So let’s DO this thing!!!

Composing a Bass Part

Here’s the drum groove with which we’ll be working...

Audio Example 1

Pretty straightforward; a typical 8th-note pop/rock drum groove.

The first order of business when composing a bass part is...to LISTEN.

Where’s beat 1? Identify the essentials (beat placement of the hi-hat, snare and kick drum). If this drum groove sounds familiar, by the way, it’s because we’ve already spent some time with it during our rhythmic ear training lessons!

Here’s the beat placement in written form:

FIGURE 1

 

Groove Approach #1 (Focus: The Effectiveness of Simplicity)

As we discussed in Lesson 1, one of the best ways to become a groove-oriented bassist is to adopt the “bass as drum” paradigm (revisit Lesson 1 if you need to refresh your memory).

To that end, one of the simplest (and arguably BEST) approaches to take would be to simply emulate the kick drum pattern with the bass...essentially giving pitch to the kick drum.

EXAMPLE 2

Audio Example 2

 

I’ve found that there’s a tendency (most frequently - but certainly not exclusively - among younger bassists) to dismiss this sort of bass line as “boring” or lacking creativity. I want to encourage you in the strongest possible terms to avoid this mentality. This basic groove, played with solid time, musical phrasing and good feel, is often the most effective part you can play for a tune; it’s simple, supportive, doesn’t get in the way, and establishes a firm foundation for the singer and/or other instrumentalists. It is an absolutely essential groove to have in your musical arsenal.

There’s an interesting phenomenon that happens when a kick drum and bass “lock” (play perfectly in time): the combined sound seems to exceed the sum of the individual parts.

Listen again to the drum groove isolated (Example 1 audio clip, above), then listen to the bass line by itself...

EXAMPLE 3

Audio Example 3

 

Finally, listen again to the drums and bass playing together (Example 2 audio clip, above). Do you notice how the bass and kick drum together have a tangible “punch” that isn’t nearly as evident in the isolated clips?

The sound and feel of that combined attack is perhaps the favorite aspect of playing music for the groove-oriented bassist and drummer.

Developing the rhythmic solidity to consistently achieve this with drummers requires focused practice and much attention to the subtleties of time (read: getting extremely picky about rhythmic accuracy, and merciless about flams). We’ll explore various exercises for practicing this in an upcoming lesson.

EXERCISE 1

Play along with this drum groove. It's a longer version of Example 1. Focus on really locking with the kick drum, creating a single attack between the bass & kick.

Audio Exercise 1

 

It can be helpful to record yourself playing for a while (32 measures or so), and giving it some critical listening to ensure that the bass and kick drum are tight. High fidelity isn’t necessary here, by the way - just make sure that you can clearly hear the drums and bass.

If you have a way of recording into your computer, you can use the free program Audacity to record yourself over an MP3 file.