Bass - the final frontier?

Bezzer · May 2018

The OP has confused me here and I'd say in the main the opposite is true ... if a bassist goes off-book on a cover it can be horrendous (I have one who does it, and we need to beat it out of him). Having played bass in a "Seattle" covers band for three years it was obvious the songs had essential bass parts to make them sound right.

Yeah, OK, you've got to play the intro riffs to famous songs right ... and few you need to play the solo right to save being lynched. But most cases you get to the solo and you're completely free to play how you feel.

OK, in improv jazz the bass can do whatever it likes ... but so can the guitar, trumpet, triangle and wobbleboard ... so it still doesn't make sense.

I'm going for a lie down ...

Rocker · May 2018

My point is that the bass is the only instrument that the player has a free hand to interpret the song and how he plays it. Subject of course to keeping within the chord structure and tempo as set by the drummer. Playing root notes and tracking chord changes is right. This may be all the song requires. Playing complex bass lines is also right if they fit the song. So two different approaches and both right. Another player might play a bit of both and still be right. This is why I consider the bass to be the only truly interpretative instrument in the band. Think about it, look and listen to bass players (playing standard popular songs) and you might begin to understand my point.

octatonic · May 2018

Rocker said:

My point is that the bass is the only instrument that the player has a free hand to interpret the song and how he plays it. Subject of course to keeping within the chord structure and tempo as set by the drummer. Playing root notes and tracking chord changes is right. This may be all the song requires. Playing complex bass lines is also right if they fit the song. So two different approaches and both right. Another player might play a bit of both and still be right. This is why I consider the bass to be the only truly interpretative instrument in the band. Think about it, look and listen to bass players (playing standard popular songs) and you might begin to understand my point.

I'm afraid I don't agree.

Bassists have as much freedom to do what they want as other players.
There is no 'one size fits all' approach for any instrument.

Funkfingers · May 2018

Rocker said:

Bass ... the final frontier

Sly & Robbie - Rhythm Killers.

mart · May 2018

Bezzer said:

....
OK, in improv jazz the bass can do whatever it likes ... but so can the guitar, trumpet, triangle and wobbleboard ... so it still doesn't make sense.
...

I’d never understood improv jazz before - it just sounds like a bunch of people playing random notes. But now I understand - they’re not quite random - they’re carefully chosen so that the whole thing doesn’t make sense.

EricTheWeary · May 2018

Funkfingers said:

Rocker said:

Bass ... the final frontier

Sly & Robbie - Rhythm Killers.

Doo doo de doo de doo de doo doo
Doo doo de doo de doo de doo doo

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Bass - the final frontier?

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