Does anyone write with a bass ?

[fivestringer20]

????

[Nza]

I write with whatever I'm playing when the inspiration strikes, which is occasionally a bass guitar....so, "yes".

 

The stuff I write on bass tends to be much more "riff-oriented" stuff than what I write on guitar or keys, though.

[WattsUrizen]

A few years back I borrowed a friends bass guitar to help me write bass lines. I was usually falling into the trap of having the bass JUST following the guitar or drums. So I wanted to give my bass lines some vitality and individual character of their own, and I thought that practising writing with a bass guitar would help.

 

Now I don't have too much trouble writing down the bass lines I hear in my head, or by fiddling around on the piano.

 

But I think that using a bass guitar to write bass lines is extremely helpful, because it just isn't the same writing for the bass on a piano/guitar/etc.

[moody]

I have found that it is easier to write 'on the fly' with bass. If I have a drum beat I can get an alright sounding bass line and make a song out of it reasonably quickly, but it doesn't make it particularly creative.

[zelmobeaty]

Interesting question. There's a guy named Mike Sweeney here in Pittsburgh that writes blues rock/funk tunes on bass and he has songs on nearly every CD that comes out locally.

 

Myself I play both bass and guitar. I usually write on guitar. However when I'm in a dry spell, I write on bass.

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

I'll write on a bass if I feel I'm in a rut and new a new perspective on writing and playing.

[Kingnome]

 

Originally posted by Nza The stuff I write on bass tends to be much more "riff-oriented" stuff than what I write on guitar or keys, though.

 

 

This is so true!

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

 

Originally posted by Kingnome This is so true!

 

 

Basses are great riff instruments, which is why I find it amazing that there are so many songs with lame bass playing.

[WattsUrizen]

 

Originally posted by SomeGuyNamedRob Basses are great riff instruments, which is why I find it amazing that there are so many songs with lame bass playing.

 

 

Actually, if you think about it, it isn't so amazing.

 

In a rock band, the higher register and sharper sonority of the guitars overpowers the bass guitar. This is why the guitar is generally entrusted with the 'main idea'. The bass just supports it. Now many (most) songwriters are either lazy or incompetent, and they just have the bass follow the guitar or drums, with little individuality of it's own. This is why lame bass playing gets heard so much.

 

The only reason we think of the bass guitar as a riff instrument is because we generally think of rock music, and the guitar as the 'main' instrument.

[SomeGuyNamedRob]

 

Originally posted by Anomandaris Actually, if you think about it, it isn't so amazing. In a rock band, the higher register and sharper sonority of the guitars overpowers the bass guitar. This is why the guitar is generally entrusted with the 'main idea'. The bass just supports it. Now many (most) songwriters are either lazy or incompetent, and they just have the bass follow the guitar or drums, with little individuality of it's own. This is why lame bass playing gets heard so much. The only reason we think of the bass guitar as a riff instrument is because we generally think of rock music, and the guitar as the 'main' instrument.

 

 

See, I hear stuff like Joplin's "Piece of my Heart" and think "Holy {censored}! That's the best riff I've ever heard!" And the riff is coming from the bass. You would think more people would try to have something this cool in their songs to show some talent on some level.

[WattsUrizen]

 

Originally posted by SomeGuyNamedRob See, I hear stuff like Joplin's "Piece of my Heart" and think "Holy {censored}! That's the best riff I've ever heard!" And the riff is coming from the bass. You would think more people would try to have something this cool in their songs to show some talent on some level.

 

 

I agree. It's not about making the bass the instrument of focus. Just give it some individuality. Put as much effort into the bass line as the rest of the song. I get the impression that many songwriters (who are also the guitarists of the band) think 'it's just the bass, no one really listens to it THAT much'.

[JackSonic]

that's an interesting question. I guess you could, and it might even simplify the proccess. (how would one incorporate "minor" stuff?)

[zelmobeaty]

Guitar hasn't always been the focus. Vocals are always in focus. But besides that, bass was the main instrument during the disco era. Also alot of british music in the early TV days had no guitar at all.

[sevenroy]

 

Originally posted by zelmobeaty Guitar hasn't always been the focus. Vocals are always in focus. But besides that, bass was the main instrument during the disco era. Also alot of british music in the early TV days had no guitar at all.

 

 

Granted, vocals are a focus much of the time, but not always. Check out La Villa Strangiato by Rush or Hoedown by ELP Those are great songs, but there are no lyrics.

[Arranger]

I write with bass VERY often. I find it easier to think first in harmony. It actually gives me more melodic freedom when I later pattern the melody.

 

I listen for the harmonics all the time. I say that a good harmony is the exact complement to the (sometimes) all-present lead guitar. Shredding guits are nothing without a scape of harmony onto which to play.

 

I find key changes, atonal passages, and the basic foundations of a song much easier to define on bass.

 

Bass 'stress' in a composition is also very unique and if cultivated cautiously won't overwhealm the mix and confuse itself.

 

I think it's really easy to find dissonance in the bass range. If you use that technique to its advantage it can be a powerful asset.

 

I wouldn't start putting lyrics to a harmonic bass line, though, without working the melody simultaneously

[Sven Muzrub]

I write with a pen.

[Taylorman]

Hey, it worked for Sting and Macca!