Double Bass Playing Indie Music on the Bass

[hp_playsbass]

Does anyone have experience playing Indie music on the upright bass (like Faye Webster, Big Thief, Angel Olsen, Eliott Smith, etc. kind of vibe)? I have been trying to decide if it makes more sense to try to play the type of music I like on upright or just play electric instead. I mainly see people using electric to play the type of music I want to play but personally love the feel and sound of upright (and don't know how to play electric). Another issue I've noticed is that in a lot of the music I listen to, they are also just playing the root note which doesn't seem that fun to me and feels a bit discouraging. The guitar/singing always seems to be the main focus with the bass barely noticeable or extremely simple baselines. I would greatly appreciate any advice. Sometimes I worry that I picked the wrong instrument because it's difficult to even find music written for the stuff I like (lol). Please convince me otherwise.

If you do play indie music on the upright, do you make up your own baselines/improvise or use transcription or tabs to try to figure it out? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!! My ultimate goal is to be able to casually jam with other people but not just play root notes.

 

[John Stephen]

Hello hp. I'm not familiar with the artists you mentioned, so I listened to a few of them on YouTube. I don't play that type of music on bass, but listening to it, I see no reason why you can't come up with your own bass lines. I would, if I was playing that stuff. Pretty boring otherwise.

 

[Wood and Wire]

Does anyone have experience playing Indie music on the upright bass (like Faye Webster, Big Thief, Angel Olsen, Eliott Smith, etc. kind of vibe)? I have been trying to decide if it makes more sense to try to play the type of music I like on upright or just play electric instead. I mainly see people using electric to play the type of music I want to play but personally love the feel and sound of upright (and don't know how to play electric). Another issue I've noticed is that in a lot of the music I listen to, they are also just playing the root note which doesn't seem that fun to me and feels a bit discouraging. The guitar/singing always seems to be the main focus with the bass barely noticeable or extremely simple baselines. I would greatly appreciate any advice. Sometimes I worry that I picked the wrong instrument because it's difficult to even find music written for the stuff I like (lol). Please convince me otherwise.

If you do play indie music on the upright, do you make up your own baselines/improvise or use transcription or tabs to try to figure it out? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!!! My ultimate goal is to be able to casually jam with other people but not just play root notes.

First things that sprang to mind was Violent Femmes (on acoustic bass, rather than upright, but it would definitely translate).



And G. Love





Quite a few Indie / Alternative bands did the odd song with an upright, or samples of an upright played on a keyboard :








One thing probably worth scouring, is all the 1990's MTV Unplugged episodes, as a wide diversity of bands had to figure out ways to make their material work in that format (some upright, a lot of acoustic hollow bodies).

 

[marcox]

Here's a song that's not too far removed from Elliott Smith. I played upright bass on this track, as I do on all songs with this band. The baseline isn't incredibly complex, but it's not just root notes.

(That's me on the backing vocals and melodica as well. And how cool is that video, featuring our lead singer/songwriter and his wife as the star-crossed couple?)

 

[Jeff Kissell]

I play pretty much everything on upright bass, even a psyche rock/shoe gaze indie band for a while. Some songwriters just want simple roots type stuff and others prefer I write parts and/or have creative input into songwriting. There is no reason you wouldn't be able to play most anything on whatever bass you want... within reason.

 

[Cyberhippo]

I’ve been an Elliott Smith fan since day 1 and my youngest turned me onto Big Thief.
Big fan

I started playing electric and only in the last couple years have I been focusing on upright, both arco & pizz.

I don’t read music so I rely on my ear and my lose understanding of theory. I sang choir in high school which helped with harmony.

I do exactly what you mentioned. If the bass part is interesting, I try to figure it out. With Elliott Smith, I love harmonizing with his vocals or even just following his chord progressions - they are wild and beautiful. Clementine, Satellite, White Lady Loves You Most - they don’t have bass lines but there’s plenty of harmonies to find (he’s so Beatlesy).

Joanna Newsome is terrific. Andrew Bird as well.
Radiohead - Exit music for a film is such an excellent arco part for bass it’s ridiculous.

My all time favorite to play (arco) is Flaming Lips “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots pt2”. It’s WAY heavier of course but definitely indie. They essentially repeat the same “mode” of a scale at a decent BPM with comically heavy drums and it rules.

Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, Part 2
https://g.co/kgs/yTBo7bw

 

[ardgedee]

I'd say that broadly speaking indy rock hasn't had the same slavish devotion to original arrangements that mainstream rock does. Probably because it never got the endless repetition on radio that made people stuck on however the original singles sound. Some bands might have fans that think otherwise, but worry about that when you get there.

If you can make it work with the tools you've got, it'll be good.

 

[newfuture]

Play what works for the song on the instrument you're most comfortable.
If the tone isn't working, you can always move to electric bass later... it's a much easier transition than going from electric to double.

 

[KidAmnesia]

If your ultimate goal is to be able to casually jam with other people, I'd tell you to start jamming with other people. Jamming is it's own skill and you can only develope it interacting with other players. You learn doing it.

And in no jam I've ever been in did it matter if we were playing "the right instruments" or "the recorded bassline". What matters is having fun and providing something that elevates the musical experience of everyone involved. That sometimes might be playing just the root for a while; you can have a lot of fun grooving with very simple basic elements if that is what contributes to make the whole vibe better.

 

[damonsmith]

In the early 90s, I asked Mike Watt for a piece of music for an upright bass quartet. His answer was that he had lots of music and he would come play it with us. It turned out to be a bunch of his songs from the minutemen's Double Nickels on the Dime. If it worked for four basses it will work for one.
His work is also a good solution for music you like but with better bass parts. The minutemen, fIREHOSE, the work under his name and the recent MSSV all have fantastic bass parts.

 

[Neon Scribe]

I honestly don't want this to sound snarky, but we bass players need to be comfortable with playing roots a lot! Also playing roots on the 1 and fifths on the 3, except when the root of the chord on the next 1 is the fifth of the current chord, in which case you might be playing the root twice, or possibly the third or an approach note for a bit of spice. Lots of music just calls for it. Simple arpeggio walking patterns in 4/4 with walks up or down when chords change is another basic skill. If you aren't happy with playing these, you may have chosen the wrong instrument. The double bass playing pizz in folk-derived music (bluegrass, western swing, gypsy jazz, rockabilly, indie folk) is primarily a rhythm instrument. It may be useful to think of it as a tuned bass drum. We provide the heartbeat and the fundamental of the harmony. It may also be useful to think of this type of playing as a meditation exercise. Your job is to lock with the other rhythm instruments, whether that is a drummer or some strumming guitars, and keep the band on track with chord changes.

 

[Martin Beer]

I would say, lines from pick playing bass guitarists don't always work out verbatim on double bass, especially if they go for a lot of repeated 8th notes. You can certainly play the songs, and working out what you need to retain to keep the essence is an interesting exercise, but attempting note-for-note tends to miss the feel.

 

[Wasnex]

I have been trying to decide if it makes more sense to try to play the type of music I like on upright or just play electric instead.

IMHO the answer should be driven primarily by artistic vision. Are you the group leader? If not, this is a discussion for you and the group leader--or you and the singer song writer.

Some degree of consideration should be pragmatic as well. Upright bass is more difficult to maintain, transport, and amplify.

On some concerts I used to switch between a 6-string fretted bass guitar, an acoustic upright with a pickup, and a 6-string electric upright. I was free to select whichever bass I thought best fit the arrangement.

Which bass I played seemed to be of little consequence to the other group members. We had a gig where limited space restricted me to one instrument. Rather than choosing by myself, I queried the group leader and various group members. None of them wanted to give me any guidance. I chose the electric upright for the gig, mainly because it took up the least room.

After the show we had a reception with the audience. Many of them asked what type of instrument I was playing, as they weren't sure if it was a bass. My main concern was how well the electric upright suited the music. The audience members all thought it sounded very good and fit the music perfectly. So apparently which instrument I chose to play didn't matter very much to either the band or the audience. I continued using all three instruments because it mattered to me.

 

[damonsmith]

It also might be a case of the music you love to hear and the music you feel compelled to play are different. For me, the music I love already happened so I am trying to do something else.

 

[salmon256]

Oh wow I use to dig Elliott Smith a lot!

I thought at first you meant more Surf-rock Indie or Mac Demarco/Tame Impala I got a bit excited as well haha. Those guys you would need to make whole new arrangements probably.

For Elliott though on Electric bass I fake it a bit or just follow the chords. This was pure for fun or just a duo with a friend. For Pitseleh he does a little mini solo or riff I guess you can say playing the bass notes on acoustic and I can easily see on upright or electric you simply just the root of those chords for the whole measure until the little mini solo.

I agree for sure with the rest that roots, fifths, since his music is somewhat "folk" but still Indie rock of course.

 

[Ketbass]

I play in an original Indie band right now. I’ve tried my electric fretless 6, upright bass and now have a fretless acoustic bass guitar. The ACBG seems to fit the best. Lots of roots and fifths but also the band leader likes it when I swish around on passing tones or when I come in on a section with a slide. She says it lends a bit of flowiness to the music. The drummer and the keys guys love the sound of it better than upright. The artists you mentioned seem more like borderline Americana/roots music, so it might work. Our band has a few bangers that really need an electric bass for volume and intensity but hey it’s also working for Bridget Kearney in Lake Street Dive and that band can jam!

 

[BPM Strings]

I'm in an indie rock band called Loose Roosters. I play mostly electric, but sometimes we have gigs that are more appropriate to do acoustic and I play those on upright. There's no reason you can't play any style of music you want on upright, I once did a Heart cover gig on upright. the biggest challenge is getting loud enough while maintaining a good tone. As for bass lines being boring, if you don't enjoy playing a supporting role and driving the groove then bass might not be for you.