I am a Bassist

 

I am a bassist.  I approach music and writing from a completely different perspective than that of a guitarist.  I don’t hear, process, or engage the same way as a guitarist.  I didn’t pick this instrument because I thought it would be easy – I chose it because I understood what it was about. 

Being a bassist isn’t always about playing the root note of what the guitarist is playing.  I am not an octave pedal in a bipedal position.  My job is to weave a connective thread between the melody the lead guitarist is playing and making it fit with the emotion and language of the singer.  It is about building a foundation with the drums and the rhythm guitarist juxtaposed against the free-spirited soarings of the lead singer and lead guitarist. 

I am called to tie everything together without being noticed.  I can thunder the lows and play melodic runs.  I can create dissonance and tension and then provide the resolution.  If I do my job without drawing attention to myself I have done it well.  You may not notice me when I play but you sure know something is missing when I don’t. 

If all you want is someone to play one finger root-notes, then you don’t want me - for I am a bassist. What you seek is a frustrated rhythm guitarist, snubbed from his desired position, who will play your one-finger root notes with all the enthusiasm of Ebeneezer Scrooge in a Forever 21 store. 

 

Playing in Multiple Bands

I am one of those musicians who is decidedly blessed to play in multiple bands of different genres.  I play in an original alternative rock band SHED, an original prog rock band Hilltop Burning, and an original jazz/funk/groove side project.  In addition to these three regular gigs I do recording for bands and writers both locally and online.  If I had more time I would engage in even more projects but I am a husband and father first - music is simply icing on the proverbial cake that is my life.

I have never had an issue being prepared for any my projects.  If anything I find that playing in multiple projects makes assimilating material much easier for me.  I am not sure if the variety of the musical styles keeps it interesting for me, if the different styles generate different learning styles, or if it is a combination of those things or maybe even some other factor I have not considered yet.  For the most part none of the musicians I work with have any concerns over my involvement in other projects so long as there are no schedule conflicts for rehearsals, shows, or studio sessions.

There was one personal issue that was expressed to me once regarding "loyalty" to the band.  I am unsure if this was a concern over "cross-contaminating" material or writing or if it was based on that individual's desire to control every aspect of the operation.  For me I am always careful to maintain strict separation between all of the projects on a creative level.  In an industry where bass players are replaced more often than strings are changed the comment struck me as looking for a reason to get rid of me.  Personally I find the position of viewing a multi-band musician as lacking loyalty rather childish. 

Overall playing in different projects serves to fill my toolbox with a variety of skills and approaches that benefit any project that I am involved in.  Earlier this year I auditioned for a band I had liked and wanted to be a part of since the first time I heard their music nearly seven years ago.  I was in the studio finishing tracks for another band I was in at the time when the recording engineer asked me if I had time to listen to an album he had just finished up. When I listened to it I was both excited and pissed off all at the same time.  Excited because it was the kind of good straight-forward American Rock and Roll that I wanted to play and pissed because there was no way their bass player was ever leaving that project. 

Fast forward to earlier this year and a drummer I used to work with sent me a screenshot of the band announcing that they had parted ways with their bass player. I reached out to their singer who is a friend of mine and asked if they had a replacement lined up.  He responded that they did not and that they were actually discussing reaching out to me.  They sent me five songs to learn for the audition and the rest, as they say, is history.  

In order to accommodate the demanding rehearsal and performance schedule I had to leave the other bands I was in.  All of the bands I was in wished me well on my new adventure and I remain in contact with all of those former bandmates.  

https://sleazeroxx.com/american-bombshell-reveal-new-bassist-david-dj-jones-and-guitarist-slick-mick/

Live Shows and Drinking

It seems that live music and drinking go hand in hand.  I enjoy a good beer as much as the next person and I love trying out new beers wherever I go.  Generally I try to arrive at the venue an hour or so before the first band takes the stage to make introductions, network, and muse over the beer selections.

I used to drink all the time at a show, before, during, and after until the wee hours of the morning.  Then I began scaling that back so that I was not drinking during our set.  I would have a beer or two before stage depending on how long we had before taking the stage.  A rule of thumb that I followed was one beer per hour and no beer inside the hour preceding our set.  Now I have gotten to the point of where I do not consume any beer prior to stage and only have a few after we have all of our gear off stage and safely stowed.

We record our shows and I compare performances afterwards to see where I can make improvements in my playing and performance.  Sometimes it is really difficult to watch myself as I am my own worst critic.  One common thread I have found when it comes to poor personal performance is consumption of alcohol prior to playing.  This is not a judgement of others - merely a personal observation.  I am just not one of those musicians that can pull off drinking before playing and do well.  I made a personal choice to refrain from drinking before playing for the sake of presenting my best at each show.

The Difference Between Practice and Rehearsal

There is little else that is as unproductive as showing up for a rehearsal unprepared.  Depending on the size of your group there are anywhere from three to five or more other members counting on you to show up prepared to run through the songs.  It is one thing to have a momentary lapse in memory or concentration and entirely another to show up to rehearsal with the intention of learning your parts on everyone else's time.  This is completely apart from writing or composing.

For me, practice is what I do at home in my studio to prepare for a rehearsal, show, or audition.  In fact I view each rehearsal as a personal audition - it keeps me on my toes and up on my material.  So what does practice entail for me?  Almost exclusively I practice using my laptop, Focusrite interface, and headphones.  I warm up with a few scales and fiddling around for around five to ten minutes depending on how much time I have on that particular day, then I get right down to it.

I start off by going through any new material we are working on and any problem areas I may have on any of the songs.  There is a set list for each of the bands I play in.  Typically we vary the set-list from show to show.  I play through each set list in the order that it will be played for the upcoming show. By keeping up on the material I find it is easier to incorporate new material to the set-list.  I make a special effort to exercise critical listening and critique my playing.  I find that using headphones really helps me to isolate certain aspects of my playing in order to fine tune what I am working on.  This enables me to be prepared for rehearsal and not waste anyone's time.

Bottom line is that it is hard enough to get everyone in the same room together so time is a precious commodity.  Anyone who chooses to use rehearsal as practice is stealing both time and progress.  

Straps

Straps to a bass player are like shoes to a woman.  <yep here it comes - I am going to catch hell for that opener>  There are as many straps as there are basses.  Long straps, short straps, leather straps, nylon straps, padded straps, and that doesn't even begin to touch the tip of the iceberg on colors.  Which one is right is purely a subjective exercise - what works for one may not work for another.


I have found that I prefer a wide strap and it just so happens a wide nylon strap is one of the cheapest straps on the rack at my local national guitar chain. <bonus for the founder of the CBC>  I know a few bass players who prefer wide straps because it helps distribute the weight of the bass across their back.  I don't have back issues but I do find that a thin strap ends up digging into my shoulder so a wider strap really is much more comfortable in that respect.

Back in the eighties I made a fixed length custom leather guitar strap with a thick wide piece of leather from the local leather shop.  In the spirit of Iron Maiden I installed chrome pyramids on the strap after first dyeing it black. It was a conversation starter and was actually quite comfortable.  The raw unfinished underside of the strap helped keep my bass from shifting around and stopped neck dive.  Ultimately I gave it to our guitarist and never saw it again once the band went our separate ways.

Now I am considering making another wide strap for my bass - something around four inches wide.  This time around I would not make it out of leather.  I think I would probably go with nylon or some similar, durable material.  I have not seen anything online that strikes my fancy but maybe you have some suggestions.  Shoot me an email at dasjugghead@gmail.com with any ideas or suggestions.

Thumb Rest Update

A few months ago I made a set of thumb rests for my bass and wrote about it here.  I have had some time to try them out both at rehearsals and individual practice as well as at s few gigs. There are aspects of them that I like and a few things that I would like to change or modify about them.

For starters I like having a consistent anchor point all along the area between the bridge and the end of the fret board.  I believe this has helped both with consistency of attack on the B string as well as reduced fatigue and stress  particularly when navigating an intense passage.

On the other hand, and this is not so bad as to make me remove the thumb rests, I do find that my fingers sometimes strike through the string and hit the thumb rest.  I have also noticed that I am more comfortable with my thumb just a little further away from the B string than the current thumb rests allow.

I made a new thumb rest and tried it out for a few minutes but realized right away that it placed my thumb to far away from the B string.

So here is the new thumb rest.  I will try it out for awhile and report back.  I know it looks crude but if it works then I will make a new one that is better designed. 

Strap Locks

Back in the eighties when strap locks first hit the scene I scored a set from the local music shop and installed them on my bass with great excitement.  That excitement turned to dismay the first time they failed me at a rehearsal.  From that moment on I employed a different method to secure my strap to my bass.

I discovered that a nice sized set of fender washers would secure the strap to my bass without the risk of the strap slipping off the strap buttons.  It is a semi permanent solution that does not allow you to remove the strap from the bass but it also ensures the strap will not come off the strap buttons as well.  Since doing this simple modification I have never had a strap come off a bass under any conditions.  The trade-off of not being able to remove the strap from the bass is a small price to pay for the piece of mind I have gained.

Having my strap semi-permanently affixed to my bass does require one small additional step when putting my bass in its case.  To protect the body of my bass when stowing it in the case I lay a hand towel on it to protect it from the buckles on the strap. Other than that the fender washers do not interfere with playing, storing, or transporting the bass.  As far as low-cost/high value modifications this one has to be my favorite.  While the galvanized look is just fine for me I might try to put a patina on a trial set of washers with a blow torch outside to see how they turn out.  As a note to the reader galvanized steel off-gasses toxic fumes when heated so if you elect to try this out yourself make sure to do so outside in a well ventilated area and avoid breathing the fumes.

For now the galvanized fender washers somewhat match the color of the hardware on my bass.