1st night on bass

Jim Peters · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, R.I.P.

Due to scheduling conflicts, instead of my usual 6 string tonight, I have to play bass! I have my oldest son on guitar tonight(he's great), with me on bass for the first 2 sets. I have been practicing all week, but wish me luck! JimP

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Good Luck.
We had an emergency situation last week and had a guitarist pull bass duties. Could have been a drag. But he remembered the key thing--bass is maybe the most important instrument in the band and when in doubt simple and solid is best. He stayed home and he nailed it. Did great job and we had a good night.

Walter Stettner · From: Vienna, Austria

I had to do that from time to time - the only thing that really worries me: There is no faking! On steel you can take the emergency exit (if you don't know how to go on, just be quiet), on bass you can't!

Kind Regards, Walter

www.lloydgreentribute.com
www.austriansteelguitar.at.tf

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Jim Peters · From: St. Louis, Missouri, USA, R.I.P.

My 2 hrs went well, I kept it simple and tried not to think like a guitar player. At 11, the real bass player showed up, we were doing Boardwalk at the time, I sure was glad to see him. JP

Mike Perlowin · From: Los Angeles CA

How many bass players does it take to change a light bulb?

1

5

1

5

1

5

1

5

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Mike that would be COUNTRY bass players....

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

There are many ways to get to that 5 from 1. Creative bass playing is an art. I play bass a couple times a weeks. Knowing your chord structure makes playing bass interesting and challenging. One of the biggest challenges is not to over play , yet keeping the bass line unique.

Sierra 12, Lamar 12, MSA U12

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

I had a gig last weekend... all 3 of the bass players I use had conflicts. After agonizing over what to do, I decided to play bass myself and hired a guitar player. I practiced for about two weeks, just to get my hand strength and chops up to par, and we (bass, guitar and tenor sax) sounded great! I had a ball, and I'm ready to do it again!

Bass is the only instrument I ever got paid well to play. At 20 years old, I could front the band, play bass and sing lead at the same time. Man, I'm gonna tell you, back when there were real paying gigs, if you could do THAT combination of things you could just about name your price. I made a good part-time living (for a college student) for two-three years, until I took my first position as a church choirmaster in the mid-70's.

This gig reminded me of just how much fun bass can be... you have to know chord theory, scales, etc... and your heart has to be in the groove, as mine is. I've always been hard on bass players (unless I was playing bass- then I was hard on myself!) and that's why! Without a bass player who can make it swing, or bump, or grind (whatever the occasion calls for), there ain't no band. It doesn't matter what else is going on.

What made this night a challenge (and even more fun) was that the drummer didn't show (??!!), so the guitar player and I got to play a lot of notes! So... after a long hiatus, I'm ready to play another jazz gig on bass.

At any rate, glad you enjoyed your gig, too!

[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 07 November 2004 at 06:16 PM.]

HowardR · From: N.Y.C.-Fire Island-Asheville

Jon, who played bass? Uncle Izzy or the lead guitarist?

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Hey Howard--no, we were without Jimmy Nations that night so Izzy did the guitar. It was Charlie Chedda---you know him?--major league tats, Tele player with tone like an ice pick--basically a punk-derived guitarist. He was the regular New Jack guitarist until he fell out with Kershaw over something or other. Like I said, I expected a trying night but instead Charlie did a great job.

Jack Francis · From: Queen Creek, Arizona, USA

Our bass player hurt his back and the doc had him confined to the couch this last weekend so the other guitar player in our band and I traded off on bass sat night...it was fun playing bass for both of us.

Our drummer and keyboard player hated it..I guess we did'nt impress, but we had a better payday!

[This message was edited by Jack Francis on 08 November 2004 at 01:43 AM.]

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

sadly, I must state that most Lead Guitar players do not make good Bass Players..in the natural progression of things Lead Players ( me included) play too much and have a hard time playing in simplcity.

When I did switch over to Bass (for 7 years in the 90's) the first year or maybe more was really a learning curve on how not to play millions of notes in a simple 4 bar phrase.

Once that was understood, I concentrated on how to play under the 5th fret..something us guitar players pretty much refuse to do..

But at the end of the day..playing Bass for the 7 year stretch behind a Grand Piano in a full blown Pentecostal Church band was a music lesson I would not have traded for anything. Can we all say Eb together ? and on a 4 string Bass..Eventually I added the E extender and tuned the E down to Eb but kept the A,D and G natural..this made for some very interesting phrasing to say the least..

What a great Instrument....no wonder we all have such great respect and admiration for the Bass players that hold it all together..

t

[This message was edited by Tony Prior on 08 November 2004 at 04:29 AM.]

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

Hey Tony,

I know what you mean. I've been playing bass out of a hymm book (using the vocal bass line) for the past three years. How about Ab, (4 flats) or Db, (5 flats)? Still can't figure out why someone would pick those keys instead of just dropping the key a half step and making life simpler!

Chris Forbes · From: Beltsville, MD, USA

Tom, they do it because they hate us

Tom Campbell · From: Houston, Texas, USA

Chris,

You may be right. Especially for those musicians who may have had a little too much "fun" the night before!

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