chris_b Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 [quote name='molan' timestamp='1349390101' post='1825865'] ....I often play totally different parts at rehearsals and ask bands which version they prefer, most days I just get a totally blank look.... [/quote] I've played in that band....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Nobody ever really notices, but you can make them move/dance/listen differently if you're creative enough with your rhythms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sub_Drop Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I tend to learn the exact part (if times allows me too) and then depending on what the rest of the band do I usually change dynamics and register more than changing notes and rhythms although I do play with the rhythm from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltyG565 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 i don't play many gigs, but i pick songs i like (mostly red hot chili peppers songs) and i figure out some parts, look up tabs for others, and perfect it by playing it a few times a week for a very long time. i can play a fair few flea basslines as they are on the album. I do it mostly to build up skill and technique, and to have fun and play along with the track. I don't do it to impress or prove anything, because as i said, i don't play many gigs. I can imagine though that when i get on stage, things would become a little bit more..... mickey mouse, for lack of a better term. and of course, you have to improvise a little, don't you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ern500evo Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 [quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1349393504' post='1825910'] I've played in that band....! [/quote] I think most of us have...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 most of the time audiences don't know whether it's the original bass line or not, but they do know if a band as a whole sounds good or not, although they don't know why, and that's the important thing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehux Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 As has been said before - unless you sh1t yourself and then burst into flames on stage, no-one notices the bass player (or what they play) i get the basics right and then add a bit of stuff that makes me happy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbayne Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 [quote name='davehux' timestamp='1349429556' post='1826127'] As has been said before - unless you sh1t yourself and then burst into flames on stage, no-one notices the bass player (or what they play) [/quote] Agreed, unless the bass stops playing, then it sounds empty. As I found out when I stepped on the jack lead and pulled it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 [quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1349431192' post='1826154'] Agreed, unless the bass stops playing, then it sounds empty. As I found out when I stepped on the jack lead and pulled it out! [/quote] I played one gig where we played the lovely 'Play That Funky Music' and in the interval our lead singer came up to me and said how much he loved what I did in the section after the guitar solo and that I should definitely do whatever it was more in the future as it really added to the dynamics of the song. I'd actually decided to not play anything at all & let the drums carry the rhythm to create a bit of 'space' in the song. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 They're just a bunch of notes. I learn them. Then I play them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Yes, I try to - I even try and get the same feel as the original by playing pick or fingerstyle to match, or playing a detuned 4-string rather than a 5-string (for low C or C# for instance) to get the feel of open strings ringing out in riffs. Like many I can't guarantee to get all the fills in the exact same order on Sweet Chile... I hear many bass players in covers bands missing out tricky bits or playing parts in the wrong octave. Those differences might not stand out on their own but when everyone in the band is playing very close to the original it really does make a difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 If the bass line is intrinsic then I'll get it right and play it straight, recently learnt Babooshka for instance, gotta get that right for any bass nerds in the audience. What normally happens is I'll learn the bass line, but then it ends up becoming more 'me' with ghost notes, pauses, glissandos, whatever. TBH a lot depends on how the drummer is playing it as I'll try to accent anything they are adding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Most of the time it depends on what the drummer plays. If he's a four to the floor merchant you're going to be severly limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lojo Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 I try to learn the exact line for most songs,including all variations/fills etc, often I'll listen to live versions on you tube which adds more ideas, and sonetimes gives a better way of playing live over radio versions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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