Why do so many bands now use a keyboard player for bass?

[Bassmunnky]

Will Lee lays down some keyboard bass from time to time.

And it's not to play Doors stuff.

 

[JimmyM]

Also, theaters have been replacing musicians with Wurlitzer organs for a hundred years. If all these principled bassists are so enraged by synth bass, they need to stand up for the string sections, clarinets, flutes, F horns, trumpets, trombones, euphoniums, oboes, English horns, bassoons, timpani, so forth on and on every instrument you can think of. Make your keyboardist play only "real" pianos (spinet, upright, baby grand, grand, etc.) and if you want horn hits on any song, you need to go out and hire a "real" horn section, not a "fake" keyboard patch.

I realize that I'm kinda' being an A-hole with my tone, but it's a very big hole in the arguements of a lot of the people on the anti-"fake" side of the issue. It's like people complaining about CG Jabba because puppet Jabba is "real." Did 1997 CG Jabba look like poop? Yes. Is it more fake than a puppet? No. But, CG Jabba was exactly the look that Lucas wanted. Very few people are complaining about the sound of the synth bass, most people are stuck on this bizarre concept of "real" bass players vs. "fake" bass players. Historically, keyboards were the original bass, so really bass players are the "fake" ones.

I dig what you're saying fully. Here's my take on the subject:

Who gives a rat's ass whether it's real or fake or whatever? Do you like the song?

 

[T-MOST]

So many? It was huge in the late 80's and 90's but I don't see a rise in the practice. Maybe it's the genre because it isn"t happening in gospel and contemporary jazz or even rock as a regular thing.

 

[smperry]

My band is playing with its sound a bit and I might be doing some bass stuff on synth from time to time. I'm looking forward to it.

 

[topo morto]

Synths can make bass sounds better than the bass guitar can.

The place where the bass guitar wins is expression - all those dozens of ways you can hit a note which are incredibly hard to emulate in real time on a keyboard. This can help the bass guitar be a better part of the rhythm section too.

 

[keiththebassist]

Just like the title asks, why is this a growing trend? I don't get it.

Last night I took my wife to see The Fray with Kelly Clarkson. Great show for music I am not a fan of but the opening band, Carolina Liar, had a keyboard player that played bass on a small keyboard. Then...a few weeks ago, Good Old War, on Jimmy Kimmel Live was doing the same thing!



Sounds very fake to me...but why is this a growing trend?

This thread is about 30 years too late man!

 

[topo morto]

The problem is that the fake is sounding so incredibly close to the real thing now. Samplers and sequencers can replicate bass parts so closely that most people would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.

Offline in the studio, yes, but there are a lot of bass parts that would be very hard to emulate live in real time.

 

[mcm]

Y'all are still talkin about keyboard bass?

 

[NWB]

Synths can make bass sounds better than the bass guitar can.

The place where the bass guitar wins is in being is expression - all those dozens of ways you can hit a note which are incredibly hard to emulate in real time on a keyboard. This can help the bass guitar be a better part of the rhythm section too.

This is all true, but in many styles of music that "expression" from the bass isn't expected or desired by the artist. Think about four-on-the-floor root pedaling tunes. A sample would be a much cheaper solution with the same level of effectiveness as a live bass player.

As a counter example, right now I'm listening to Jeff Beck Live at Ronnie Scott's. In this situation, there's no substitute for Tal Wilkenfeld's expressive playing. Not a chance in hell of a sample doing what she's doing.

OTOH, I can think of lots of music where a sampled bass part could be used and nobody would be the wiser. At this point, this approach may be limited to the studio, but it may be a matter of time before it becomes commonplace live.

 

[dsteinschneider]

I've been learning how to play organ trio hammond organ. Most of them (Jimmy Smith, Reuben Wilson, Lonnie Smith, Jimmy McGriff to name a few) play left hand bass but augment the notes by tapping a pedal (often just the root) just enough to give the left hand part thump. Sometimes the only giveaway that it's keyboard bass is the repetitiveness of lines. Playing decent 4 string bass lines using VST's like Modo is really difficult. OK for a studio guy who doesn't have access to us maybe.