lowdowner

[quote name='gjones' timestamp='1358805040' post='1945484'] Don't bother to learn scales it's pointless in blues it's not jazz......no extended bass solos. Listen to this [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7rv8pu-0z0[/media] This is the Muddy Water's Band from the album 'Hard Again'. It's fantastic album but the best bit thing about it is it shows how a blues drummer and bassist give a lazy Chicago Blues feel to a song by playing behind the beat. Notice how late the drummer (Willie 'Big Eyes' Smith) plays the snare - it's just on the far end of the beat and no more. The rest of the album is also fantastic and shows what a great Chicago blues band (and rhythm section) should sound like. If the drummer you play with is not up to 'Big Eyes' standard, you can still play just behind the drummers beat, to give any song you play an authentic bluesy feel. There's lots of other, more up to date, stuff out there but listening and playing along to Muddy Water's Hard Again is one of the best blues educations you can get. [/quote] Great - very 'lazy' (but in a good way)... i wonder how you'd stop pulling yourself back on the beat though

BB King and Albert King are definitely on my list ('Kings' seem to be all over blues for some reason)..

Covers and original..

I'm going to be auditioning for a blues band in a couple of weeks - I've always wanted to play some blues seriously and I'm pretty stoked about it to be honest, but... I've been told that (and I believe it) blues is all about the feel - you need to immerse yourself in plenty of blues music to get with the feel. So, does anyone have any recommendations about what to put on my Ipod to make up a 'classics blues' song list? Obviously I have some, but any suggestions would be very much appreciated. Oh, and any hints and tips about blues playing would be great too

Stageclix are brilliant - digital, no lag, great sound... really, really, rate it http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Stage_Clix.html

[quote name='Talbo' timestamp='1358629690' post='1942640'] IMO - The bottom line - no pun intended, is that bass lines fundamentally need to fit in wit the over all sound of the piece of music. If you take 'With or without you' as an example ... After all, this is pop music! [/quote] I guess this is the important thing - pop music is sometimes (often?) pretty simple... I didn't really have U2 down as 'pop' but it's closer to that than anything else I guess. Still like it though

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1358626654' post='1942563'] I totally sympathise with the OP. [/quote] thank god for that, this morning I'd thought I'd lit the blue touch paper and hadn't stood clear!

Joshua tree... Last time listened to the whole album I was driving a truck through a very snowy Montana... seems apt given the snow is again falling outside

[quote name='mart' timestamp='1358621331' post='1942416'] Hmm, what a brilliant idea. Maybe do a more electronic version. Perhaps even with a bit of another song cut into the middle 8. Could be a massive hit, I reckon. And, more seriously, yes, I reckon that would be the only way to improve WTSHNN. [/quote] I reckon a slightly funky version would be ideal... lots of pulling and pushing the rhythm

[quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1358613036' post='1942219'] I am a little surprised that the O.P chooses Where The Streets Have No Name as an example of simplicity , because I have often thought that was a tricky pick workout and not easy to keep properly in time and as tight as Adam Clayton plays it . [/quote] I only play every other note though - I thought that was the accepted way for fast bass lines, or the listener's ear can't keep up...

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1358596525' post='1941863'] Apologies for misreading your original post. Switch the question around, can you think of any respected (how do you define respected?) or mainstream bands that have complicated bass lines? Most don't. Status Quo, Stones, Bowie, JLS and Queen's bass lines are all pretty simple. JPJ in Led Zepelin played lots of notes but they were all pretty basic blues lines. An effective band usually has simple playing at it's core, until you get into Dream Theater territory. [/quote] OK, i've had a flick through some bass lines and think you could safely say that there are some bands with more complex bass lines: - Beatles - Santana (complex rhythms as well as pitch variations) - Stones - Weather Report (OK, that's probably a given) - Rush - Hendrix (look at the chorus on 'Spanish Castle Magic'!) - Alanis Morissette (look at 'You Oughta Know' - syncopation, ghosting, non-diatonic notes peppered in...) and maybe many more... I'd like to point out (once again) that I like U2, but they have some of the simplest bass lines around and wondered how common this was

[quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1358603954' post='1942039'] I'm sure we all don't. For myself yes to the Meters but not really interested by Wooten. I don't believe I'm the only one. [/quote] That reminds me of how indignant I feel when the england football manager says 'the whole country will be celebrating tonight if the team wins' and I think 'well, not me, I couldn't give a stuff either way, i don't even *like* football let alone care when someone scores: the world isn't made up of people who think just like you you arrogant little ****'

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1358596525' post='1941863'] Apologies for misreading your original post. Switch the question around, can you think of any respected (how do you define respected?) or mainstream bands that have complicated bass lines? Most don't. Status Quo, Stones, Bowie, JLS and Queen's bass lines are all pretty simple. JPJ in Led Zepelin played lots of notes but they were all pretty basic blues lines. An effective band usually has simple playing at it's core, until you get into Dream Theater territory. [/quote] I suspect I didn't express myself clearly! Good question though... I'll think about it - there must be *some* well known bands that have more complex bass lines. What about the Stones for example?

That's quite an interesting set of responses. I wasn't expecting a question looking for views and comments to be read as a slur on U2. I *like* U2 - that's why they are on my iPod, and I like simplicity and space (most of the really good funk is filled with space and that's what I like playing). I buy into the 'the unheard notes are sometimes the best' feelings, and I don't prize complexity for complexity's sake. I'm certainly *not* 'equating complex with better' - that would be crass and musically unsophisticated. Though I don't equate complex with bad either - complex is right for some tracks. That's not what I'm getting at. Nor am I knocking Clayton (god knows, I'm not in a position to do that with *my* quality of playing). I was just interested in whether it's common for bass players, even in really respected bands, to play lines that are so simple. Sure we all rave about Wooten and The Meters (and for good reason), but for big, mainstream bands like U2 the gap between complexity and originality and simplicity and repetition, seems very striking.

Sometimes, to remind myself how incompetent I am at playing bass I plug my ipod into my amp and switch the playlist to shuffle - loads of interesting stuff comes up and I try to make a bass line to whatever I hear as well as I can. Yesterday up popped U2 with 'where the streets have no name' and I did my usual faffing about - only to quickly find that there isn't much to the bass at all. I went back to some online tab sites and sure enough, my simple (I can only play simple!) bass line was more complex than the original (!) so I took it back to the bass-ics... Taking a look at some other U2 tracks it seems that the bass lines are pretty much as simple as you can get - and a bit repetitive. I like U2, but I'm a bit surprised by this. Is all U2 like this, and why? Is it something to do with their bass player not wanting to do anything 'original'? Is it just the genre, or is U2 pretty unique in this?

All academic now, just bought a Vigier.. http://basschat.co.uk/topic/197054-new-bass-day *beam*

[quote name='silddx' timestamp='1358205045' post='1935000'] Arc, the new Everything Everything album that came out today. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUlm4ZVAitw[/media] [/quote] That's pretty cool - it's on my 'must listen to' list... thanks for sharing

Here is the original listing at bassdirect http://www.bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Passion_5_Nat.html

Well, technically yesterday was the new bass day, but for obvious reasons I didn't have much time to post on here Finally, after much to-ing and fro-ing and never quite making my mind up, today I'm the proud owner of a 5 string Vigier Passion V Custom bass in flame maple. Having only ever owned, and played, 4 string warwick thumbs (still amazing basses to my eye and ear) I'm really excited to own such a fantastic quality instrument and finding out what an extra string can do. The finish is absolutely impeccable, and the neck (with graphite inserts) is so thin and light it's really easy to play. Bring it on! Can't show pictures because the picture upload system on here is broken

No - well, I'm still having problems.... Used to work fine for me...

?? but that's just an empty post! <looks confused>

Dunno - maybe I should abandon the idea of a stingray given how controversial they are - maybe a Vigier instead...!

Interesting stuff - i suffer from 'hooked' nails too if they get longer than a few mill... the problem is particularly bad on my thumb, but also 'a'. I find that even though my nails are shorter than many guitarists, they still make the bass strings sound more metallic and less 'thumpy'. I might try coated strings to help with this. It's good to hear that someone else makes it 'work' though - encouraging. Thanks