Woodinblack Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 53 minutes ago, EliasMooseblaster said: I guess for the "pub band" situation, the key is make the bass solo part of the entertainment. My Generation is a great example of how to do it, where the bass solos are snappy, two-bar breaks which work as a call-and-response between the bass and the rest of the band. If you changed that out for a full 32-bar break for the bass player to go through his/her whole book of chops, then you'd lose that pace and the queue for the bar would probably grow quite quickly. How about an 8 bar solo in Smooth Operator? TBH, any solo out of context is deeply unnecessary in almost every circumstance. I remember in the 80s when we use to go and see rock gigs down the guildhall, there would alwyas be a drum solo so you could go to the bar or to the loos until it was over (in fact, I think that is often what the band did), but it is not much more entertaining if the guitarist does it either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12stringbassist Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 An audience just wants THE BASS FUNCTION from the bassist. Groove Bottom end Melody 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 They expect bass to be there but not generally in your face whereas the singer and guitarist should be out there showing off what they don't have or can't do while the bass and drums hold it all rock steady. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringNavigator Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 (edited) 3 hours ago, 12stringbassist said: An audience just wants THE BASS FUNCTION from the bassist... That's it. BASS FUNCTION ***Long winded, fireside chat, retired BP ALERT!*** I recollect being 13 years old at a couple of high school dances... a band playing at a motorcycle dealership... Frankie Vallee And the Four Seasons playing at a downtown square for free where I noticed the Yamaha electric piano more than anything else ... I hadn't yet picked up the bass so all I knew was the combined sound of the band. I knew what drums were, guitars and the vocals. But I had no idea what the bass was or what it was doing. I never noticed the four heavy strings, long neck and bigger amp. I think I knew what a tuba was and the double bass in an orchestra because of their unusual appearance. The bass just seemed to be another guitar, slung and played like a guitar and manufactured to look like a guitar. Indistinguishable.... Transistor radios and phonographs could not reproduce the bass. I "sensed" the bass from the old wooden radios/stereos with the 12" speaker without knowing what it was. Also, those jukeboxes in restaurants. More of a curious vibration than a sound. Motown's James Jamerson and later Paul McCartney... Talk Talk by the music machine. Only when I wanted to reproduce that sound, did I find out more. A friend just happened to have a Hofner Beatle bass. I tried it and was hooked. Off to the pawnshop for a $50 Japanese bass. Bass kept my sanity at times as life's demands took over. My point is that most people are like I was at 13, when it comes to the bass. Blissfully unaware of the instrument, but grooving on it's sound. Western music needs a bass line and people expect it. People are more focused on their dance partner and their surroundings and unusual things that a band may do. Their life focus is on their job, politics, family and friends... They know as much about the bass as most people know about carburetors... as long as the car goes, they're happy. Tell them about the carb and their eyes gloss over as their consciousness slips away and they end up at McDonald's. I'm not being insulting, but the reality of 99% of us does not include the Fender Precision bass with heavy gauge strings and a 15" speaker cab. As 12stringbassist said, BASS FUNCTION. The rest is of concern only to the BP... and guitards who think they can play bass because they can play guitar. (I just recently had a guitard send me a sample of his very lame version/arrangement of Heat Wave/Linda Ronstadt with him playing his non-descript bass. I was to play his Bowdlerised version exactly note for note. I found out it was him when I said the BP on the sample was stiff and weak. Let me handle it, I said. Well, I'm on the loose again looking for a new band. Edited October 16, 2018 by StringNavigator 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maude Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 Pyrotechnics, that's what audiences want, pyrotechnics. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted October 16, 2018 Share Posted October 16, 2018 1 minute ago, Maude said: Pyrotechnics, that's what audiences want, pyrotechnics. I thought they were all universities now...? 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 free beer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted October 23, 2018 Author Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) 41 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said: free beer I think you have stumbled on the correct answer. Just to a different question! 🍺 Edited October 23, 2018 by Al Krow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 When it comes to bass, I'm reminded of this, as a wise man once said; 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisisswanbon Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 I always get surprised how many people look to me for the bass 'solo' in Kasabian's Club Foot. Yes, it's a bass heavy tune, but with the amount of drive piled on I always assumed the un-initiated would think it was guitar; yet every time, it's all eyes on me before I've hit the first note of it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 6 minutes ago, thisisswanbon said: I always get surprised how many people look to me for the bass 'solo' in Kasabian's Club Foot. Yes, it's a bass heavy tune, but with the amount of drive piled on I always assumed the un-initiated would think it was guitar; yet every time, it's all eyes on me before I've hit the first note of it! The bass players 2 mins of stardom every night I'm now gonna have to youtube that song to hear the solo you're talking about Have you ever made a mistake in it tho ? Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said: The bass players 2 mins of stardom every night I'm now gonna have to youtube that song to hear the solo you're talking about Have you ever made a mistake in it tho ? Dave That's quite a catchy wee song. Liking the bass too altho a bit too heavy on the fuzz for me. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeswals Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) On 15/10/2018 at 09:18, Woodinblack said: How about an 8 bar solo in Smooth Operator? the genius there is the rest of the band doesn't stop playing; guitar still keep a pumping rhythm you can bob your head to, drum accents, keys keep chords going. What irritates me is most of the time a bass solo the whole bands completely drops out to nothing but a snare hit. then you have a mood killer. Edited October 23, 2018 by mikeswals 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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