Maybe I am way off the mark with this question but a drummer friend and a guitar/singer friend want me to visit their house after Christmas to jam for a few hours. We all played together 40+ years ago and this session is totally for the fun of playing music.
I will bring my Les Paul, amp, my Aria bass and amp but I have never played bass with a drummer before and am not sure what to do! Songs will be country, country rock and Simon & Garfunkel type. Creating a groove is something new and unknown to me. Any help in any way will be appreciated. Thanks.
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. [Albert Einstein]
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What I am saying is don't follow the snare ghost notes (unless you are playing fusion).
The main thing is to follow the kick.
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When I say lock in I don't mean only play as much as the bass drum, but certainly land a note when the bass drum lands.
It is a hard thing to explain in words.
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Its kind of like the rhythmic equivalent of a cadence.
Basic country bass is all about the root - fifth with passing notes to the next chord, it's quite easy to get a good groove going.
Still buzzing after the get together yesterday evening!
The setup in my friends music room was pretty impressive. He had a small PA system with a microphone for the singer. The singer played acoustic guitar which was plugged in to his guitar amp. My biggest problem, one that took about a half hour to sort out, was my amps low volume. Turn it up is the obvious answer but it took that long to figure out the correct volume level, one that the other guys could hear clearly yet still hear themselves. My little Stinger guitar amp, one I built myself, has a switch that bypasses the tone stack. This gives a hotter sound and suits the Les Paul perfectly. The Minimark had no problem with volume, again it was a case of determining what the 'right' volume level was.
I found that playing with a drummer was easier than I had feared. Much easier than I hoped it would be. From the first strike, we were on! My limitation was my little skill as a bassist. But the vibe was that mistakes were to be expected and not to be afraid to try something even if it did not come off. During the evening I progressed from playing straight root notes to root notes and ascending or descending runs to the next root note. Progress indeed. Nothing spectacular but the two lads loved it. They said the bass really helped them and filled out the sound.
The singer tended to sing in odd keys. Odd to me, I 'seldom' try anything in Bb or Eb. This was less of a problem on the bass than on the Les Paul. Most of the intros and fills I knew were in the standard recorded keys, I found transposing to a different key 'challenging' if not impossible but it was fun when I got it right!
Lessons learned were the little bass runs, the need to practice intros and fills in keys other than G, A or E. But the most important lesson learned was that at a certain volume level, less is actually more. By less a sustaining power chord on the Les Paul gives great support to the amped up acoustic guitar. And playing thirds instead of full chords adds a lot to the overall sound.
We started around seven and started packing up just after ten o'clock. My fingers felt a bit numb and this morning my wrist is slightly painful. In a nice way. And I got texts from the lads inviting me to the next get together in a month or so time. So thanks to all you guys who offered tips and strategies for dealing with the demands of the evening. It was great fun, I am looking forward to the next outing. And knowing what we might be playing gives me greater impetus to practice more. And to practice with a purpose.
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Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
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It is very, very good for you to be forced to play in these keys.
I know more than a few accomplished rock musicians who get lost once they get out of the usual rock type keys (Am, C, Em, G etc).
Studio: https://www.voltperoctave.com
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