Bass solo. What’s all that about?

[bremen]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='1225923' date='May 10 2011, 10:09 AM']I don't want to get a reputation as one of those bass players who does solos, I'm sure enough people think I'm a twat already.[/quote]


Mind if I nick that for my sig?

[lowdown]

[quote name='chris_b' post='1226054' date='May 10 2011, 12:24 PM']Tell that to Slam Stewart, Ray Brown and Charlie Mingus![/quote]

+1




Garry

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='bremen' post='1226055' date='May 10 2011, 12:26 PM']Mind if I nick that for my sig?[/quote]

I am honoured.

[ras52]

[quote name='Clarky' post='1226024' date='May 10 2011, 11:54 AM']For me, one of the beauties of Jamerson's playing is that he is soloing and supporting at the same time - take Flying High in a Friendly Sky.
...[/quote]
Ah yes, that's a fantastic track. A classical musicologist would call a part which is "soloing and supporting at the same time" contrapuntal. That sort of line's the most satisfying for me.

As for "spotlight" soloing, I agree with most of the previous posts - short is sweet. For me, Geddy Lee usually gets it right, e.g. at the end of Red Barchetta.

[BottomE]

It is easy to generalise. For me its about being relevant. There are good solos and bad ones. How good (or bad) a solo is doesn't depend on speed, technique or obscure finger twiddly skills or working in little known musical devices.

This solo for me is about as good as it gets. Why? It just fits. Its simple, enchanting and totally in the groove. Starts just after 3 minutes but the whole thing is a delight. Shearing was amazing.

Edited May 10, 2011 by BottomE

[Skol303]

Generally I think all instrumental solos are about showing off to some degree, aren't they? I mean, they're designed to provide a kind of 'interlude' or break in the music and ideally capture the attention of the audience. And flatter the ego of the player, of course.

I guess bass solos are no different, the question being is the bass an appropriate instrument to solo with? I'd say yes... no less so than the cello, for instance, and as mentioned stuff like Bach's suites translate quite well to bass. In fact I'd say any instrument deserves its place in the spotlight, if the player so chooses (within reason... I guess it might be a struggle with a pair of marakas, but I'm happy to be proved wrong!).

That said, I do agree that perhaps some bass solos are unnecessary; or perhaps a lot of bass solos are unnecessary!? From an audience perspective, I think most people assume that solos are performed on a guitar, so a well-composed, well-played bass solo can sometimes catch people unawares and open their ears to what the instrument is capable of. It's perhaps not the best example, but for me, hearing Cliff Burton's solo on the first Metallica album completely changed my opinion of the instrument and led me to pick up a bass rather than a guitar... perhaps in the same way that Jaco's solo playing inspired other bassists to do the same.

So yeah, I'd say that solos certainly have their place in the bass playing world. I mean, once you get past the 'chops' with any instrument there's arguably very little there... but that all depends on the musician, not the instrument itself.

[Conan]

Having said that I don't like bass solos - I do like it when the bass carries the melodic part, like in this example. Very tasteful IMO... Listen at 1:52 and 3:00.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGRx5Ja2stc&feature=BFa&list=AVGxdCwVVULXfzyq-NVsKIiWotM4xKpCnk&index=7"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGRx5Ja2stc...Cnk&index=7[/url]

[pnefc42]

[quote name='Bilbo' post='1225900' date='May 10 2011, 09:54 AM']For me, one of the most beautiful uses of the bass to provide a solo theme is Weather Report’s ‘A Remark You Made’, a piece which is actually very easy for even a learner bass player to play.

When you get past the chops, there’s often not a lot there.[/quote]

+1 to the above - also in the same bracket would be 'Together Again' by Stanley Clarke - job done!

Cheers
Dave

[Doddy]

[quote name='Skol303' post='1226083' date='May 10 2011, 12:45 PM']From an audience perspective, I think most people assume that solos are performed on a guitar,[/quote]

But,it wasn't that long ago when this wasn't the case,and even now the assumption of the guitar solo
is predominantly in a rock context.

[ahpook]

now i wonder...

is [i]this[/i] a bass solo ? (at 3.08)

Edited May 10, 2011 by ahpook

[Rayman]

Now this is a bass solo......at around 2 minutes in......

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dPf9GQEdes&feature=fvwrel"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dPf9GQEdes...;feature=fvwrel[/url]

Andrew Levy is one of my heroes, and his playing on this track is almost perfect for me, and that includes the very tastefully brief solo.

Edited May 10, 2011 by Rayman

[Tengu]

There used to be a young lad that attended an open mic night I frequented that loved solos of any kind.

He was a fantastic guitarist and would solo on everyone song we played with him. That was fine but he would also look at the drummer to do a drum solo for every song.

And then he would look at me.

I just shrugged my shoulders, shook my head and carried on playing the bass line. I don't know enough music theory to venture away from the beaten path and I'm not going to look like a tit by trying.

[Skol303]

[quote name='Doddy' post='1226123' date='May 10 2011, 01:16 PM']But,it wasn't that long ago when this wasn't the case,and even now the assumption of the guitar solo
is predominantly in a rock context.[/quote]

^ Very true.

I guess the point I was trying to make is that most 'mainstream' audiences might not expect a solo to be played on a bass. Reminds me of when a friend of mine once comment along the lines of: "So you play bass? Seems like an odd choice of instrument to practice at home... I mean, what exactly do you do, just play along accompanying records and stuff?" ;-)

I think for a lot of non-musicians, the bass is [i]just[/i] the instrument that plods along with the drums. So the occasional solo - well executed, of course - can help to challenge this stereotype.

[quote name='silddx' post='1226037' date='May 10 2011, 12:01 PM']Soloing with a bass is like painting with mud.[/quote]

^ Nice analogy... but then Chris Ofili won the Turner Prize for art by painting with elephant poop, so I don't know where that leaves us?!

PS: quick edit as I forgot to mention that in certain genres - I'm thinking drum 'n' bass here - the role of the bass as a lead instrument is key. Certain tunes in my library are literally just a drummer and a bassist playing together... admittedly this might be dull as dishwater to some listeners, but clearly not for others otherwise the genre would have been dead in the water years ago. Check out artists like 'Squarepusher' for a taste of what I'm rambling about...

Edited May 10, 2011 by Skol303

[chris_b]

The Awakening by the Reddings. Not a bass solo but a bass instrumental.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFv4nq9n9w"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QFv4nq9n9w[/url]

[derrenleepoole]

I'm increasingly coming to the conclusion that bass solos very rarely work. There are exceptions of course, Jaco on Weather Reports 'Herandu' of course, but they're few and far between. For me, the ones that work are in support of the song or composition and could be viewed more as an interlude taken up on bass. So Weather Reports 'A Remark You Made' and even the melody in 'Birdland' are like interlude solos. Sorry to keep referencing Jaco, but he's so easy Even Flea's rare solo in RHCP's 'Naked In The Rain' is more like a musical interlude than a solo. Obviously a 'solo' bass piece without any other instrument support is a different matter, like Portrait Of Tracy. In this context the solo makes sense, as all the attention is purposely directed at the bass, so the all the detail and texture can be appreciated more.

I only solo on one song in our band, usually on the break down in How Many More Times - but it's not set at a defined length, and to be honest, I'm pap at it! I know what to do, I know how to do it, but come the solo I resort to tried and tested ideas that very rarely do anything to enhance the song. I'm currently now working on a short eight bar break into a different tune instead, rather than having a widdle fest of no predetermined length that no one gives a damn about, even me Short, sharp and sweet and sounds like it's part of the song's arrangement rather than a poor man's attempt at misguided greatness!

Edited May 10, 2011 by derrenleepoole

[Chris2112]

[quote name='Conan' post='1226085' date='May 10 2011, 12:47 PM']Having said that I don't like bass solos - I do like it when the bass carries the melodic part, like in this example. Very tasteful IMO... Listen at 1:52 and 3:00.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGRx5Ja2stc&feature=BFa&list=AVGxdCwVVULXfzyq-NVsKIiWotM4xKpCnk&index=7"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGRx5Ja2stc...Cnk&index=7[/url][/quote]


That was pretty cool.

I love the song "Dara Factor One" by Weather Report. It's got some amazing bass playing in it. Jaco never solos but plays the most amazing melodic lines, woven around everything else. He is so on the button on this track, quite simply a masterclass in this odd style of playing. The little run he starts at 02:49 and finishes at 02:55 might be the best six seconds of bass playing around. How anyone can get a handful of notes to sound so amazing is beyond me.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAnkS3-AJRA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAnkS3-AJRA[/url]

[SteveK]

Part of our job is to entertain. Another part (IMV) is to enlighten our audience - turning them on by what we have to say.

If you feel you have something to say in a solo, then, say it.
If you don't feel you have something to say, then don't.
As in life though, many people have a lot to say without actually saying much.

Edited May 10, 2011 by SteveK

[icastle]

At a recent plug n play night we sat through a bass solo.
Five minutes of slapping, tapping, finger flying nonsense with no tune or set rhythm.

Delusion is a terrible thing when you're subjected to someone elses...

[derrenleepoole]

[quote name='icastle' post='1226246' date='May 10 2011, 02:47 PM']Delusion is a terrible thing when you're subjected to someone elses...[/quote]

That's going in my signature... Brilliant!

[tauzero]

[quote name='bassace' post='1226038' date='May 10 2011, 12:02 PM']Talking of audience appreciation, You know how they applaud solos, in my opinion not very discriminatory a lot of the time. When I get applause for mine - yes, I do - I usually say that it's not because I've done it well but that I've done it at all (Samuel Johnson's dog)[/quote]
I find that the audience often applaud when I stop playing a solo.

[Rayman]

I tried a slap solo, on a Thunderbird, during a rock covers gig. I could actually hear someone in the audience going...."Oh no no no no".

[stevebasshead]

[quote name='SteveK' post='1226227' date='May 10 2011, 02:29 PM']Part of our job is to entertain. Another part (IMV) is to enlighten our audience - turning them on by what we have to say.

If you feel you have something to say in a solo, then, say it.
If you don't feel you have something to say, then don't.
As in life though, many people have a lot to say without actually saying much. [/quote]
This. Every single time. Very succinctly put

[4000]

[quote name='silddx' post='1226037' date='May 10 2011, 12:01 PM']I agree with Bilbo.

Soloing with a bass is like painting with mud.

Bass is a supporting instrument. Its timbre, its register, its limitations. Support. The bass is capable of many beautiful things, but soloing is not one of them. Why anyone would want to expose themselves in such a way is quite beyond my understanding, unless to demonstrate to others how amazing you are in the bedroom.

The only people who are pleased to hear a bass solo, are other bassists who want to learn how to perform a bass solo.[/quote]

And yet you like Chris Squire?

When they work they work. When they don't they don't. If you like 'em great, if not, great. It's entirely up to the individual as every individual gets something different out of music.

Edited May 10, 2011 by 4000

[Spike Vincent]

Each to their own.I wouldn't play a solo if I was paid to.I'll stick to thrashing out chords while the guitarist plays solos.

[lojo]

Its pleasing in all forms of music, when there is a section of space to allow the bass to come through, without other instruments clouding it, and then perhaps a bar or 2 of the bass changing from the songs traditional bassline, but when it just turns into 16 bars of improvisation, then no matter how technical or well timed it is played, it doesn't do much for me

I also hate it at Jazz gigs when one of the players prompts the audience to clap after anyone solos

I also love and hate guitar solos at the same time

Edited May 11, 2011 by lojo