Right on, man. This is the best description of "the pocket" I've seen, encompassing stylistic elements and application. Cool.
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What does it mean to be a pocket player?
- Thread starter JPBourdier
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Right on, man. This is the best description of "the pocket" I've seen, encompassing stylistic elements and application. Cool.
This guy is right in the pocket, if you ask me. He and the drummer are on the same team and he plays some tasty licks during several sustained chords which could have become "wait time" to the next change. I give him bonus points for playing all fingerstyle.
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To me a pocket bass player, a pocket drummer, and a pocket guitar player are great together for the most important thing to me when it comes to live music. It makes people want to dance. Beating on logs with bones; same thing. Pocket musicians give solo musicians a platform to play from and they can really shine.
Another great pocket band is ZZ Top. Dusty Hill is a straight up pocket bass player extraordinaire. Of course that doesn't mean he's going to play a hundred notes and impress bass players. He's a pocket bassist. He and Billy even move in time together. Kinda old school, but the thread is about pocket bass players and its meaning. If you want the definition of pocket bass player, listen to Dusty.
Another great pocket band is ZZ Top. Dusty Hill is a straight up pocket bass player extraordinaire. Of course that doesn't mean he's going to play a hundred notes and impress bass players. He's a pocket bassist. He and Billy even move in time together. Kinda old school, but the thread is about pocket bass players and its meaning. If you want the definition of pocket bass player, listen to Dusty.
Duck Dunn is the first "pocket player" that comes to my mind. Basically it's what everyone else has already said; locking in with the drummer and creating a nice groove.
To me, a pocket player is locked onto the rhythm section to build a solid, musically cool platform from which the vocals and or lead instruments can soar.
I totally disagree about locking into the kick drum as a "must be" thing. You'll find a grooving rhythm will compliment, sometimes "hitting" something together anyhow in the natural course of playing the song"s platform. Slavishly following a kick merely limits your own contribution. And I say that having played in both power trios and 4-5 player bands. In some I played pretty melodic stuff at times, other times simple driving stuff. Work it out for the song.
If you want some good insight, ask the OP's question at a respectable drummers forum. You find the answers pretty informative and interesting. I know I did.
I totally disagree about locking into the kick drum as a "must be" thing. You'll find a grooving rhythm will compliment, sometimes "hitting" something together anyhow in the natural course of playing the song"s platform. Slavishly following a kick merely limits your own contribution. And I say that having played in both power trios and 4-5 player bands. In some I played pretty melodic stuff at times, other times simple driving stuff. Work it out for the song.
If you want some good insight, ask the OP's question at a respectable drummers forum. You find the answers pretty informative and interesting. I know I did.
