Leemarc Ferguson Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 So fellow bass players....... Do you think bass players should take lead roles in a band like lead guitarists or should a bass playing stay very much as the support/foundation in a band? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 [quote name='Leemarc Ferguson' timestamp='1321632075' post='1441469'] So fellow bass players....... Do you think bass players should take lead roles in a band like lead guitarists or should a bass playing stay very much as the support/foundation in a band? [/quote] People can do whatever they want (or the band wants) but I'm in the rhythm section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ancient Mariner Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 Would the WHO have worked with Bill Wyman on bass? How would the Beatles have sounded if they'd had Jack Bruce instead of Paul McCartney? There's no right answer - only appropriate or inappropriate playing. However i think that *most* bands would function best with a bass player that holds everything down instead of wailing away with one foot on the monitor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wil Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I really don't think bass is suited as a lead instrument. It's expressive, sure, but as expressive as a voice, guitar, violin, trumpet, piano? I don't think it's quite up there. I love bass because of the way it glues everything else together, and there certainly ways to be innovative and melodic while doing this. In terms of timbre and range though, for me using bass in a lead context is putting a square peg in a round hole. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 I'd always avoid soloing but that doesn't at all mean that the bass can't be melodic, can't play harmonies, and can't stand out from the rhythm section at the right moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeBrownBass Posted November 18, 2011 Share Posted November 18, 2011 It depends on the gig. If its a jazz gig and there's space for the bass to come out & take that lead position then go ahead & do it. If it's a pop gig, sit back down & do what your there to do. It's all relative to the context in which your playing again. No right or wrong answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bassman7755 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I like stuff where the bass playing is showcased such as stu hamms solo albums but I find stanley clark style widdley lead on bass a complete turn off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eddiehoffmann Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 The only thing more boring than a drum solo is a bass solo, hehehe! Speaking in general, that's my view. Obviously there's been very few exceptions, again in my view. Nothing more beautiful than a drummer and a bass player just grooving together like a well oiled machine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 [quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1321971876' post='1444943'] I like stuff where the bass playing is showcased such as stu hamms solo albums but I find stanley clark style widdley lead on bass a complete turn off. [/quote] That's the difference between the rights and wrongs of the concept vs the rights and wrongs of the execution. In my experience, the bass lacks the subtle expressiveness of most traditional lead instruments and, whilst there are exceptional players out there doing incredible things as the featured voice in an ensemble, these are often novelty acts that offer little outside of the bass community. I personally believe that a lot of music is made or broken by a great arrangement and the choice of the lead voice is central to that. I woudl rarely caat a bass as the lead voice as it generally lacks finesse and colour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 (edited) I had a thread on this somewhere! ............Ah! here it is http://basschat.co.uk/topic/159954-oh-no-not-a-bass-solo/page__hl__bass%20solo Edited November 22, 2011 by Hobbayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 I think the answers so far about cover it. I prefer the bass to act in support but that doesn't suit every genre or every band Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Taking a solo on Bass, and a Bass playing a tune are two different animals for me. Plenty of examples of nice fretless or Upright players taking/playing a lyrical tune over some sensitive backing, You don't have to be a technical genius to do that, but have a good ear for melodic phrasing. Its the player that gets a Bass solo a bad name, not knowing how to construct and build a solo, but just flying around modes and scales without really getting from A to B with any meaningful melodic or rhythmic context. So if you are confident in doing it, why not ? Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 (edited) I like to think its best to ask Les for the answer to this question [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4OhIU-PmB8[/media] Although its hard to know for sure whether its Les or Tim who is actually leading the groove on this one IMO.... Edited November 22, 2011 by 51m0n Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skol303 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Depends purely on context and genre in my opinion... If you take in account modern electronic music, there are plenty of styles in which bass is [u]the[/u] lead instrument - e.g. dubstep and drum'n'bass. If you're thinking about this from a more 'traditional' point of view, then there are still plenty of examples where bass plays a central role in shaping the overall sound. For example: I can't imagine Weather Report without Jaco; or early Metallica without Cliff Burton. Generally speaking, the issue of whether bass [i]should[/i] be used a lead instrument isn't something that has a definite right or wrong answer. In most cases the likely answer is perhaps "no" - the lead role is maybe better reserved for guitars, synths, brass, digeridoos, whatever - but there are plenty of examples where bass has been used as a lead instrument to great effect. So it's yes and no! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 22, 2011 Share Posted November 22, 2011 Good evening, all... There's the visual aspect, or 'showmanship', to be considered, perhaps. The French band 'Marcel et son Orchestre' springs to mind, with their bassist, Bouli... [attachment=93612:Marc_Bass_Boul.jpg] He (yes, it's a 'he'...) certainly keeps the band locked together, and could well be considered a 'frontman'. Not so much solo bass, but not a shy character on stage, by any means. Just my tuppence worth... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted November 23, 2011 Share Posted November 23, 2011 I think it's partly an evolutionary thing. Our ears/brains have developed to mostly listen to each other talking, so that's the frequency range we're best able to distinguish. In a busy room for example, you can still pick out what your mate is saying, and the same goes for a busy horn section. Once you go into bass territory though, more than one makes things annoying. I'm not sure how this leads to the fact that I love a good bit of solo double bass, but not bass guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noojb Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 personally i think that the bassists primary role is to keep the groove. If you're soloing and licking away and losing the groove then i think it's kind of not doing your job right as a bassist. but then again it can work and it's all down to personal opinion! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted November 27, 2011 Share Posted November 27, 2011 I think it`s what the song requires that determines how the bass should be playing, plus, what the other instruments are playing. I think Entwhistle could do what he did in The Who because Townsend wasn`t overly fiddly. In effect, the two instruments seemed to take on each others role. Whereas Cliff Williams in AC/DC - well if he was a lead bass player he would destroy what the band is about. For me personally, I like the bass (and drums) keeping it tight and powerful, providing good foundations for the guitars/keys/vocs to do their thing on top, and provide the melodies/hooks. After all, in general, it`s these instruments that people listen to, so I prefer to assist, rather than obstruct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wylie Posted November 29, 2011 Share Posted November 29, 2011 Someone said about The Who that there were three lead instruments ... and Entwhistle on 'The Real Me' manages to solo and keep the groove at the same time. But generally, I prefer the bass on the bottom. So many bass solos sound sweated-out and over effortful -- a telling quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 [url="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XqxixMlclzs"]http://www.youtube.c...bed/XqxixMlclzs[/url] Takeshi Ueda I would say is a lead bassist, but shares the lead role appropriatly with the guitarist. Lead bass to me isn't necerssarily niggling and solo'ing throuigh out, it having a more prominent bass sound as the focal point. Also the bassist isnt following what the guitarist is doing, like Primus, RATM and so many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 [quote name='JakeBrownBass' timestamp='1321643033' post='1441638'] It depends on the gig. If its a jazz gig and there's space for the bass to come out & take that lead position then go ahead & do it. If it's a pop gig, sit back down & do what your there to do. It's all relative to the context in which your playing again. No right or wrong answer. [/quote] *you're Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rOB Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 [quote name='lowdown' timestamp='1321976700' post='1445035'] Taking a solo on Bass, and a Bass playing a tune are two different animals for me. [/quote] [quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1322993290' post='1457923'] Lead bass to me isn't necerssarily niggling and solo'ing throuigh out, it having a more prominent bass sound as the focal point. Also the bassist isnt following what the guitarist is doing, like Primus, RATM and so many others. [/quote] Hear hear I think its important to distinguish between a lead instrument and an instrument taking a solo. Bass solos often (but not always) fall foul of the issues raised above but most of my favorite rock bands (apologies for my lack of knowledge of other genres) use bass as a prominent instrument that doesn't always play the same as the guitar part. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 [quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1322994646' post='1457940'] *you're [/quote] the one that I want....... ooh ooh ooh...... Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alfie Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Bass should definitely be prominent, that doesn't necessarily equate to lead lines or widdleyness. The most important things is that the bass sits prominently in the mix, I really hate it when soundmen think that the bass should be barely audible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AttitudeCastle Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 I HATE the term "Lead bass" like when in interviews people say "I was asked to play lead bass" or "I took a lead bass point of view" If you're playing the bass, and you're the only one you're the 'lead' bass player. I know what people mean by it but it annoys me! (I do seem like an arse =S ) Do you want it's your music, if it "fits" (fits being sounding how you want and what not) then do it. There is no right or wrong. Though having the bass act as 'another guitar' is what i do, i love it's abilty to mimic a guitar lick an octave below, carry on the groove below it or go above it. I love the sonic range of the bass guitar, same reason i play Bass trombone and tuba and sing Bass (when i can sing baritone and lower tenor parts) i find that area of pitch my home and where i relate the most. Everyone is different. If you like what i do and appreciate it and enjoy it great, if you don't cool, go do your own thing and listen to what you enjoy! It's music and that's why we love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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