Hobbayne Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I recently auditioned (and got the job) as a bassist in a Blues/Rock band. Had a rehearsal the other night and jammed a version of Red House. The first guitarist soloed away for a bit, and then played rhythm while thesecond bod had a go. I couldnt believe my ears when they asked me to do a bass solo! After fumbling about for a bit in the upper regions of an E major scale they seemed quite happy. I hope its not going to be a regular thing!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BottomE Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 nice one. Its a bit daunting the world of soloing - more so for us rhythm section guys. You'll be thrusting with the guitarists before you know it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanovw Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I had this recently. The singer would introduce the band at the end of the evening. The drummer did a little solo, the guitarist would do a massive solo and then they would look at me. I would smile politely and carry on nailing the groove. They always gave me an opportunity though!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crez5150 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 [quote name='deanovw' timestamp='1320869704' post='1432644'] I had this recently. The singer would introduce the band at the end of the evening. The drummer did a little solo, the guitarist would do a massive solo and then they would look at me. I would smile politely and carry on nailing the groove. They always gave me an opportunity though!! [/quote] Indeed.... Don't be drawn into such w***ery! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oopsdabassist Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 I normally make do with a slide into key then GROOVE baby! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Never found anyone to play with me, so permanent solo. (Sad, ain't it..?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 [quote name='BottomE' timestamp='1320869639' post='1432641'] You'll be thrusting with the guitarists before you know it. [/quote] Steady on! He's only just met them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I remember a few years back I went to a ceilidh where our beloved mate OldGit's band were playing. He asked me up to play his bass on a couple of tunes so he could have a blow on his sax... he took a solo himself, then turned round with a huge grin on his face and pointed at me and yelled "BASS SOLO!". And the rest of the band stopped, leaving me no alternative than to fumble around aimlessly while the rest of them giggled like schoolkids. I could have killed him. God bless 'im. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OliverBlackman Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 its funny how a lot of people panic when they get into the upper register. Just remember its exactly the same notes and position as if it was at the top of the neck. Use the same patterns and licks you would normally use there, just an octave up. It works so easily for simple solo's. On a 12 bar i often either walk it (if its a walking line) and sometimes go beyond the 12th fret but use the same sort of ideas as i was before outlining the chords or if its a riff i will keep the riff going with a little lick at either the end of 2 or 4 bars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisnameistaken Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 [quote name='Rich' timestamp='1320883228' post='1432875']I remember a few years back I went to a ceilidh where our beloved mate OldGit's band were playing. He asked me up to play his bass on a couple of tunes so he could have a blow on his sax... he took a solo himself, then turned round with a huge grin on his face and pointed at me and yelled "BASS SOLO!". And the rest of the band stopped, leaving me no alternative than to fumble around aimlessly while the rest of them giggled like schoolkids. I could have killed him. God bless 'im.[/quote] Quality. I've only ever been called upon to do one solo, and I was in a foul mood and had little interest in playing the gig never mind playing a solo, but I think the front man thought it would cheer me up for some strange reason. Anyway I stepped forward and everybody dropped out but the drummer, and if he wasn't such an excellent drummer it wouldn't have worked at all but we'd done a few hundred gigs with eachother and he really listened and embellished everything I was doing and it all worked out better than I could've hoped for - a really violent-sounding fretless solo that led up to a psychotic crescendo and then to silence. Hehe. At a funk gig. Bizarrely the audience went wild, the drummer counted us back in and the party re-started, and they never ever asked me to play a solo ever again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I've played with a guy in the past who has players come in and out of his band, depending on their availability and who's around at the timeetc. He usually offers solos to his bass players during tunes, but I always hated it because he caught me so off guard whenever I was playing with him! I ended up doing a crazy solo over 'Senorita' by Justin Timberlake one time (quite why we were playing it I can't remember, it was just in the set I was given) and I just didn't see it coming, nor was I offered much choice as to whether I could say no! Soloing is fine, but it's not my thing at all, I much prefer sitting on the groove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 The electric bass is not a solo instrument, IMHO (puts on crash helmet and gets in cupboard under stairs). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
risingson Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1320885284' post='1432896'] The electric bass is not a solo instrument, IMHO (puts on crash helmet and gets in cupboard under stairs). [/quote] Agree and disagree. Age old argument of course, but I'll be a bit of a knob and say that technically, any instrument is a solo instrument, up to and including the spoons if you fancy it. There are no limits, but on the flipside there is a limit to taste, and that's usually the first thing to get discarded when a bass solo happens. I think the player has to be phenomenally good for a nice solo to occur, melodically and harmonically informed, and just all round a great musician. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louisthebass Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 There's an interesting video on Youtube by Victor Wooten called "Why People Don't Like Bass Solos". The main point he puts across is that any solo the bass player plays has to groove in order to maintain people's attention on a gig. I love listening to a good bass solo, but I prefer holding it (the groove) down all the time with the drummer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 [b][b][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U2cOVgaKBM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2U2cOVgaKBM[/url][/b][/b] That Victor, he talks a LOT of sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WalMan Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1320868960' post='1432628'] I recently auditioned (and got the job) as a bassist in a Blues/Rock band. Had a rehearsal the other night and jammed a version of Red House. The first guitarist soloed away for a bit, and then played rhythm while thesecond bod had a go. I couldnt believe my ears when they asked me to do a bass solo! After fumbling about for a bit in the upper regions of an E major scale they seemed quite happy. I hope its not going to be a regular thing!! [/quote]At least you didn't do what I did at an audition many years ago for the Climax Blues Band - for which I was frankly wholly underprepared. Similar scenario, but I was plugged into the supplied bass rig with a similarly supplied curly lead. They turned to me and said "take a solo" I took a pace forwards..... and the lead pinged out of the bass and back towards the amp, so my "solo" consisted of me scrabbling around for the lead and trying to get plugged back in DOH!!! Funnily enough I didn't get it More recently have had the bass solo dropped on me on a fairly regular dep I do. Just keep it basic & simple ([i]buzz: tautology[/i]). My main band know not to bother, though I do get to play around the sequence on a broken down section of one song, but never do much more than mess with the feel and add a few passing notes/double stops. With the proggy lot it is only really a moody background fill to another broken down guitar solo section. I am no great fan of the "bass solo" and untill such time as I have sorted out a couple of review/suggestion sessions with JakesBass and perhaps have picked up a different slant on things (and probably even then) that's the way it'll stay. Edited November 10, 2011 by WalMan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRev Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I do four or five solos with my soul/jazz trio - sometimes more if the singist forgets the first line of the next verse. I'm not precious about the whole bass solo thing, but I prefer to have set solo that I know works rather than being dropped in it a bar before everyone drops out. In those situations I just try to embellish the groove in some way. Sometimes it even works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ed_S Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 Bass solos are great when it just so happens that the bassist is playing the solo in a song instead of the lead guitarist - I've done that a lot, becuase everybody I play with knows I'm also a lead guitarist and can just treat bass as a bigger, badder version What I don't much care for is the thing where everybody drops out and leaves you to noodle aimlessly; something I prefer to be reserved for a 'line check'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Earbrass Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 [quote name='blackmn90' timestamp='1320883522' post='1432883'] its funny how a lot of people panic when they get into the upper register. [/quote] ...or is it the other way round? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bremen Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) Paulwarning: [quote]Guy taking a taxi from the airport on holiday hears some drums in the hills and asks the driver what they are, he replies "when drums stop, very bad". He hears the drums all holiday and every time he asks someone about it he gets the same reply. On his way back to the airport he gets the same taxi driver and says, "look I know if the drums stop it's really bad, but what exactly happens" the taxi driver replies "the Bass solo starts"[/quote] Edited November 10, 2011 by bremen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 yeah- its ok to solo a bass line that is a solo anyway- bet we could think of hundreds- most notable-my generation- middle of I wish-car wash- you can call me al- strangely enough they are all pretty short ( as it should be ). Dont mention everything is everything live!! I always think a bass solo is best where you are basically playing the line with a couple of small changes- concentrating on keeping the groove. Mr Wooten is very very right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 [quote name='discreet' timestamp='1320885284' post='1432896'] The electric bass is not a solo instrument, IMHO (puts on crash helmet and gets in cupboard under stairs). [/quote] +1, and neither is a drum kit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 mind you come to think of it I do a bass solo in the Hives Hate to Say I Told You So, but I just do what I do in the rest of the song but on my own, does that count? or even make sense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I look at it this way: I was in Amsterdam a while ago with some friends, and we were watching one of those street entertainers who do the football tricks, and every so often he'd pass the ball to one of the audience, who would try to do a trick and invariably look silly. He flicked it to my friend, who caught the ball and rolled it back to him, shrugged and said "I'm a keeper." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 (edited) [quote name='thumperbob 2002' timestamp='1320933077' post='1433371'] yeah- its ok to solo a bass line that is a solo anyway- bet we could think of hundreds- most notable-my generation- middle of I wish-car wash- you can call me al- strangely enough they are all pretty short ( as it should be ). [/quote] Yes, these kind of small bass parts are very effective, long drawn out bass solos lose me, but I get a thrill out of a few bars where everything drops and the bass does a little fill or the like Having said that, once round a 12 bar for the bass and drums at a live gig with an engaged audience always goes down well Edited November 10, 2011 by lojo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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