Rod Norman
New member
I'm a drummer. My job is to work with the bass player to lock in the song's time and to create a groove. That being said, when I record, the only thing that matters is the drums, the bass, and the singer. I can hear the whole song when the bass player is doing their job, laying down the bottom, and the whole song's drive and soul is present even before I bring in any chordal instruments or lead instruments. The truth is; and guitar players will object; but no one...no one remembers the guitar solo. No one sings along with it, and no one picks a song as a favorite because of the guitar solo, even Eddie Van Halen's marvelous work on "Thriller" notwithstanding. The solos and chords are all part of the flavor, but not of the heart of a song. The bass is. It is everything. It is the orchestra. It is the soul. It is the heartbeat. I tell all singers, to put together your band first get the best drummer you can afford, and let them pick the bass player. Then go looking for the keys and guitars and horns.
NewYorkRod
NewYorkRod
Does the bass play an important role in your songs and arrangements or is it kind of a shadow for the guitar riffs or rhythm ? Does it act as a countermelody or perform a strict 'rhythm team' function ?