How do you show civilians the true potential of the bass without appearing to be a flash twonk?

[OldGit]

This came up in another thread when talking about music shop twiddlers, slappers and the shy and mighty amongst us .. However the question is ...

[b]How do you show civilians the true potential of the bass without appearing to be a flash twonk?[/b]

Do you have a party piece that works in your band or Duo?
Do you have a solo piece that you play when someone just insists at a party?
Do you have a piece you play at family musical gatherings?

Given the opportunity my wife and I play a medley of my original tunes on bass and flute with the bass taking the melody for some of the time. Once we get a piano that's in tune and my lessons have progressed far enough I feel some Bach for Bass pieces will get added to that as well ..

For famous people, I have a favourite example from an unexpected source: Steeleye Span's live version of Blackleg Miner from the "Present" CD with Rick Kemp slapping and popping his slightly flanged Overwater .. - Now That's What I Call Folk 'n Roll.
We'd play it in my band if it wasn't so overtly political. I'm looking for a similar opportunity that will still work at a wedding

Listen here (you get 2 or 3 listens of teh whole track for free)
[url="http://www.last.fm/music/Steeleye+Span/_/Blackleg+Miner"]http://www.last.fm/music/Steeleye+Span/_/Blackleg+Miner[/url]

Edited April 3, 2008 by OldGit

[jakenewmanbass]

This is entirely a personal viewpoint on the subject, I don't mean it as an absolute, more as a principal, or kind of rule to which there are of course always exceptions:

If you want people to know what you've done on a gig, get out of the bass chair. You'll be doing it and yourself and the music no favours.

Rather, be satisfied that the music would have fared much less well without your presence (or somebody covering those frequencies eg Hammond left hand/pedals etc)

Jake

So, I don't have a party piece.
I do have 150+ gigs a year though.

PS I'm not really counting jazz gigs in that assessment, as there is a bit more appetite for bass solos.

Edited April 3, 2008 by jakesbass

[geilerbass]

The only solo(ish) piece I've ever learnt to the point that I can always play it, is the Dune Tune, by Level 42. I'll play that if pushed, but usually when people say "play something" I'll just play a bass line from one of my band's tunes.

[Kiwi]

I don't have a party piece although I do get the occasional break down to groove over which usually met with total indifference from the audience (although there was one exception recently when I got a cheer, but only one mind.). I'm crap at soloing because its not what motivates me, its the team work that I tend to get off on.

[Bilbo]

I'm kinda with Jakesbass on this one.

I think featuring the bass is perfectly acceptable if that is what the gig requires but I always shy away from it at weddings etc because no-one is interested and it just interupts the 'groove' of the evening (watch them dancers clear the floor!). Bass solos often bore bass players (see any one of 1,000 posts here) but the rest of the listening public are even less inclined to listen to us feature.

I think the two/four bar fill when the band leader introduces the players (if that happens) is all that is even remotely advisable. In my experience, the best way to 'feature' the bass is to let it do what it does best; underpin a killer groove.

I am on course to do 100 gigs this year and know that its not my solos that get me the calls, its my time.

[wateroftyne]

I sometimes play MORE THAN TWO NOTES IN A BAR!

Oh yeah... Check me out... SHAZAM!

Seriously though... I have no party pieces.

Maybe I need one.

As an aside, I was born and bred in the shadow of the pit that Blackleg Miner refers to. Had it still been standing, that is.

Delaval is a terrible place, indeed.

[OldGit]

oooh hang on can we bring this back from another discussion of "do you think the bass player should do a solo?"
I think we have covered that several times and I'm on the side of the majority.

I [i]do[/i] play a bass solo when introduced at wedding gigs - it's over the verse part of "Coming round the mountain when she comes" and is mostly the Pagannini cello riff from the South Bank Show intro, but it's less than a minute long That's plenty.

What I'm really talking about here is when someone says "play something for us" and you reach for the bass ...

[jakenewmanbass]

It occured to me reading through again that civilians actually have an acute awareness of the potential of the bass, it's just that it's subliminal. The evidence for this can be found on dancefloors all over the world, where you will find people thrashing away the second something with an irresistable groove is played.
Or conversely, if the bass player on the gig is not fulfilling the potential, the floor clears.

Edited April 3, 2008 by jakesbass

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='OldGit' post='168937' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:02 AM']What I'm really talking about here is when someone says "play something for us" and you reach for the bass ...[/quote]

I don't.

Believe it or not I'm a bit shy. (I know this is not obvious from the tone of my posts)

Edited April 3, 2008 by jakesbass

[Bilbo]

[quote name='OldGit' post='168937' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:02 AM']What I'm really talking about here is when someone says "play something for us" and you reach for the bass ...[/quote]

S'never happened! I don't think people are that interested.

[bremen]

[quote name='OldGit' post='168937' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:02 AM']What I'm really talking about here is when someone says "play something for us" and you reach for the bass ...[/quote]


I'm with Jake and Bilbo in that when anyone says that I reach for my coat rather than my bass, and like the majority here the closest I like to get to a solo is a stripped-down groove for a few bars. Which the civilians do tend to enjoy.

That steeleye span tune though, I'd love to hear it at a wedding. But then I like a bit of politics in my music.

[Jambo63]

I don't have party piece either (play in a blues band) but I do get to wander around with some of the bass lines as long as what I play fits into the groove (tends to be of the simple variety for me really - I'm not flash in any way)

I am occasionally told to turn up

Cheers
Fraser

Ooooh just noticed I'm no longer a newbie

Edited April 3, 2008 by Jambo63

[Jase]

[quote name='OldGit' post='168937' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:02 AM']oooh hang on can we bring this back from another discussion of "do you think the bass player should do a solo?"
I think we have covered that several times and I'm on the side of the majority.

I [i]do[/i] play a bass solo when introduced at wedding gigs - it's over the verse part of "Coming round the mountain when she comes" and is mostly the Pagannini cello riff from the South Bank Show intro, but it's less than a minute long That's plenty.

What I'm really talking about here is when someone says "play something for us" and you reach for the bass ...[/quote]


I wouldn't mind being able to do this if someone said "play something for us boy!!"

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN4ExKyPydk&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DN4ExKyPydk...feature=related[/url]

[TonyRamwell]

I don't really have a "party piece" as you may say, however I'd sure like to be able to bust this out!

[jakenewmanbass]

While I don't think the guy is a bad player, seems to have a nice feel and can groove, the level of interest in that seems potentially quite narrow to me. Is music in danger of closing its own sphincter behind itself as it disappears into its own anus?
Thats a thirty something year old song, and sounds nowhere near as good as the original. Has a feeling of emperors new clothes about it to me.

[Paul Cooke]

I do a killer "Thrill is Gone"

"Born under a bad sign" is another good one...

[MB1]

[quote name='bremen' post='168986' date='Apr 3 2008, 10:52 AM']I'm with Jake and Bilbo in that when anyone says that I reach for my coat rather than my bass, and like the majority here the closest I like to get to a solo is a stripped-down groove for a few bars. Which the civilians do tend to enjoy.

That steeleye span tune though, I'd love to hear it at a wedding. But then I like a bit of politics in my music.[/quote]

MB1.
That Steeleye Span Tune??????............All Around My Hat?????????

[MB1]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='168943' date='Apr 3 2008, 10:06 AM']I don't.

Believe it or not I'm a bit shy. (I know this is not obvious from the tone of my posts)[/quote]

MB1.
Is this not ,where one should use.......... "THE LEGENDARY BROWN NOTE!"

[Rich]

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='168929' date='Apr 3 2008, 09:52 AM']I don't have a party piece although I do get the occasional break down to groove over which usually met with total indifference from the audience (although there was one exception recently when I got a cheer, but only one mind.). I'm crap at soloing because its not what motivates me, its the team work that I tend to get off on.[/quote]
Generally, +1 to all that -- I'm happiest in a pocket/groove/bus driver's seat. That said, I do have a party piece... it's a slightly modified version of Hellborg's version (stay with me here) of 'Little Wing'. If you haven't heard Hellborg's take, do yourself a favour and track it down. Anyway, said party piece only very rarely gets an airing these days, although it used to be my solo spot back in the days of my fusion trio. It has a certain amount of flash twonkhood, but it does demonstrate the potential of the bass guitar in terms of bass, melody and chords, all in the same piece. Thus proving to the civilians that our instrument is capable of faaaar more than just standing at the back going 'plunk plunk' (which I dare say is how a lot of them see us).

[ped]

If someone wants to hear what I can do on the bass (hasn't happened often!) I play them a song I have recorded. Much better to hear the bass in context. Some people don't even know 'which' the bass is. At this point I normally show them some pictures of Nellie.

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='MB1' post='169015' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:25 AM']MB1.
Is this not ,where one should use.......... "THE LEGENDARY BROWN NOTE!"[/quote]
enlighten me, the legend has not reached my door.

[Paul Cooke]

[quote name='jakesbass' post='169024' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:32 AM']enlighten me, the legend has not reached my door.[/quote]


allegedly in the region between 5 and 9 Hz, there's a note, that when played loudly, will liquify the contents of the listeners large intestines... and result in an embarrassing incident...

[url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_note"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_note[/url]

[Funkmaster]

I've always thought bass solos deadly boring - and lets face it have never really considered myself good enough to do them!

But in one of the bands I play for me and the singer do a version of Elvis Costello's 'Alison', just bass and voice which even thouigh I say so myself, I think is pretty cool. And is handy when the guitarist breaks a string! Should post up a recording of it sometime perhaps.

We do 'Fever' bass and vox too (useful for the next time the guitarist breaks a string).

David

[bremen]

[quote name='MB1' post='169013' date='Apr 3 2008, 12:21 PM']MB1.
That Steeleye Span Tune??????............All Around My Hat?????????[/quote]



All Around My Twat is to Steeleye Span what Hi Ho Silver Lining is to Jeff Beck. I was referring to the Blackleg Miner, link in the OP.

[cheddatom]

[quote name='Funkmaster' post='169039' date='Apr 3 2008, 11:44 AM']me and the singer do a version of Elvis Costello's 'Alison', just bass and voice which even thouigh I say so myself, I think is pretty cool. And is handy when the guitarist breaks a string! Should post up a recording of it sometime perhaps.


David[/quote]

Yes please David!