I agree fully.

I find when I'm playing some deep, groovy lines, it's easier to not lose track of the groove when I play those needless notes (they sort of act like a crutch), but the groove will get lost within them.

Playing simply with noticeable rests between phrases and coming back mid-triplet or something is a lot harder than shredding 16ths notes anyway of the week, IMO anyway.