And....burritos and donuts. Lots of donuts.I know a lot of bassist that are quite round, I believe it's cheeseburgers, beer and lack of exercise that got them well rounded.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
What makes a well rounded, good bass player?
- Thread starter CaribooBass
- Start date
Yeah, but a great bassist licks their fingers clean
...and fingers their licks cleanly!!
This was basically my reply but better than I could've said it.
A well rounded bass player knows what to play and when to play it. For all styles.
Understanding song form and why the chords move the way they do. ... Most players know how to follow along but, when you understand how it all comes together then you get inside to help move the song along. ... Playing another instrument helps a player to be more than just the instrument he plays. ... Singing, I can't say enough about learning how to sing and how to sell a song. ... We may be playing bass but, we're playing/selling songs. ... Chords, harmony, beginnings, ending, verses, choruses, it's how you approuch all that, that makes you a good player.
A well-rounded bass player is just that... well-rounded. They can pretty much play any genre of music and can adapt to all sorts of situations, often at a moment's notice. I don't happen to fall into this category, but then again, that was never my goal.
When I first started taking lessons my instructor asked me what my goal was. I told him I wanted to get good enough to gig with a decent local band, that's it. After taking lessons for 4 1/2 years, I was in a good classic rock band and felt I had reached this goal so terminated lessons. It's been several years now since I've had lessons, but been gigging consistently, and couldn't be happier.
When I first started taking lessons my instructor asked me what my goal was. I told him I wanted to get good enough to gig with a decent local band, that's it. After taking lessons for 4 1/2 years, I was in a good classic rock band and felt I had reached this goal so terminated lessons. It's been several years now since I've had lessons, but been gigging consistently, and couldn't be happier.
Play to the song, not your ego. It's a zen quality that you find is common amongst most working/in demand bassist.
I think it's the same thing that makes a bass player good is the same thing that makes any musician good. Its not about what you can do but when you can do it. The ability to let the groove shine. Stand out when you need to but also sit back in the cut and let the song stand out.
To paraphrase the late Gail Zappa- "Ears."
Use them to listen, not just to the drummer, but EVERYTHING going on (musical or otherwise).
And, know when NOT to play.
Use them to listen, not just to the drummer, but EVERYTHING going on (musical or otherwise).
And, know when NOT to play.
Here are a few tips on P&W music. Save every piece of music in a 3 ring binder. After four years, I have a 3" binder stuffed with every song I have played and the key it was in. Put together a playlist on your computer of the songs you play. Listen to them during the week and play along with them. I use iTunes and have a separate worship tunes playlist with 155 songs to practice to. Concentrate on pounding out the root notes and be familiar with the tempo changes when going from verse to chorus and then to the bridge. Try to lock in with the kick drum when possible. With some tunes, the drummer will play something different than what you will play so concentrate on the beat. If there is a radio station in your area that plays this type of music then try to listen to it in your car. You will probably hear some of the tunes your team plays. One thing that makes this type of music difficult is that you don't play the same tunes every week. It may be a couple months before you play the same song again, so it will take a while to learn them all. Be patient and work with your worship team leader. I enjoy playing on my worship team very much. Good luck. It is well worth the effort and you will be blessed by the Holy Spirit. 
The more I sit in the groove the happier I feel. The more my sight reading improves the safer I feel. The more melodies I get under my fingers the more confident I feel. The more I improvise properly through chord progressions the more excited I get. Everything adds to the whole for me. As you practice you turn energy into technique. After that you turn technique into instinct. I'm nowhere near instinct yet but I hope, one day, being a well rounded player means I will sound like me and not everybody I admire.
Well rounded bass player...someone that can walk into a room with a bass,,, not knowing what he is about to play stylistically ,put on bass and play decently with whatever is thrown at them....it doesn' matter what style ,,tempo or rhythm .
If you can do that..you are a well rounded bassist.
If you can do that..you are a well rounded bassist.
What does a good bass player do? A bass player provides the harmonic foundation, helps provide the rhythm, and creates tasteful fills and connecting notes to add interest to and enhance the dynamics of a song.
A professor once told me the secret to being a good musician is to show up on time, sit quietly, and play your ass off once the song is counted off. There is truth in that too.
What it takes to be a well rounded bass player (or any musician) is practice. And more practice.
I can't tell you how many times I have heard questions like this. Many people want to know the "tricks" and "shortcuts", but don't want to put in the hard work. It all starts with technique. You need to be able to play the instrument well enough to create a good tone, play the lines, and know where all the notes are up and down the neck without needing to think about it. You need to be able to instantly or very quickly pick up a line that you hear or someone shows you.
Yes, you need to listen to the other players, but you can't do that if you're struggling to play your own part. You have to be accomplished enough to have your part down pat- before the band rehearsal.
In P&W, along with most modern genres, you are working off chord charts, so you need to be able to know how to construct bass lines. This requires a good working knowledge of music theory.
In other genres, the ability to read music is essential.
All this takes time- a lot of time. There are no shortcuts. I'm still working on it.
A professor once told me the secret to being a good musician is to show up on time, sit quietly, and play your ass off once the song is counted off. There is truth in that too.
What it takes to be a well rounded bass player (or any musician) is practice. And more practice.
I can't tell you how many times I have heard questions like this. Many people want to know the "tricks" and "shortcuts", but don't want to put in the hard work. It all starts with technique. You need to be able to play the instrument well enough to create a good tone, play the lines, and know where all the notes are up and down the neck without needing to think about it. You need to be able to instantly or very quickly pick up a line that you hear or someone shows you.
Yes, you need to listen to the other players, but you can't do that if you're struggling to play your own part. You have to be accomplished enough to have your part down pat- before the band rehearsal.
In P&W, along with most modern genres, you are working off chord charts, so you need to be able to know how to construct bass lines. This requires a good working knowledge of music theory.
In other genres, the ability to read music is essential.
All this takes time- a lot of time. There are no shortcuts. I'm still working on it.
Last edited:
Well rounded to me means more than how you play an instrument. You could be the worlds greatest bassist and also be the guy who's personality is so irritating that no one can stand them.
Not sure who else ever feels that the bassist can be the one who is part time guidance counselor, referee, but occasionally has to tolerate the vibe that "you're only the bass player". A well rounded bassist needs thick skin, and needs to understand that it's not about the bass, it's about the sound of the whole.
A good bassist is missed when they aren't there, but it isn't necessary to notice them when they are there.
Not sure who else ever feels that the bassist can be the one who is part time guidance counselor, referee, but occasionally has to tolerate the vibe that "you're only the bass player". A well rounded bassist needs thick skin, and needs to understand that it's not about the bass, it's about the sound of the whole.
A good bassist is missed when they aren't there, but it isn't necessary to notice them when they are there.
Defining a well rounded bass player is kinda like defining time in that there is no universal constant.... it's all relative. Time is relative to your speed and proximity to mass. Being a well rounded bass player is relative to your location and culture. What well rounded means in Vancouver is going to be different from what it means in São Paulo or Bucharest or Kuala Lumpur.
Curiosity
Sincerity
A sense of humor
Listening abilities
The ability to hear quickly
Knowledge of music in addition to intuitiveness
Needs to be the most knowledgeable on the stage at some point.
Oops... forgot about patience
Sincerity
A sense of humor
Listening abilities
The ability to hear quickly
Knowledge of music in addition to intuitiveness
Needs to be the most knowledgeable on the stage at some point.
Oops... forgot about patience
A good sound.
Good time.
Knowledge of harmony.
Knowledge of, and openness to, different genres of music.
Good reading skills.
Good listening skills.
A personality attuned to supporting others. You're the one who "rights the ship" when a drummer wavers on a fill, a guitarist plays the wrong chord, a singer comes in too early, etc.
Good time.
Knowledge of harmony.
Knowledge of, and openness to, different genres of music.
Good reading skills.
Good listening skills.
A personality attuned to supporting others. You're the one who "rights the ship" when a drummer wavers on a fill, a guitarist plays the wrong chord, a singer comes in too early, etc.
- Ability to read music (not tab)
- Can play comfortably in a variety of styles
- Has a decent vocabulary (meaning, already knows a lot of tunes and can hit a lot of gigs running)
- Ability to listen and respond effectively
- Can show up on time, sober, and prepared
- Easy to work with, as a human being and a bass player
- Does what he or she says they will do
