Bass And Drums Relationship - 3 Things You MUST Know!
40.7 هزار بار بازدید -
6 سال پیش
-
The relationship bass and drums
The relationship bass and drums is one of the most important relationships in contemporary music.
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Together the bassist and drummer are often described as the foundation of the band.
If we take a closer look at what each of these instruments is responsible for in a piece of music we can see why.
Drums give us tempo, help establish the feel, help establish dynamics, mark out the form of the music and all the major rhythmic information in music like important unison lines or prominent rhythmic figures usually pass through the drums.
The bass helps ground the harmony, it adds harmonic information to the tempo and feel that are set by the drums, the bass can also help with tempo (walking bass in jazz is a clear example of this) and because the bass also often plays a lot of rhythmically important material, it serves as a bridge for the rhythm instruments (like drums) to have influence in the harmony and vice versa.
Between these two instruments, a lot of important responsibility is taken on. Now that we understand just how important this relationship is, what things can you do to improve the relationship with a drummer?
1. Improve Your Own Inner Sense Of Timing And Feel
Even though a drummer might set the tempo of a song, they will still look to us to support that tempo. If we start to slow down (because out inner pulse isn't very good) then we'll drag the drummer back with us and as a result, the rest of the band too.
However, if our own sense of pulse is strong then the drummer can play feeling secure that this responsibility of time can be shared with us and the drummer will feel much more confident in playing with us.
2. Don't Just Listen To Yourself
I often like to think about the bass and drums being one unified instrument. Listening to them in this way helps me better understand the relationship they share but also how that relationship fits with the rest of the band.
This means that if I hear a drummer go for a fill or if they change up to the ride cymbal for a chorus I need to start asking myself, "do I need to change to suit what they're doing or should I just support it by staying put".
Having a bass stay out of a drummers way when they're going for a fill (or the other way round) means these fills become more audible and it helps ensure that your responsibilities of keeping the time solid don't get ignored.
Does this mean you can never go for a fill at the same time? Not at all. Just be conscious of how your parts affect one another.
3. Work On Your Sense Of Texture
Bass and drums have the power to completely change the texture of music all by themselves. The next time you hear a drummer switch from a closed hit-hat to a ride cymbal or the next time a bass line is played short then switched to long notes note how much the music opens up.
These different textures help to shape musical form, dynamics and grooves but as a bass player, you need to understand when it's a good idea to change texture and when it's not.
When I'm on a gig or recording music, I always try to hear the complete band if I can. Almost as if I'm trying to hear the production of the entire music rather than just how my part fits with the drums.
If I hear the drummer shift to open the music up for example, I need to try and hear how that impacts the entire song.
So I'll always ask myself "what's the focus of this music? Is it the vocal? Is it the piano part? Is my bass line really integral or is something else more important than me?"
By asking these questions you get a better sense of your place within the music and as such, how you need to frame your relationship with the drummer.
You shouldn't be busting out loads of chops if the music doesn't need it. But also, if it's your time to shine then you don't want to let the music down by shunning your responsibilities.
My linktree: https://bit.ly/basslinks
Together the bassist and drummer are often described as the foundation of the band.
If we take a closer look at what each of these instruments is responsible for in a piece of music we can see why.
Drums give us tempo, help establish the feel, help establish dynamics, mark out the form of the music and all the major rhythmic information in music like important unison lines or prominent rhythmic figures usually pass through the drums.
The bass helps ground the harmony, it adds harmonic information to the tempo and feel that are set by the drums, the bass can also help with tempo (walking bass in jazz is a clear example of this) and because the bass also often plays a lot of rhythmically important material, it serves as a bridge for the rhythm instruments (like drums) to have influence in the harmony and vice versa.
Between these two instruments, a lot of important responsibility is taken on. Now that we understand just how important this relationship is, what things can you do to improve the relationship with a drummer?
1. Improve Your Own Inner Sense Of Timing And Feel
Even though a drummer might set the tempo of a song, they will still look to us to support that tempo. If we start to slow down (because out inner pulse isn't very good) then we'll drag the drummer back with us and as a result, the rest of the band too.
However, if our own sense of pulse is strong then the drummer can play feeling secure that this responsibility of time can be shared with us and the drummer will feel much more confident in playing with us.
2. Don't Just Listen To Yourself
I often like to think about the bass and drums being one unified instrument. Listening to them in this way helps me better understand the relationship they share but also how that relationship fits with the rest of the band.
This means that if I hear a drummer go for a fill or if they change up to the ride cymbal for a chorus I need to start asking myself, "do I need to change to suit what they're doing or should I just support it by staying put".
Having a bass stay out of a drummers way when they're going for a fill (or the other way round) means these fills become more audible and it helps ensure that your responsibilities of keeping the time solid don't get ignored.
Does this mean you can never go for a fill at the same time? Not at all. Just be conscious of how your parts affect one another.
3. Work On Your Sense Of Texture
Bass and drums have the power to completely change the texture of music all by themselves. The next time you hear a drummer switch from a closed hit-hat to a ride cymbal or the next time a bass line is played short then switched to long notes note how much the music opens up.
These different textures help to shape musical form, dynamics and grooves but as a bass player, you need to understand when it's a good idea to change texture and when it's not.
When I'm on a gig or recording music, I always try to hear the complete band if I can. Almost as if I'm trying to hear the production of the entire music rather than just how my part fits with the drums.
If I hear the drummer shift to open the music up for example, I need to try and hear how that impacts the entire song.
So I'll always ask myself "what's the focus of this music? Is it the vocal? Is it the piano part? Is my bass line really integral or is something else more important than me?"
By asking these questions you get a better sense of your place within the music and as such, how you need to frame your relationship with the drummer.
You shouldn't be busting out loads of chops if the music doesn't need it. But also, if it's your time to shine then you don't want to let the music down by shunning your responsibilities.
6 سال پیش
در تاریخ 1397/11/23 منتشر شده
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