The Bigger Picture: The Role Of The Bass Player

THE ROLE OF THE BASS PLAYER:
FUNDIMENTAL TO ADVANCED

The bass player is the support person of any small guitar/bass/drum type ensemble. The bass player is the team player of “the band,” the link between the guitar and drums. It’s not the bass player’s role to be the star, the one always after the limelight (that role is reserved for the guitarist). Sure, there are times where the bass player can shine, but at the end of the day, it’s the bass player who helps others to reach higher levels of musical greatness. This is the type of bass player bands are in search of.

The bass player, first and foremost, provides the low end to any given song. This is our primary role/fundamental responsibility. Neglecting this responsibility would surely lead to unemployment or dismissal. The bass player’s job is to follow the root motion of the chords laid out by the guitar or piano player. We don’t just play roots—that would be boring. Bass players of skill play lines as melodies that reflect the chord changes, without being stuck to the root (you should stick to the root when it is appropriate to do so, but a bass player should always have ways of branching out melodically). Bass players are constantly improvising melodies that support the music. This constant state of melodic improvisation is what bass players find so appealing about the instrument. This is precisely why the bass is not an “easier” instrument than the guitar (despite popular misconceptions).

Bass players also have a strong connection with the drummer, providing a discernible pitch to the thud of their bass drum. The best rhythm sections have a drummer and bassist who have worked hard to develop “the lock,” whereby the two instruments work as one musical unit. First, you must learn to match the bass drum. Later, learn to interact with it.

Lastly, with the innovations of players like Larry Graham and his “thumping and plucking” style, bass players have come to understand that the bass need not only be a supportive/melodic instrument that locks and interacts with the drummer. Instead, it can also take on more of a percussive role by emulating drum sounds. Players like Victor Wooten have carried on this tradition. It should be known, however, that percussive playing does not stop with the “thumping and plucking” style. Players like Rocco Prestia and Jaco Pastorius rely heavily upon percussive effects (like “ghosting” and "raking") instead of thumps or plucks.

That’s All Folks!!

That’s it for now. As always, if you have any questions or comments concerning anything at all, you can get in touch with me by email: rod@bassesloadedonline.com. Be sure to check back to bassesloadedonline.com for future lessons.

Home