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Bass Playing: No More Apologies


Thunderbroom

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Originally posted by Thrash Jazz



Cool! That makes three of us here...
:D

I'm not really doing anything high-profile right at the moment... playing with a pop-rock band called Jacko, and recording my solo project. I'm going to be hosting an open jam night at the Honest Lawyer in about a month or two... if all goes well!


How aboot you?

 

I'm a student at Carleton. I play with a bunch of the other music guys, usually improv funk or jazz stuff. No regular bands, but the occasional jams at the Rainbow. I do a lot of gospel music around town too. Who's the other Ottawa bassist on HC?

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Originally posted by HORSE



I'm a student at Carleton. I play with a bunch of the other music guys, usually improv funk or jazz stuff. No regular bands, but the occasional jams at the Rainbow. I do a lot of gospel music around town too. Who's the other Ottawa bassist on HC?

 

 

That's cool, I go to the Saturday jams at the Rainbow every once in a while too. Your name wouldn't be Phil by any chance, would it?

 

Bassguy is the other Ottawa fellow... and I think L. Ron Hoover and PrestiaRules occasionally visit here.

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Originally posted by Thrash Jazz



That's cool, I go to the Saturday jams at the Rainbow every once in a while too. Your name wouldn't be Phil by any chance, would it?


Bassguy is the other Ottawa fellow... and I think L. Ron Hoover and PrestiaRules occasionally visit here.

 

 

No, my name is Joe. I know Mike (bass player from the Sunday jams). I'm not very well connected around Ottawa, so chances are, you haven't heard of me.

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Originally posted by HORSE



No, my name is Joe. I know Mike (bass player from the Sunday jams). I'm not very well connected around Ottawa, so chances are, you haven't heard of me.

 

 

Pizzabox Joe..... Yeh, I've heard of you.

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right on thunderbroom!

 

the guitarist in the new jam-band gig i'm doing paid me one of the highest compliments i've ever received, in effect that it would be easy for me to overplay all the time as i have the chops, but i save it for the right moments when it has the most impact and hold down a good groove the rest of the time. that really touched me, much more so than a compliment on a flashy solo or something.

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Originally posted by j powell

right on thunderbroom!


the guitarist in the new jam-band gig i'm doing
paid me one of the highest compliments i've ever received, in effect that it would be easy for me to overplay all the time as i have the chops, but i save it for the right moments when it has the most impact and hold down a good groove the rest of the time. that really touched me, much more so than a compliment on a flashy solo or something.

 

 

While I understand your comment and agree...

 

Don't get me wrong...I don't possess any flash whatsoever. If I had to produce a run of 16th notes at a reasonable tempo, I don't think I could do it and am not sure that I want to be able to do it honestly. I do want to improve my playing...but to me that means more about playing the right notes at the right time instead of filling the void with sound.

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Originally posted by Thrash Jazz



That's right, all three of us. Watchit, we're gonna invade Texas and take all your oil.
:rolleyes:

 

 

Yeah they already took all of Alberta's....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oooooh yeah I'm just kidding. In no way am I trying to pick a fight with Ottawa boys. Theres 3 of you and 1 of me. I think the other guy is Joey JoeJoe isn't it? Maybe I'm just imagining him in one of those sexy little Ottawa suits.

 

 

 

My brother went to Carleton. Finance. Graduated last year. My little cousin Marylou is going there now.

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Originally posted by bassgirl9




Yeah they already took all of Albertas....


Oooooh yeah I'm just kidding. In no way am I trying to pick a fight with Ottawa boys. Theres 3 of you and 1 of me. I think teh other guy is Joey JoeJoe isn't it? Maybe I'm just imagining him in one of those sexy little Ottawa suits.




My brother went to Carleton. Finance. Graduated last year.

 

Hehe, that's what I was getting at. We're Ottawa, we're the capital, we'll suck all ya money dry! :p

 

The other Ottawan is Bassguy. JJJ is from Toronto, but his band gets a gig here every once in a while. I met him last year - cool guy, great band. :)

 

I've heard lots of good schtuff about Carleton... much more than about U of Ottawa (aka U of Zero), which I live about five minutes from. Didn't stop me from escaping town altogether to finish school...

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Originally posted by Thrash Jazz



Hehe, that's what I was getting at. We're Ottawa, we're the capital, we'll suck all ya money dry!
:p

The other Ottawan is Bassguy. JJJ is from Toronto, but his band gets a gig here every once in a while. I met him last year - cool guy, great band.
:)

I've heard lots of good schtuff about Carleton... much more than about U of Ottawa (aka U of Zero), which I live about five minutes from. Didn't stop me from escaping town altogether to finish school...

 

People who go there seem to think It's the best school in the world. My other cousin Nick went to the U of 0. He is a shame to the family... just kidding.

 

All of my Dad's family is in Ottawa. Ever hear of a company called Preston Hardware? or Beemac Autobody?

 

I used to spend summers there. I bartended at my Dad's club the 'Roof Garden'.

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Good for you, T'broom. I can play kind of fast, but not nearly as fast as some people. Regardless, I've always been much happier about my ability to find the pocket than any flashy playing I might or might not do. If I didn't want to stay in the pocket and groove, I should have been a guitarist, eh? :)

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Originally posted by Thunderbroom

I was talking this morning with a guy from work that came to my band's gig on Saturday night. He's a bass player (for 40+ years). I found myself almost apologizing for not playing 5000 notes a minute like he suggests he does.


I then stopped myself.


I play the way I play. I'm not going to apologize for the way that I play anymore. This is who I am; this is how I play.


My fretting had appears awkward to some but is comfortable for me. I don't play enough notes to others. The "book" says you're supposed to play with two fingers and always alternate: sometimes I do, sometimes I don't and sometimes I rock it with one finger. If it's riding the root note on one song and then the root/five on the next...so be it. If I need to walk, I walk. My bandmates are happy with my non-flashy playing. I step it up when they want more. They seem to be happy that I am content to stay in the pocket and lock in with the drummer.


I've always been self-conscious about my playing but realize that it's hindering me. I'm on stage...not them. It dawned on me earlier today that I was almost hiding behind our lead singer during the gig. I wasn't doing it consciously (the stage was small, and I didn't want to whack the keyboardist) but do think there was an element of not wanting to be seen by the other bassists in the crowd and having them notice my playing of such simple bass lines.

 

Good for you, man! I doubt I would have had the patience to talk to someone so narrow minded for long...not enough notes, WTF!? :confused::mad: Play what the *music* calls for, not what some bozo in the crowd may or may not be impressed with. And odds are that even if you did mangle one of your songs by wanking (that *is* what this guy is suggesting), he would find something wrong with that too. :D

 

And I know what you mean about being self concious when other bass players are there. But I have learned that the really good ones are often the most gracious. It's the wannabes that the useless criticism comes from, and considering the source it's pretty easy to ignore. And as far as playing simple bass lines, that is exactly what most of those songs called for...if you started walking all over the place or doing taps or something goofy, how does that help a song like "Redneck Girl"? :D All it does is take away from it, really.

 

 

You did great, and you will only get better from here.

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Originally posted by Thrash Jazz




I've heard lots of good schtuff about Carleton... much more than about U of Ottawa (aka U of Zero), which I live about five minutes from. Didn't stop me from escaping town altogether to finish school...

 

 

I've heard more bad stuff about Carleton (U of K) than about Ottawa, and I GO to Carleton! We get called 'hobbits' because of our underground tunnels that permit us to spend an entire year there without ever going outside. Although, maybe that's what makes Carleton the #1 National University of Choice for the Vampire Minority Community?

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Good philosophy, TBroom. Do your best on every single song, and screw the rest!

 

At one time, I was singing in a group of adults at church. There were two guys with Master's degrees in music, three others who had degrees in music, four who taught piano lessons, and the other three had played piano since they were six or seven years old. Everyone was "trained" in music - then there was me! I am self-taught, I can't read quickly (we use the Nashville Numbering system and I am very good at it), etc. One day when I was feeling a little depressed about it, my wife reminded me that I made more money each year with music than any of the others.

 

Do your best and let everyone else love it or hate it or whatever - as long as you enjoy it, go for it!

 

More people should have your attitude.

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Originally posted by Thunderbroom



While I understand your comment and agree...


Don't get me wrong...I don't possess any flash whatsoever. If I had to produce a run of 16th notes at a reasonable tempo, I don't think I could do it and am not sure that I want to be able to do it honestly. I do want to improve my playing...but to me that means more about playing the right notes at the right time instead of filling the void with sound.

 

It's all about context. If you're playing something that demands a fast paced, complicated bassline (think YYZ or What is Hip) then that's what's gonna make the song sound the best. If it requires 1/4 notes on the root for the song to sound the best, then play that.

 

Most of the stuff I'm playing now is really simple actually and not very challenging from a technical standpoint, but that doesn't make the song rock or groove any less and I have just as much fun playing it. That's all that matters. If you're playing to impress other bass players, you've got it all wrong IMO.

 

Having said that, it is fun to work on wanking to some Stu Hamm stuff, or Jaco or Prestia or Wooten, just because it gives you another tool in the tool box. Plus it's a challenge and will make you a better bassist technically.

 

 

Play what makes you happy Tbroom, anything else is bull{censored}. :)

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Right on Bro'! I've come to that same conclusion with my playing. While I keep practicing and learning and trying to get more technically adept, i make no excuses for my current level of playing. You have no reason to be shy about your playing, you guys rocked and you are an intregral part of that.;)

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