What makes a great Blues bass player.?

[Judge Nickels]

Some folks have already mentioned dynamics, but I think it is a generally underrated aspect of what bass players should be doing, ESPECIALLY in blues music. A guitar solo builds to a climax with help from the band, including the bass player.....

 

[Joebone]

... Listen to what the tuba players were doing a hundred years ago....

YES!

 

[MichelD]

Define blues. Robert Johnson sounds way different than Chuck Berry, who sounds way different than Clapton, who sounds way different than Robert Cray,who sounds way different than Stevie Ray....Rockabilly, Bluegrass....
One of my favs- bass solo at 3:30

I first heard that on their album "Undead" in 1969.

 

[LBS-bass]

With no apologies, I will respectfully disagree with the majority of misinformation posted so far in this thread. Blues is the basis of nearly all of our music. Being unaware of that huge section of the art form is not a good basis for being a solid bass player.

Playing Blues well is a matter of knowing a lot of tunes, being fluent on your instrument, and gigging a lot (aka paying the dues).

BTW, Blues played correctly is anything but boring. Saying that reminds me of players who bad mouth Mustang Sally, and then proceed to play it completely and utterly incorrectly.

Here is just one example of how it gets done. There are many others, though few mentioned in this thread. (Shakes head).

Gosh I didn't see anything in this thread disagreeing with you. So not sure what the misinformation is. There are some people who are implying that blues is simplistic but that's not information so not really worth commenting on.

 

[Fat Freddy]

A sackload of bad memories and a sense of irony usually helps....

EDIT: A hat and an iffy name are also required.........

 

[Phalex]

Bring the groove and leave the wankery at home.

 

[Playbyear]

Almost every answer is correct, especially Willie Dixon, Tommy Shannon and Duck Dunn. The truth is that it doesn't matter much what genre you're playing. Know your role! You are there for the heartbeat. Listen all the time. Stay in the groove. Lock in with the drummer. Support the singer. Support the soloists. Don't get in anyone's way, make everyone else better than they would have been without you.

Ill add it’s real important to keep the music moving. There is a lot of space in blues, especially slow blues, for the guitar, vocals, etc... the bass has to keep it driving and flowing. If you listen to the good players, they’re not noodling around, just a few connecting licks, an occasional inversion and of course, the turnaround.

If you sing while you play blues on bass, it reveals how much space there is, and how the vocals are timed.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

What qualities does a great Blues bass player have, in your opinion?

Question prompted by looking at a book on Eric Clapton's performance and recording work since 1985.

Chord structure, consistency.

 

[Pings Bass]

You got to bring the funk and take it to church IMO. And have the patience of a saint, because there's often a ton guitar wankery

 

[MichelD]

Staying away from bad guitar players.

What I mean is hackers who disrespect the form and culture and think "Oh it's just twelve bars and a minor pentatonic scale" and wank away.

 

[Hundred proof]

The International Blues Challenge is going on right now, so Beale street is full of em ... this is the week us locals give the street over to them.

 

[73jbass]

A Fedora.

 

[Koshchei]

A name like "Blind Lemon" or "Foxtrot Zebra Niner".

 

[Hundred proof]

A name like "Blind Lemon" or "Foxtrot Zebra Niner".

Yeah the “wannabes” do that kinda s#1t

 

[Koshchei]

Yeah the “wannabes” do that kinda s#1t

And their cruel, cruel parents.

 

[Hundred proof]

We have a local harp player Blind Mississippi Morris but he is the real deal and from Clarksdale Mississippi and a regular on Beale street in Memphis

 

[kittywithabanjo]

Some folks have already mentioned dynamics, but I think it is a generally underrated aspect of what bass players should be doing, ESPECIALLY in blues music. A guitar solo builds to a climax with help from the band, including the bass player.....

I love doing a big build in a solo then doing the drop.....

I dont think it matters what music you play our role is to serve the song.

 

[David Jayne]

I don't think the question is genre-specific.

Was just going to say that. The desired qualities are the same in any genre. Feel/time? Check. Tone? Check. Harmonic knowledge? Check. Intuitive understanding and knowledge of the 'Canon?' Check.

 

[Koshchei]

We have a local harp player Blind Mississippi Morris but he is the real deal and from Clarksdale Mississippi and a regular on Beale street in Memphis

How do you go from wannabe to real deal with a name like "Green Lantern"?

 

[Hundred proof]

How do you go from wannabe to real deal with a name like "Green Lantern"?

I’ll just leave that one alone