Bass... it's the most underrated instrument in any band set up. In fact, I've seen bands get together and pull up anybody who remotely can follow root notes along with the guitar player. Now, this is fine for those just messing around, but for anything more than this... especially recording, a completely different philosophical task is required for the Low-End Master-To-Be.
Bass, as it turns out, like every instrument, is a highly rhythmic instrument. This means, that anyone wishing to play bass must not only think in MELODIC terms, but must also think in RHYTHMIC terms as well. The No. 1 mistake I hear from most up and coming bass players is that their rhythm is OFF. Yes, that's right, their RHYTHM IS OFF. It is that no one has taken the time out to explain to them that the bass is a highly rhythmic instrument and that when it isn't being used as such, it ruins everything. It is not so much a compliment to the drums and percussion as it is the next necessary step to an overall sound. It is as much a part of the drums as it is part of the vocals/keyboards/piano/guitar/whatever else. And it is the bass that is the instrument which can solely do this.
So getting on to some of the worst shit I've heard thrown around over the years, the worst I can think of off the top of my head is that "The bass follows the drums." No, sorry, the drums follow the drums. Nobody follows anybody in terms of a cue for rhythm. You must be rhythm independant. That means you either have your own rhythm, or you sound like shit. Remember, the bass is another PART of the soundscape. It is not there to fill in what the drums do not. It is there to add a UNIQUE LAYER. When I started out, I got nothing but the very worst in advice and this was perhaps the ugliest of the uglies. Someone tells you this, they don't know anything about music. Proceed to smile and nod them off and get away from them as fast as you can. No, unfortunately for the lazy dicks out there, bass is an entire world unto itself. It requires years of STUDY along with PRACTICE. Yes, that means one needs to listen to different songs for bass strategies as much as they need to actually physically practice playing the bass itself. Once you start to listen and try to mimic different basslines, if you are doing it right, you'll soon find that the bass is one of the hardest instruments to play well (Not that any of the others are easy, but that bass does not get the respect it deserves).
Why is it hard? Well, for one, it's because it is not just as simple as merely picking 1/8 notes along and following the guitar player. It's a lot of HOW you hit those notes... sometimes the degree of STACCATO applied makes or breaks how the bass adds to the overall sound of the song in question. Some songs require you to 'bounce' your fret finger to add the appropriate amount of groove. Others will be fine with more sustain/leaving the note to ring. Just watch the video of "Mr. Crowley" and watch how the bass player bounces off the notes to provide the necessary groove (That is, if you can keep your attention off of Randy Rhoads unreal guitar work!):
In contrast, watch any metal bassist, they're likely strumming the shit out of an open E string, but that's likely cause any of the sustain from the string has a minimal effect as the tempo of many of these works is superhuman fast. In short, just how the notes are hit is an entire game within itself.
Here is "Hammer Smashed Face" by Cannibal Corpse live... check out the bass:
By far the worst thing I see beginners to is head to the complexities they THINK are complexities and not actually head to the REAL complexities. False complexities are thinking that playing all those crazy high notes on the bass is what it's all about. FALSE. WRONG. SHIT. It is not. It is better to be another "Melodic set of drums" than it is to be another guitar ripping away in the muddy frequency area of 100 Hz to 1 kHz. In short, give yourself far > 20,000 hours to play like Bootsy Collins or Les Claypool. DO NOT attempt to play like them off the hop. Sorry, there is massive complexity in what they do that takes YEARS to appreciate. Every single note no matter how fast and insane they play it is all placed in the musicscape with perfect groove/timing.
And it is GROOVE/TIMING that should be 1st priority for the beginning bassist.
More generally, my advice to anyone starting out is the following 3 things:
1) It's all about sounding good/producing a great sound.
2) Tune/Set-up your intonation on your instrument ALL THE TIME.
And the most important,
3) PRACTICE USING A METRONOME.
Yes. At 1st, a metronome might drive you insane. But if you can't take it, quit now. Quit. Go pawn your instrument off, get a TV, and park your lazy ass in front of it. You'll be doing yourself a favor. You'll either become the best of friends with a metronome or you should quit (Yes, I realize this is harsh, but it is solid advice). Without getting a sense of timing for EACH AND EVERY note you're gonna hit for a given tempo, you'll always sound like an amateur... or worse than an amateur.
Worse, you'll likely never evoke a vibe in your listeners.
So save yourself the trouble right at the start and get used to practicing with a metronome. With no time, you'll have a solid sound.
Also, for beginners, get used to COUNTING. That's right, like the kids do in elementary school classes. Most likely, you'll be playing 4/4 time. So get used to counting. If you think you are going to walk right in and just "feel it," you're wrong. Very wrong. This won't happen. So, make sure to get a good sense of this, look up pages like the following:
This page has a good way to convey the point I am trying to illustrate.
So once you are hacking away counting and practicing with a metronome, you'll likely be getting somewhere. If this is the case, then you will be able to move to the next step, which is best conveyed in the following video:
Here you will find a solid video giving solid advice for a beginner. Now, if you scroll down to the comments, you'll soon note all the contradictory comments posted by all the armchair pros. Ignore them. Some of them clearly don't get the idea of rhythm. Playing complex basslines comes with time... and it takes longer than you think/want. But if you stick it out, soon you'll emerge with a sound that all with either admire or envy, and that is where you want to be.
If you want to hear some of my principles in action, make sure you have some great headphones or earbuds around... or a good stereo with booming bass, and check out my song "Stay"
This is my principles in action. Here, I endeavored to make the bass groove like no other. There are no complex fills, nor is there any special equipment. There are no bells and whistles other than the bassline itself. And really, it is the only bassline I could have put in here.
Remember: Simple is often best.
Practice with my principles above and you'll get the sound you're after.
Happy practicing!
