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Too "busy" on the bass?!?

#121
RiZzBot said:
Please bare in mind that I am a novice at best. Keep the harsh criticism to a minimum. jkjk I'm pretty thick skinned, let me have it. :D

Carolyn | the Skunk Brothers
i smoke | the Skunk Brothers
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I'm a big roots reggae fan and have gigged the style for a long time, and while I'm a huge fan of "busy" bassists such as Geddy, The Ox, and Geezer I was quite ready and eager to tear you up because yeah bassists can too often get their licks in at the cost of "cross-talking" over other instruments and wrecking the groove.

That said, great work! Totally appropriate for the style and songs. The guitar tone grates me though. His parts are good but for my tastes those skanks would come to a nice crisp sharp quick end, plus the tone hasn't got much body and there's too much 'verb. Mic a proper amp if you can.

Overall though, great band and songs! If I could offer any constructive critique it'd just be to loosen up. It sounds like you're trying to nail it so at times you're pushing the beat which in reggae especially isn't cool however you're elevating these songs with your bass line and performance definitely not hindering them.

If it comes down to it, the band could much more easily replace the guitarist (and you could jam and gig this music without one), than replace you.

Thanks for sharing. I'd buy it.
 
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#125
tattooSAM said:
Not too busy, I do expect a bit more "thump" for a bass in that type of music. Good stuff, you should be proud!

Your guitarist's effects need a re-do. Sounds like he got his rack-mount processor from the "first act" company.:vomit:
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Oh, how I laughed! Just seconds after I tried to be very tactful you say essentially the same thing with such clarity and effect. Plus your statement is everything the guitar sound and skanking is not.

Kudos! That's a valuable life *and* music lesson.
 
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#126
In Carolyn the moment you play the chorus up high, it clearly messed up the guitar player as on top of playing high you get more involved rythmically and so the guitar player rush until you go back to your reggae bass line. The vibrato effect during the solo is a little wierd to me.

In I Smoke, to me there is too many effect going on at some places but the line is more reggae to me.
 
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#127
try to play parts that serve the music , ... not your ego ..!

folks need to worry about there own playing versus other peoples ..! tell guiturd to stfu

you can learn to compromise , or you can learn to play all the instruments and record your own stuff all by your self ..! i can do it either way .!! depends on who's paying ..
 
#130
RiZzBot said:
Please bare in mind that I am a novice at best. Keep the harsh criticism to a minimum. jkjk I'm pretty thick skinned, let me have it. :D

Carolyn | the Skunk Brothers
i smoke | the Skunk Brothers
Click to expand...


Sooooooooooo......the guy who is "pretty think skinned" also "hates the term" too busy and "feels oppressed" when given constructive criticism about his bass lines from a band mate.

That math doesn't add up.
 
#131
tattooSAM said:
Not too busy, I do expect a bit more "thump" for a bass in that type of music. Good stuff, you should be proud!

Your guitarist's effects need a re-do. Sounds like he got his rack-mount processor from the "first act" company.:vomit:
Click to expand...

This made me literally laugh out loud. "first act". That was comedic gold, friend. Thanks for the feedback. I working on more thump as we speak. :roflmao:
 
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#132
RiZzBot said:
So my band is in the process of recording a low budget demo. I'm laying down tracks on bass and the guitarist tells me that the bass sounds too busy. What the he**?!? I told him to define "too busy", and of course he couldn't. Not the first time I have heard this. My question to you guys is, what's the definition of "too busy" as it applies to the bass? Why is it too much sometimes and not other times? We're an original band that plays a little rock/reggae/blues. I think I do a decent job of locking in with the drummer. I play what I hear and feel in my soul. It's not like this is some huge production by some huge record label, paying all kinds of cash. We're in my shed recording off a $500 Sonus studio. I hate the term "too busy", and It makes me feel oppressed as a bass player in general. So the next couple track I purposely go way too busy, just to piss him off. My response to him; deal with it.
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I'll say this again--What do the other band members think?
 
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#135
RiZzBot said:
Pretty much neutral on the subject.
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Sounds like you guitar player should relax... Storming out fights and blue faces etc. are a waste of time!

So what happened? You keep the tracks?

Bravo on playing extra busy just to piss him off but I hope you didn't keep the extra busy... I fight for notes and attention all the time, depending on the band, hold your ground if you like the parts.

But I do agree with others... Live--go for it! Studio--sometimes you gotta dumb it down.
 
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#136
RiZzBot said:
I play what I hear and feel in my soul.
Click to expand...

What your mates are probably saying is, what you hear and feel in your soul is not serving the song well.

I once joined a trad/retro country band. I love country music but I was steeped in a more pop/rock/jazz tradition. I understood Root V and walking bass lines, but I felt obligated to personalize it and dress it up. It was what I heard and felt in my soul.

It was not appropriate and too busy for the music. I was asked to simplify it. I went back to the woodshed and listened more carefully to the bass players from that era and the choices they made based on the needs of the song and what the other musicians were doing. You really need to hear everything around you to decide where you fit in. And the light bulb went on.

"It's a cliche, for sure,
But sometimes less really is more."
 
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#138
So I'm not just saying this because we're both bass players and I'm trying to be supportive... but if there is a problem with your band it lies with the guitarist.

1) The guitar tone is all wrong if you want a somewhat traditional sound. WAY too much reverb and grit, he should be thinking bright single coil "chink" sounds on his skanks. What kind of guitar is he using?
2) Somewhat personal but I really dislike the gained out guns n' roses style guitar solos. Something more subdued or removing them altogether would work much better IMO. Most of your songs have a ska-punk vibe and the guitar solos just kind of take me out of it.

I like the vocalist, he's rough around the edges but it works well in context.
 
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#139
RiZzBot said:
Please bare in mind that I am a novice at best. Keep the harsh criticism to a minimum. jkjk I'm pretty thick skinned, let me have it. :D

Carolyn | the Skunk Brothers
i smoke | the Skunk Brothers
Click to expand...

Not really a reggae fan but what you are playing seems appropriate to me. It took me about 10 years of actively playing to start to play was is good for the song vs what I think is cool. It sounds like the guitar player isnt busy enough, or maybe he is realizing there are only so many reggae chords XD I kid, I kid haha!
 

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