I’m 3 years in and now playing in a covers band I started myself. I almost always play around the melody using roots, triads and occasional flourishes and fills to make it sound right to my ear. I very rarely try to learn how the original bass line was played and copy that, preferring to do my own thing. I’m by no means an extravagant player but my band seem to be content with my part in the mix and the quality of our sound. I love it when me and the guitarist play something like “Sunshine of your love” as we both start playing a similar melody (different octaves) but then I carry on whilst he goes off on some lead flourishes but I keep the melody going, then he rejoins me. It’s like two roller coaster starting and ending next to each other but veering off on different tracks part way through the ride. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right but nobody really complains.
I love this. First off, congrats on starting a cover band! I'm well aware that leading a group - especially as a bassist - can be a real challenge. So that's awesome that you're doing that. And I love how you're taking this opportunity to develop your own approach to the bass on these songs. Incorporating the melody can be such a perfect way to do this. Both the melody and the bass line are such integral parts of the song; blending them together can be a great way to anchor the song. I love your description your work with your guitar player as a roller coaster ride too - that sounds truly epic!
That's awesome Patrick! I love playing melodies on the double bass for jazz gigs. It's a good bit of variety for the audience; if my pianist is the only one to play melodies with my trio, it gets old. It's just really expands my reach on the instrument too. What are some of your favorite tunes to play the melody on?
I fully agree with the proposition and all the reasons you expressed here. It definitely enhances our deeper understanding of the tune, the variety of sound offered to the listener, and does really provide you with a library of lines that can be used elsewhere. Personally, I prefer to link in with essential movements of the melody when playing bass with a band, and the odd bass solo thrown in is both exiting to play and adds more depth and dynamics to the rendition of a tune. Great vid, thanks for producing and publishing!
Thanks Rico, I really appreciate your feedback on the video. Yes, I agree - connecting with key points in the melody really brings the music to another level. I mean, all the different pieces of a song should be connected, right? From the bass to the vocals, it should all be played in a way that brings the song together. I love that you mention depth and dynamics - we want our performances to be deep, meaningful, and take our listener on a journey - this can only be done when we're all working together to make it happen. Insightful stuff - thanks for that!
I love this subject because the melody is the only thing I can do properly on a bass guitar. Starting from this point I try to attach a bass line to certain songs I love. It is a funny game to hold myself involved with my favorite tunes . Best regards Chip !
I love this. Chick Corea used to talk about music as a game - I think that's a really healthy way to look at the craft. And this is such a fun game - attaching melody to a bass line and finding a way to make it all work together. It makes the lines more interesting, and often, it makes the line more integral to the song. Sometimes I like to "rewrite" bass lines to favorite songs to find ways to make this work. Such an awesome insight - thanks for this!
Just starting to play jazz and the guys are already asking me to solo. This has been my approach. Figure out a melody and try to change it a little to squeak out a solo. It's rough, but I'm getting there. I'd love to see some "How to play the melody to.." videos!
That's so cool David, congrats on jumping into jazz! And I agree, no time like the present to jump into soloing. You're right on the money with your approach to soloing - ALWAYS start with the melody in my opinion. As you fill in the theoretical and stylistic gaps, other things will happen; but it all starts with the melody. I LOVE your idea for the "How To Play The Melody To" videos - I'm going to do that!
IDK about gigs or whatever, I just love melodies. Sometimes they just sound so good an octave or two lower than we're used to. I like to play Rebecca Sugar's "Love Like You". Not a jazz tune but it's a gorgeous melody that sounds great on the bass. Charles Cornell explains (This tune starts at 6:04 but I recommrnd the whole video): th-cam.com/video/LWWAb_KXSxY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-Ab8upjoobTb9Vmz
So true - it's just so satisfying to play a great melody. It's all good that it's an octave lower - that's our home base territory, right? And WOW, what I gorgeous tune Love Like You is! I've never heard any of the music from Steven Universe, but now I'm going to have to listen AND watch the show! I agree with Charles on this one, it's right there in jazz standard territory. I can see this working beautifully on the bass - I might just have to give it a try. Thanks for introducing this music to me!
@@chipboazmusic The music is amazing and genre crossing. If you watch the actual show, don't be put off by how silly it seems at first. It's sort of an adult drama packaged as a kiddie cartoon, but it takes a while to see what's going on. The writers deliberately, and brilliantly, subverted the network's requirement to target the show to 6-11 year old boys, and wrote at a mature level while still keeping it appealing to kids.
Thanks, glad you liked the video! And DO IT! I love my six string bass, I've been playing it for years. It's definitely not necessary for every setting, but it does open up a lot of creative possibilities. It's great in a lot of ways - I'd highly recommend it!
I think it is good to know the melody and rhythm but playing melody is depending the type of music and is allowed to play by other musical instruments . Bass can enhance the song and can also ruin the song . Therefore , bassists often play safe behind scenes without being like a shining stars of lead guitarists , pianists , saxophonists , trumpets , percussionists . When a bassist emphasizes well in a song , the song sounds really great .
Yea, this is a really great point. The bass CAN play the melody, but that doesn't mean that it always SHOULD. If we try to force it, we have the potential to really ruin a performance. We've got to play in the best way to support the song. Like you mentioned, some genres have the bass playing the melody more than others, so that can make a difference. I think it benefits any bassists to learn some melodies as part of their practice routine, but they need to be careful about forcing it during performance.
Great stuff
Thank you! I've really grown as a bassist through playing the melody on a lot of tunes. I think it helps our groove and overall musicality!
@@chipboazmusic Jaco said the same
@@joannalewis5279 All right! He knew what he was talking about!!!
I’m 3 years in and now playing in a covers band I started myself. I almost always play around the melody using roots, triads and occasional flourishes and fills to make it sound right to my ear. I very rarely try to learn how the original bass line was played and copy that, preferring to do my own thing. I’m by no means an extravagant player but my band seem to be content with my part in the mix and the quality of our sound. I love it when me and the guitarist play something like “Sunshine of your love” as we both start playing a similar melody (different octaves) but then I carry on whilst he goes off on some lead flourishes but I keep the melody going, then he rejoins me. It’s like two roller coaster starting and ending next to each other but veering off on different tracks part way through the ride. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right but nobody really complains.
I love this. First off, congrats on starting a cover band! I'm well aware that leading a group - especially as a bassist - can be a real challenge. So that's awesome that you're doing that. And I love how you're taking this opportunity to develop your own approach to the bass on these songs. Incorporating the melody can be such a perfect way to do this. Both the melody and the bass line are such integral parts of the song; blending them together can be a great way to anchor the song. I love your description your work with your guitar player as a roller coaster ride too - that sounds truly epic!
Yes, I do learn melodies and play them (on double bass) on gigs.
That's awesome Patrick! I love playing melodies on the double bass for jazz gigs. It's a good bit of variety for the audience; if my pianist is the only one to play melodies with my trio, it gets old. It's just really expands my reach on the instrument too. What are some of your favorite tunes to play the melody on?
I fully agree with the proposition and all the reasons you expressed here. It definitely enhances our deeper understanding of the tune, the variety of sound offered to the listener, and does really provide you with a library of lines that can be used elsewhere. Personally, I prefer to link in with essential movements of the melody when playing bass with a band, and the odd bass solo thrown in is both exiting to play and adds more depth and dynamics to the rendition of a tune. Great vid, thanks for producing and publishing!
Thanks Rico, I really appreciate your feedback on the video. Yes, I agree - connecting with key points in the melody really brings the music to another level. I mean, all the different pieces of a song should be connected, right? From the bass to the vocals, it should all be played in a way that brings the song together. I love that you mention depth and dynamics - we want our performances to be deep, meaningful, and take our listener on a journey - this can only be done when we're all working together to make it happen. Insightful stuff - thanks for that!
I love this subject because the melody is the only thing I can do properly on a bass guitar.
Starting from this point I try to attach a bass line to certain songs I love. It is a funny game to hold myself involved with my favorite tunes . Best regards Chip !
I love this. Chick Corea used to talk about music as a game - I think that's a really healthy way to look at the craft. And this is such a fun game - attaching melody to a bass line and finding a way to make it all work together. It makes the lines more interesting, and often, it makes the line more integral to the song. Sometimes I like to "rewrite" bass lines to favorite songs to find ways to make this work. Such an awesome insight - thanks for this!
Just starting to play jazz and the guys are already asking me to solo. This has been my approach. Figure out a melody and try to change it a little to squeak out a solo. It's rough, but I'm getting there. I'd love to see some "How to play the melody to.." videos!
That's so cool David, congrats on jumping into jazz! And I agree, no time like the present to jump into soloing. You're right on the money with your approach to soloing - ALWAYS start with the melody in my opinion. As you fill in the theoretical and stylistic gaps, other things will happen; but it all starts with the melody. I LOVE your idea for the "How To Play The Melody To" videos - I'm going to do that!
IDK about gigs or whatever, I just love melodies. Sometimes they just sound so good an octave or two lower than we're used to. I like to play Rebecca Sugar's "Love Like You". Not a jazz tune but it's a gorgeous melody that sounds great on the bass. Charles Cornell explains (This tune starts at 6:04 but I recommrnd the whole video): th-cam.com/video/LWWAb_KXSxY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=-Ab8upjoobTb9Vmz
So true - it's just so satisfying to play a great melody. It's all good that it's an octave lower - that's our home base territory, right? And WOW, what I gorgeous tune Love Like You is! I've never heard any of the music from Steven Universe, but now I'm going to have to listen AND watch the show! I agree with Charles on this one, it's right there in jazz standard territory. I can see this working beautifully on the bass - I might just have to give it a try. Thanks for introducing this music to me!
@@chipboazmusic The music is amazing and genre crossing. If you watch the actual show, don't be put off by how silly it seems at first. It's sort of an adult drama packaged as a kiddie cartoon, but it takes a while to see what's going on. The writers deliberately, and brilliantly, subverted the network's requirement to target the show to 6-11 year old boys, and wrote at a mature level while still keeping it appealing to kids.
nice video!! I'm very tempted to buy a 6 string bass
Thanks, glad you liked the video! And DO IT! I love my six string bass, I've been playing it for years. It's definitely not necessary for every setting, but it does open up a lot of creative possibilities. It's great in a lot of ways - I'd highly recommend it!
I can't even play four strings very well so I think I'll pass lol.
Ha, all good! We all need the amount of strings that we need, no more!
@@chipboazmusic I do think they are cool, don't get me wrong. You can do bass lines or soloing, even chord melody work. I'm just not there yet.
I think it is good to know the melody and rhythm but playing melody is depending the type of music and is allowed to play by other musical instruments . Bass can enhance the song and can also ruin the song . Therefore , bassists often play safe behind scenes without being like a shining stars of lead guitarists , pianists , saxophonists , trumpets , percussionists . When a bassist emphasizes well in a song , the song sounds really great .
Yea, this is a really great point. The bass CAN play the melody, but that doesn't mean that it always SHOULD. If we try to force it, we have the potential to really ruin a performance. We've got to play in the best way to support the song. Like you mentioned, some genres have the bass playing the melody more than others, so that can make a difference. I think it benefits any bassists to learn some melodies as part of their practice routine, but they need to be careful about forcing it during performance.
Needs more compression! Also... I prefer hat to cap...