I’m always happy to show you what I know. Bass is the most important instrument in the band. Good looks. Style. Technique. Foundational song structure. Always being late, consistently. So many underrated qualities.
Some people play bass. A select few are bass players or bassists. I’m proud to be a bassist. I’m more than happy to be left in the band van. Very comfy. Kind of musty, but it’s ok, because I got invited somewhere.
Truth be told, my first gig ever was a punk show in the middle of a field in College Town, Pennsylvania. My best friend needed somebody to play bass bc his bass player bailed. I told him I didn’t know how to play bass. He told me you’ll be aight. Just play these three notes fast and loud. The rest is history. Bass is an answer to a calling. It is the way.
Timing. Always be late, but sometimes early. Bass is the one. We own the one. We are number one. When you count 1, 2, 3, 4, snare hits on 2 and 4. Drums own the 2 and 4. Bass owns the 1 and 3. Bass dominates the 1. Always. And don’t fuck up, cuz everybody is gonna know you didn’t practice 😂
Bass controls the soul. Bass is The Mother of Groove and Harmony. Drums is The Father of Time and Rhythm. When bass and drums lock in, sweet, sexy music is born. Bass also glues the many layers of sound in music, how the audience hears it, how the musicians perform it, and how the overall experience is gonna go. You feel the low-end in the chest, in the heart, and in the soul before you hear it in your ears. Powerful intensity always and forever resides within the four thick ropes of steel. Bass hides in the shadows, never seeks the spotlight, but you’ll miss it if it’s gone. I can go on and on, but nobody ever wants to hear a bass solo…
