When to match straight 16th notes?

[Fuzzbass]

If you decide that 8th notes sound best but you run out of stamina, I would suggest something like the following.

o = note, x = rest

| o o x x o o x x | o o x o o o x x |

This gives you a bit of breathing room, but doesn't change the 8th note feel as much as straight quarter notes would. Of course you could still throw in longer notes (and/or longer rests) as needed.

The above could apply to 16th notes as well.

 

[vvvmmm]

Hi!
... pertain some bass frequencies.

More rude the better.

OK:

*retains "some bass frequencies".

 

[Old Blastard]

I end up playing a lot of root notes in my 3-piece originals alt rock band, simply because the drummer and guitar player play hard and a lot. I may go quarter notes to emphasize a solid pattern in case either gets off track, 8th notes to add a bit of drive in those portions of songs that need it or 16h notes to echo the push of either the guitar or the drums. It really depends on the song and the dynamics. Listen to what your mates are playing and in rehearsal, fool around with your part to see what works best. I've often thought "A would be cool" only to find in rehearsal that "B is the shiz."

 

[Eli_Kyiv]

Listen to Dead Kennedys and try to repeat what they did.

 

[lokikallas]

Not only should you match the 16ths, they should all be down picked. lol

 

[oldcatfish]

At higher tempi, if you're playing 16th notes, the low end never gets a chance to "speak" per se. Playing 8ths and even quarter notes will give you a fuller sound, and the kick drum will provide the transient attack for that "punch in the chest" feeling. This saves you energy, and could actually make you sound better than you are!

You’re not wrong about that. I went to watch one of my student’s play at a church, and they had a song that was faster than he could consistently play 8th notes through most of the song. So he wisely chose to play quarter notes in the verses….and it actually sounded better that way.

 

[oldcatfish]

If you decide that 8th notes sound best but you run out of stamina, I would suggest something like the following.

o = note, x = rest

| o o x x o o x x | o o x o o o x x |

This gives you a bit of breathing room, but doesn't change the 8th note feel as much as straight quarter notes would. Of course you could still throw in longer notes (and/or longer rests) as needed.

The above could apply to 16th notes as well.

Excellent suggestion, I have done the same myself, but only holding out the 7th note of each 8th note sequence. It sounds quite similar to straight 8th notes but gives you just enough rest that you can keep it up for longer periods.

 

[Phe]

IMHO there is no best practice or checklist. If you are playing a fairly authentic cover, stick fairly close to the original. If a cover is not authentic, listen to what's going on around you, draw on your experience and taste, and then play whatever you think fits. If you don't know what fits, then you probably need to study the genre (listen). Don't be surprised if guitarist wants to tell you what to do .

When the requirements of song are beyond your ability, simplify and also practice to build more skill and endurance. There are some bass parts that were played buy people with freakish levels of talent; meaning it's not realistic for us mere mortals to ever play the part 100% correctly.

I doubt warming up is going to help you all that much. Normally I would suggest fine tuning the setup of your bass to make it easier to play, and also developing your technique to right size the amount force you use to strike the strings and fret notes. However these ideas may fly in the face of punk priorities.

Punk tends to be sort of an aggressive style with an anti-establishment attitude that flies in the face of convention. Seems this sort of attitude could potentially work against develop an playing approach that prioritizes finesse and efficient playing. You might try to figure out how to resolve the cognitive dissonance and fake it to some degree: Learn to play "well" while projecting a punk attitude.

I'm sorry, but that is nonsense. There is plenty of very capable punk players, who - I assure you - will warm up.
I, myself, capable to play our stuff, I was just coming from a long break of playing, my callouses soft and hands stiff. Excuses, excuses, I know.
The punk ethos non-punk people think is often wrong. Sure, anti-establishment, but a) we/they are not all anarchists and 2) anarchism isn't free-for-all chaos.
It's a lot of things to a lot of people, but there are punk musicians who practice, who compose and know stuff.

 

[Wasnex]

I'm sorry, but that is nonsense. There is plenty of very capable punk players, who - I assure you - will warm up.
I, myself, capable to play our stuff, I was just coming from a long break of playing, my callouses soft and hands stiff. Excuses, excuses, I know.
The punk ethos non-punk people think is often wrong. Sure, anti-establishment, but a) we/they are not all anarchists and 2) anarchism isn't free-for-all chaos.
It's a lot of things to a lot of people, but there are punk musicians who practice, who compose and know stuff.

Authentic punk attitude .

Nothing wrong with a warm up as long as it's not too long or too intense....In other words, careful not to overdo it or you can actually make matters worse.

Let's not totally ignore my bottom line:

Learn to play "well" while projecting a punk attitude.

Good luck!

 

[Phe]

Authentic punk attitude .

Nothing wrong with a warm up as long as it's not too long or too intense....In other words, careful not to overdo it or you can actually make matters worse.

Let's not totally ignore my bottom line:



Good luck!

I just came back to read if I reacted too harshly. Nice to see you weren't offended.

 

[SteveCS]

You’re not wrong about that. I went to watch one of my student’s play at a church, and they had a song that was faster than he could consistently play 8th notes through most of the song. So he wisely chose to play quarter notes in the verses….and it actually sounded better that way.

A well-placed quarter beats sloppy 16ths every time

 

[vvvmmm]

IME, if you can play 16th's all night you are either straight-edge or not drinking enuff.

I like the approach many cite above, of varying the intensity, sorta like, "1/4's under the intro, 8ths under the verse until the last line, 16th's under that last line into the chorus, etc."

 

[J Wilson]

Bassists occupy a very unique spot: We're between pure rhythm (the kit drummer and/or whatever percussion is present) and the rest of the musicians playing pitched instruments, and we have to tie them together. This is special, and the secret power of the bassist is depending what we play, we can make BIG decisions about how this or that sounds, even lead 'em around by the nose.

In my experience, the more drum parts I match, the more the overall rhythm or beat or groove of the song gets amplified. Lock up with the often 90mph double kick under punk or metal, and it gets big time chunky.

If I go more with the guitars, keys, and horns, the more the melodies and harmonies are reinforced. Double a melody line with one of those and it gets REAL big fast.

What we get paid to do is to combine both of the above, and the good ones know how much of which and when to use it or float between those two poles, and if you listen deeply, the song will tell you where and when.

 

[Michedelic]

WWDDD?

 

[slowjam98]

You need to ask the drummer’s right foot.

 

[buldog5151bass]

No set answer. Try everything. Whichever sounds best, and is the most fun to groove with the drummer

 

[Arthr1986]

16 notes by measure is too fast. Play 8 notes by measure, emphasizing the first note each 4 measures. Don't worry about stick your bass with the drum kick or snare. Suggest your band that you will be the rythm of the band and will keep the rythm of 8 beats by measure, while the drummer and guitar have more freedom to play broken beats and riffs. in some parts you can apply reverb or delay to cause the sensation of 16 notes by measure. Or if your bass have good sustain play 1 beat by measure and hold your long note by the whole measure note while the guitar and drums play their fast parts inside your long note.

 

[piitxu]

I play in a power metal band which is quite far from punk rock but it's the quintessential 16th note riffs and blazing fast double kick. The songs we have that are above 140bpm I'll usually play 8ths in the vocal parts/solo and 16ths in the more rythmic parts where the point is to portray power and speed. These songs I could play all 16ths but it just fills up too much the mix. Also while we don't really play any gallops in any song, our drummer plays 4-5 different half-gallop or triplet patterns which I can stick to for a really thick and heavy sound.

 

[Old Blastard]

I'm sorry, but that is nonsense. There is plenty of very capable punk players, who - I assure you - will warm up.
I, myself, capable to play our stuff, I was just coming from a long break of playing, my callouses soft and hands stiff. Excuses, excuses, I know.
The punk ethos non-punk people think is often wrong. Sure, anti-establishment, but a) we/they are not all anarchists and 2) anarchism isn't free-for-all chaos.
It's a lot of things to a lot of people, but there are punk musicians who practice, who compose and know stuff.

The original Beefcake the Mighty and now lead singer of GWAR, Blöthar, has a doctorate degree in music from the University of Virginia. The Music Beat: GWAR’s Shock-Rock Singer Takes UVA Degree Onstage