What makes a good bassist?

[Jonny Boots]

Just looking for opinions on this not for a list of the greatest. I've only been playing for 3 years, am self taught & have recorded 2 albums, played lots of gigs including large festivals. Admittedly the stuff I play is simple, it's Oi!/punk music, yet I'm happy with my skill levels. I've watched the 'greats' & am impressed but the guys I look up to play heavier stuff, Steve Harris, Cliff Burton, John Paul Jones etc. One of the best, in my humble opinion, is a guy called Irish Rob from the Exploited, fast & furious music but more than just the dum-dum-dum-dum I play. So in others opinions what makes a good bassist?

[AndyTravis]

Some people have said to me, the “best” bassist is the kind you will only miss when they stop playing. That’s in a band setting.

Also in a band setting, I’ve had a songwriter base songs from stuff I’ve been doing - to add tension in a song I’d do a little run of notes and he’d get the rest of the band to follow it. I can send you a link to that song if that helps? He also walked in on me doing volume swells with harmonics one day, and wrote an entire song around it. He said I was “the best bassist” - for him. I’d equate that version of “best” to the likes of McCartney - an integral part of the band’s “sound”.

And then there’s “best” with the idea that music is a sport, and you’re all technique and party tricks. That to me is fun but ultimately futile because there’s always a bit flashier, faster or more technically gifted - and The musicality takes a walk the flashier you get.

But I’ve done that route too - and just allows you to develop tools for the second type of “best” bass player.

The reality is, the “best” bass players are the ones who are paying their mortgages by playing bass and not stuck for a job.

The rest of us humble mortals got day jobs and are now too entrenched in “real life” to make the jump into a job as a professional musician.

I sold a bass to a guy once who was a “pro” and reeled off an impressive CV, but when he played the bass to check it over...I couldn’t believe how sloppy and amateur it all sounded. But fair play to the guy - he was a busy man...

Whatever “best” is, it’s whatever makes you happy and sits well in the music you’re involved in.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2018 by AndyTravis

[DaveFry]

Ears.
It is no coincidence that many Producers are/were bassists .

[AndyTravis]

40 minutes ago, DaveFry said:

Ears.
It is no coincidence that many Producers are/were bassists .

I have 2 😉

[Hobbayne]

I would say discipline. Cliff Williams fom AC/DC is known for his simple 8th note power basslines.

Many people (Myself included) tend to get bored and start embellishing and overplaying when they dont need to.

It takes discipline to play whats needed without over doing it.

[TheGreek]

Timing...when they're playing and when they're leaving space.

There's a chapter in Victor Wooten's book, The Music lesson (I have on CD as well as the book) all about this. Really eye opening - telling you what you already knew but didn't realise.

[mikel]

Not to be flippant  but a person who is good at playing bass with others would do it.

[tauzero]

Able to listen to the drummer to lock in.

Able to listen to the guitar/keys if playing anything other than root notes, so the fills/grace notes don't sound out of tune.

Able to listen to the song to get dynamics and the right level of complexity.

Able to get the products of that listening back out from your head and into your fingers without exceeding your skill level. This may mean working on your skill level, of course.

[Coilte]

1 hour ago, TheGreek said:

Timing.

Plus 1. IMO this is the single most required "must have " of any "good" bassist. Following close on it's heels I would put having the ability to listen to whats going on around you in a band and to respond accordingly. In other words...playing what the song or piece of music requires...no more...no less. 

[neilp]

Lack of ego, swing and ability to listen

[Rayman]

In a band?

Be nice, be on time, and most of all been IN time. like Andy said above, it's about being missed when you stop playing. I see bass as another part of the percussion, like a drum with tones. There's no need for fancy schmancy gymnastics, just groove with the drummer, make people dance, keep it simple, and always be cool.

At home?

Who gives a ****

[PawelG]

4 hours ago, Hobbayne said:

I would say discipline. Cliff Williams fom AC/DC is known for his simple 8th note power basslines.

Many people (Myself included) tend to get bored and start embellishing and overplaying when they dont need to.

It takes discipline to play whats needed without over doing it.

I love the craftsmanship behind this. He always said that he knows his place and he’s doing his job the best he can. The engine of AC/DC. And he does fills too... like 2-3 per gig.

[Lozz196]

I’d say the easy answer to this, in respect of being a bassist in a band is playing what the songs require, with a sound that fits what the band requires. Much like Cliff Williams as mentioned above. Of course there are many other aspects but getting these right to me have to be the priority.

[dannybuoy]

#1 Timing. You need to lock in with the drummer, and pay attention to note length as well. I've heard tracks ruined by the bassist playing short syncopated notes when they would sound better held longer, or vice versa. Also don't go for flashy fills if it means you lose the groove.

#2 Variation and a good ear for what to play and when. Sometimes you need to play exactly what the guitars are playing, sometimes you need to pound root notes, sometimes you need to outline the chords, sometimes you echo phrases from the drums, guitars or vocals, other times you just play something totally different.

[arthurhenry]

The motivation and discipline to play, play, play and play. The more you play, the better you'll get. If it's not part of your daily routine, forget it.

[Norris]

On 20/10/2018 at 14:16, tauzero said:

Able to listen to the drummer to lock in

This ^^^. Do whatever you like that fits the music, but lock in with the drummer 

[gjones]

All the best musicians have 'feel'. Which is a difficult quality to define.

Those with feel are not necessarily the most technically adept, and those who are technically adept, may not always have feel.

 

.

Edited October 21, 2018 by gjones

[Cicero]

Knowing when to ask for more cowbell.

[clunkie66]

On 20/10/2018 at 20:39, arthurhenry said:

The motivation and discipline to play, play, play and play. The more you play, the better you'll get. If it's not part of your daily routine, forget it.

+1 on that: I work at home mainly and I try and pick up my bass every few hours, even if it's for a 5 min screen break. As a new(ish) player, that's helped me no end.

[PaulWarning]

I know what like in a bassist, and that's being able to hear all the notes and not just and indistinct low end rumble, which happens a lot

[Barking Spiders]

IMO a good bass player is one who makes the bass look cool enough for non-players to want to take it up.  That may sound facile but when I was young it was never  jazz fusion virtuosos that made me wanna play bass but JJ Burnel. JJ made bass playing look cool. For me noodly fusion players made it look as hip as the oboe. Just my view you understand.

[Muzz]

2 hours ago, Cicero said:

Knowing when to ask for more cowbell.

And knowing when to ask for less cowbell. And the ability to tell the difference.

Oh, and erm, thingy...timing. Damn.

 

PS With all due respect (and heartfelt sympathy) to any lurking oboe players, 'as hip as the oboe' has now gone straight into my Top Drawer. Chapeau. 🙂

[Jonny Boots]

2 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

IMO a good bass player is one who makes the bass look cool enough for non-players to want to take it up.  That may sound facile but when I was young it was never  jazz fusion virtuosos that made me wanna play bass but JJ Burnel. JJ made bass playing look cool. For me noodly fusion players made it look as hip as the oboe. Just my view you understand.

I agree with this, especially the jazz fusion virtuosos bit!

[cheddatom]

A lot of these qualities are needed to be a good musician on any instrument IMO. Everyone should have good timing and be able to lock in with each other. Everyone should be able to tailor their sound to fit the music and each other. You should notice if any of the band suddenly stop playing. Everyone should be performing or "putting on a show" 

I was discussing a drummer with a mutual friend the other day. They said he was great at loud rock music but couldn't do anything more delicate. IMO that makes him a bad musician (or at best average)

[MacDaddy]

It all depends.

There is a train of thought that Sid Vicious was the epitome of the bass guitarist. 

Another would suggest Jaco Pastorius. 

Has anyone ever been at a gig and heard (a non-musician) someone say 'they're a good bass player!'.