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WHAT KIND OF BASSIST ARE YOU?
- Thread starter Bassace28
- Start date
I'm a rock bassist with funk and R & B tendencies. I aspire to play jazz as well as I used to when I was jazz saxophone major in college. Huge funk and soul fan. Wish there was more of an audience for it in Seattle.
This is a funny but interesting question. Early on I learned to play using a funk book with a CD, spent hours pouring over that thing playing along with the book. It's translated into everything I do... for better or worse.
I'm primarily a rock bassist who prefers finger style but will play pick style if called for. I tend to play syncopated rhythms with a lot of ghost notes and loves me some fills. It comes through no matter what style I play.
I'm primarily a rock bassist who prefers finger style but will play pick style if called for. I tend to play syncopated rhythms with a lot of ghost notes and loves me some fills. It comes through no matter what style I play.
I usually don't (can't) play covers note-for-note, and when I make basslines, they tend to be minimalistic and (a bit) funky.
I'm definitely a headbanging bassist. I jump around, run around the stage and even the crowd (I love my wireless). If I'm not running, jumping or headbanging its because I'm sweeping or tapping or just that part of the song is quite hard to play.
Mediocre bassist with an "expensive" bass who plays Punk Rock and have played not that well quite anything but always go back to the roots (4/4)! 
Back then in my Pop-Punk days I used to jump around a lot!
Back then in my Pop-Punk days I used to jump around a lot!
I generally make it my priority to do two things when I play:
1. Keep perfect timing - I will not exceed a certain level of complexity if I feel it will compromise my ability to stay 'super-glued' to the beat of the tune. However, of course when I am practicing I push the limits or else I would have never gotten past playing quarter notes at 120 bpm.
2. Integrate the Harmony - I will also sacrifice speed and flair if I feel that it will detract from expressing the deeper layers of a tune's chord progressions. For example, if I am playing a tune at 140 bpm and the chords change twice a measure AND those chords happen to be other than just three-note triads (say, 7th chords or add9's), I will go slower to express what is 'really going on' with the chord progressions to the listener.
Other than that, I tend to play progressive rock and jazz. For jazz, I play in a band called The Lancaster Jazz Project which plays in the post-bop acoustic style but with electric instruments and a rock drum kit.
I like to stay in 'the pocket' but I also enjoy tastefully inserting quirky bass-runs when I can. I try to avoid just hammering on and off from root to octave or from root to fifth to octave UNLESS the song calls for it and I am making it rhythmically 'interesting' kind of like some of Jamerson's best (of course, I am not saying he played only root-fifth-octave, I mean that some of his alleged more 'simple' songs are more complex than meets the ear because of the rhythmic complexity).
I like the bass to be pretty quiet in the mix and it almost ALWAYS surprises people I play with or record with because they assume I will want to make the bass really loud in the mix. I prefer it to be as quiet as it can be without detracting from the sound.
I like a strong low-mids, weak high-mids, and strong treble tone, preferably with a setup that uses one single coil pickup and one hum-cancelling pickup. I like things like P/J basses for instance as well as Twin Humbuckers that can be switched into a position so the neck pickup is single coil.
I hope that helps elaborate 'what kind of player' I am!
1. Keep perfect timing - I will not exceed a certain level of complexity if I feel it will compromise my ability to stay 'super-glued' to the beat of the tune. However, of course when I am practicing I push the limits or else I would have never gotten past playing quarter notes at 120 bpm.
2. Integrate the Harmony - I will also sacrifice speed and flair if I feel that it will detract from expressing the deeper layers of a tune's chord progressions. For example, if I am playing a tune at 140 bpm and the chords change twice a measure AND those chords happen to be other than just three-note triads (say, 7th chords or add9's), I will go slower to express what is 'really going on' with the chord progressions to the listener.
Other than that, I tend to play progressive rock and jazz. For jazz, I play in a band called The Lancaster Jazz Project which plays in the post-bop acoustic style but with electric instruments and a rock drum kit.
I like to stay in 'the pocket' but I also enjoy tastefully inserting quirky bass-runs when I can. I try to avoid just hammering on and off from root to octave or from root to fifth to octave UNLESS the song calls for it and I am making it rhythmically 'interesting' kind of like some of Jamerson's best (of course, I am not saying he played only root-fifth-octave, I mean that some of his alleged more 'simple' songs are more complex than meets the ear because of the rhythmic complexity).
I like the bass to be pretty quiet in the mix and it almost ALWAYS surprises people I play with or record with because they assume I will want to make the bass really loud in the mix. I prefer it to be as quiet as it can be without detracting from the sound.
I like a strong low-mids, weak high-mids, and strong treble tone, preferably with a setup that uses one single coil pickup and one hum-cancelling pickup. I like things like P/J basses for instance as well as Twin Humbuckers that can be switched into a position so the neck pickup is single coil.
I hope that helps elaborate 'what kind of player' I am!
The kind that has absolutely NO idea what is going on just yet.
The new to playing bass kind.
The got a really awesome bass and don't know how to play it kind.
The damn I wish I could just play a song and can't kind.
And now the man I wish I had more money to buy a Fender Custom Shop Bass, Right away kind.
As well the I wish I had even more money to buy a bunch of really awesome basses, amps, and accessories kind, and a few more custom shop Fenders wouldn't hurt either, Gotta have a few different colors ya know.
The new to playing bass kind.
The got a really awesome bass and don't know how to play it kind.
The damn I wish I could just play a song and can't kind.
And now the man I wish I had more money to buy a Fender Custom Shop Bass, Right away kind.
As well the I wish I had even more money to buy a bunch of really awesome basses, amps, and accessories kind, and a few more custom shop Fenders wouldn't hurt either, Gotta have a few different colors ya know.
I find myself playing alot of melodies, or walking. I slap sometimes but im far from proficient.
I counterpunch for effect........while holding the melody in my fingers. Let us all remember that the bass carries the song - that's why we're so damn cool!!
I play lots of metal I can sweep ,tap and all that good metal **** 
I recently got into funk and slap
I recently got into funk and slap
I'm a hobby bassist, so I don't have to play, but I just want to play. I play a mix of styles:
1) Blues because I like it.
2) Metal / hard rock, mostly together with my guitar playing son.
3) Rock, as it keeps my fingers working.
4) Punk-rock, as it kind of comes right out of the bass by itself.
I have set the goal to learn to play a lot of Rush songs...
1) Blues because I like it.
2) Metal / hard rock, mostly together with my guitar playing son.
3) Rock, as it keeps my fingers working.
4) Punk-rock, as it kind of comes right out of the bass by itself.
I have set the goal to learn to play a lot of Rush songs...
I'm a dirty little dark bar full of drunks dancing and having fun, trying to add a little funkiness to the same old tunes, without crowding the guitarist who wants to play it like the record, never gonna see the big stage, and totally cool with that, couldn't quit the day job anyway, kind of a bass player.
I like the bass to be noticed. But I also do what's needed. If I feel I should follow the guitar I will, If I feel I have to do something different than the guitar I will, if I have to hold down some solid 8th notes with a nice fill here and there I gladly will! I do what I feel is necessary. If it called for complex alright! If a song calls for simple alright!
