What makes a bass player good and why..

[forpyned]

i have tis question...been left unanswered lah...

 

[kentheman2000]

One who is able to bring out the groove and keep timing with the drummer for the entire band. Unless you play stuff with bas solos, don't go flashy.

 

[Z3r0_G]

he/she is able to make full use of his choice of notes, tones and expression on the instrument to correctly convey an emotion to the listener.

 

[ahkiatt]

He/she turns a good song into a great one. When the crowd roars...

 

[visa]

tastefulness, musicality, etc

 

[Taylorboy87]

groove and chemistry with drummer. don't need expressive notes or shredding or emotions to play what you feel like playing. a good bass player is only good if he/she knows how to connect with the drummer.

 

[shinobi]

to me, any instrumentalist that has a positive impact on his band is a good one. how good he is depends on how much value he adds to the music. if he is transparent he is average. if he sucks it will be easily noticeable.

and if he comes on time for jam sessions and doesnt have a rock star attitude... that should also be taken into account

i ever went for a jam session and after half an hour the drummer still wasn't there. when i called him he was at home in bed, and even thought i was kidding when i told him we were all here :evil:

 

[CrispyEgg]

5 words:

Support the band. Bass is foundation.

Link the melody with the rhythm. Bass is part of the rhythm section & the melody section too.

Be stable. Be sure of what you're playing, confidence is an aura.

Be creative. Or they'll start making "BASS MACHINE 3000" to replace you.

Have fun. why? Cuz that's what all bassists do. (Gene Simmons, Stu Hamm, Billy Sheehan, Stuart Zender etc. they ALL have fun on stage.)

 

[davs]

time is everything for bassist. locked up the drummer, and groove it with him.
yeah. many ppl had already point out the wise advises alr.

take a step of faith, and try to improvise the grooves with ur knowledge of scales, and try not just solely play the original basslines for the song.
*that's the creative part, and i think it really makes up a good bassist.

once u see people moves along with the music, you know,

you have done ur job well.

 

[DarkRed]

expanding on whats been said...

- serving the song. its cool if you can play 16th notes ala rocco prestia, but not if you're playing it during a rock ballad.

- a good attitude, which includes doing your homework and being able to take it when someone tells you 'sorry, that just doesn't work'

- connecting with the audience as you play

- and keeping in time

 

[azlan]

i think tone is also important..... it helps in making the sound nice to listen to.... don;t wait you play gpt the *pak pak pak* sound.......

 

[Z3r0_G]

if u listened a little more closely, you can actually discern john myung's *pak pak* sound of strings slapping against the fretboard as he plucks. not making it too distinctive is ok i guess.

but nevertheless, good clean technique is important.

 

[Liveinsin]

Good bassists are felt...not heard.

 

[Z3r0_G]

thats true liveinsin, but not always the case.

there will always be rare occasions where the bass makes its mark, like when the band dies down during the bridge and the bass just keeps driving it. or during a solo or when ur funking it about with slap blah blah..

but first and foremost as a musician, we should bring out the meaning of the song we are playing. what do the lyrics say? what should i play to bring out that emotion? am i playing too much? should i play more? what precise notes should i play and how long should i hold them? drive the band with 8ths, 16ths or play footballs (whole notes)? funk it up with some slap?

is what you're playing bringing justice to the song?

we should all take these into consideration. tastefulness, musicality, bringing out the groove, chemistry with the drummer, keeping in time, being creative all should come with the intention of making the music 'real' and with meaning to the audience. who can agree with me that a good song is one that brings out an emotion in you?

be it slow love songs or rock, we always talk about feel. this is what is MOST important to think about as a musician.

 

[3notesAbar]

Good bassplayers can be felt AND heard too.

edit: I am only referring to tone (musician and sound engineer), not the content of basslines.

 

[litford]

in a more tangible way, listen to "dreams" by fleetwood mac. that's the best example i can think of that flows between note choices for the BENEFIT of a song, tone and groove. -) John McVie = pop genius!

 

[AgingYouth]

Good bassists (at least, in the context of the old skool R'n'B and soul genres) should make you feel like finishing your entire stash of Okamotos!

 

[fgl]

good bassists? coz he holds the "bottom" and doesnt try to be the lead guitarist on 4 strings...

 

[confused]

if the bassist just plays the root notes,is that ok?

 

[Z3r0_G]

sure. but that will not really constitute to a fantasic bassist. but that differs from genre to genre. if you're just playing the roots in jazz or blues, then you're doing it wrong

but a good bassist will know what, when and how to add according to the feel of the song.