Techniques, Tricks & Gravy

The greatest bass player of all time was Humphrey Bogart. He was cool, smooth, strong but with a sensitive side, carnal yet civilized, he owned the scene but never over played it and he was mostly black and white. Moreover, his finest quality was sticking to the basics just like the song from Casablanca makes clear: “the fundamental things apply, as time goes by.” 

Fundamentals might seem obvious to you but it never hurts to revisit them. Besides, if you make extra money as a guitar teacher you can use these techniques on the bass student you might be schooling and they will think your are brilliant.

The ONE

It is only fitting that the first technique I would like to focus on is ONE or the first beat of a bar. Unless the song’s arrangement has the bass resting on the first beat or the beat is syncopated in a manner that avoids the first beat, always play on ONE. It is better to play a dull whole note on the first beat than to miss the first beat and execute a great line. 

Melodic instruments have more latitude when it comes to this beat often choosing to play beats around it but the bass guitar is obsessed with ONE. 

It shares this obsession with its closest companion in the band, the kick drum. The kick drum is played by that really strange person behind the drum kit. You will need to get to know them better. Buy them a beer or soy latte if they are in recovery.

Drummers are even stranger than bassists but here’s the thing, you’ve already made the decision to be a bass player so you might as well go all in; be best buddies with the drummer and acquiesce to the idea of things getting stranger.

There is one more thing I will say about ONE. Even before YouTube, I had been playing a while and thought I had it all down. Then I saw a funk lesson by Bootsy Collins about ONE that was brilliantly concise. I urge you to watch it for yourself.

The THREE

With all these numbers I am throwing out, you might be thinking this is going to be some kind of math lesson. Don’t panic. There is only one more number and that is THREE. I know, less like math and more like Sesame Street. THREE needs some discussion. Like the first beat, the third beat is also strong so it helps to always hit the third beat of measure. You will also discover that your closest companion in the band has another dimension; the kick drum also plays THREE.

Syncopation 

M-W.com defines syncopation as:

a temporary displacement of the regular metrical accent in music caused typically by stressing the weak beat
Syncopation sort of throws a wrench in the whole ONE and THREE machine. Obviously, if the beat is syncopated as part of a specific bass line you might find yourself hitting beat 2 or the & of 4 or holding out tied notes over 1 and 3. That’s cool, it adds motion, energy and excitement to a song but keeping it simple sounds way better than screwing it up.

The Bar Chord

The trusty bar chord is indispensable to the six string but it is also handy to keep the basic shape in mind on the bass, too. 

The root, fifth and octave creates a strong box shape. The shape spans three frets and can be moved around anywhere on the fretboard. 

Hanging off the sides of the box are all the supporting notes in the different scales and modes. 

Try it out. Play the A major scale and then the A pentatonic and then the A minor scale and then the Dorian mode on A for one octave. The common ones contain the bar chord shape of root, fifth and octave. It will not fail you.

Note: If you are playing an open E or A pretend the nut is your index finger playing the root then play the fifth and octave as normal.

Scales, Modes and Arpeggios

These are identical to the ones on the guitar and it is important to practice them regularly. This routine will get you more comfortable with the positions on the fretboard and the increased distances between notes. They also help build up your strength for those long gigs and are a good standard to fall back on when you can’t think of anything else to practice.

Note: practice these with a metronome or other beat keeping device. No windup monkey.

The Glissando

If you have ever listened to Alive by Kiss you might think that Gene Simmons invented the glissando on the bass (he might even claim that he did, knowing him) and then used them all up. I should have the album memorized by now but I am almost certain the demon of rock employs this trick in every song.

Since it is Kiss, Mr. Simmons gets a pass, but no one else does. Limit this sound effect to once per set or none at all no matter how much fun it is. If you are uncertain what a glissando is or how it is done, good, I am not going to explain it for fear you will start using them. 

The Octave Slide

This is in the same camp as the glissando. It is a cheap thrill that sounds cool and is fun to play. It is used at every rock concert you have ever been to either at the end of a song or to indicate that the bass is making an entrance. If you have run out of fills the octave slide is a good backup but it too should be used sparingly.

The Glissando and the Octave Slide are like masturbation, once you learn about it it is difficult to stop because it feels great.