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Do we have any musical people on DC?
Vurbal:
She also has the best bass face in the business.
-Vurbal (January 30, 2015, 07:57 AM)
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LOL! Is that what they call that grimace so many bass players do? ;D ;D ;D
Learn something new every day! :Thmbsup:
-40hz (January 30, 2015, 08:36 AM)
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It was a new one on me too. From the references I've found, it seems like something that became a meme after she appeared on SNL.
For the record: I'm more the Joe-Gore-vacant-deadpan type myself. Or at least when I'm not glaring at a fellow band member who is screwing up the beat - or is doing the: "Wow! I'm really blowing everybody away with THIS extended solo!!!..." thing. You can almost see the thought balloon go up when they decide to pull that nonsense. And just before they start, they invariably look over at their bass player with 'that look' that screams - "Gimmee a lot of BASS!!!"
Nice to know we bassists are considered 'just the thing' when it comes time to cover up a guitarist's sins. ;)
And people wonder why I'm so clumsy on a crowded stage that I accidentally bop bandmates on the side of their skulls (with the head of my bass - oops!) as often as I do?
Yeah...I definitely need to be more careful. :-\
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I'm just the opposite. I pull all kinds of bizarre faces when I'm playing, except when I'm too focused on covering up for a wanking guitarist or, worse yet, a drummer who can't lock into the proper beat. I do have clumsy down pat though.
I also have a theory about why there are so many stoic bassists. There are only so many things the human brain can focus on (or switch between technically) and you have to do a lot more listening to play bass well. As torturous as that can make it when you're covering for sloppy musicianship, it's also an essential part of what makes the bass interesting to me. A guitarist usually plays the same part every time, no matter who he's working with. I get to change it up to fill in whatever the song needs.
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@V - re: the Haim ladies. Agree 100%. Anything done in an attempt to improve Mustang Sally can hardly be a bad thing in my book. I personally can't stand that song. (Same thing goes for Sweet Jane.) I swear next time I get asked to play either of those two I'm gonna plug into a looper and record about a minute's worth, hit repeat, and then go get a fresh draft over at the bar... Cheers guys! Carry on. :Thmbsup: :P
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11 out of 10 bassists agree with this sentiment. If you want to clear out a room full of musicians in a minute or less, Mustang Sally will generally do the trick. If there's anybody left at the end of the song, you can follow it up with Johnny B Goode. If they're not gone when that's done, it's time to call an ambulance.
superboyac:
stoic bassists...lol. Yeah, that is a thing. It's true about the listening thing, maybe that's why it seems the bassists are better at explaining stuff to the other members, because they listen better? I also struggle with any kind of extra ornaments when I play because it's hard enough for me to listen to everything and process it all. Maybe when I'm more of a pro I can let that go and do more intentionally interactive things.
regarding pianists, I'm sure you've seen those players that hum or make more obnoxious sounds as they play (Keith Jarrett, Oscar P, etc). Well, I've often been given advice that humming is a good way to learn or develop as a player. But it's never worked for me. Then I was reading a book that basically said DON'T do the humming thing, just play it. The humming really doesn't help, and it's best to avoid developing the habit. And everything else the author explains hit home to me so I'm in that camp now.
It just seems hard to do all the extra stuff without affecting the quality of the music. Often times, the best performances I've seen were pretty stoic all around. I'm talking about the quality of the music...it definitely would be considered boring to those who don't have the ear for it.
I really love and laugh a lot when I watch Count Basie. So extremely minimal and subtle. An eyebrow raise here and there, a look, perhaps a small gesture. lol.
here's a video of Jimmy Forrest blowing his brains out on Night Train. Basie approves...you can tell with his emphatic nodding @1:32 (emphatic for basie, that is, hardly noticeable to normal people).
tomos:
I really love and laugh a lot when I watch Count Basie. So extremely minimal and subtle. An eyebrow raise here and there, a look, perhaps a small gesture. lol.
here's a video of Jimmy Forrest blowing his brains out on Night Train. Basie approves...you can tell with his emphatic nodding @1:32 (emphatic for basie, that is, hardly noticeable to normal people).
-superboyac (January 30, 2015, 01:07 PM)
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:-*
@Vurbal, I really enjoyed Haim - Jools Holland says they were the big thing of 2013, but I've only come across them now. Been listening to some more - would really love to see them live...
all round: it's great to have a more in depth music thread :up:
40hz:
It's interesting that as pop music continues to evolve, it's the bass that is getting louder and louder, while everything else is fading away, along with melodies, songs with more than two chords or measures (lol).
-superboyac (January 30, 2015, 12:35 PM)
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Yeah...that "click-clack-paddywhack - please send this moron home" school of 'slap bass.' I can't stand it. It's like trying to eat a muffin made completely out of cinnamon. Almost as bad as the tone of those "Bad Jaco" wannabees, which sounds like a small animal with a sinus condition barking its head off because it's trapped inside a garbage can...
What happened to tone? To melodic inventiveness? To smooth and precise intonation? To freekin' legato while we're at it when it comes to electric bass??? If you like metallic clang, take up percussion. At least you'll have more interesting instrument voices to work with. Slap is like washtub bass - a little goes a long way. And just because it can doesn't mean you should. Or at least not ALL the time.
Time was when it was generally considered a good idea for a bass player to know (and play) something. Too bad we got away from that. A bassist today could have saved a fortune on head shaves and tattoos if that were still the case. And also been able to more profitably put all those hours they spent on getting those washboard abs and that 'studio tan' into practicing their instrument.
I can "slap & pop" just fine thank you very much. Something I learned how to do purely to refute those who like to imply I don't because I can't. (Even the most stoic bass players retain some ego.) I will not, however, play that way. A quick 1-bar break for dramatic variation in the service of a song?....maybe. Or maybe (i.e. probably) not. But to slap for a whole song? Or a whole set? Or a gig? Or your entire career? "Include me out!" as Yogi Berra allegedly said. Want a slap-style bass player? Why not go ask that big dude over there with the muscles... He needs a steady job more than I do. (It's a condition of his parole.)
Same goes for what my GF calls "Lead Bass." (She has a very special eye-roll she keeps in reserve purely for those times when she hears any.) If it's in your face in the front of the mix - it ain't bass. It's just guitar played on very thick strings. Which may well be valid in a given music context. But it's not "bass" as far as role and function are concerned. Or at least as far as I'm concerned.
There are some who may argue otherwise. Which is ok. But they are wrong. 8) ;) ;D
40hz:
If you want to clear out a room full of musicians in a minute or less, Mustang Sally will generally do the trick. If there's anybody left at the end of the song, you can follow it up with Johnny B Goode. If they're not gone when that's done, it's time to call an ambulance.
-Vurbal (January 30, 2015, 12:47 PM)
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;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
@Vubal - thanks so much for that. I've been ROFLMAO all afternoon over that one! Each time I think about it, I crack up all over again. :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup: :Thmbsup:
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