• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

"Take a solo...." Now f'ing what?

#42
What LBS-bass said about learning the head. That's a key part. You can play the melody and people will love it.

That said, there are no tips or tricks or hacks. To paraphrase Janek Gwizdala: It takes work.

Here's what I did to get to be a decent (read:mediocre) soloist.

Learn the modes. Learn the melodic devices for each mode. Learn the fretboard. Know what key the song is in. Practice soloing over simple changes (iRealPro). Have a good enough ear that when you sing a line, you can play it on the bass.

Janek would probably take it a step further and transcribe the lines from solos you really like and incorporate them into your playing. I don't do that because a lot of jazz cats will be like, "that's Coltrane, that's Mulgrew, etc. etc." I'd rather steal from them subconsciously.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard_N
#43
Most bass solos suck because most bass players don't practice soloing. It's a skill to be developed like any other.

In my experience (which includes over 20 years of mostly trio work and a lot of solos) there are two kinds of bass solos: those where someone else is comping and you can solo freely, and those with zero comping that require you to keep the audience connected to the song structure. Note that when it's your turn to solo you can absolutely give direction. I mime playing the guitar, or shout out "give me the chords" if they drop out. I'll gesture for the drummer to bring the dynamics down if he's too loud.

A few steps to becoming a better soloist:

Listen to lots of solos from all instruments. Sing along. Internalize them. Work to reach the point where you can sing that solo or at least match the phrasing.

Study solos. Practice grabbing little chunks and learning to play them. Then work your way up to the entire solo, or at least the sections you want to take on. Listen to lots of bass players solo and pay attention to their phrasing, use of space, and how they utilize dynamics.

Practice soloing. Loop some chords or download iRealB and play over changes. Pick a few easy songs in your live show and ask for solos, then explain what support you want (IE key player walks the bass, guitar plays chords, etc.) Soloing is all about confidence, so gain experience so when it's your turn to step up and lead the band you aren't shy or unsure about what you're doing. If you play confidently you can get away with literally anything. Just watch Victor Wooten play a chromatic scale, it's literally all the notes, but it feels so good the audience loves it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard_N
#45
micguy said:
The problem with taking a solo on bass is that you don't have a bass player backing you up with a great groove. I recommend that you start a solo with just playing the groove, and add little bits to it incrementally to "spice" it up - that way, the feel of the song carries through, and people will hopefully appreciate that you're the one providing the bulk of the groove.
Click to expand...

The problem with taking a bass solo is that far too often you don't have *anybody* backing you up. They all just drop out, and basically you have a vacuum behind you. You're lucky if someone even comps on the one.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard_N
#46
Richard_N said:
On a fretless electric playing in a trio doing Chitlins Con Carne, Kenny Burrell. Nice dynamics, vamps going on, wasn't sure it was ever going to end -- guy on guitar (his gig/he pulled me in for this) looks to me, tells me to "take a solo."

Not at all prepared for that, been running the groove for what seemed like the last decade, and jumped in to fiddle around, make stuff up as I go for a run of the 12 bars. Drummer locks in perfectly, guitarist wants more .... great, what the f did I just do? More fiddling and vamping, right notes, wrong notes, no idea. It was strange, awkward, and fun as hell. No doubt, I felt like I was on an runaway roller coaster.

Here's the thing, until this trio scenario I got into (and really love), there was never a need or desire for me to take many solos, I am just a side guy laying in a groove most of the time. Ironically, the closest and more recent I've come to this soloing business is when I am doing Blues; the dynamic drops down, it is me and the drummer -- running together on the progression, guitar or keys accent 1s, that sort of thing -- but they are almost always the same lines as the tune.

So ... yes, I feel the need to bone up on possible "take a solo, man" directives, and that's where you come in.

Can you please point me in the right direction for building "pull out of your back pocket" phrases and ideas so that I can hang, but I know that what I did was right? In other words, as exciting as a runaway roller coaster may be, I'd rather have some idea when the next drop is coming.

Thanks, in advance, for any thoughts here.
Click to expand...
Know the key to the song. Know the the relative major and minor scale for that key and just explore the notes seeing what they sound like. It has worked for every solo I've ever done (unless you need to play through the chord changes)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Richard_N
#47
My gig ended with a singer songwriter who wanted to fill the bottom but also someone to take a solo.

It was not that bad. Because I did my best to frame the melody.

I can't get off work Friday at the time slot in the next 2 months and she found a piano player who fulfilled both roles. She said she likes the fretless bass solos as they are more emotive than blazing piano solos. It was a fun gig with lots of room to play if you like to solo. I do like to solo. I am an improviser at heart.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jdthaddeus
#51
And in a jazz context outside of trading 4's, when the piano or guitar or even the drum stop playiong, I take it out: meaning different key maybe to half time or rubatto, major to minor or vise versaa. I like diminished scales a lot, or sometimes I'll drone the E or A and do some Indian Hindustani raga scales. Or if they are playing standards do a funk vamp and then toward the end bring it back, play the head and then pedal the turn around as the drummer brings the time back on.

Sometimes in a bop context I just keep on walking and wank some with a fingerboard slap or a massive E sting pull and then nod to the BL that you are done after 1 or at the most 2 choruses. Usually in this context, where they counted off at 220 bpm or more, there is nothing you can do lyrically for the bass solo, so you solo is just a pause for everyone to come in and giving an illusion of a dramatic entrance. Basically your bass solo sets up the band to come back or other soloists to do their thing and it makes them and the band look good.

This is a good example . John Viavattine. He got creative chops but he is also lyrical and he keeps the feel going but he is totally relaxed.

 
  • Like
Reactions: Watchootognbout
#53
Looking for the post by @Ed Fuqua on how to really learn a tune. Melodies are good for a number of reasons. One is just knowing the tune more deeply. Another is that you can improvise directly off the melody in many cases, which is useful to me since I'm not gifted at theory. A third is that working through a lot of melodies will fill your head with useful patterns while also increasing your command of the instrument.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 12BitSlab
#54
Richard_N said:
On a fretless electric playing in a trio doing Chitlins Con Carne, Kenny Burrell. Nice dynamics, vamps going on, wasn't sure it was ever going to end -- guy on guitar (his gig/he pulled me in for this) looks to me, tells me to "take a solo."

Not at all prepared for that, been running the groove for what seemed like the last decade, and jumped in to fiddle around, make stuff up as I go for a run of the 12 bars. Drummer locks in perfectly, guitarist wants more .... great, what the f did I just do? More fiddling and vamping, right notes, wrong notes, no idea. It was strange, awkward, and fun as hell. No doubt, I felt like I was on an runaway roller coaster.

Here's the thing, until this trio scenario I got into (and really love), there was never a need or desire for me to take many solos, I am just a side guy laying in a groove most of the time. Ironically, the closest and more recent I've come to this soloing business is when I am doing Blues; the dynamic drops down, it is me and the drummer -- running together on the progression, guitar or keys accent 1s, that sort of thing -- but they are almost always the same lines as the tune.

So ... yes, I feel the need to bone up on possible "take a solo, man" directives, and that's where you come in.

Can you please point me in the right direction for building "pull out of your back pocket" phrases and ideas so that I can hang, but I know that what I did was right? In other words, as exciting as a runaway roller coaster may be, I'd rather have some idea when the next drop is coming.

Thanks, in advance, for any thoughts here.
Click to expand...
The Pentatonic scale never goes wrong.
 
#56
Some good answers the OP got here already. Before the next question comes up,
  • yes, having a 6-string bass is ok, and it offers you a voice full of nice harmonics a few tones below your guitar player’s sound spectrum.
  • Ibanez could be a nice choice to start exploring.
  • Yes, using all 3 or 4 fingers for plucking is fine.
  • Yes, a ramp will make your life easier.
  • Better to have good equalization and a Filter than a compressor
  • Every note is important; take your time to see the impact each note has against the chords
Cheers,
 
Last edited:
#57
Looking at examples of well-crafted live solos, I really like this one. There aren't many blistering-fast lines, and the technical stuff actually looks harder than it really is (most of the double thumb stuff is straight minor pentatonic). It works because of his really nice phrasing, dynamics, and just enough "out" notes to make it sound hip but not lose the audience. You even notice he plays a "wrong" note and isn't phased in the slightest.

 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back