Get off my bassline, keyboard player!

[aerodyne precision]

Maybe it's just me being paranoid, but is anyone else in a band where the kbd player tries to take over the bassline? Perhaps he should find something else to do with his left hand....an octave higher, poss!

[BassPimp66]

I got that a lot with some of the funk band I played in. It's usually a mess sharing the same part of the frequency spectrum.
KEYBOARDIST STAY AWAY !!!

Edited October 3, 2012 by BassPimp66

[Wooks79]

Totally had this, you turn away for a second and next thing you know, there's synth bass stuff going on in 'MY' space!

[deepbass5]

Been there. just need to let them know your not after the Warsaw piano concerto. just the string and brass fills on the left hand.

[musophilr]

I got accused of that recently (I play guitar & keys in this band). There were some unpleasant noise coming out front and it was alleged that this was the result of beat frequencies between the lower end of my keyboard part and what the bass player was doing. Turned out to be the other guitarist's amplifier farting in the bass register

However I quite sympathise ... bass and keys are quite capable of contradicting each other and we have to be careful to leave each other some space. I took the view that in this song the lower end of my keys part was nowhere near as essential as the electric bass part, so I dropped it completely. It was then that the aforementioned nasty noise didn't go away and they "forgave" me.

Edited October 3, 2012 by musophilr

[Happy Jack]

Put an ad on Gumtree for a one-armed keyboard player.

It needs to be the right arm, of course ...

[arthurhenry]

This only happens with poor/lazy keyboard players who haven't learnt the part properly.

[Wooks79]

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1349280760' post='1824249']
This only happens with poor/lazy keyboard players who haven't learnt the part properly.
[/quote]

I don't agree with that, in my experience some of the best parts came out of the keys treading on my toes, just made my job harder, so I didn't get to be a lazy bassist!

[51m0n]

This is what high pass filters were invented for.....

[BassPimp66]

This keyboardist deserves the death penalty ... the blasphemy starts around 30s

http://youtu.be/R-803w-jA7M

[JTUK]

It is just ignorant of that player... be it a gtr or keys or..??
Tell them once and then get rid of them..

[chris_b]

I've had to tell several keyboard players that "there's only room for one bass player in this band"!

It always surprises me that these players don't hear the mess they're making.

Edited October 3, 2012 by chris_b

[Jus Lukin]

-

Edited February 16, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[risingson]

The issue sometimes with keys players is that they can fill a lot of space, especially with Rhodes-style sounds that really tend to thicken out in the low end. As long as there is a good spacial awareness with every player in a band then it is a problem that can quite easily be overcome. The thing to remember is that we don't just occupy one bit of low end as bassists, we can overlap with guitarists and keyboard players as well.

[essexbasscat]

I've opened two threads on BC in the last two years on this very topic.

[rogerstodge]

We don't do keys

[ogri]

my guitarist cannot seem to stop himself playing along to me few seconds of glory in "my generation" sometimes, when hes "flying"..but then thats guitarists innit..

[nottswarwick]

We have a bassy sounding guitarist. No need for it.

[ezbass]

On the odd occasion I feel an intrusion into my space by our very talented keyboard player a playful "I wil f*#<ing cut it off!" does the trick

[Schnozzalee]

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibUbIyska9k"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibUbIyska9k[/url]

[gelfin]

I played in a band where keys were a pain. So when an acoustic piano was being used I screwed down the top flap and filled the rear of the piano with felt.
When she used an electric piano / synth it was through the PA, which is mine and I control it, not much LF getting through.

[Lord Sausage]

We used to have the greatest keyboard player in our band. He was class but he only played with one hand. He said his left hand was "for smoking and drinking!"

Legend

[Gareth Hughes]

Speak up fellow bass brethren. Change doesnt come if we say nothing. Last time this happened to me, on a Michael Buble type loungy gig, the low end from the pianist (who booked me) was so great that I just stopped playing and began flapping my arms up and on the ! and 3 until it caught his attention. Only then did he notice how much he'd stepped into 'my' space. Gotta let them know!!!

[ironside1966]

If what the keyboard player is doing works then its fine, there is nothing wrong with a keyboard doubled bass line when needed or parts that complement each other. Don't feel threatened if the keyboard player comes out with a better bass line then you just go do what is best for the song, whatever you do it needs to be extra tight and well thought out because low notes can soon clash and sound muddy. High pass filters can work but it is far better to fix the arrangement then the mix every time.

[daz]

[quote name='gelfin' timestamp='1349299296' post='1824561']
I played in a band where keys were a pain. So when an acoustic piano was being used I screwed down the top flap and filled the rear of the piano with felt.
When she used an electric piano / synth it was through the PA, which is mine and I control it, not much LF getting through.
[/quote]
now that's what I call good thinking.