• 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.

tips on playing country bass?

deepestend

deepestend

Commercial User
Feb 21, 2003
6,249
8,171
Brooklyn via Austin and NOLA
Disclosures
Website and Social Media at Sadowsky
#1
It looksk like I'm going to start playing with a country band. Any tips on technique or places to look? I'm going to start out by learning all of their songs as they are written (they have a bunch of recordings with a good bass player), but I'd like to eventually know enough to add appropriate personal touches-- or just know when to go off when it fits the songs.

Any advice? Any scales that I should know? I'm fairly confident that I can play it as written, but if anyone has any direction for me, I'd appreciate it.
 
#3
1. On the older tunes, keep it dead simple.
2. On newer tunes, listen to the recordings for any trick licks. You'll find them here and there, but most of the time it's the old root-5 routine. You can't go wrong keeping it simple. However, overplaying will not give the feel that country songs need.
3. Get a cowboy hat.
4. Don't say anything insulting about the president while onstage.
5. If the band plays "God Bless The USA" by Lee Greenwood, make sure you nail the bass line. It's nonstandard and a lot of bands butcher it. Don't be one of them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: John Wentzien, JdoubleH and lyla1953
#4
Yes, I'm already tempted to overplay. I am going to have to show restraint and use a less is more approach.

So the root five is just the basic country back and forth, right?

Are there any other basic relationships like that to try and recognize in the songs?
 
#8
Work on your ear, Country bands I've played with would do any request they knew lyric to. I would get a key and 1,2,3, go.

Watch your note length the mandolin or what their rhythm instrument is are ususally playing the backbeat so leave them room.
 
#9
How do I leave them room? Just play shorter notes and be aware of not drowning them out? Should my playing just be really punchy?

Also, what time signatures should I practice in? I practice a lot more with my drum machine than my metronome.

Keep the advice coming! This is really helping me to get my mind around this music and figure out what it needs.
 
#10
deepestend said:
How do I leave them room? Just play shorter notes and be aware of not drowning them out? Should my playing just be really punchy?

Also, what time signatures should I practice in? I practice a lot more with my drum machine than my metronome.

Keep the advice coming! This is really helping me to get my mind around this music and figure out what it needs.
Click to expand...

Don't play legato so much that will shorten the note. Most Country is in 4/4 but there are some tunes in 3/4. Then Western Swing so roll dem eighth notes. Country has a lot of variety. Find some Country radio stations on the radio or internet and start listening. That will get you used to hearing the changes and how they walk up to next chord change.
 
  • Like
Reactions: John Wentzien
#11
steveb98 said:
Work on your ear, Country bands I've played with would do any request they knew lyric to. I would get a key and 1,2,3, go.

Watch your note length the mandolin or what their rhythm instrument is are ususally playing the backbeat so leave them room.
Click to expand...

+1


Don't let a note ring 2 beats when the mando or fiddle are chopping in a duple feel...:ninja:

Oh, and ya gotta nail the "Ray Price Shuffle" Thang. It is a blend of pentatonic walking and root/5th with walk-ups. It can groove in an amazing way. :hiding:
 
#12
deepestend said:
Any scales that I should know?
Click to expand...

The major scale. You won't venture outside of the basic major/minor thing very much.
One tricky thing to watch for. If you're playing root/5 and the chord progression moves down the major scale from the I to the vi (I-vii-vi) you will sometimes cheat and play "out of scale" on the vii chord.
IE in C that progression would be C, Bm, Am. Some bass lines will use the F# as the 5 over the Bm. The F# is technically out of the key of C but it keeps the same root/5 interval going. Other times bassist will stay in key on that and play either octave vii's OR they'll repeat the 5 from the I chord.

Which brings up another country music 'staple' that may be down the road a bit..
The Nashville Number System. The best tutorial I've ever seen is Chas William's book named The Nashville Number System.

It's not THAT complicated - if you know the major scale.
I ii iii IV V vi vii becomes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
However it does have some elements all it's own. It's good to know this system if you ever play in Nashville or with guys from here. They'll often call a song as "14, 15 in G.." and count it off.
The real beauty of the system is; a chart written Nashville style works in every key. You don't have to transpose the chart if a different singer sits in.
 
  • Like
Reactions: John Wentzien
#13
I'm playing in a Dirty Country/Outlaw Blues band at the moment. These are the things I have learned along the way:

- Root 5 is king! You can get through a whole night tic tac'ing on Root-5 (well, you'll be boring as bats$%t but you will make it).

- follow the kick for your rhythm. If it's 'boom tic boom tic', you can play 'R . 5 .', if it's 'boom tic ba-boom tic' then you can just play 'R . R-R .' or you can play 'R . R-5 5'.

- walkups and downs are great embellishments as you change chords. Use scale walkups and downs rather than chromatic ones for true country, chromatic walkups work well for country blues.

- passing notes as you change chords are great, but again use mainly scale tones or dominant 7th as passing tones, not semitones.

- blues scale and your basic pentatonics are good scales to use for filling in or jamming.

- use short staccato notes if the drummer is using a closed hi hat, longer notes if the drummer is using open hat or other cymbals. Hopefully the band will be following, but if the rest of the band is chopping their comping chords, then you should use staccato as well.

- learn a couple of pentatonic, or classic country endings for songs.

All these are your emergency rules of the road for country type songs to get you going. Once you hear what the others are playing you can start to mess round a lot more, but keep it very, very simple in rhythm - play round more with the pitch you play instead of the number of notes.

Check my profile for a link to the band I'm in and a couple of tunes - I have been told they are pretty typical alt country type songs.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dwane Kirkland
#14
Thank you Daf, that's helpful. 'preciated

Oh, and thanks TL5 on the Nashville system. When you write it out, note the minors so you can distinguish from dominants. 6min [or just 6m] vs 6
you can note a measure in two cords using a slash: so "1/6m" is two notes in 1 and two in the 6th of the scale.
as in 1 1 6m 5/2m 1
I've taken to using it to write out charts I'm practicing. Couldn't be more simple and easy to read.
 
#15
It took me a while to learn this (and, consequently, many country bands/jams): nobody, not one single person in the audience, is listening to the bass player. They are DANCING. When you start messing with the bassline and trying to sound like jacosheehanpatitucciclarkeberlinbrombergetc. then they have trouble DANCINDRINKINSMOKINCUSSINSPITTINETC. So you really do have to keep things very simple.

Check out these two recordings if you can:

Waylon Jennings - 'Ol Waylon
Bruce Robison - Country Sunshine

These are, IMHO, two of the greatest country albums ever recorded. You can learn a lot with them. Some of the stuff on the Waylon album is deceptively simple (complex?). The playing on the Robison album is just gorgeous in its simplicity. Oh, and don't forget Bob Wills. Because he is still the king.

:bassist:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dwane Kirkland
#17
Throckmorten said:
Thank you Daf, that's helpful. 'preciated

Oh, and thanks TL5 on the Nashville system. When you write it out, note the minors so you can distinguish from dominants. 6min [or just 6m] vs 6
Click to expand...
Yes indeed, I left that out for simplicity in the first example, comparing the numbers (1, 2, 3 etc) to the Roman numerals (I, ii, iii etc.)

Most of the charts I see would be charted as 6m or 6- the 'minus symbol' also working as desigantion of a minor chord.

you can note a measure in two cords using a slash: so "1/6m" is two notes in 1 and two in the 6th of the scale.
Click to expand...
The finer points of the Nashville number system should probably be addressed in another thread. However, it does allow for some variation of styles. Typically, based on what I've seen "slash chords" would indicate a chord with a different bass note. Example: 1/6 would indicate a guitar player would play the 1 chord, while the bassist would play the root of the 6.
a two chord measure would be drawn as: | 1 6- |
 
#18
I played in a country band for a year. There were some Root-5's, but I did a lot more walking over shuffle grooves. When you play that style, make sure you don't clash with the piano player's left hand.

Also, the famous country walk-ups (in the key of C: G-A-B-C) are usually to set up something. Like coming out of the intro and setting up the entrance of the vocal. Or a transition between sections. Or setting up a guitar solo. So don't over do them.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back