# It seems that nobody cares about the bass guitar anymore



## Impasse (Apr 23, 2009)

There are a few noteworthy bassists in my library. John Paul Jones, Sting, Roger Waters (even though he's an asshole), John Entwistle, and of course Geddy Lee. But really, in the Strokes and the Killers, I just hear da-da-da-da-da-da-da, a bunch of eighth notes in a line. Are all modern bands like this? Even in all the post-rock I have, the bass must be unplugged all the time or something.

It never takes the lead except on occasion in jazz orchestras. There must be some really nice bass lines in Boston or Supertramp or Deep Purple, but I can never hear them. There always seems to be a wailing guitar getting in the way, or maybe a rapid organ. Yeah, that sounds nice, but I've heard it so many times, could I please have a listen to the bass part?

Of all the people I've known well at all, none but me have ever played bass. Several played/still do play a keyboard, or maybe a guitar - oh man, everyone loves those guitars, don't they - even a few percussionists. But who the hell plays bass anymore? After all, it's just a guitar with two less strings, everyone seems to think.

And then there are extended-range bassists. Those people are awesome, but nobody's ever heard of Jean Baudin, or Yves Carbonne, though they're quite amazing musicians.


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## Rytes (Apr 23, 2009)

i care


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## Shindo (Apr 23, 2009)

i play the bass and there are still a lot of good bass players, just not really in popular music


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## Aden (Apr 23, 2009)

Bunch of music I listen to has some crazy bass, but that's tech death for ya.

I think it has mostly to do with the attitudes of the bassists. The general, popular music audience does not really care about bass prowess that much, so the player sees that he has an easy job and does what he has to. You get a lot of bass players that really do care when you start getting less mainstream.

So, don't like this? Help out and write some amazing bass parts. 8D


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## Impasse (Apr 23, 2009)

Oh, I plan on it. But all the same, the bass has lost its importance in popular music.

A while back I went to this Open Blues Jam thing, at a bar with a nice recording setup. I didn't perform that time, just went to listen. A few bassists were really good (unfortunately, there's not a lot of room for solos when a bunch of uncoordinated people play something random) but most seemed to be content with finding one little measure and playing that for the whole song.

There'll be another one in a week, so I'll get on the stage then and see what I can do ;D


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## dwolv (Apr 24, 2009)

I like Jazz samba funk and underground hip-hop. that bass is one of my favorite instruments


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## Takun (Apr 24, 2009)

Radiohead has some sexy basslines.  Airbag opens OK Computer with a funky bass.


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## Endless Humiliation (Apr 24, 2009)

Takumi_L said:


> Airbag opens OK Computer with a funky bass.



I'm listening and it's too sparse to be truly funky.


Try this on for size


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## Takun (Apr 24, 2009)

Load_Blown said:


> I'm listening and it's too sparse to be truly funky.
> 
> 
> Try this on for size



Well clearly that is soloing and wouldn't fit in the song....


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## lowlow64 (Apr 24, 2009)

I wanna learn bass.


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## TakeWalker (Apr 24, 2009)

Y'know, I hate the fact that everything I have to say about music anymore comes back to Rock Band, but playing that game has really given me an appreciation for good bass players, especially



Impasse said:


> Geddy Lee



And while the "da da da" songs are nice for getting gold stars on, they've got to be awfully boring for the bass player. It makes you wonder why they got into bass in the first place. (Then there's the three or four solid minutes of playing the same three notes in Green Grass and High Tides ARGHFJKRLL)

Granted, I'd love to play bass myself, but it's mostly because I think I could play those easy, repetitive chords while singing. :V Doing both is hard.


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## Shade Koba (Apr 25, 2009)

I'm a bassist myself, and I hate hearing must music these days that are fucked up without any good bass. However, good metal has some good stuff =P Look at KoRn- It's a big part of the music ^_^

But yeah, people like Jack White need to be run over by a steamroller @_@ He doesnt have a fucking bassist in The White Stripes!!! D=< It's just him on guitar and his ex on the drums >.< It's fuckin pathetic, and most people flock to that shit.

Any real metal has the bass turned up high, so that gives bassists a little more credit. In the music I make, I often give the bass line some pretty sweet shit. Often even a solo =D

But alas, any band with a decent bassist rarely makes it mainstream. Jean Baudin is definitely an amazing bassist, and I wish more bassists actually watched stuff like his work to even give a shit about their work. Sure, sometimes its good to have the bass playing straight 8th notes. But not for a whole fucking song @_@ The bass most often takes the root of the chord when there ARE chords >.< If mainstream artists actually gave a shit about their profession, they'd take a music theory class and realize how important the bass really is.

I mean for god's sake, you turn up the treble on the thing and it sounds AMAZING for solos n shit! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THAT QUALITY TONE!?


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## DolphinSpirit (Apr 26, 2009)

It's a sad fact of the music world but bass is definably an overlooked instrument. As a lot of people have stated here, people will just play it because it is an easy instrument to play. Bass is the foundation of all music though! I mean, bass lines don't always have to be complicated or stand out. I sometimes find the simplest bass lines can also be the most fun! 
When ever I play my bass guitars I love starting off to something nice and simple. Then maybe I'll go into a more complicated song.
There are still musicians out there that do the job pretty well though.



Shade Koba said:


> Look at KoRn- It's a big part of the music ^_^



Granted that Reginald Arvizu has made a difference in the music world. I don't really appeal to his style all that much though. It sounds like lots of floppy fish. That's just me though.


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## Icky (Apr 26, 2009)

DolphinSpirit said:


> It's a sad fact of the music world but bass is definably an overlooked instrument. As a lot of people have stated here, people will just play it because it is an easy instrument to play. Bass is the foundation of all music though! I mean, bass lines don't always have to be complicated or stand out. I sometimes find the simplest bass lines can also be the most fun!
> When ever I play my bass guitars I love starting off to something nice and simple. Then maybe I'll go into a more complicated song.
> There are still musicians out there that do the job pretty well though.


I know this is a thread about bass, but I could have sworn you were talking about drums there. Especially about being the foundation of music.


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## VÃ¶lf (Apr 26, 2009)

It's a shame, true. I actually play bass, guitar, a bit of the drums and I sing, and actually I like to throw in bass solos for my band when writing our music too  I still have a respect for it.

What's far worse is when people get LSS: Lead Singer Syndrome. I have a couple of my friends who are like that; they dominate everyone in their band, tell everyone what to do, often act like they're awesome guitarists so they can steal solos and grab maximum limelight all the time. My one friend doesn't shut up about his "angelic" voice. He's okay, but not that great.


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## Icky (Apr 26, 2009)

Volf said:


> My one friend doesn't shut up about his "angelic" voice.


For some reason, I just pictured Rick Astley playing in your band.


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## greg-the-fox (Apr 26, 2009)

Listen to Protest The Hero and Between The Buried And Me if you want to hear crazy bassists (and crazy everything)


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## Defender (Apr 26, 2009)

The singer/bassist of NoMeansNo plays bass like a lead instrument. By this I mean he mashes the shit out of it with a pick like he is a punk rock guitarist. It is great.


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## emptyF (Apr 29, 2009)

um, SableAble doesn't have a guitarist.  it's all bass.  and drums.  and vocals.  but you get the idea.

can my band get some love?  damn.


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## Eleziek (Apr 29, 2009)

Impasse said:


> Oh, I plan on it. But all the same, the bass has lost its importance in popular music.




Isn't 'popular music' an oxymoron? 

I kid, I kid, there's a few 'popular' groups that truly have music in their heart.

I play bass, but I also play a buttload of other instruments like sax, horn, piano, viola, etc. There's nothing better than a nice bassline, whether it's an electric bass, a pizz. double bass, or a contra line in a drum corps 

To whoever said 'drums' were the foundation of music, try again D:


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## kurreltheraven (May 1, 2009)

How can you have a thread about bass guitars without Les Claypool, Bootsy Collins, Larry Graham..

..oh THAT's what a thousand eyes rolling all at once sound like.


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## composite_beast (May 3, 2009)

I think Lemmy Kilmister, for one, cares about bass.  That guy is a beast.
Geezer Butler.  Jack Bruce.  D'Arcy.  All good bass players whom I love to listen to.

I'm a drummer.  Problem is, there was always a surfeit of drummers, so I had to learn to play bass to get into a band.  One night at a party, I picked up this bass and started playing along to the radio.  I'm blessed/cursed with 'perfect pitch', so after I tuned the instrument and gained a little bit of dexterity, I was able to play along well enough.  In college, I ended up playing bass for the jazz ensemble (lots of walk-the-dog quarter-note stuff) on this effing sweet black-on-black Fender longscale Jazz fretless fourstring.  I fell in love with that thing.:}

Really, I think the bass is firstly a rhythm instrument and secondly a melodic.  I do wish more bass players would try playing on thirds and fifths now and then instead of constantly pounding on the root a la The Ramones.  But, different styles of music call for different approaches to the bass line.  The primary objective remains the same:  get people dancing!


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## touge-union (May 8, 2009)

I play bass, ibanez btb200 (i love it more than my own life), and yet every guitarist i go to college with, seems to think i'm a 'failed guitarist', i'm not, i play electric guitar and bass. Does anybody else get stick about being a bassist? or is it college humour?

And i dont think that bass guitarists arent cared for, i just think that they dont enough pubicity. 

When i read the title i died a little inside...


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## Not Hitler (May 10, 2009)

Check out the Beach Boys' _Pet Sounds_. That has some really cool bass parts if you wade through the wall of sound to find them. I suppose it's the last place one would look for good bass guitar. xP
Also, you mentioned some modern post-punk bands with uninteresting bass parts, which really is mostly true-- although at least Interpol's Obstacle 1 has pretty crazy bass in it. Everything else is going "da da da da" and the bass just flies about... Come to think of it, _Turn On The Bright Lights_ is probably a good place to look too maybe? The songs where the bass is just going "dadadada" are als the ones where the guitar just goes "dadadada" so.... I dunno.

I made alist once of really cool bass guitar parts but I can't find it anymore.


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## demonwerewolf110 (May 10, 2009)

Les Claypool? He plays the bass in Primus and he's pretty much the focal point when in comes to instruments in the band.

Also, if you're into that kind of music, Mastodon. The bass is really evident in their music.


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## Kellan Meig'h (May 10, 2009)

OK, I'll share my $0.02 USD worth-

having played bass for 40+ years, I can safely say there are a few good bassists out there, some are 'meh' good and a good 1/2 need to find another instrument.

Too many times I see someone with a high $$$ bass, more effects pedals than a lead guitarist and 1,000 watts of power that _just_ can't effing play.

I gig with 130 watts (Musicman HD-130 head, 4-10's cabinet, sealed, louder than sin if you crank it), an old '60's Silvertone (body looks like a Fender Jaguar) w/ a Leo Quan Badass II bridge, '70's vintage Guild Humbucking pickups (hottest output bass p'ups ever made) and Shaller tuners. No pedals needed or wanted. I have yet to stand in with a band (70's rock or country) here in the SF Bay Area where the guitarists could drown me out. For smaller venues I prefer my Bassman 50.

Popping, slapping and 16th note solos sounds like the guy should be playing lead guitar, not bass. Sorry gang, but the bass is not a lead instrument. Never was, either.

That doens't mean I play just a single note groove, I do play a multi note driving line to set the root of the song. It's just that I don't try to solo (unless asked to).

Listen to how Nathan East lays the foundation for this song without calling undue attention to himself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6F2qExLsic

Just ignore David Sanborn's insane noodlings on the sax ...!

_Kel_


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## demonwerewolf110 (May 10, 2009)

Also John Myung is amazing.


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## Mr_Pirate_Kitty (May 10, 2009)

The thing is that mostly metal bands have the heavy bass, because they need it to drive the rhythm. I myself play bass, so I always am looking for good strong bass parts. You just have to find the right style of music.


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## wheelieotter (May 11, 2009)

I'm a big fan of Tony Levin, who has played with King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, Pink Floyd, Yes and lots of others. Amazingly talented, and a nice guy to boot. Got to see him play with the California Guitar Trio twice at a smallish bar in Houston. His solo stuff is worth a listen, too.


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## Alex Cross (May 12, 2009)

Bass is still an integral part of rock music. Most music, in fact, nowadays has a lot of treble and not enough bass to balance the sound and make it richer.


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## Dark Hawk (May 17, 2009)

I have been playing bass for the past 4 years and think that i am somewhat good ^-^

If anyone has heard of the band Biffy Clyro (Band from m home town, Ayr so yea i have same accent xD! ) then they are what got me really into bass, especially the song Get Fucked Studd (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFOXIiQT5UM) & A whole child ago (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0xrL_TtxEo&feature=related)

I love bass and out of all my Friends im the only bassist and because of it im in like 5 different bands, yet i cant complain. ^-^

Now that im all into the more kinda Jazzy Bass i am taking up the Saxophone.
Anyway if you do listen to those Biffy Clyro songs be sure to check out Folding stars by Biffy C.

~D.Hawk


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## kjmars63 (May 22, 2009)

Because most rock/metal groups are lead by the douchebag guitarists (Disturbed, Dragonforce are 2 good examples). They write all the music so you just hear their guitars, not the bass. Like in the Indestructable album by Disturbed, why the fuck did they have nothing but guitar solos in it? It sounds horrifically set up on purpose. Theres really only a couple of mentionable bands that use Bass as a lead more than a rhythm. My favorite is Tool. You can actually listen to the Bassline more than the guitar stuff. I wrote a lot of my music with more bass in it than guitar, but I am starting to rewrite the sheet music since i recently bought some different instruments. A Death Metal band with furry oriented lyrics, Double Bass and Erhu solos? Sounds interesting. But thats what I hope my music will end up like.


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## Tiarhlu (May 26, 2009)

I'm going to write some bass ENSEMBLE music. That'll blow your mind.


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## Sage (Jun 20, 2009)

I play bass guitar! I've got a 6-string Schecter, and I looooooove it.

Also, for music that's got some cool bass, try Squarepusher. He's pretty out there sometimes, but he's great with the bass. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUBPH6vp5Uo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBgn8QxYB6U

8)


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## ScruffyHyena (Jun 22, 2009)

C'mon guys!!

Flea?

Victor Wooten?

Jaco?

BOOTSY COLLINS?

C'mon!

Edit: By "C'mon!" I mean, remember the fathers and followers of the funk!


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## Bloodshot_Eyes (Jul 3, 2009)

Suicidal Tendencies?


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## Kiko The Freako (Jul 20, 2009)

I play bass.  I actualy have a Traben 5 string.  bass is awsome and I also like msuci with more bass enphesis.  Tool is almost driven by the bass and P.O.D. has alot of great bass work.  Nonpoint is pretty bass heavy too.


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## Molotov (Jul 20, 2009)

Damn...Bass Guitar at the very top of my "To-Get" list, seriously.


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## Tudd (Jul 20, 2009)

Hey man, if you're listening to Supertramp or Rush and not hearing the bass, you might wanna upgrade to some decent speakers or some headphones. I mean shit, YYZ is pretty intense... 

Bassist here, care about bass, and on the top of my listen is the sound quality of sound reproduction.


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## PunkFurry (Jul 20, 2009)

dwolv said:


> I like Jazz samba funk and underground hip-hop. that bass is one of my favorite instruments



WELLLLLLLLL WELL!.... SAMBA TIEM, BABY!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC20X0DKsqo&feature=channel_page

sry...had to do it....


and I care about bass...I play it...it is beautiful and I would give myself to my bass if it was anthropomorphic! *humps his bass*


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## KaiFox (Jul 21, 2009)

Bullshit to the statement of this topic.  When John Myung pulls out a 12-string bass and plays "Trial of Tears", it grabs your fucking attention and puts you in a state of pure astonishment.


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## Sedit (Jul 26, 2009)

probably not your forte, but as mentioned, the more extreme metal sub genres have some brilliant, highly skilled players....groove montesters, to highly technical beasts can all be found here.

Just a shame that one the majority of metal discs, the bass is hard to make out in the mix


I play bass myself.  Have both a standard 4 string electric bass, and a fretless 6 string


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## Aden (Jul 26, 2009)

Sedit said:


> probably not your forte, but as mentioned, the more extreme metal sub genres have some brilliant, highly skilled players....groove montesters, to highly technical beasts can all be found here.
> 
> Just a shame that one the majority of metal discs, the bass is hard to make out in the mix



Indeed indeed. I love all the jazz fusion metal bands that started popping up in Cynic's wake - amazing players all around, bass was always especially above average. I'd also recommend earlier extreme/tech death like Atheist.


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## Sedit (Aug 9, 2009)

Aden said:


> Indeed indeed. I love all the jazz fusion metal bands that started popping up in Cynic's wake - amazing players all around, bass was always especially above average. I'd also recommend earlier extreme/tech death like Atheist.



Indeed, or Necrophagist.....or anything by Steve DiGiorgio!!!


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## Internet Police Chief (Aug 9, 2009)

Impasse said:


> There always seems to be a wailing guitar getting in the way, or maybe a rapid organ.



How many lead guitarists does it take to change a light bulb?

_How many?_

None, they just steal everyone elses light!

_OOOOOOH_

But yeah I play bass.


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