Here’s some practical information on some common issues when playing bass in a band. I’m not trying to be like mr. all knowing bass guru or anything. I definitely don’t claim to be that. I’m just talking about things that I’ve had to tighten up and get better at in my own performance skills. And they’re the things that stood out most recently as I was preparing for my current gig. It’s a Blues/Rock (power) trio.
As far as the bass playing duties (haha, I said “duties”) in this particular band, there’s some improvisation, but mostly I’m playing through arranged parts. There’s usually only three of us so the bass parts have to be nailed and right on time. Plus there are tons of cues for the sections and changes that come at random times so I really have to pay attention to what’s going on around me and be ready for someone to signal for the changes.
To make matters worse, for this band I have to set up and stand to the left of the drummer. That means in order to look at my fretboard, I have to turn my head and look away from the band, since I’m right handed. I had to get used to looking at my fretboard as little as possible and be ready for cues the whole time on this gig, so I made up this video to talk about it.
If anyone else has anything valuable you want to add from your own experience, go right ahead and comment like I say, I don’t have all the answers, but we can all learn from each others experience!
A quick rundown on main bass riff of the tune “Low Rider” by War. Just a basic version to get up and running and start developing some good bass chops. The end part is a bit tricky because of the syncopated rhythm (syncopated is a term used to describe notes that are played off the beat or in between the beats).
This is a simplified version of the main bass line/riff to the song “Another One Bites The Dust” by Queen. Easy, familiar bass riff you can groove on by yourself using a drum machine/loop or with jam on with friends. The basic riff is good to start with and then begin to change it around and jam on it. You can change the riff up in all sorts of ways – different rhythm variations, and note patterns in E minor pentatonic/blues scale (at least that’s what scale I would focus on as the root scale)
How to play a basic version of the bass line in the main verse part of the song “Dock of the Bay” by Otis Redding. This is another great tune to be able to bust out at jam sessions, and is usually a crowd pleaser.
Here’s a quick rundown of the main riff for the song “Sweet Leaf” by Black Sabbath. I mean, how you could you not love playing this tune? Try recording the riff along with a drumbeat and then solo over it using an A minor pentatonic/blues scale. Great to bust out at jams. Always a crowd pleaser!!
This is a cool blues riff to jam on. It’s easy to learn and play and can help you get some beginner bass skills/dexterity/time going. Great riff to record yourself playing through a bunch of times along with a drum machine/beat/loop and then solo over the recording in E minor pent/blues scale
This is the opening bass part to the song “La Grange” by ZZ Top. It’s a really cool example of how to handle a rockin’ shuffle groove. Dusty Hill has always been one of my favorite bass players. He doesn’t play super impossible Victor Wooten -like parts, he just lays down a hard driving blues groove that gets everybody pumped. Dusty is a master at this. Just listen to all the ZZ Top recordings over the years. Dusty, Billy Gibbons and Frank Beard are Blues(/Rock) geniuses, no doubt about it.
Anyway, this is the bass part he does for the first section of the tune after the guitar/vocal intro. It’s just chugging away on the A, just playing that one note (plus the little ending/turnaround). It’s all about the rhythm he’s using. He doesn’t do what the guitar is doing, he’s using a different rhythm. Just a steady 8th note shuffle. You could also call it swing 8th’s. Or you could think of it as triplets with just the first and third note. The first note is strong and the second is weak. You could even think of it as a pair of notes, one long and one short note over and over. Don’t even lift your finger up as your playing (like to mute/ghost note that second weak note and “give it some feel” – which I have a tendency to do and it totally ruins it for this particular hard driving rock type shuffle groove)
There’s the first verse section, then there’s a stop/break. Then it comes back in for the guitar solo and the bass does the same thing on C. Then for the third section, the bass comes in playing the same thing, but hitting A for the first two 8th’s and then C for the second two 8th’s. And he just goes back and forth between those two notes.
Here’s a quick rundown of the Black Sabbath song “Iron Man”. This is just one way to play it as far as which finger pattern I’m using.
It’s in B minor so you could start with your pinky on the 7th fret of the low (E) string and go up to the 5th fret of the A string with your index finger. Then up to the 7th fret with your pinky (even better if you play a ‘hammer on’). Then go up to the next string (the D string) on the 5th fret with your middle finger and then the 4th fret with your index finger, and go back and forth on those notes 3 times and then land with your middle finger on the 5th fret of the A string. Then either slide up to the 7th fret on the same string (A) or do a ‘hammer on’ with your pinky on the 7th fret.
Basic, no frills version of the main verse part to the song Superfreak by Rick James. This is just one way to play it. This would probably be my first choice as far as which fingers I’m using to play which fret.
For the second to last note (beforw the riff starts over)instead of going up to the 7th fret of the low (E) string with your pinky,you could play it on the 2nd fret of the A string with your index finger – instead of making that jump. But whatever. If I was performing it, I may play it a few different ways during the course of the song/jam.
I wanted to just quickly run down the 12 bar blues chord pattern (not any particular bass lines, just how the chord structure is set up). Bear in mind this is just one way to explain it, particularly the turnaround. In my experience, this is the most accurate way I can explain it. There are lots of variations and alternate ways to play a blues, but this is the most common 12 bar form.
Personally, I interpret the last two measures of the tunaround as having two chords per bar. This may be my personal interpretation, but in my experience is the best way to cover the turnaround for a variety of situations, tempos, and rhythic feels. It’s like my generic or template version, and I alter it to accomadate whatever the jam/tune is.
The original Blues greats from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters to John Lee Hooker manipulated and altered the regular 12 bar form in all sorts of ways to create fantastic Blues classics. Each of the songs are unique and may be recognizable just by how the chords go.
A lot of early Rock n Roll songs from the ’50s are basically blues forms, and unfortunately, many of the tunes were lifted directly (lyrics and all) from black blues artists and marketed as “Rock n Roll” to the white teenage audience. There was no such thing as royalties or any type of protection/compensation for the original songwriters, many of whom probably didn’t know about copyright laws. It was a total atrocity and a sad fact of American history. Ok, total tangent.
Many classic rock songs are also blues based. A lot of those guys like The Stones and Eric Clapton very much gave credit where credit was due and were genuine class acts.
It’s always good to learn particular songs, as they each have unique inividual features like stops and kicks or alternate chord structure/turnarounds. Not to mention unique “B” sections, bridges, and choruses.
So, like I was saying, this is my basic explanation of how the chords go in a 12 bar blues that works best for me based on many. many years of experience
like I say, I don’t have all the answers, but we can all learn from each others experience!
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