Bridgehouse

Oh so that was you was it? I went home, checked, and Alan Longmuir definitely played Ab on the end of the 2nd line of the verse on Bye Bye Baby

I shall rephrase for your benefit. And those guys aren't going to be a) in your average covers band playing in the Dog and Duck exclusively, excepting those who are doing so for the fun of it when they aren't on the road with big name acts b) asking for support and advice on an Bass Forum because they don't have professional experience, and aren't professional musicians who have joined up for a bit then run away because fora are often littered with threads like this

And those guys aren't going to be a) in your average covers band playing in the Dog and Duck b) asking for support and advice on an Bass Forum

Session bass player? SESSION BASS PLAYER? You come back here, still late, still no tie, still a messy jacket, still reeking of brandy, and now with a dubious stain on your trouser leg, and give me all this session bass player claptrap? But seriously.. Basslines can make or break songs. They very often do. Yeah - even on "pop songs" where the session bass player has been picking his lottery numbers in his head and wondering if it will be chips tonight (they hope it's chips.. it's chips) - that's why they are session players. Day in, day out, pretty much second nature to get those bass lines down - if on the mix the bass doesn't do the job spot on, then they won't be getting much more work. Most of the covers I hear in pubs and clubs aren't just manufactured pop. It's a heady mix of 90's shoe gazing, britpop, Foos, Muse, and even a bit of Radiohead in those posh trendy wine bars. That's proper bass players in a band, none of your too-good-for-their-own-good session players. It's not obsessing anyway. It's just a desire to do a decent job when performing in public. Spending a bit of time and effort to get something nailed, and well practised. Any gigging cover band musician will know that the practise and machine-like recall of a song isn't "so the band is tight" - it's so they can all carry on seamlessly when massively distracted by Tracey from Accounts who having had a few too many, slips up and crashes into the speaker left of stage, falls over and shows the whole pub her M&S knickers, all followed by her mates from HR laughing and pointing at her. Or Steve who stumbles up onto the stage and starts a vice like grip around the singers neck and insists his rendition of "If You Tolerate This" is much better.

Well, I'm certainly no pro - but I do like to make the effort to get as close as I can, call it amateur pride if you like - pushing yourself to try to cover off those bases is a great way to improve. If I didn't improve, learn more, push myself a bit, then I'd quickly start to wonder why I was playing.

But that wasn't my point. I'm sure there are loads of songs that you can play the bass notes to after one listen - but to get the rhythm, subtlety, note placement and feel for the bassline for any given song requires far more than one listen through. It needs more than one play though let alone one listen through

I'm not much of an ABBA fan. Some stuff was alright I guess. I make those comments from an "in passing" point of view. However, when you actually listen to the songs with a view to playing them, you realise just how complex and utterly genius they are musically. The bassline to Dancing Queen, the metal pins in the hammers on the piano to create the unique sound. The innovative (for the time) production to achieve the sound and separation it has.. In fact, I dare anyone to do a good job of playing the bassline to any ABBA song after one listen....

Mine has got more drivel in it tho...

I'm a bit busy right now, but if you come back later...

There's a significant difference between the complexity of a songs chord structure, it's rhythm, and what makes it unique/memorable - even from a Bass point of view. There are songs with complex bass lines which are rhythmically straight forward, some with simple bass lines in verses and choruses but complex bridges or solos, some with simple bass lines that are made unique by complex fills or runs in places, and then there are many songs that rely on an accurate and very well timed bass rhythm. For me (and I'm a mere landlubber when it comes to some of the experts on here) bass is a subtle but complex mix of notes, rhythms, timing, fills, runs, and note placement. Adam Clayton - oft maligned, oft derided - (and liking the song or not is irrelevant) - With or Without You is a perfect example of a simple bass line that is executed with such precision that it carries the song and gives it most of it's uniqueness. Where he places notes, when he chooses to slide between notes, the driving force of the rhythmic playing. Colin Greenwood (for it is he) - Fake Plastic Trees. I learned the notes to it in one listen. And that was about 10% of the work required to make it sound authentic. Another masterclass in Bass note placement. Once again, a song that is made by the bassline - without it, it would fall. Harmonic perfection, rhythmic excellence, subtle, well placed and executed beautifully. Again, for me, bass playing is about that heady combination of note, rhythm, subtlety and emphasis, and where you place your notes. I've written a few bass lines I'm really proud of. I've even recorded them and felt a reasonable satisfaction with my playing. However, I've also played some of them live and on occasion felt horrified by how bad they sounded when one of those elements listed above wasn't right. The actual notes are just the beginning of the bass player's story.

My point exactly. It’s also disrespectful of the venue who are potentially paying for you to perform.

You stroll into a perfectly sensible thread late, no tie, shoes a mess, scruffy jacket, reeking of brandy and dare to derail it with Rick Beato?? RICK BEATO?? Disgraceful.

Thought of it? It’s bloody true! I wrote a series of lines and recorded them for a singer songwriter for a Spotify release. A few weeks later he decided to gig them at an album launch. Asked me to play bass live. I listened to my bass lines before the rehearsal - couldn’t remember a single one of them all the way through!!

Turn round, through the door, turn left, then third door on the right, down the corridor through the double doors, second door on the left, and the DoI is the fourth door on the right. It has a sign on it that says “Professor Wankel Oneread.” You’ll be safe there.

Actually I’m reminded of a time I auditioned for a covers band. I spent hours learning half the set on the fretless Shuker. Literally hours. I turned up to the audition and as I was getting the bass out the lead singer said ”Oh, sorry mate - we don’t do any Paul Young covers..”

He wasn’t even with his covers band… he was with his daughter! Shocker.

Oh come on!! That required two read-throughs…

Creep.

You win the internet.

I’m comfortable in my self awareness that I’m a talentless, soulless waste of time. I struggle to play bass lines I’ve written after one listen.

I’m gutted that I’m only allowed to read it once to be honest.

One for each time Chas sang “Rabbit”

I find your lack of talent disturbing….

We used to finish with Rabbit by Chas n’ Dave

That tune really gets them going down the Dog and Duck on a Friday night. Perhaps a covers band isn’t your thing. Have you thought about period-correct Icelandic Melancholy Originals?