It don't have to be technical to be good, too many people forget simplicity. Some players tend to over-do it just to show off. Play what fits the song.
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worst bass line ever
- Thread starter WillyPop
- Start date
The worse bass line?... That would be The White Stripes, because they have NONE! I've always considered that band an insult to bass players everywhere. It's like saying "You're useless, we don't need you" to our faces.
Really? It's just experimental music. Just because the instrumentation is a little different, it's not an insult to bass players. There's been plenty of instrumental bands and artists who choose not to have singers (do you think Jame LaBrie of Dream Theater is fed up only singing on half the tracks? I don't). There's been a number of guitarless and drumless bands in the past too.
That's not insulting, it's innovating.
Hang on Snoopy..
I played it at a jam for the first time ever and I swear I fell asleep playing it..
I played it at a jam for the first time ever and I swear I fell asleep playing it..
How about anything by Adam Clayton?
He does have good tones...but Lawdy is he boring....but it works...
Case in point, with or without you....
He does have good tones...but Lawdy is he boring....but it works...
Case in point, with or without you....
My general feeling is that if a tune sounds just fine with a sequencer handling the bass, then it's probably not worth the drudgery.
I think what it amounts to is that some songs don't give the bass any chance for expression of thought or feeling which makes them a chore to play.
I think what it amounts to is that some songs don't give the bass any chance for expression of thought or feeling which makes them a chore to play.
Usually simple lines are not an issue. I find the challenge in keeping it simple, solid and in the pocket. At least Tush has some energy.
BUT, I had a guitarist who used to do 20 minute solos in Roxy Roller (nuttin' but E)... ruined that one for me. :scowl:
BUT, I had a guitarist who used to do 20 minute solos in Roxy Roller (nuttin' but E)... ruined that one for me. :scowl:
I haven't read all the post, but I am in an 80s glam cover band. I cringe when I play any of Nikki Sixx's bass lines. I just think they are horrible. Some sound horribly out of key.
I think the OP means to say what is the most boring bassline. Either way I vote for any Linkin Park song. I think their bassist honestly doesn't even care about what he does, just happy he gets a cut because he provides nothing to the band musically.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
Ha! I'd forgotten the "hairball act"--it's more kabuki/drive-in horror theatre than bass, so I don't feel it's even fair to include it in the category of "bass lines." Worst Use of Bass as a Prop, maybe?
Still...all that background screaming is coming from paying fans. Gene dons the Monster costume and makeup and does that act night after night after bloody (literally) night while playing five-note "solos," yet he does so because he knows it's not about the bass...it's about entertaining your audience. I may have songs and lines I hate, but I try to wring everything out of them I can. Yes, even my Eddie Money personal hell (which I see got seconded). Just happy to be playing.
P.S. The extremely obvious just struck me in regard to how relative "worst" really is. I can see Geddy toward the end of a tour saying "Oh $#%^! YYZ again...." And you Knocking On sufferers really gotta feel for Dylan 39 YEARS later. MOTO out.
What! Oh ye with deaf ears, take a look and listen to 'Primary'.
It's two, yes, two basses playing the song! no guitar, no keys, just basses and drums.
2 notes plus hundreds of others.
We, as bassists, should be applauding and celebrating the Song 'Primary'.
"You Don't Know How it Feels" by Tom Petty.
Musically it's as boring as a 3 day old pile of dog poop, I absolutely HATED playing it in my old band!!!
Musically it's as boring as a 3 day old pile of dog poop, I absolutely HATED playing it in my old band!!!
Mine has become Mary Jane's Last Dance, mainly because I'm sick of the song. I occasionally play it at an acoustic jam, but I sing and play the harmonica too, so I'm not thinking about the bass line.
Not sure of the hate for Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Yea, the progression is repetitive, but there's a lot of room for fills. If my band wanted me to just play the roots, it would be torture. But that's one of our songs that I get to stretch out on and make stuff up. We blend Dylan's and GnR's version.
+10 to Two Tickets to Paradise
Not sure of the hate for Knockin' on Heaven's Door. Yea, the progression is repetitive, but there's a lot of room for fills. If my band wanted me to just play the roots, it would be torture. But that's one of our songs that I get to stretch out on and make stuff up. We blend Dylan's and GnR's version.
+10 to Two Tickets to Paradise
