What makes a good bass player ?

[Not yet]

groove. joe grant is right on

Groove and swing

 

[FunkHead]

To a large extent I believe you are born that way!

 

[IronLung1986]

P with flats. Duh.

 

[Ewo]

Ears: the ability to hear what all the musicians in the ensemble are playing.

Imagination: the ability to create a bass part that glues all the other parts together.

 

[brianrost]

What makes a good bass player?

Musicality, just like any other instrument.

 

[Petethebassman]

Three T's: time, tone, taste.

 

[guroove]

Honestly, being a good bass player is a lot like being a good person. You don't lie, and you do what you think is right. If you don't know the next chord and try to fake it, you are bullshitting. Always play in time and in key. Serve the song, not yourself. Listen to everyone else, because they all depend on you to play the right notes.

 

[Geezer Brown]

The 4 Pillars of a good bass player:
Groove
Chops
Tone
Attitude


And be strong, 8x10s weigh a sh*t ton!

 

[James Judson]

How many notes per second. When your up to 1000 your a good bass player.

 

[stratovani]

What makes a good bass player? How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

 

[Jotha]

Nice groove, great tempo, good attitude... Even when you played a wrong note, keep the tempo and the groove!!!

 

[johng999]

Good hair.

 

[kurosawa]

Paying attention.

 

[David Jayne]

Don't be a dork.
Replace the O and R with the letters I and C.
Have a sense of humor.

 

[Russell L]

ARTICULATION IS EVERYTHING!! Often, it's the one who "sounds" best that will get the gig over the ones(s) who can blow a lot of notes and scales. It's how you say it that counts. Get that feel right, be in the pocket, have dynamics, portray the groove properly, leave silent spots, play different attacks, have good timing etc. Even the simplest line can be a challenge if said correctly.

 

[benlauziere]

Thanks guys, gonna work on this !

Hope I would become a good bass player one day !

 

[ksandvik]

Just my opinion but the bass player is the glue between the drummer and the rest of the instruments. Good bass players could elevate this to a state where they control the pace of the song pretty much by their playing. Bad ones destroy the song by overplaying, no timing and otherwise not thinking about the arrangements and style of the song.

...and I always thought it would be mandatory for a bass player to know how to play drums (a little bit) and some other instruments as they are the de facto conductor of the band.

 

[Nellarecneps]

A good sense of what every song needs before the bass sound.
And true mastery of the instrument is atleast when you can pick any one of them up and play it (bass guitars obviously). But a good bass player definately needs to be able to fill in a song. whether it be the lead bassist who lays down the foundation for the rest of the band. or the Groove/Pocket bassist who takes whats given to him and puts the outline and finishing touches on it.

 

[Kmonk]

Playing what is right for the song.

 

[Atoz]

According to my band: Stay out of the way and don't risk threatening the lead guitarist's ego.