The Blues

[IamGroot]

Playing the bass behind a blues song is an art. Willie Weeks and the late Duck Dunn are masters of this.

Without further ado, here are two clips to go study.

 

[fearceol]

Playing the bass behind a blues song is an art.

Agreed... and the slower the song, the more the artistry/talent that is required.

Here is John McVie (a very under rated bass player IMO) with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

 

[IamGroot]

Agreed... and the slower the song, the more the artistry/talent that is required.

Here is John McVie (a very under rated bass player IMO) with John Mayall's Bluesbreakers.

John McVie IS a very under rated bass player IMcO. His bass work on Hideaway os worth learning note for note. He is also on Werewolves of London. His Fleetwood Mac work fits the music.

 

[fearceol]

His bass work on Hideaway os worth learning note for note.

I did exactly that when a band I was in covered that song.

 

[LBS-bass]

Overplaying on a blues tune should be a felony.

 

[Lo-E]

Willie Weeks is another underrated player. In any style, he just kills it.

 

[Texaspandj]

A lesson in blues.

 

[IamGroot]

Willie Weeks is another underrated player. In any style, he just kills it.

I make it a point to watch every video with Willie Weeks playing with Clapton. Willie can play very busy if he so desires, but that is not Clapton's thing.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Just a "curveball" question.

Everyone is praising those very simple bass-lines in blues.
Does it mean that, any bass player, even a beginner one, could be good at Blues, because,
It's so easy to play it(?).

 

[fearceol]

Just a "curveball" question.

Everyone is praising those very simple bass-lines in blues.
Does it mean that, any bass player, even a beginner one, could be good at Blues, because,
It's so easy to play it(?).

Interesting question. The thing with blues music is that, yes, it is generally an easy music to play the notes on bass. It is a lot more difficult to be able to play them....WITH FEEL !! This can not be taught and can take years to achieve. Playing notes is one thing...playing them with feel is another.
It has often been said of Miles Davis that he could express volumes through just one note.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Interesting question. The thing with blues music is that, yes, it is generally an easy music to play the notes on bass. It is a lot more difficult to be able to play them....WITH FEEL !! This can not be taught and can take years to achieve. Playing notes is one thing...playing them with feel is another.
It has often been said of Miles Davis that he could express volumes through just one note.

I have carefully listened to the first track of IamGroot’s recommendation.
The bass player “exercises” a lot of freedom in his bass-line.
I would say, it’s more about “you can play this way, you can add this/that note, pattern, don’t forget about…, and so on.
It’s more like a bass teacher’s intro before the first lesson for new students.

 

[CallMeAl]

Duck Dunn was the guy that got me interested in bass. I pretty much like anything Willie Weeks does, especially with Clapton.

I submit for your consideration, Mr Tommy Shannon

 

[LBS-bass]

Just a "curveball" question.

Everyone is praising those very simple bass-lines in blues.
Does it mean that, any bass player, even a beginner one, could be good at Blues, because,
It's so easy to play it(?).

Have you ever been to an open blues jam? There are lots of players who show up and play the correct notes. Not so many who show up and play the correct notes in a way that you can feel. Huge difference.

 

[weird_hermiston]

Have you ever been to an open blues jam? There are lots of players who show up and play the correct notes. Not so many who show up and play the correct notes in a way that you can feel. Huge difference.

This is my main goal in bass- I'm never going to be the fastest or most technical player but I want to play with soul & feeling. Many of my bass heroes do just this and it's perfect for blues! Blues is all about feeling.

 

[mambo4]

Just a "curveball" question.

Everyone is praising those very simple bass-lines in blues.
Does it mean that, any bass player, even a beginner one, could be good at Blues, because,
It's so easy to play it(?).

disclaimer: I do not consider myself a blues player

but, my experience with “simple” styles has been that the surface simplicity makes a style easy to fake to a casual listener, but not easy to perform convincingly to experience ears. Doing a ‘deep dive’ into a style, Putting in the work to find the great players in said style, analyzing the parts of all instruments, learning what distinguished one sub style from another, and listening listening listening, not only improves your execution but Makes playing a ‘simple’ style much more fulfilling.

at least that’s how it happened for me with salsa. I suspect that it is the same for blues or country or any ‘simple’ style ( in qoutes because they are anything but simple)

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Duck Dunn was the guy that got me interested in bass. I pretty much like anything Willie Weeks does, especially with Clapton.

I submit for your consideration, Mr Tommy Shannon

Here is the same track but with a different bass player, who plays a different bass-line.
Could you tell me which bass-line sounds more attractive to you?

 

[Whousedtoplay]

the surface simplicity makes a style easy to fake to a casual listener, but not easy to perform convincingly to experience ears.

A masterful musician converts complexity into simplicity for the audience.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Have you ever been to an open blues jam? There are lots of players who show up and play the correct notes. Not so many who show up and play the correct notes in a way that you can feel. Huge difference.

Yes, I've been to many open blues jams.
What caught my eye was that almost all bass players tend to get bored after a few "rounds" of numerous guitar soloing changes.

 

[LBS-bass]

Yes, I've been to many open blues jams.
What caught my eye was that almost all bass players tend to get bored after a few "rounds" of numerous guitar soloing changes.

I'll grant you that. If you're backing a wanker who's playing for ego gratification up there, it gets tedious. But sometimes you end up with a group of tasteful players, and that's where the magic can happen. If you've got great players and you're still bored, you're probably one of the people who doesn't feel it with that kind of music. Nothing wrong with that, it's just not your jam (no pun intended).

I'm not a huge blues aficionado, don't attend very many blues jams, but on the occasions I have, I've been lucky to get paired with some great players. Makes a difference. Could I sustain interest in that for three hours? Nope. But three or four songs? Yep.

But I'm not there to showcase my fast chops. I'm there to make music.

 

[FunkHead]

Great thread. Seems like a lot of experts in here and I’m learning a lot.