Yeah but that comedian"Cedric Rainwater" Howard Watts was one hell of a player,,you need too check his work out with Bill Monroe back in the late 40s,,he played some of the most interesting lines,,and it's bluegrass,,cause he is the bass player of the Original Bluegrass band
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Double Bass What Makes A Great Bluegrass Bassist?
- Thread starter colliningram
- Start date
Yeah but that comedian"Cedric Rainwater" Howard Watts was one hell of a player,,you need too check his work out with Bill Monroe back in the late 40s,,he played some of the most interesting lines,,and it's bluegrass,,cause he is the bass player of the Original Bluegrass band
I'm new to Bluegrass. Could you please briefly explain the idea behind this? Using finale, I can make simple play-alongs with a click on the 3rd sixteenth note of each measure, but why exactly would I be doing this? Specifically, why the 3rd sixteenth note of the measure and not the 4th? (I assume the click is supposed to simulate the mando chuck, right?)
(Anyone can please reply; not just collingram. Thanks.)
Just remember this ...
Q: How many bass players does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: one ...... five ...... one ..... five .............
Remember that and you will be fine!
Q: How many bass players does it take to change a lightbulb?
A: one ...... five ...... one ..... five .............
Remember that and you will be fine!
I can't speak to setting the metronome to the 3rd sixteenth note. I use a small, old pendulum style metronome, and I hear the click as the mando chop like you stated.
I have been coached by Todd Phillips at several years of bluegrass camps and he always says to "stay out of the way." There is really a lot going on with chops from the mandolin, busy lines from the guitarist and the fiddle player, and the banjo player rolls on. I try to keep it very simple and avoid walk-ups or downs that trump the guitar player. Listening is key. If you hear the guitarist moving a lot in that area, stay away. Leading tones here and there add to the harmonic richness and make it less busy. Full runs are often just clutter. Slapping is, well, more noise. Todd said that you slap to get everyone's attention to the beat/meter but that is all. The temptation to show all you know is hard to resist. I recommend that you will be a more popular player if you are a better listener and show respect for the ensemble by not dog-piling on their lines.
Folks always talk about developing speed, right hand technique, left hand technique, etc. but not so much about ear technique. Far to many players of all instruments spend more time listening to themselves than listening to the other players.
Listen to what they do and that will tell you what to do.
I know I only-learned grammer and punctuation here in Montana in grade-school. I had some good teachers. I think your comment would read-better this-way .... "I'd add that being absolutely able and confident of placing the root note on the beginning of "one" as a minimum, without using passing notes, is essential." Carry On.
and the whole classroom said in unison "Yes, Mrs. MT Spaces!"
excellent! to myself I just say "LISTEN", no matter what.
Quite awhile back I developed a 'philosophy' on playing bass, to keep it simple. This came after years of having teachers, and other 'basement/garage' players telling me that the complicated stuff is what people are looking for, being contradicted by those I was actually out working with telling me to settle down. Now whether I am playing Bluegrass, Blues, Country or Rock, I lay back, keep it simplistic, and let the music and what others are playing dictate what I do on the bass. This approach also helps tremendously when I have several different projects happening, and I need to remember several diverse tunes.
Get you a good set of earbuds/phones and listen to this,,it's an example of some of the best played bluegrass bass ever,Junior Huskey was the bass player on this session for Jimmy Martin,,take notice to the tone of his bass,his timing,and how long he lets the note last,it's not cut off to fast nor do they run together. for the nearly 3 years I worked for Jimmy he only told me one time how to play,,and that was reminding me not to make runs at the same time he was doing them with the guitar,,that was best and only advice I ever got from Jimmy,,and if you listen here you will hear how they stay out of each others way with the runs ,,great stuff,,great place to learn. Jimmy Martin_You Don't Know My Mind - YouTube
Be rock solid. No drummer means you (and typically the mandolin player when not soloing) hold the beat and the song together. I'm not a huge bluegrass fan, but some of my favorite memories are of playing old bluegrass tunes for 5 hrs with some really good bluegrass musicians at a party. You are the anchor, but most of all enjoy the music! It's great stuff.
what makes a good bluegrass bass player? TIMING< TIMING < TIMING !!!
the best bluegrass bass player is the one no one notices. WHY ?
because the bass and mandolin chop is the boom/chuck that holds it all together.
i know this sounds simple and almost idiotic but, the bass is so much a part of the sound of bluegrass when done correctly , it consumes the sound of the song. it surrounds the song.
i do some recording here at the house for mostly local bands and when i go to mix it is amazing how bad it sounds when you remove the bass track.
i look at it like this
a bluegrass sound is like building house
the bass is the foundation ( nobody gets to see it, but you gotta have it and its gotta be right).
the mandolin is the sole plate which works with the foundation.
the guitar is your flooring (you gotta have it but it ain't gotta be real purty)
the banjo, fiddle, dobro, all is your trim work. everybody gets to see it and they get all the credit.
but if you remove or shortcut the foundation it all comes tumbling down.
be there but don't get in the way, but its your job to make sure everybody else
stays in line. thats a good bluegrass bass player.
terry m
the best bluegrass bass player is the one no one notices. WHY ?
because the bass and mandolin chop is the boom/chuck that holds it all together.
i know this sounds simple and almost idiotic but, the bass is so much a part of the sound of bluegrass when done correctly , it consumes the sound of the song. it surrounds the song.
i do some recording here at the house for mostly local bands and when i go to mix it is amazing how bad it sounds when you remove the bass track.
i look at it like this
a bluegrass sound is like building house
the bass is the foundation ( nobody gets to see it, but you gotta have it and its gotta be right).
the mandolin is the sole plate which works with the foundation.
the guitar is your flooring (you gotta have it but it ain't gotta be real purty)
the banjo, fiddle, dobro, all is your trim work. everybody gets to see it and they get all the credit.
but if you remove or shortcut the foundation it all comes tumbling down.
be there but don't get in the way, but its your job to make sure everybody else
stays in line. thats a good bluegrass bass player.
terry m
I know he isn't a bluegrass player, but Garry Tallent from Bruce Springsteen's band once said that what he does, 'no one notices unless it's not there.'. I always try to keep that in mind when I play. The lines don't have to be anything spectacular, but you need to play with enough authority, that if you aren't there, people will think something is missing, even though they may not realize what it is.
I agree with everything that has been said here. Things like don't overplay and be felt and not heard are important, in all bass playing for that matter. I also agree with the "I'd rather be associated with bluegrass musicians over jazz musicians" comment. The other jazz musicians, not jazz bassists of course 
With that, the things I focus on are keeping good time and keeping it simple. You are the drummer and bass. The other band members follow your slap as it is the snare drum for your band. And keep it simple. I play 1/5 most of the time. I like to throw in the walk up here and there but if you do it too much, it simply is too much. So keep it simple.
The funny thing about playing bluegrass bass is that when you mess up, rarely the crowd will notice but your bandmates sure will
With that, the things I focus on are keeping good time and keeping it simple. You are the drummer and bass. The other band members follow your slap as it is the snare drum for your band. And keep it simple. I play 1/5 most of the time. I like to throw in the walk up here and there but if you do it too much, it simply is too much. So keep it simple.
The funny thing about playing bluegrass bass is that when you mess up, rarely the crowd will notice but your bandmates sure will
I think I confused myself with the reference to the 4th sixteenth note above. What I should have said is that I've been playing Bluegrass two-feel on the 1st and 3rd quarter notes of each measure, and setting the metronome to simulate the mando chop on the 2nd and 4th quarter notes. (I'm not sure why a bassist would want to think of this in terms of sixteenth notes like collingram mentioned, above, but if I did: I'm playing the two-feel on the 1st and 9th sixteenth notes and setting the metronome to simulate the mando chop on the 5th and 13th sixteenth notes.)
Should I be using the metronome differently somehow?
Using Finale, I also have made some home-made play-alongs of various tunes with just a simple guitar melody line (since Finale can't simulate a vocalist) and with a mando chop on the 2nd and 4th beats for 4/4 tunes. Anybody think this is a good, a bad, or simply an unnecessary idea?
