Call out to the bass players

[ProZachNation]

From the music poll I know a buncha you guys play bass.

So could anyone recomend any cool songs or lines that are fun/impressive to play.

Still learn and begining. I cant play slap&pop songs yet(if anyone could show me a video I think it would help or try to explain what I should be doing)


Thanks

[midas06]

I heard that the bass was the instrument which required the least skill to play. Thoughts?

[Staresy]

Guitarist timing comes from bass and drums apparently

[ProZachNation]

I heard that the bass was the instrument which required the least skill to play. Thoughts?

This is true in some respects, like Mark Hoppus from Blink-182 isnt very good at bass at all and just plays back ground eigth notes mostly. But take Flea frm Red Hot Chili Peppers he actually plays music that adds to the song and is diffucult to play.


Its hard to say that one thing requires less skill than another, each require skill in different areas.

[drmcboy]

triangle.

[Renton]

I heard that the bass was the instrument which required the least skill to play. Thoughts?

Bass, like drums, requires the least skill to play, but the most skill to play well.

Anyone can pickup a bass and learn the line to any Nirvana song, but you have to really work at it to be able to play like Primus, RHCP, Rush, etc.

PZ, if you are into slap, I recommend learning Primus's early stuff. There's some pretty funky basslines on Frizzle Fry, and Suck on This.

If you are into rock bass and fast finger work, I would recommend getting into Rush or Iron Maiden.

[Miffed22001]

i rule on bass, possibly on drums

kthxgg

[kingnat]

I gotta fever, and the only cure is more cowbell!

[samsonite2100]

I cant play slap&pop songs yet(if anyone could show me a video I think it would help or try to explain what I should be doing)

Slapping and popping is gay. So are any basses with >4 strings.

[euphoricism]

The Offspring has a lot of cool sounding but rather simple bass lines.

Essentially for a slap bass, rather than fingering a string, you'll strike it - much like a mallet hitting a string but instead you using the side of your thumb, for the pop, you'll put your fingers inside the strings and pull outward, kind of a reverse pluck - often done with your third (ring) finger to get an easy octave.

Samsonite: dont be a tool.

[Warpe]

Anyone play/heard this?
http://www.stick.com/articles/birth/

[Renton]

I cant play slap&pop songs yet(if anyone could show me a video I think it would help or try to explain what I should be doing)

Slapping and popping is gay. So are any basses with >4 strings.

Slap is to bass as classical flamenco is to guitar.

[samsonite2100]

Slap is to bass as classical flamenco is to guitar.

Respectfully, slap is to bass as two-handed tapping is to guitar. Or double- kick pedals are to drums. Showoffy, silly, in generally bad taste, and an object of scorn by 99% of musicians. The other 1% are the people who slap, two handed tap, and double kick drum...

[Renton]

Slap is to bass as classical flamenco is to guitar.

Respectfully, slap is to bass as two-handed tapping is to guitar. Or double- kick pedals are to drums. Showoffy, silly, in generally bad taste, and an object of scorn by 99% of musicians. The other 1% are the people who slap, two handed tap, and double kick drum...

Umm. No. Your comparison is flawed.

First of all, right hand tapping and double bass pedals haven't been around very long. They are a relatively new fad, around for some time, but made popular in the 80s. Conversely slap bass has been around since the early days of jazz, and was made popular in the 60s and 70s by such artists as Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, Jaco Pastorius and etc.

Also, double bass pedals aren't an object of scorn by 99 percent of drummers. Double bass a la Mudvayne and Cannibal Corpse is the object of scorn. Such greats as Neil Peart, Stewart Copeland, and Terry Bozzio have always incorporated double bass pedaling into their routines.

Almost everyone who plays bass with any level of seriousness at all eventually gets into slap technique. Slap can be showoffy and silly if its played like Flea plays it. He's a slightly above mediocre slap bassist. I am actually not that great, and I can slap much better and faster than Flea.

Are you a bass player? Because I have never heard of a bass player who hated slap.

[samsonite2100]

Such greats as Neil Peart, Stewart Copeland, and Terry Bozzio have always incorporated double bass pedaling into their routines.

Neil Peart, Lars Ulrich, and Stewart Copeland (really?) vs. Ringo Starr, Charlie Watts, Keith Moon, John Bonham, Mick Avory, Pete Thomas, Jerry Nolan, I could go on and on...

Almost everyone who plays bass with any level of seriousness at all eventually gets into slap technique.

This is silly.

Are you a bass player? Because I have never heard of a bass player who hated slap.

And yes, I'm a bass player. The band I used to be in put out a bunch of albums and toured the country for years. We had a list of telltale signs that a band we were going to play with on the road was going to suck. They were, in no particular order:

- a bass player who slapped, especially if he played a 5 or 6 string bass
- a drummer who used a double bass pedal, or more than 3 toms.
- any band members who played barefoot

Edited to add: I shouldn't have said 99% of musicians feel one way or another about that stuff. 99% of the musicians I know feel that way. And I obviously feel that way. Opinions are like assholes, etc.

[Renton]

who are your favorite bassplayers?

[samsonite2100]

Hmmm. I like J.J. Burnel from the Stranglers a lot. Paul McCartney. Andy Rourke of the Smiths. John Paul Jones is pretty underrated.

I take it you like a lot of jazz guys, huh?

[Renton]

Stanley Clarke, Les Claypool of Primus, Geddy Lee of Rush, Jaco Pastorius (king of fretless), Sting (believe it or not, he's pretty good), John Entwistle of the Who.

I am also really into Frank Zappa and King Crimson, both of whom changed bass players a lot.

[samsonite2100]

Well, we agree on Entwistle, at least. The bass line for "Won't Get Fooled Again" is the central hook of the song, even though most people probably don't even realize it. He was awesome.
Too bad he couldn't stay away from the coke with a bum ticker...

[ProZachNation]

See I dont really care if slapping is silly and showoffish(to people who dont know shit)

Im not in it for naything other than to have fun playing bass and be silly. Im not gona sit there and be like damn I cannt play that Blink-182 song becuase Mark Hopus might be the scorn of all professional bass players.....

I just wana have fun show off play some music in my free time.

The point of this topic was: Guitar players can sit down and show off by playing some catchy line that sounds hard that everyone recognizes. I just want a cool few lines like that so when somone comes in my room and says "You play bass, lets hear something" I can sit down and play something fun/funny/makesgirlstakepantsoff.


ps. Mark Hopus has a beautiful voice so fuck who cares if he adds nothing to songs with his bass line.

[Renton]

A good novice bassline is N.I.B. by Black Sabbath.

[vqc]

I just wanted to let renton and samsonite know that this was a really good discussion.

What band did u play in samsonite?

GO DREAM THEATER!
That is all.

[samsonite2100]

VQC--thanks.
As far as my old band goes, I'd rather not say. Trust me, it's not that exciting.

Renton--NIB is a great beginner bass line. I'd also recommend "Waiting Room," by Fugazi. That was one of the first I learned.

[euphoricism]

You can not play bass if you do not learn Nirvana - come as you are. Its simple, but youre expected to know it.

[euphoricism]

Also, Metallica - King Nothing

[ProZachNation]

You can not play bass if you do not learn Nirvana - come as you are. Its simple, but youre expected to know it.

Thats pretty easy sat down and had it in 5 mintues.

[Renton]

my favorite nirvana basslines are Lounge Act and Love Buzz

[euphoricism]

You can not play bass if you do not learn Nirvana - come as you are. Its simple, but youre expected to know it.

Thats pretty easy sat down and had it in 5 mintues.

Good, now learn King Nothing its simple as well, but will have your fingers moving a slight bit more.

[euphoricism]

Slap is to bass as classical flamenco is to guitar.

Respectfully, slap is to bass as two-handed tapping is to guitar. Or double- kick pedals are to drums. Showoffy, silly, in generally bad taste, and an object of scorn by 99% of musicians. The other 1% are the people who slap, two handed tap, and double kick drum...

I just re-read this part, and laughed out loud at the bolded section. If you really think only 1% of the percussionist population uses a double bass pedal, youre just silly. Further, if you think the likes of Danny Carey, Neil Pert, et al are "showoffy" "silly" or in "bad taste" for using a double bass pedal, youre just retarded.

[samsonite2100]

Man, let it die. Sorry if I offended your shitty taste here. You do realize that Neal Peart and Rush are pretty much a punch line with people who like cool music, right? Oh, you didn't? Sowwy.

Edited to add: You're right about the percentage, though. As a soundman at a club, I'd actually estimate it around 5 percent. They still suck, though.

[Renton]

Sam I respect your opinion and all, but you seem to be the type that likes a simple, three-chord brand of music, and thats ok. I do too. I actually really like the simplistic drumming of Ginger Baker of Cream and of Ringo Starr. But to say Ringo Starr is a terrific drummer would be a lie. He actually really really sucks. It's just that his style fits the music.

Obviously, there's no place for slap bass, double bass pedals, and right hand tapping in that style of music. But in other styles, particularly jazz, funk, metal, and prog, theses styles clearly belong, and of the people who like music in these categories, these styles of playing are highly respected.

You probably don't like, Rush, Tool, or Iron Maiden too much. However, people who do like these bands like them because of how percussion driven and complex they are.

Why do you think people like Dream Theater? They are one of the only bands that literally 95% of their fans are musicians. Their catchiness and likeability are very low though. I actually really don't like Dream Theater (sorry VQC). They are basically a Metallica/Iron Maiden/Rush ripoff hybrid, who are REALLY good at playing their instruments. Musicians see this complexity and like it, for that only reason.

I don't think its really that you don't like slap bass, Sam. I just think the only genres of music you like are ones in which slap bass doesn't belong.

[samsonite2100]

Renton--you're mostly right.

But it's not that I only like simple music, just that I think those types of fancy playing--double bass/slapping/etc.--are only good like .00001% of the time. For instance, I love early Van Halen and think Eddie was a real musical genius, but how many legions of grody show-off hair farmers followed in his wake?

Likewise, I love Steely Dan, which used Bernard what's-his-face on bass a lot--he used slap/pop well in certain places, like the chorus of "Peg." I agree that Les Claypool is pretty insane. Besides those guys and maybe a couple of jazz dudes, I can't think of anyone who does it in a non-white-boy-funk RHCP way.

I am definitely from the less-is-more school of musical taste. I think it is possible to use those techniques well, but it takes an exceptional musician w/ a very rare level of refinement to do so. Most of the time, it's stuff you hear idiots in the Guitar Center doing to show off for their friends.

Anyway, I considered our conversation closed before, as we clearly have totally different taste in music, which is cool. But I was called a retard and had to defend myself!