The role your bass plays in your band

[rylche]

Hi guys!

Bored so I thought I would start a discussion. What role do you play in your band?

-Groove and lock in tight with the drummer and support the band with root notes
-Take on a more lead bass approach ( L'arc~en~ciel )


I personally do abit of both but more of the former!

 

[Freeko]

More of the 1st but riffs do fall along the path.Plus I do a tad bit of riff writing in my band so it might fall into abit of the second. Running roots 24/7 ain't very appeal to me so i think riffs make the music much more colourful and unique so I try to be in the second but you have to have a certain level of technical proficiency which I for one have not attained!

 

[shinobi]

technical proficiency is not the only thing, a good ear and good knowledge of different styles of music, to me, is most important

saying that roots are sufficient for basslines is akin to saying that power chords are sufficient for guitar playing

 

[rylche]

Sometimes you have to offer more melodic support. However, my experience in playing in a trio is that you really gotta to lay down the foundation real well. Even though there's loads of melodic space, someone has to lay it down for the whole band. To make things worse, my guitarist/singer didn't have the best co-ordination skills and played the skimpiest guitar-lines while singing; so skimpy even Maxim readers would be embarrassed .

 

[shinobi]

then your guitarist should start a thread entitled "the role your guitar plays in your band" :lol:

 

[amateur_bassist]

nice one shinobi! only root notes? no way! the bass will sound so dead.. maybe for some punk rock songs.. but not for me. besides... mr masly thought me too much for me to play only root notes!!!! but of course we still have to set the timing right n not do riffs that will mess up the song.

 

[litford]

i keep the feet of my band members and the crowd tapping. -) be it playing the root, or a more melodic lead line, at the end of the day, they ain't gonna move if you ain't got no groove -))

keep it thumpin' my fellow softie bassists!

 

[crazyguy106]

A bit of both?

I agree that regardless whether you're playing root notes or melodic lines, as long as you've got the groove, the good ear to find a good place in the band, and ability to boost the lead(whether is it guitarist or singer), you're a great bassist.

Personally I like a mix of everything. When the song gets powerful, the lines get more melodic and active, when music goes soft and light, I do my groove-type where I do muting and rhythm feel more than anything else to compliment the drums.

I think that's the most important thing about being a bassist, complimenting the band. (it's the same for every other role. INCLUDING the lead)

 

[basswong]

well as a bassist i find it hard to lock with my drummer for the first few times but after that its fine. However, up til now i still cant really do right.

just wondering if i am beat deaf or something you know.

and of course i do play the melodic riffs, and occasionally try to fit in some that i've figured out myself.

so ultimately i dont play a very good bassist

 

[80s_people]

Playing root notes and improvising are basic skills of survival for bassist. Other than that, my role in a band is to tell the world that bass players are not the humble ones just standing there providing bass. I go the extra mile to occasionally steal the lime light from the lead guitarist (thats what we deserve actually).

The only difference i see between guitar and bass is that, my instrument is much harder to play and i expect the guitarist to be up to standard.

basswong, maybe you wanna try playing along with the original track more often as practice and do some headbanging? its fun :wink:

 

[Colarndo]

The role my bass plays in my band: Provide low frequencies?
Usually I write lyrics while the drummer composes the melody...

 

[Resetti]

as a bassist i just like to underline the chords and provide the feel of the rhythm and the feel of the song in general.... I don't like to play the melody, unless it's an intro

 

[crazyguy106]

The only difference i see between guitar and bass is that, my instrument is much harder to play and i expect the guitarist to be up to standard.
-80's_people

Nice comment there. Might have to agree with you on that one. =P

Bassists, unless they stand up for themselves, will always be the unsung heroes of good bands.

 

[zoopertrip]

Personal opinion, I'm not the biggest fan of bassists who try and match the guitarist's lines. I'm of he firm belief that a bassist should lock in with the drummer, hold the groove and add some colourful lines to a song. What's the point of having a bassist if he's going to shred just like the guitarist ?

 

[ahkiatt]

Whatever that makes the song sound good man...

 

[zizairsa]

rolls of base

u gotta have the basics, man, no doubt abt it.

my role as bassist really depends on the band I'm in.

I've been in bands where the drummer leads, and all i have to do is lock.

I've been in bands where I lead, and the whole band follows.

the key is that everyone's got to listen to everyone else.

case in point: the other day my band was rehearsing a song with an R&B type of groove - this is soooo not my drummer's element - u give him DT, Slayer, even Maiden, he'll rock yor pants off, but reggae and R&B aint his thang.

so he'd actually charted out the entire drum part, but just couldn't groove - a bit the stiff lah.

So i went over to his drum kit, reached over and took away his score, and just asked him to listen and play .... and it worked!

my point: if u ain't listenin when playin it ain't gonna be happenin ...

anyways in my current band, i'm the musical comedian - me and my drummer love to pull off little musical inside jokes inside our music - we're a cover band, playing in clubs, and we make our own fun.

being basically a 3 piece most times (my singer does play acoustic guitar, but she plays mainly chords, not parts), I also play very melodically. I apply my guitar background to my bass playing a lot, not just in terms of riffs, but even arpeggios and chordwork (having 6 strings is a bonus) - my guitarist understands my style and expects me to cover the gaps. as i said, we listen to each other.

u can see what I'm talking about by catching us live on weekends just for the price of a coke or a beer (haha shameless plugging here)

Playing root notes and improvising are basic skills of survival for bassist. Other than that, my role in a band is to tell the world that bass players are not the humble ones just standing there providing bass.

The only difference i see between guitar and bass is that, my instrument is much harder to play and i expect the guitarist to be up to standard.
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