Is this difficult to play? Is it unnecessarily complicated?

[bass_dinger]

This bassline was created by software, to go over the chords to "Oh little town of Bethlehem".  The Musical Director selected "funky R&B" (or somesuch) as the option for the bass style.

 

 

Is this difficult to play for a competent reader (which I am not)?  Is it unnecessarily complicated?  I am struggling with it, and will probably simplify it.  Does anyone have any hints or tips, to help me to create a funky yet playable line. 

 

 

 

[itu]

First impressions without trying to play it through. 

1) What's the tempo? 

2) Is there some pattern that repeats itself over the parts? I am not able to see anything like that, yet, but most likely I should play it through first. 

3) Done by a machine (see the first notes in bar 15)? How does it sound straight from the computer? 

4) What kind of band is playing? Is it even possible to go up high if there are keys close by? Soundwise it may be feasible to stay in the half and first position. 

5) I think (this is my very biased opinion) that bass should be rhythmic instrument in modern music. Compared to say baroque music I believe melodic content was more important then than rhythmic if we look at older and today's music. Therefore many melodic jumps seen in the score might be possible to "reduce" to smaller intervals without "reducing" rhythmic content. Ghost notes should not be forgotten. 

 

Wishing to see comments from the pros here, like TKenrick, Bilbo, Tom Read, Chris Dev, et al. 

[TKenrick]

1 hour ago, bass_dinger said:

This bassline was created by software

Instant red flag for me right there. 

 

Yes, it's hard to read/play, because a human wouldn't come up with some of those ideas (bar 11!). The main thing is not the unnecesary complexity, more that it lacks musicality - as @itu said above, there's no discernable bassline for the listener (or even the bass player) to latch onto as it lacks rhythmic or melodic repetition. 

 

My advice would be to ask the MD for a chord chart and do your own thing, starting with the bare minimum of accompaniment - people (and machines, it seems) often think that 'funky' = make it as busy as possible, but that's rarely the case.

[bass_dinger]

 

1) What's the tempo?  - 78 BPM  (according to the Tap Tempo on my metronome) 

2) Is there some pattern that repeats itself over the parts? Good question - you are making me think.  So, no repetitions that I can see or hear.  Bars 5, 24, 43 and 62 cover the start of each verse, four bars over the chords D, Bm, Em and A.

2a)  I am not able to see anything like that, yet, but most likely I should play it through first.  

3) Done by a machine (see the first notes in bar 15)?  Oh yes!  So, a D and an E - two note a tone apart, that sound pretty muddy in that register - and it is hard to play.

 

3a) How does it sound straight from the computer?   It works as a bassline - it is technically correct.  However, it seems unnecessarily busy and noodley.  As if a bedroom-player learnt some Jaco licks, and is trying to fit them all in.  No real feel for how the line supports the band, but instead, a bass solo.       

 

4) What kind of band is playing? Bass plus Drummer, Keys, guitar, vox, cello, flute.     

4a) Is it even possible to go up high if there are keys close by? Soundwise it may be feasible to stay in the half and first position.  Instinctively, I don't want to be ranging from the low B to a high E om the G string.  So, I will stay low.   

5) I think (this is my very biased opinion) that bass should be rhythmic instrument in modern music.  Yes. Very biased, but very correct!

 

I can't play the written line - if I could, I wouldn't be in a scratch church band playing carols!  So, I think that I need to include a few riffs and pentatonic noodles, a couple of octave jumps, and waggle my head a bit.  Instant funky, when you've ordered your bass player from Temu . . .        

 

 

[bass_dinger]

19 minutes ago, TKenrick said:

Instant red flag for me right there. 

 

Yes, it's hard to read/play, because a human wouldn't come up with some of those ideas (bar 11!). The main thing is not the unnecesary complexity, more that it lacks musicality - as @itu said above, there's no discernable bassline for the listener (or even the bass player) to latch onto as it lacks rhythmic or melodic repetition. 

 

My advice would be to ask the MD for a chord chart and do your own thing, starting with the bare minimum of accompaniment - people (and machines, it seems) often think that 'funky' = make it as busy as possible, but that's rarely the case.

 

You are right - fundamentally, the bassline is not a bassline, but a series of riffs and fills.  I did actually try to play Bar 11 and needed to work out a different fingering to accommodate all the notes - by my reckoning, that's a 2 octave range, in a bar made up of 8th and 16th notes, with double-stops.

 

I like your implied advice about basslines needing to have rhythmic or melodic repetition.  I can work with that.