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Would you consider this overplaying the bass line?

Would you consider this overplaying the bass line?

  • Yes, that's definitely overplaying. Drop the fills, simplify.

    Votes: 4 2.3%

  • Maybe a little. Maybe drop a few of the fills, and simplify a bit.

    Votes: 23 13.0%

  • Nah, it's fine.

    Votes: 129 72.9%

  • I think you're not playing enough. More fills. And add some 11 finger taps while you're at it.

    Votes: 10 5.6%

  • Use a carrot as a slide

    Votes: 11 6.2%
  • Total voters
    177
#122
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#124
Your band sounded great and with the guitarist holding it together, you certainly had the space to be a little flashy, but you stepped back when the guitarist stepped forward for a couple of controlled breaks. I liked your playing a lot and rare for this place, if your guitarist is that controlled all the time, kudos to him. (Yeah, I know, heresy around here, not to dis the guitarist...:smug::D)
 
#125
hrodbert696 said:
No, I don't think you're overplaying overall. I do think you can (and should) try to get the pocket deeper because it's such a pocket song
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Agreed. I didn't hear overplaying, and also thought the playing was good.
On this one, especially in the verses sitting back, 'more sleazy' works really well and kinda nails the tune, let the drummer sit up on it for the pep, you sit back for the sleaze. You can then push it a up a bit more in the unison line (daydream etc), which I thought you guys did really well. Agreed on the slap sound issue...the loss of bottoms for me meant no point, I'd rather hear you do other stuff with the beefy bottom end (and I liked the bottom end).

Edit : Swapping between the fat sound and occasional slap is hard. Compressor can help, a lot for slap, but can also diminish the expression your other sounds... but you play great, don't worry about putting stuff in because 'you want to/you thing you should'. Put the stuff in that sounds good....your stuff sounds good, if the slap kills the sound, leave it out.
 
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#126
Not overplayed at all. Very nice. You held the pocket, your tone is nice and blends well with guitarist, drummer, and vocalist in a cool 90’s way. It’s an easy song to speed up, and you guys held the tempo nicely. The singer sounds excellent, btw.
 
#128
On the simplify a little side, but it's about FRAMING the individual sections better, the fill before the unison melody is lost (and a little rushed) and all of a sudden you're in the unison but didn't set it up so I noticed. It should be a big deal when you join the guitar note for note. A SPACE is a note, ya know. A space that makes you notice the next note.
 
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#130
BassBrass said:
On the simplify a little side, but it's about FRAMING the individual sections better, the fill before the unison melody is lost (and a little rushed) and all of a sudden you're in the unison but didn't set it up so I noticed. It should be a big deal when you join the guitar note for note. A SPACE is a note, ya know. A space that makes you notice the next note.
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Thank you for the feedback @BassBrass ! good points to consider
 
#131
ThinCrappyTone2 said:
Thank you for the feedback @BassBrass ! good points to consider
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You're welcome. As a person who likes to "express myself" with plenty of notes, sometimes I have to say to myself "do the world (and eventually yourself) a Service and don't play here". I think a good bass player Has to think of a space as equal to a note. There'd be no syncopation without spaces. ps I'm a Northern Essex ComCol alum. Love those Merrimac Riv warehouse mattress stores.
 
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#132
The band sounds great and you sound great. Your fills are tasteful and in my view there are just enough of them and in the right places. Keep doing what you're doing.

My thought on that song, having played it myself off and on for the last 30 years, is that the bass guitar part on Stevie's recording is deliberately simplified because of what he was doing with his left hand. Which is worth considering - any time we're playing with keyboardists, we and they have to have an agreement to listen to each other and not double-occupy the same sound space. But where there's no keyboard, like in your situation, not only is there no chance for conflict but also there is some space created that the bass can, and probably should, fill. Otherwise the bottom end of the tune can sound a little half note-y and plod.

Nice cover.
 
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#133
Altitude said:
The band sounds great and you sound great. Your fills are tasteful and in my view there are just enough of them and in the right places. Keep doing what you're doing.

My thought on that song, having played it myself off and on for the last 30 years, is that the bass guitar part on Stevie's recording is deliberately simplified because of what he was doing with his left hand. Which is worth considering - any time we're playing with keyboardists, we and they have to have an agreement to listen to each other and not double-occupy the same sound space. But where there's no keyboard, like in your situation, not only is there no chance for conflict but also there is some space created that the bass can, and probably should, fill. Otherwise the bottom end of the tune can sound a little half note-y and plod.

Nice cover.
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Thanks for the feedback, @Altitude ! Good points and I much appreciate your perspective
 
#134
Nashrakh said:
EQing aside (that is for more knowledgeable people to discuss), when I go from finger to slap, the volume increases dramatically. So I would have assumed that such a section would actually jump out at the listener... right? Hard limiter on it then?
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it depends how hard you play as a finger style bassist.

I play hard with finger style, often (but not always of course.... dynamics are critical), and my slap tone typically doesn't cut through as well as my finger style. It isn't any lack of power in my slap playing... slap is slap, really. But my finger style is strong.

but yea a limiter can do that also. and some basses sound magically compressed for slap, just acoustically.

so many weird factors that change how loud slap is versus one's finger style playing, from my personal experience. When I was young (teen, decades ago), my slap fills were much louder than my regular finger style playing. Strange how that changed over the years...
 
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#137
ThinCrappyTone2 said:
I come from a world of 90's progressive metal. Tappa the bass, slappa the bass, show whatever chops you've got whenever you've got the chance.

Decades later, I'm playing out again, in a cover band, and have a different mindset. I am trying to serve the song, but I am still trying to drop some of those old overplaying instincts.

That said, the band I am in likes it when I add fills and the occasional slap bit. I ask them all the time if it's too much, and they usually encourage it. They say it adds a little spice.

On this song in particular, I'm really "feeling it" and so find myself adding fills and stuff that's not in the original, or even the cover versions. Has me wondering if I'm being a wanker.

I feel like I don't have a strong sense of if this is fine or too much. Would love some opinions. Thanks.

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