Getting better at blues bass

[AntLockyer]

I think I might be in a bit of a rut with my blues playing. I play at a jam once a week and hugely enjoy it. The first couple of months I improved massively but now I'm just not sure what to work on. Any ideas? The one thing I struggle with is the odd occasion once every couple of weeks when I get a solo. To be honest that is not my primary concern though, I just want to be the guy that sits in the pocket, gives a great groove and highlights the soloists properly.

Constructive criticism is welcome from these vids.

Standard walking type stuff
http://youtu.be/7Yc9WhvL-ew

Messin with the kid
http://youtu.be/yNfuFGudtOw

Funky shuffle
http://youtu.be/3iZmX0cX9ig

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to get to a great standard (and the blues is what I really want to excel at).

[Roland Rock]

That sounds really good. I often encounter overweight-bandanaclad-solostoolong type blues jams, but this is refreshing.
I would buy a few funky-Jemmott-era BB King CDs and play along. There is a wealth of superb inventive playing there. Live and well and Completely Well spring to mind.

[Geek99]

Amazon do a Mel bay "famous blues bass" book and cd which really helped me

[AntLockyer]

Completely well is now pumping out courtesy of spotify. Geek99 is this the book? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Famous-Blues-Bass-Lines-QWIKGUIDE/dp/0786648325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394446319&sr=8-1&keywords=famous+blues+bass

[KevB]

Picked up thisTommy Shannon instructional DVD several years back when I was in a blues/rock band, worth a look. It was only £3 in the bargain bin in a music shop but there are S/H copies via Amazon for not much more;

[url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tommy-Shannon-Double-Trouble-Bass/dp/B000RC1FDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394447373&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+shannon"]http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tommy-Shannon-Double-Trouble-Bass/dp/B000RC1FDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394447373&sr=8-1&keywords=tommy+shannon[/url]

[AntLockyer]

Cheers Kev, bought a copy.

[smaz]

Try to attend more than just the one jam night if possible - attending one you can get stuck playing the same songs with the same musicians. I attend 2 jams a month, plus one or two others whenever I get the chance - the different musicians, styles & songs keeps me on my toes.

There's some blues backing tracks available here without bass for messing with ideas:
http://www.freejamtracks.com/79-jam-tracks-for-bass.html

[Highfox]

Sounds good to me.
I'm in about the same boat with my Blues band. Only started playing Blues about a year ago.
Getting a lot if inspiration from seeing Norman Watt-Roy and Wilko the other month. I'm trying to up my work rate a bit on some songs, with a few more passing notes and melodies.. It's also what you leave out that gives a great feel.

[Lee Carter]

Plenty of vids from my blues Jam [url="http://www.youtube.com/user/Fridayhouseofblues"]here [/url]if you want a few ideas, and some form a [url="http://www.youtube.com/user/hothobbluesjam"]friends jam[/url]. I find playing with as many people as possible really helps with developing ones lines, no two jam leaders will play a tune the same way and it's a great way to learn how to subtlety change existing lines to fit.

Incidentally, don't worry too much about soloing on blues numbers, my job is to keep the groove rolling not kill it. I find a polite shake of the head works wonders when someone points at me for a solo ;-)

Edited March 10, 2014 by Lee Carter

[Geek99]

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1394446357' post='2391299']
Completely well is now pumping out courtesy of spotify. Geek99 is this the book? http://www.amazon.co.uk/Famous-Blues-Bass-Lines-QWIKGUIDE/dp/0786648325/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394446319&sr=8-1&keywords=famous+blues+bass
[/quote]
Yep - that's the one
I found it quite inspiring and not a bank breaker either. Also recommend Jon liebmans book and the Ed friedland one

[BigRedX]

IME the best way to get more comfortable playing a genre you're not familiar with is to immerse yourself in the music - both playing and listening. The more you hear and play the more you get a feel for what to do.

[AntLockyer]

Will search out some other jams. Went to a couple and they were less blues than I would have liked and didn't have a good vibe. There is one that Dennis Greaves puts on in Geenwich each month. Will check that out.

Loads of good tips thanks.

[Happy Jack]

[quote name='Lee Carter' timestamp='1394449282' post='2391341']

Incidentally, don't worry too much about soloing on blues numbers, my job is to keep the groove rolling not kill it. I find a polite shake of the head works wonders when someone points at me for a solo ;-)
[/quote]

Damned right.

There are plenty of Basschatters who are ardent solo-players, I'm sure, but I'll bet you'd find that they are vastly out-numbered by those who have never played a solo and never will.

My bass-playing heroes are James Jamerson, Duck Dunn and Paul McCartney. See how many bass solos those three contributed during their entire careers.

[gjones]

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1394445211' post='2391284']
I think I might be in a bit of a rut with my blues playing. I play at a jam once a week and hugely enjoy it. The first couple of months I improved massively but now I'm just not sure what to work on. Any ideas? The one thing I struggle with is the odd occasion once every couple of weeks when I get a solo. To be honest that is not my primary concern though, I just want to be the guy that sits in the pocket, gives a great groove and highlights the soloists properly.

Constructive criticism is welcome from these vids.

Standard walking type stuff
[media]http://youtu.be/7Yc9WhvL-ew[/media]

Messin with the kid
[media]http://youtu.be/yNfuFGudtOw[/media]

Funky shuffle
[media]http://youtu.be/3iZmX0cX9ig[/media]

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'd love to get to a great standard (and the blues is what I really want to excel at).
[/quote]

Roscoe Beck's Blues lesson videos are fantastic. If you can find his 'Blues Foundations' video on DVD you'll be set for anything those guitarists throw at you. I've been playing blues for years and he gave me lots of great ideas. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-bxHMnbYI0[/media]

Edited March 10, 2014 by gjones

[Grangur]

I've found this book good:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Blues-Bass-Complete-Full-Band-Builders/dp/0793586682/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1394454774&sr=1-2&keywords=blues+bass

It has loads of blues lines, turn-arounds, ends and about 20 solos too.

[AntLockyer]

I've worked through the Liebman book and Ed Friedland's one too.

[Matt P]

if you want a free resorce you could try [url="http://www.dodgebass.co.uk/transcriptions-2/publications"]http://www.dodgebass.co.uk/transcriptions-2/publications[/url] i'ver downloaded these and they're great!

i must point out that i am friends with DodgeBass though so might be slightly biased! (he's also giving me lessons at the moment although these are being paid for)

Dodge is also a Member on here.

Matt

[AntLockyer]

Thank you for that. Should keep me busy for a while and help my reading too.

[Coilte]

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1394455322' post='2391450']
I've worked through the Liebman book and Ed Friedland's one too.
[/quote]

IMO with blues especially, there is only so much academic learning that you can do. After that, it is a matter of [i]listening[/i] to as many blues artists as possible. Some suggestions I would give are Buddy Guy, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (John McVie's work here is very under estimated IMO), Freddy/Albert/BB King and Johnny Winter...to name a few.

[AntLockyer]

thanks, I listen to blues 90% of the time. I guess paying more attention and working out what is happening is something I don't do enough of though.

[Coilte]

[quote name='AntLockyer' timestamp='1394465289' post='2391604']
I guess paying more attention and working out what is happening is something I don't do enough of though.
[/quote]

Yeah, that's what I'm getting at. Listen closely, imitate, then "borrow" what you need to make up your own bass lines.

As for playing solos, I have been listening to blues for the last forty years and IME bass solos in blues are rare.

[doctorbass]

Listen to Keith Ferguson on the first 4 Fabulous Thunderbirds albums. Also his playing after that with the Tail Gators and The Solid Senders.

[smaz]

One thing I like to do is keep lines simple to start with, then try and change them up as the song progresses by adding in fills or variations. It requires a decent drummer who wants to do the same! I usually change it up during the guitar solos, try and flow with the sound & feel they've got going on.

Here's one video from a jam I go to where I start out just plodding along to Stop Messin' Around by Fleetwood Mac, but change up during the solos & end up with more of a walking line towards the end (via a VERY dodgy bass solo - I hate them too & can't do them, but it's always a laugh to try)

[media]http://youtu.be/2jcQbY3KHqE[/media]

There's plenty of videos on that channel if you fancy hunting around for ideas!

Edited March 10, 2014 by smaz

[Bloodaxe]

I went to the Pelton Arms jam yesterday & can thoroughly recommend it. The 'rules' seem to be...

No sign-in sheet, just introduce yourself to either Dennis or the other guitarist (can't remember his name - wears glasses) & be patient.

Run time is more like 6pm to 9pm with a break, but if you get there much after 5:30 your chance of grabbing a seat is virtually nil as the pub was packed. Interesting range of real ales (including a Porter) at £3.50 a pint. If you're partial to a mollusc, they were selling oysters in the beer garden. I believe crustaceans were available too.

House bassist is called Malcolm - 70s Jazz through an Ampeg head & 2 x 10 (killer little rig). He's OK about adjusting levels (very necessary with an SB ) & EQ on his amp, but I noticed that he seemed to forget to reset to his levels afterwards which meant he was a bit low in the mix. Great player, kept it on a tight rein but obviously capable of stretching out when needed.

Sit in the pocket. No flash stuff (to start anyway). Dennis was most complimentary about this tactic, but I have given him fair warning

Brush up on your nomenclature (if needed). Terms like "in from the Five" and "Quick Change" were bandied about with alacrity.

Tunes... Mostly what you'd expect, but there were a few left-field moments - brushing up on a bit of Motown probably wouldn't hurt. I got 'Work Together', 'You Ain't Nothin But Fine' and 'Nadine'.

YANBF has a twist in the chorus in that it 'pulls' & falls a note short - get it wrong & you're mullered (Same goes for Nadine if you're expecting it to be a straight I-IV-V):

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIE6wXObQaQ[/media]

A couple of others that got called were 'Heatwave' (Martha Reeves & the Vandellas) and 'How Sweet It Is' (James Taylor) - I turned down the latter as I saw a train wreck in the offing. Not sure if there's a Hendrix faction, but 'Hey Joe' made an appearance. All the Kings were represented too - 'Born Under A Bad Sign', 'Hideaway' and 'Everyday I Have The Blues'.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjPLDxe6sZQ[/media]

So... I got to back Dennis Greaves, Mark Feltham [i]and[/i] Glenn Tillbrook - woot! Next one (April 27th) is marked in the diary.

I also reckon I have a bit of homework to do.

Pete.

[JTUK]

Sounds pretty good for a blues jam night.

Track 1
The drums change ( slightly ) through the song and it only really starts swinging in the later parts.
As a section you can't be oblivious to what the drums are doing and neither can he ignore you.
For depping and jammmg, you have to get in in bar 1, pretty much, so a bit more communication
about the feel ...even the count in gives you more of a clue about how the singer wants/hears it
but he can't actually influence the way the songs goes once the count ends...

Track 2.
That song has a bass riff part to my ears so you would have been better off playing it...
as far as I know, most gtrs would demand it.

Track 3
Doesn't work... the gtrs are no help as they are just going to play what they want as it is their chance in the sun..
but, hey that is the risk at these blues jams...

The thing that would help is strong leadership from the driving player/singer of the song... but again, tough to control
for open jam nights when you play with whoevers turn it is to step up.

Edited March 31, 2014 by JTUK