Bass soloing

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EddieRay

EddieRay

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I wanna do tasty solos but I guess I just don't have the mindset for soloing. When I hear a song I automatically focus on the bass lines. WHen I play bass I go for solid lines that make the band sound good. When I play nylon string guitar I don't play single-note lines, I play whole chords with bass lines. When I hear a local band's bass player go off on a solo, I usually don't like it and think to myself "that's why I don't do solos." When I hear a really good bass solo I turn green with envy.

Anybody been there and overcome the obstacles? How did ya do it?
 
I well written bass line with a good melody that is locked on the drums that accents the guitar part(s) and vocal melody is way more interesting than a bass solo, IMO.
 
It's all about the facial expressions......

Just kiddin'

Seems to me the only thing you can do is practice playing solos at home and develop some techniques that you enjoy the sound of. Or study your favorite player's music.
 
Thanks.

I usually pass on a solo but sometimes I can't. Not that I step forward to take one, but everyone else steps back and suddenly I'm in a solo. If the song has an obvious melody or hook, I'll try to play off that. Otherwise I'll just play what I was gonna play anyway only now it's a solo.

I guess I'll take metalhead's advice and, um, practice. It's just that I have a hard time breaking out the "support" mindset.
 
Most bass soloes are a snooze, especially if they go on for more than 30 seconds.

Short interludes between sections of a song, on the other hand, can be a chance to play something rhythmic that people will pay attention to, that don't have to be amazingly inventive to be effective.

In the rare instance where I might need to solo, I try to think *melody*. Use the melody of the song and play around with it.
 
I never liked soloing until my fingers got fast enough and I learned some music theory and crap. But I still hate tapping, becuse I suck at it... after like over 20 years... I'll give up one of these days.
 
Bass is such a melodic instrument in rock it's redundant to have a solo, imho.
 
EddieRay said:
Thanks.

I usually pass on a solo but sometimes I can't. Not that I step forward to take one, but everyone else steps back and suddenly I'm in a solo. If the song has an obvious melody or hook, I'll try to play off that. Otherwise I'll just play what I was gonna play anyway only now it's a solo.

I guess I'll take metalhead's advice and, um, practice. It's just that I have a hard time breaking out the "support" mindset.
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work on improv, which will allow you to solo automatically.
if you arent at the skill level (not saying you arent) then work on more and more complex bass lines and you'll be there in no time!

[and for the support mindset part]
maybe you should have the guitarist play the basic rythem and you do your solo, a guitar can cover it for the solo atleast, try to understand that a bass instrument can just as easily be the melody of a song, and if it helps think of it as "switching" places with your guitarist.
 
I think a good deal of bass solos are over the top and often not needed. However, I do think its cool when (during a part of a song where not a whole lot else is going on) the bass moves up twelve frets and plays a slight variation of his usual line at the higher octave. Nothing fancy.
 
EddieRay said:
I wanna do tasty solos but I guess I just don't have the mindset for soloing. When I hear a song I automatically focus on the bass lines. WHen I play bass I go for solid lines that make the band sound good. When I play nylon string guitar I don't play single-note lines, I play whole chords with bass lines. When I hear a local band's bass player go off on a solo, I usually don't like it and think to myself "that's why I don't do solos." When I hear a really good bass solo I turn green with envy.

Anybody been there and overcome the obstacles? How did ya do it?
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what the hell are you talking about?...what is this obstacle you speak of?....that you can't play a solo? :confused:
 
if you want to hear a tasty bass solo... check out Steve Morse's "weekend overdrive".
 
Leave the solos for those guitar boys in leotards..... If there`s ever any squabble as to who totes the meat in the territory, just stop playin your bass line for a bar or two. It`ll show up rather quickly. :)
 
a lot of the bass solo's i like have a tight rythmn and play around with like pauses in the beat and stuff... you need a good rythmn and a good melody.

for example, listen to Red Hot Chili Pepper's song "Aeroplane" great bass soloing there.
 
Zeeb said:
I never liked soloing until my fingers got fast enough and I learned some music theory and crap. But I still hate tapping, becuse I suck at it... after like over 20 years... I'll give up one of these days.
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Just say "no" to tapping.

...especially on bass.
 
Someone needs to tell Michael Anthony about this thread. Talk about overdone, non melodic, waste of time, playing under the influence of some alcoholic beverage, volume swelling-head swelliing bass solos.
 
I liked the solo work in The Who's "My Generation." Granted the bass solo was probably s'pposed to be there, from the start, and that when John Entwhistle played a bass solo ya kinda paid attention. I do like it when the bass opens a song, before any other instruments get going, which I'd guess that'd count as a solo of sorts. For something like the slide up the E-string that opens "Hang On Sloopy" (The McCoys), I can almost see where a short scale neck could come in handy, although that shouldn't make any difference...I'm quite used to it with a long scale.

I agree with everything that's already been said about the instrumentation needing to be tight, in the first place. If the melody and rhythm are already interactive amongst all the instruments to begin with, the opportunity to solo would be built right into the piece...irregardelss of which instrument takes the solo.

Matt
 
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