Playing bass like a bass, not a guitar

[Brent Hahn]

To me, playing like a bass player (or not) and playing with a pick (or not) are two separate issues.

[Dave Hicks]

Danny Thompson on bass - keeps the time just fine with a complicated part:

[Br1ck]

Originally Posted by lfoo6952

Do bass players really frown upon playing bass like a guitar? Two of the best bass players who played it like a guitar were Carol Kaye and Paul McCartney, and with a pick no less.

Like a guitar? You aren't listening to the same records as I am. Playing bass melodically is not like playing guitar. The most important thing when learning a new instrument is understanding it's function in a group. Most guitar players, lead players especially are incapable of sublimating their egos in deference to the song. It's a basic cluelessness they can't overcome. Carol Kay had a huge knowledge of jazz forms she used to formulate inventive, simple and memorable grooves. She had to play jazz dates in order to satisfy her musical imagination, then go play session pop dates the next day. But she was good at both. James Jamerson could be added to the must listen list. I personally feel McCartney to be a better bassist than composer or singer . Listen to the live BBC recordings, where he churns out stock R&R basslines, but changes one little note here or there making it brilliant. Even early on he was inventive. The bassline to Something may be the best bass part played in popular music. I played that note for note for twenty years, never finding a way to improve it.

[frankmcr]

Just wanted to pop in here to say Thank You to everyone who's replied so far. Very helpful and much appreciated, and please continue!

[superbitterdave]

And I feel at this point I should jump back in to say I do completely get that bass has a fundamental role in the rhythm section and I hope I didn’t annoy any of the real bassists out there. A solid bass keeps the whole thing together.

I guess I was just suggesting not to write off that there is room for creativity, but should have mentioned there is a foundational element that needs to be there regardless.

Case in point, I recently shared a backing track on a (completely amateur hobbyist) collaboration and my bass was so poor that my friend gave up and started from scratch. He couldn’t find my rhythm. Without that, don’t bother!

Cheers

Dave

[KarenB]

Some songs (if songs are what your playing) call for a rhymic bass line, some for melodic. Some a combination. It depends on what the rest of the music is like.

[Br1ck]

You do have to understand that riding the root note is sometimes the correct thing to do. Session guys get payed good money for realizing this. I once attended a recording session that had a rock solid drummer. I complemented him. He said he couldn't do anything fancy, but could keep solid time. I said that's what 99 percent want in a drummer. Same could be said for bass.

[blue]

Lemmy. Playin' bass like a guitar since '71 and killing it! I miss him.

[Tannin]

Here is my take - and not as a guitarist who plays bass. I'm a bass player who plays guitar.

Technique has nothing to do with it. It doesn't matter how many strings you play and what you pluck them with, let alone how you fret them. No, it is 100% about attitude.

As a bass player, you have one job: make the singer sound good. That's it. Nothing else. Make the singer sound good. (Or the sax player, or the lead guitarist, whatever - never yourself.) If you get to the end of a gig and people say "You played well" you screwed up. Your job is to make people say "Great band!" or "Wow! I love the singer!"

Most people won't notice how good you are. If you don't like that, don't play bass. If they do notice how good you are, you aren't any good, not as a bass player. Being noticed is not your job. But people who know will know: any other bass players in the audience for a start. (Real ones, I mean, not flashy posers.) Your drummer will know immediately, and the other members of your band will too after a while. And most importantly, you will know.

Bass is a state of mind.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by Tannin

Bass is a state of mind.

I'm a bass player, and yes it's a state of mind. But I do it better when I'm in good playing shape and the hands can do what the mind wants.

[Tannin]

^ Absolutely!

[Pnewsom]

Lots of great comments so far.

One of the hallmarks of good/great bass playing is structure! Structure being what sort of harmonic and rhythmic patterns a bassist develops for the underpinnings of a song's arrangement. These patterns should be consistent though evolving logically from verse to chorus, to bridge, and so on. All the while defining the chord structure and rhythmic foundation.

As well, in many ways a bassist can pull the pocket slightly through anticipation or pulling back ever so slightly on the down beats. There are universes that exist within some seemingly simple 1-5 country and blues lines.

Here's a great example of an evolving bass line! Everything else is pretty cool too!

[Howard Emerson]

Originally Posted by lfoo6952

Do bass players really frown upon playing bass like a guitar? Two of the best bass players who played it like a guitar were Carol Kaye and Paul McCartney, and with a pick no less.

Using a pick has absolutely nothing to do with playing bass like a guitar.

Howard Emerson

[frankmcr]

I thought this was interesting. I only got the two obvious ones.

[M Sarad]

When the bassist wanted to play guitar i switched to bass.
Listen to the bass drum.
Worked for me.