Turn up the Bass!!!
The bass player is just as important as everyone else in the band. There, I said it. Many people will disagree with me, but I firmly believe it to be true. Although, I am possibly biased because I am a bass player.
But seriously, I don’t think that a lot of bands realize how integral a role the bass player can and should have in the band. Many people, including some bass players, think that the role of the bass is to just fill out the sound by playing the root notes of the guitar chord. This is not at all true. A bass player who does this is boring, uncreative, and hardly a musician at all.
There is so much depth to the bass and so much potential to bring the music to new levels with those low strings. A true bass player is one who always searches for those beautiful and dirty harmonies; one who locks on with the drums, or the guitar, or even the vocal line; one who finds their own melody and rhythm; one who is as passionate about the music as everybody else in the band. Bass players are an important chemical to the glue of a band. You skimp on that chemical, and it just won’t stick.
Your gear needs to be as good, or better than, the guitar player’s. The rule of thumb is that the bass amp should have 4 times the amount of watts as the guitar amp, because those low tones need more power to come through at the same volume as the high tones. So when I see a Marshall full stack on one side of the stage, I sure as hell don’t want to see a Peavey combo practice amp on the other side. Yeah, the sound guy can crank your volume through the PA, but you won’t be able to hear yourself on stage, and you won’t have a very nice tone. You should always be able to hear yourself on stage. If you don’t need to hear yourself, then whatever your playing is insignificant to the band.
And for crying out loud, wake the F up and entertain me! I paid good money to see your band play, don’t disappoint me with a dead-weight bass player who looks like he’s just having no fun on that stage.
Here are some great examples of bass players that break the mold, stand out, and take (took) the music to incredible levels, while not totally stealing the show: Cliff Burton (Metallica), John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Justin Chancelor (Tool), Ryan Martinie (Mudvayne), Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel), any bassist in the Jazz genre, Verdine White (Earth, Wind & Fire), Geddy Lee (Rush), and many more. Listen to these examples. Pay close attention to how they use melody, harmony, and rhythm in ways that elevate the music into masterpiece.
Be Amazing. Don’t be another boring bass player. And always strive to improve yourself, whether it be your playing, technique, (backing) vocals, or stage presence. Always be working on something. There’s no reason the bass player can’t help to get a band noticed.
Leave a comment and tell me yourfavorite bass player, and why!
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I think a good thing to add to this is that it might be difficult for a bass player who is also the lead singer to get creative and play more than just the root notes, but it MUST BE DONE!!! Oftentimes, I think the lead singer role is thrown onto the bass player because they have the “easiest job” (not true, but you know that’s the common misconception). This can be a bad move if your bass player is (a) young/inexperienced or (b) unwilling to commit him/herself fully to BOTH jobs, and the bass tracks will suffer.
From personal experience, I can say that it’s an extremely difficult job, and I’m not here to toot my own horn. I don’t think I committed enough to either task and compensated for my laziness by playing mostly root notes and throwing my body/bass around the stage. That can make for a good show, but when it comes time to record a CD, you’ve got a LOT of work to do. Granted, it’s fun work when you’re forced to concentrate on your lines. Just make sure you get it all done before you get into the studio and waste a lot of time (read: money!).
So any bass players reading this that are also lead singers, remember that this CAN BE DONE (see Geddy Lee), but you must be willing to commit yourself to TWO full-time jobs within the band.
Hey Erik! I was definitely thinking about you when I wrote this post. You were a clear example of a bass player with passion. In fact, the part in the post that says “…technique, (backing) vocals, or stage presence…” you’ll notice that I put parentheses around backing. Originally I had no parentheses there, but added them because I remembered you and how many bass players are also the lead singers. Singing and playing is extremely tough, and I respect anyone who can do both really well at the same time.
Thanks again for commenting Erik! Congrats on your wedding.
Andy
Hey, great post.
Maybe you should listen to Protest the Hero, their bassist is basically the driving force behind an already technical band. If you manage to find Bloodmeat or similar in instrumental form, then you can really hear all the things he’s doing.
insanely cool post.
this here saxophone player listens to and for the bass primarily (actually, i did take lessons on bass before picking up the saxophone, which really ’stuck’ and became my main instrument).
being more of a jazz and funk sensibility, i’d run such characters as jonathan maron (kind of obscure, but a terrific and beyond-tasteful player), bootsy collins, oteil burbridge, victor wooten, and (bowing head respectfully) jaco pastorius up the flagpole for consideration. but that’s not to suggest there’s anything lacking with your list…just a few others whose playing speaks to me, and whose work i think resonates with your thoughts here on the low end.
rock on,
dmb
@Gabriel – Thanks for the comment man! And thanks for the recommendation. That’s an INSANE band! I’ll definitely give them some good listening. I always love music recommendations, so please, EVERYBODY, leave me your suggestions!
@diembe – Thanks DMB! I also listen to TONS of jazz and funk. You mentioned several bass players that I adore, especially Jaco. I tried to keep my list of players limited to bass players who weren’t THE show, but contributed as an equal member of the band. Obviously, these guys are great to listen to for inspiration.
Rock on!
Andy
more bass solos!!
i don’t know much about music, but i do know that i like it when it’s more complex. and the bass being a deeper rhythm guitar is boring. as is the bass player who stands off to the side of the stage and looks like s/he’s been told to stay out of the way of the big kids. oh, and mentioning she bass players… throwing a hot girl a bass when she has no idea what to do with it is NOT helping your band at all. unless, of course, you’re going for the comedy angle.
I was, in a former life, a singing bass player. Yes, it was hard. But, I managed. period. It takes practice.
My 12 year old son is now studying the bass and I’m quite proud of him. His influences? Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Geddy Lee, Chris Squire, and John Paul Jones.
I hope he someday starts aq band and fronts it. He’s got a dynamic personality and is a good looking kid (gets it from his mother’s side) so, if he chooses a career in music, he’ll do well.
My fav’s? Geezer, JPJ and Larry Graham. More recently, Victor Wooten. He’s simply amazing.
Peace.
B.
Ive played guitar, drums, bass, keys…
Without a doubt, BASS is easily the HARDEST! Especially to do it well.
I never understood why every video ever made
pans away from the bassist like he will break the camera or something.
Jaco was certainly a wake up for many of us.
But with me it was Chris Squire.
And of course, Geddy.
@Jemitu – I’ve told my wife several times that if I ever find a super hot girl bass player who can actually play really well, I will have to leave her. It hasn’t happened yet.
@Bill – Singing and playing is extremely hard to do. Regardless of the instrument you’re playing. If I see a boring bass player, I’ll think more highly of them if they’re contributing nicely to the backing vocals. Sometimes a band is all about the vocals, and I understand that. My bass lines are usually pretty complex, and I still try to add backing vox as much as possible, even though I’m held back by sinus problems.
Good luck to your son! If he does join/start a band, tell him about this blog!
@Someguy – I’ve never found the bass to be difficult. I think it’s harder to be really good at it than guitar because of the string thickness. For me, the drums have always been boggling because I can’t grasp doing all those rhythms with all my appendages.
I agree whole-heartedly about the videos. In fact, I tried VERY hard to find one on Youtube that had one of the bands I mentioned. I couldn’t find anything good. The Mudvayne vids were good, but I didn’t want to post anything with swearing in it
I also adore Chris Squire
I know I’m OLD but sometimes we do have relevant observations too…
Go back to the (gasp) ’60’s and listen to Jack Casady of the Jefferson Airplane. The most powerful, driving, polyphonic bass player to ever yield a bass guitar. I love Jorma Kaukonen (Airplane/Hot Tuna), an elegant and original guitar player but, Jack is the reason the Airplane was not ridiculous. A pulp teen music magazine of the era (don’t remember which one) said that Jack Casady was the perfect musician to play at the coronation of a Mayan king (pick your earthly deity).
Spin-up “Crown of Creation” as a prime example of Casady driving the song like the atomic bomb the song is based upon. Listen to his achingly beautiful contrapuntal solo in “A Child is Coming” – found on the 1970 ‘Starship’ (the REAL Starship) album by Paul Kantner and friends. Get around the hippy-dippy stuff and there’s also some of the best Jerry Garcia solos ever recorded. Then listen to “Sunrise” – a Grace Slick pean to the blinding nature of reality. While at Wally Heider Studios in SF in 1974, the engineer told us that when Jack recorded “Sunrise” they had to shutdown the other studios due to the thunder rockin’ the block.
For delicacy, listen to his work on the first Hot Tuna album, the one recorded in Berkley if I remember right – the acoustic album – and drink-in his gobsmacking lines, song after song.
But Hey! I’m just an old Guitarist, singing praise to the bass player I’d most like to play with!
Best,
David B. Fisher
Bass playing is like anything else, if it fits the song, then it’s good. But if he (or the aforementioned hottie) is just wailing away like the 4 string version of Yng-whatever Malmsteen, then it’s ponderous.
I have been accused of playing bass like a guitar, but I was influenced by the more melodic players like Paul McCartney. The bass is most Beatle songs are an integral part of how the song flows. Not just the Michael Anthony “bang the root of the chord” method.
Another guy I really like was Joe Macre from a 70’s east coast band called Crack The Sky. Also some of the 60’s Motown session players and Family Man on the reggae side.
Also they should outlaw short scale basses.
This is awesome… I need to make sure the rest of my band sees this! I feel vindicated!
Great post!
I am not a musician, but I have always felt that the bassist is the backbone of the band. I’ve seen a few of my favorite bands lose their bassists, (due to death, drugs, the cliched terrible story), who were amazing, really doing their job & adding integrity & texture, and then they’re never the same when they replace the guy. The music never sounds as fat, the band loses some of their intangibles. Vocals, guitar — icing.
No John Entwistle (The Who) or Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers)? Come on, people!
Or maybe I just don’t know my bass players, as I’ve never played it.
no doubt an exciting bass player makes a huge difference in any band.
no one mentioned my personal favorite: MINGUS!!
Don’t forget Krist Noveselic (Nirvana).
(and that’s coming from a guitarist)
Great site, i’ve been playing bass for some time due to a man called Stu Hamm, later i heard Victor Wooten and Abraham Laboriel, then there is this guy called Jeff Berlin who’s had great clinics in Bass player magazine. I got stuck with the Bass and it was the best thing that ever happened to me as far as playin an instrument is concerned. Hope this site never goes away. Thanks guys. Bass rules.
Coming from a jazz background, I know the power of a great bass player; in modern jazz, there’s Eddie Gomez, Oscar Pettiford, and especially Charlie Mingus (who was also a great songwriter). These players made great groups even greater!
Ive been playin bass for four years and been in a band for three, we started off as a punk band but now all we play is reggae, blues, and pure rock, which can really allow a bass player to be creative. Especially reggae and dancehall because the bass becomes a leading instrument. And learning a few 12 step blues patterns are always a good thing. I mean once you can break free of the root notes and just branch off of those notes then you can really start to jam. I would have to say my favorite bassists of all time are victor wooten and les claypool, which no one has mentioned, who i saw recently at bonnaroo, which was ridiculous. Peace.
ooo and i forgot to mention phil lesh from the dead… fuckin amazing. I saw him play at bonnaroo as well.
Ray Brown, Oscar Pettiford, Percy Heath, Paul Chambers, Doug Watkins, Sam Jones, Rodney Whitaker, Nat Reeves, Christian McBride, Buster Williams, David Williams, Stanley Clarke, Scott LaFaro, Niels-Henning Orsted Pederson, Reuben Rogers, Ron Carter, Addison Farmer, James Jamerson, Les Claypool, Jimmy Garrison, Matt Garrison, Cecil McBee, Curtis Lundy, Chris Wood, Charlie Haden, Will Lee, Gerald Veasely, Butch Warren, Israel Crosby, Richard Davis, Art Davis, Reggie Workman, Dave Holland, George Duvivier, Pierre Michelot, Bob Cranshaw, Renaud Garcia-Fons… just to name the ones that I didn’t see here that are well worth a listen or two… mostly Jazz acoustic bass players, but I don’t think thats a coincidence that I think of more of them when I think of the talented bass players of the world… often overlooked but the complexity of improvising walking bass lines and solos in the jazz idiom are in a league of their of own regarding difficulty
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Well put. Although I play guitar, I can definitely appreciate the bass. My best friend is the bass player for my band and we’re equally passionate about our music, this leads to some awesome chemistry. We are also both huge red hot chili peppers fans, and what’s not to love about Flea’s awesome work especially on their earlier funky stuff. About being active on stage – as musicians following in the footsteps of RHCP my bassist promised me that he will do the craziest shit on stage he can(One of my favorites, he’d buy a box of donuts before the show and during one of my solos he’d step up to the mic and yell, “You motherf*ckers like donuts?” and frisbee them into the crowd). I’ll try my best, although I’m not fantastic at multi-tasking. Energy is definitely important in a show, The point of a live show is to entertain, if they wanted to just hear your music they’d just listen to it. You can’t expect your fans to get riled up if you aren’t.
i think the bass can be an intricate part of the band, as can the rest of the instruments in the band in my opinion the bass should play the root notes of the guitar because the bass is primarily the rythm section i think of the bass player as the bridge between the rythm section to the melody section. my ideal bass player:
1. every times the bass drum is hit by the drummer the bass plays with it.
2. plays the root note or the main progression of the song
after those 2 things are accomplished THEN adding in the extra things (fills and such) in there are what makes the band just sound ten times better. however if the fills are added before accomplishing those 2 main things then the bass line tends to be busy and then distract from the song rather than contribute to the song or the band. Not saying there cant be songs that can’t lead a song ( most if not all red hot chili peppers songs)
however being amazing and busying up the bass track in order to avoid the typical role of the bass player can often lead to sounding like everyone like theyre playing at the same time
Great article. I completely agree with all of it (I may also be biased being a bassist myself). I play in a ska band, and it’s great music for freeing up bass creativity. I’m in a progressive improv band as well, and pretty much everyone in both bands agrees the bass is integral, some even saying bass is the most interesting instrument (after their own that is).
I’m going to go out on a limb and suggest some music much different than what’s shown up so far. I like a lot of progressive stuff, and the bass tends to do a lot of guitar doubling, so the technical skill of the players really shines out. John Myung of Dream Theater does that a lot, and the result can be amazing. A cool overarching bass riff can really be the main melody a lot of the time as well, as in the case of Juan Alderete of The Mars Volta. If you’re willing to take a risk you might want to try Colin Marston of Behold…The Arctopus. He doesn’t plays bass per say, but a Warr Guitar, which has 13 strings spanning both bass and guitar ranges and is played by tapping. It’s a bit different but really shows off technical skill.
For my money, Andy Fraiser of British blues outfit Free is the best bass player ever to walk the earth. Although my other half still persists in arguing for John Entwhistle.
Nice to see the instrument getting the attention it deserves for a change
I can’t believe you didn’t mention Mick Karn. He is one bassist you can listen to without any band. If you don’t know who he is, find some of his work and listen. He started with the band Japan back in the late 70’s / early 80’s.
I admit it, I too was once guilty of shunning the bass player, until one night last summer a certain female bassist based in Milwaukee (believe it or not!) caught my ear! Within minutes of listening & watching her play Belle from Trance Halo blew me away! Not only is she a stunning beauty, she kicks major ass on the bass!! I was in awe the first time I saw her, I’ve never seen anyone’s fingers mover so damn fast, she rocked out on stage, connected with the crowd & did not miss a single beat throughout the set. The whole band was good but usually when you see a hot chick in the band you assume they are just there for eye candy, not the case with Belle! She is definitely a musician in her own right. After the show I got a chance to talk to her & not only was I surprised by how approachable & nice she is, when we talked about music she really knew her shit! I have been to every Trance Halo show since, not as a stalker I’m happily married & my wife loves Belle too, we are huge fans that can’t get enough of a stand-out bassist who draws you into her show every time. If you haven’t had the pleasure yet of seeing/hearing Belle live I insist you must go to Trance Halo’s next gig!
I agree wholeheartedly. Some of my favorite bands are my favorites primarily because of their bassists. Protest The Hero, as previously mentioned is almost entirely driven musically and creatively by their bassist, he’s…well, ridiculous. Coheed And Cambria is another band whose bassist is rather unconventional, his runs and fills complement the guitar work in a manner that most people wouldn’t even think to try. Granted he can do the typical root-note-only thing at times, his progressive style on the whole more than makes up for that. Those are just two examples from my library, I have many others, but I don’t want to monopolize anyone’s reading time here.
Les Claypool.
THANK you.
I’m a bassist / co vocalist who writes a lot of the music and about 90 percent of my band’s lyrics. It makes me want to murder people when they tell me they play bass too, then reveal that they have no musical skill, but like being a musician for the status or some other bullshit. Nobody seems to understand what this is about anymore. Everybody has to be as good as everyone to have a perfect harmony and a good band dynamic.
The low tones give motion to the melody, and melody to the rhythym. I wish I could see more people going outside of the norm, but around here, I hate to sound arrogant, but it’s me and maybe 2 other bassist i’ve seen in the local ‘circuit’.
Thank you to everyone who has helped make this blog post a HUGE success. By far it is the most viewed on the site. It’s good to know that there are so many people out there who agree with me on the role of the bass player, and that most of them just aren’t living up to it.
@Les – I have had the pleasure of meeting Belle. She is an awesome person and a great bass player. She’s got a great personality and is super out-going. She’s definitely an asset to that band.
And thanks to everyone for great suggestions of bass players to listen to! I must admit, I’ve completely fallen in love with Protest the Hero in the past week.
Keep the comments coming, and don’t forget to dig this post and give it the thumbs up on StumbleUpon so more people can find it!
As a keyboard player, I long to play with more bassists. Bassists set the keyboard player/rhythm section free!
“those low tones need more power to come through at the same volume as the high tones.” If you’re working without a sound mixer though, you’ll need to turn down under what you think sounds right on stage if you want it to sound balanced out front, as the bass is more powerful the further the distance away.[Those long waves travel further.] That’s why the doof doof of the bass drum is the 1st thing you hear 100 yards from that car stereo. Have heard too many bands wrecked by bass being too loud. Better to tell the dickhead guitarist to turn down [like they hate to compete; all the way to 11!]
ye i rekon billy cox (band of gypsys) is the best bass player.
very catchy and original riffs
Good points! As a gigster for many years (on guitar), I’ll offer a somewhat different viewpoint… my favorite players are people like Victor Wooten, Stanley, Jonas Hellborg, etc., all the usual virtuoso suspects. But the good news is that as a bass player, you don’t need to have that level of chops (usually).
As you say, the bass player is crucial for most bands. If you don’t believe it, just have your bass player take a break on a few tunes, and the audience might not even consciously know why, but they’ll notice that something is wrong. That foundation, even if simple, is critical.
So a player who is simple, supportive, and has great time (the thing that new players tend to ignore!!!) will work all the time, and will make their bands sound better. If you have all kinds of chops and can solo like a demon, great. But many types of music don’t need that, and if you play tons and tons of fills in some styles, you’ll get fired.
So my basic point is that there is room in the world for the super virtuoso players, but also for the really solid, non-showboating types of players. And because everyone is a guitarist, as a bass player you’ll probably have more opportunities and more work. Cool, eh?
yeah, cajolejuice was right. entwistle and flea are sadly missing from that list.
bass players in jazz ensembles are actually the bandleaders a lot more often than you’d think. then rock came along (though i’m still a fan) and introduced the “frontman” concept which messed it up for bassists.
A few bass players who were left out of the list:
John Entwhistle (the Who) – He pretty much redefined what a bass player can and should be for a rock band, and any bass player who’s ever played a sweet line under the guitar chords (all of us) needs to tip his or her hat to this pioneer.
Les Claypool (Primus) – The band’s Lead Bassist. His unique sound and innovation, in addition to quick playing, has given way to his permanent spot among the elite bassists of all time.
Chris Squire (Yes) – as the bassist for yes, a group of classically trained musicians, he provides perfect supplemental bass lines to all the complex and intricate guitar, keyboard, and drum parts with awesome harmony parts and ridiculous fat riffs.
Victor Wooten – If you don’t know who victor wooten is already, then search his name on youtube and be amazed. Arguably the best bassist to ever play, he makes the bass in to an instrument of his own.
Wow! What a great article! Kudos Andy!!
I’m not surprised to see how many responses you got on this one, seems like this is a topic that is debated a lot!
Thanks so much to Les & Andy for their kind words, U GUYS ROCK!!
Just to add to this list, my favorite bass players are:
Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) his energy on stage is astounding.
Ashish Vyas (Thievery Corp) he is the coolest cat I know.
PS
Regardless of why you’re going to a show,
just go & support local music!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes Mingus is and will always be the best, Jaco will always be the legend, and James Jamerson will always be the Man.
Silly bass player! Your guitar is missing two strings.
I totally agree with this whole post. Bass has traditionally been the filler in many bands and songs, but to truly stand out as a musician, let alone as a band, you really need to all share the passion and drive to truly create something new and interesting to the listener.
If your band can leave the listener without any reasonable comparison to any other bands to describe your sound/style, then you my friend have created something worth listening to.
One person not yet on this list, whilst I do agree with all the other names, is Roger Waters of Pink Floyd. Before the more mainstreamy albums of Dark Side of the Moon, through to The Wall, the bass work was much more technical, ESPECIALLY when listening to their bootlegged live sets. The lengthy compositions and concept albums really showed how the band really worked together to create a deep, technical and still to this day unique sound, even if the guitar and lyrics we’re the primary focus.
And that’s without even saying that Roger Waters was a primary vocalist, and for the latter half of the bands career (between DSotM to The Final Cut), he was the main creative songwriter and lyricist for those 40+ minute-long concept albums.
James Jamerson seriously the best bass player ever. Charles Mingus is the best composer of music and plays the bass with a lot of vitality and creativity, but even he is narrowly nudged out of the running by Mr. Jamerson.
Bass players are second only to percussionists (drummers) when it comes to importance. You can easily have a band without a guitarist and even no vocalist. Having no bass player (or no organist acting as a bass player) is having an incomplete band.
i think this is very true… FLEA GOD DAM IT FROM THE RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS!!! he compliments every instrement on the stage….