Some thoughts on playing bass

Last night, I helped out with a friend of mine who is trying to put a band together. By "helped out," I mean I got asked to sit in since apparently nobody plays bass, but it seems like these guys are planning on making this long term, so I may be "helping out" for a while.

I have always thought of myself as a guitarist first. My first instrument was a bass, but I always ended up playing guitar more and it's generally a lot more interesting to play when you're by yourself.

I started playing bass back when I listened to Blink 182 and the like pretty religiously. As a result, my bass technique was boring, I grew tired of it, and I gravitated toward guitar. As I grew up, I started listening to more interesting music and realized there was a lot more to bass than I thought, so I went back. Since then, I've learned tons more technique and playing bass is actually a ton of fun. It is maybe one of the less glorifying roles in a band, but most music producers or "HOW 2 B IN A BAND, FOR DUMMIES" books will tell you it's a pretty key role. So here are some things I picked up.

Learn to think like a drummer

When I play bass, I often feel like I am playing what the drummer plays, except I'm also playing notes and making less weird faces. My bass playing got immensely better when I started jamming with talented drummers. Conversely, I always found it incredibly difficult to do anything mildly interesting if the drummer was boring.
Listen to the drummer's kicks. Are you hitting the core notes there? Are you emphasizing the beat, driving the rhythm, and defining the progression with your bass?
Listen to the snares and cymbal work. Are you accenting in a tasteful way?
Listen for the drummer's fills. Do you have a run to complement?
Make sure you pay attention to the drummer. There are times when I shut out the rest of the band and just interact with the drummer and that's really all I need sometimes. It helps when your drummer is cool person because I think there is an important connection between those two roles in a band.
Last night I had the pleasure of jamming with a really talented drummer. He ended up telling me he hadn't jammed with a bassist who accented his high-hat work while also syncing up with the bass drum stuff. I really hadn't thought about that, but it just felt natural and it was actually a lot of fun.

Learn to think like the other musicians in your band

So as a bassist, we're worried about rhythm, but we also can play notes. This part is actually kind of fun if you jam with people who can articulate what they're trying to do. Knowing what movement feels right and what chords or colors are being played helps as a bass player. There is actually a lot of potential to add interesting tension, runs, complements and other musical terms that I was never taught. Bass players don't have to be stupid. Know what minors, modes, scales, and keys are. In my experience, learning to play just about every instrument in the band not only makes you awesome, but it makes you a more complementary musician regardless of the role you fill.

Learn when to be interesting. Learn when to be simple

Ok, there are times where it's appropriate to be boring. I think I make this mistake a lot where I want to play something cool and it just comes out sounding busy and annoying. So maybe you don't need to arpeggiate through the progression or add slap/pop to every song. I've heard recordings of myself where I was playing what I thought sounded really cool but then it just sounded annoying when I listened to the mixed playback. Remember there is an overall sound that you should support, not dominate.

Learn different techniques

So obviously slap/pop is the cool thing bass players "need to learn," but there are other little tricks that are also cool to know. I recently learned what I can only describe as a weird finger slip over strings that lets me play triplets and do string skipping.
For some examples, the bass player from Portugal. The Man does something cool like what I described in the verses for "Lay me back down". The classic crazy bass line that taught me a lot comes from Rush in the song "YYZ".
The bass player from Pinback is also pretty awesome and has a very innovative and unique way of playing bass. Here's a cool song called "Penelope" by them that is a good example. He almost strums it (you'd have to watch something on YouTube to see what I mean).
This final song is called "Roundabout" by a band called Yes. This is an example of going crazy without sounding annoying. The song is absolutely epic and absolutely long, but you should at least listen to what they have (or had?) going on.
Listen to different bass players for the bands you listen to and find out what cool tricks they do. Then learn them. Seriously, watch a lot of YouTube. Even if they don't teach you the techniques, half of the battle is finding out these techniques exist and then working at it until it becomes your own.

Learn to listen to different kinds of music

This should be a given for any musician. Listen to everything. Find out what you like and don't like and internalize everything into your own personal sound. The fun part about being versatile is you can walk into almost any band and contribute something cool. The absolute best is when the band can put multiple styles into one song and still do it tastefully. I think Kay Kay and His Weathered Underground does that very well. In fact, I'm even going to ask you to watch this video to see how a band that big can still put a consistent sound together.
WATCH THIS:


Mmmk, so I drove to work so I don't have a fancy bus post, but hopefully this was somewhat interesting. Granted, I doubt most of you play bass, but maybe you should learn! I have an extra one if you're ever interested :)

THAT'S IT FOR THIS POST.

Dear "People on the 545 route" the morning of 10/21/2009

I fell asleep most of the way.
Sorry guys!

Also, yesterday evening I started playing with the Korg Kaossilator on the bus and lots of people asked me about it. One guy told me he was a DJ and a Producer and wished me luck after he asked me tons of questions about it. Ok.

Last thought. To you children on the bus who have been told sitting there with your mouths hanging open is ok: I'm sorry. It's not.

Or maybe that's the way kids let others know they're cool these days. Maybe I'm wrong.

But I don't think I am. Close your mouth unless you're sick and you can't breathe through your nose.

Dear "People on the 545 route" the morning of 10/20/2009

Can you believe it's almost the end of October? Holy crap.

We had a crowded bus today. I hope those of you who had to stand as we barreled through the fog on the stretch of road spanning Lake Washington have a wonderful day to make up for the inauspicious start.

And I have to thank you for being a little more chipper about the situation than a gentleman on the bus yesterday evening. The bus driver on the way home last night was kind enough to stop for me after he had already pulled out of the Overlake Transit Center bus bay for the 545--even though I sneakily ran around the back way and caught him as he was leaving in my direction. Apparently, the normal long bus had broken down and we were on a normal downtown bus. A little more cozy than normal, but still convenient transportation nonetheless.

Well one fellow saw the bus as we pulled up to give him a ride and he immediately made a point of displaying his disapproval with nasty looks before he even got on. He immediately complained to the driver about "the tiny bus" and shot nasty looks at everybody as he shook his head in disgust. Of course, he ended up standing right in front of me as I also stood in the back of the bus.

Was this free transportation really that bad? Was this situation that far beneath him that he needed to let us know just how disgraced he was? It was really starting to bug me. And then he started being rude to people around him and wouldn't cooperate as we tried to work together like a human Tetris game to shuffle people in and out of the bus. He was seriously a jerk and the way he was treating everybody else was starting to get me mad.

All of a sudden I felt like I was offended as he was offensive to everybody else. As if I should be sticking up for people or the defender of the oppressed. Why, I have no idea, but I mustered up the most stone-cold glare I could manage and prayed we would make eye contact.

And then I realized how foolish I was being. Matching hatred for hatred wasn't going to fix this guy. I started thinking about how I have been on this kick of being kind, loving, and gracious to everybody. Especially the ones that make it hard and difficult. And I felt like a hypocrite for throwing it out the window and weak in my own positions for being affected by this freakazoid on the bus.

I had to check myself a lot the rest of the way home. So maybe I'm not totally awesome at being kind to the least deserving, but what makes any of us deserve kindness anyway?

So yeah, it was a good reminder of the following:

1. Having to stand on the bus is not the worst thing in the world


2. Being kind to some people can be hard


3. I could stand to gain some perspective and not become so enraged or emotionally affected when I see others wronged. Granted, I still think it's wrong and I still want to get involved, but not with an emotional charge because it changes the way I think


4. I really should charge my Zune so I would have something to do when I can't sit and read

So that seemed like a major digression, but the point is that we faced a similar situation this morning and nobody freaked out. Nobody that fit on the bus anyway. So thanks for that guys :)

I also read some really cool stuff about love this morning--what, love? dude you're lame. I know.

Yeah, I still think I'm a ways off from ever figuring that stuff out and how people are even supposed to deal with each other or believe that anybody could love them for no reason. For some people, that just could never make sense and they are convinced they can't be loved and won't allow anybody to love them. Some stare love right in the face each day and can't be convinced that it's real. Others desperately want to believe it's real but maybe can't see it. I don't know. It's all confusing and it's all something I want to believe and understand. So maybe I'll figure it out and then write a disgustingly emotional and terrifyingly boring blog post about it.

Until then, happy bussing. See you tomorrow Seattle-to-Redmond commuters.

More music toys

So in my weekend defined by lack of significant accomplishments, I managed to pick up a new racket-making device for my apartment already filled with too many instruments.

I got myself a Korg Kaossilator and it is already one of my favorite things ever. It's this little machine I can fit in my back pocket and all it has for an interface is a touchpad, a knob, and some buttons. (I don't feel like stealing images today, so you may just have to click the link and see for yourself)

I spent most of my free time in my apartment sitting around with my DL-4 on loop mode--because nobody likes being confined to 8 beats--and jamming out. Only on this thing can you have that much fun with two thumbs. Well, I take that back. You can have a lot of fun with two thumbs on a Nintendo 64, but that's besides the point.

I'm not entirely sure how I could use this with a band. I'm starting to get a better sense of where my fingers should go to deterministically play certain tones, and it is capable of setting keys and the scales within that key. But otherwise I just jack around and hope whatever comes out somewhat complements whatever is being played live or looped.

Hopefully I can be cliche and boring and shoot videos of what this can do--like that hasn't been done already. It might spice up this blog better than daily letters to strangers on a bus could.

Dear "People on the 545 route" the morning of 10/19/2009

Good morning!

There were only about 10 of you on the bus today. That was kind of weird. Maybe I missed the "skip out on work" memo. It's like senior skip day and only the cool kids knew about it.

Sorry I neglected to say anything toward the end of the week. Wednesday, I actually got to ride with one of my friends, so naturally I was excited--I ended up falling asleep on the bus anyway--and forgot to post. Thursday I drove myself. Friday--err, I have no excuse.

But, today, the fault is not my own. Nobody got on the bus.

I can share with you that I tried out taking a thermos of hot tea from home for the first time. My suspicion that it tasted like soap discouraged me from finishing.

I hope to see more of you tomorrow!

Dear "People on the 545 route" the morning of 10/13/2009

We managed to get a short bus today. Strange, eh?

I wonder if I was the only one to wonder if I somehow managed to get on the wrong bus.

I sat in the back, so I didn't get a chance to observe everybody today. I'm sure you all were just lovely though, so thank you for being quiet as I dreamed of passing out over Lake Washington. Somehow, I woke up in sheer panic this morning when my alarm went off. I was absolutely sure everything at work was broken in the split second it took for me to go from being peacefully asleep to being disturbingly awake. Maybe that's why I'm exhausted already.

Thank you for supporting me in my mini-disaster when I realized my little Zune device decided to be out of batteries again.

There really isn't anything interesting to say today, so perhaps we'll close with another quiet celebration that we didn't all die in a horrible fiery bus accident this morning. I hear those happen all the time.

Have a wonderful day bus people,

David

Dear "People on the 545 route" the morning of 10/12/2009

We shared about 45 minutes together getting to work, or wherever it was we were going. If you weren't going to work, well I think I might be jealous. We spend a good deal of time ignoring each other, and that bugs me. Anyway, this is my letter to you.

To the bus driver:
I hope you actually hear me and know that I mean it when I say thanks and I wish you a good day. I want you to feel like you exist, even though we all tend to take you for granted. Seriously, you make the morning so much better since I don't have to drive.

To the guy with the shoes:
I thought it was strange that you sat down right next to that lady when there was a completely empty seat across from me. Maybe you feel uncomfortable in the turny part where the front part of the bus attaches to the extended section, and that is totally understandable. If not, then I just think it's weird the way you sat down with such a flourish and unbuckled the seat-belt that doubles as your man-bag strap. But I will forever recognize you by your shoes. Those black and white, I-belong-in-the-50's things. I bet you're good at the foxtrot or something obscure like that. I'm proud of you for wearing them and I hope they make you feel awesome. I meant that sincerely.

To the guys who stand up way to early:
You really need to get off the bus that fast, eh? I bet it feels really cool to stand at attention and then brush past everybody so you can get to the front. Getting off first is important and all, but last I checked we both made it to the cross-walk at the same time. Whatever floats your boats, homies.

To the people who don't work at Microsoft:
Not that I fault you, but does it feel weird to be on a bus full of people who work at the same place? I sometimes feel like a sheep in the herd being shuttled off to work, and you just sit among us free to go anywhere else. I wonder if that makes you feel free. Or anything. Or if you notice at all.

To the girl I'm pretty sure works at Microsoft:
I'm also pretty sure I might have blown off an e-mail from you because I decided it was too randomizing. Oops.
It's a good thing I've become somewhat invisible on the bus.

To the lady that worked on her laptop the whole time and didn't even close it to get off the bus:
Whoa. Can I buy you a book or lend you my newspaper or something?

To everybody on the bus:
Keep up the good work. Everybody did a great job of pretending everybody else didn't exist.

Until tomorrow,

David

Smorgasbord

Smorgasbord. A word that means "a collection containing a variety of sorts of things"

A word that also aptly describes my mind this evening, so why not blog about it?

Random thought #1
I was watching TV and a lady on a commercial was trying to sell Gold Bond skin lotion. She said something like "I can't feel young when my skin looks old" and I immediately thought, "it's probably because you're old."
I think I may be more practical and literal than I need to be most times.

Random thought #2
Most people, if not all, are gifted with some passion in life. Some passions are quite admirable and inspirational. Others are fascinating and cool. Lately I've been realizing one of my passions is grammar and good language use. I think most people probably find that annoying.

Random thought #3
I've been thinking a lot lately of how I could be more useful and significant with music. I spend enough time thinking about music, arranging songs in my head, and learning new instruments and techniques. I have been considering perhaps I should put it to good use. I'm really excited to figure this out, and I wouldn't be disappointed if this is something I felt drawn to more in the future.

Random thought #4
I wonder how much we let people in our past affect how we treat the innocent and unrelated of the present and future. In my own life, I often still assume nothing I have to say that takes more than 30 seconds would be interesting to anybody. This includes both in social situations and in writing. And I can think of the person in my past that makes me think this way. That person is long gone, so why is it still there? Why do other people do the same thing? I can think of others who let people I will never know affect how they interact with me. Is that right? Do I choose to hold on to those things, rather than forgiving the issue and moving on? This one is a little deeper than the others, and perhaps I'll delve into it more some other time.

Random thought #5
I recently read a book by a woman who I later realized was somewhat feminist. I had never read any "feminist" work before, though I don't know that I would classify it as such nor should anybody. Either way, it was interesting to read as an unassuming male with no background on the author, her intent, or her work. I began unconsciously notice there were no named men other than the powerless, gay, religious, or dying. I honestly don't know if the author even intended for a person like me to read the book. I'm confused by this. I don't think I've ever been exposed to that before, nor have I had the insight into a woman's mind with those impressions of men.

I can't imagine reading one book is going to help me realize just how a woman's mind might work, nor can I assume this one woman is representative of all women. But perhaps I appreciate a bit more why women act in ways I don't get right away. That's another deep one I probably won't delve into in this post.

Random thought #6
It kind of freaks me out when I can actually see somebody actively trying to be someone or something other than what naturally are. Or when I realize I'm doing it myself. Seriously, people facing pressure to be something unnatural to them and then caving--willingly or not--happens. It happens a lot. There are times where identifying something you need to be or improve is appropriate. Change is good. But it still freaks me out if the intentions or motivations aren't right (because that's well defined...).

Ok, now enough of weird random thoughts.

Picture time:
Had to fix this. Twitpic was not impressed with my hot-linking skills
I hit myself in the face taking off my guitar. It sucked. It's usually what I enjoy doing when I have nothing else to do in an evening or if I'm spending time alone. Apparently my guitar wasn't into it and she let me know the hard way :)
Please observe alien looking bump under my right eyebrow.


One of the things I love about my apartment and why I chose this place is that I knew I'd get good views like this in time. Thank God for the sun setting in the West. This makes me think I need a better camera.



Ok, well hopefully you liked the pictures!

And that killed enough time that I feel like going to bed now. This was good :)

Cooking for a cause

CATCHY TITLE, RIGHT?

In my never ending quest to come up with titles that don't make me feel absolutely ridiculous, I find myself woefully inept once again.

But now that that is over, we shall move on. Again, I haven't posted in a while and I probably must forgo the more mundane details that have passed since I last wrote. This post will be around a volunteering opportunity I've found here in Seattle that I actually enjoy.

I went to FareStart a long time ago with my team from work. I can most simply describe FareStart as a food kitchen that prepares meals for homeless shelters in Seattle. It is also a school of sorts where students can enroll and learn about cooking while serving others in their city. Even cooler than that though is the fact that the students are "homeless and disadvantaged" individuals and they are getting a new lease on life through the art of cooking.

I like food. I like helping people. I was sold.

Since the first time I went, I organized a small group of my own friends and we all marched over to FareStart and volunteered this past weekend. I cut up more carrots Saturday than I have in my whole life. I made new friends in a city where it seems harder than it needs to be to make more than "single serving friends" (to borrow a phrase from Chuck Palahniuk). People just seem to bond well when they have knifes in their hands. Who knew?

There was my group which was a mix of friends from church and work. Another group was just a bunch of neighbors in a downtown apartment complex. Another group was just one girl that decided to come by herself. I exchanged numbers with the various groups represented and we may try to organize to go together again.

I also talked to my building management and I guess I'm on point to help organize my own building to go volunteer. It may not be the Peoples City Mission where I served and made such good friends, but I love working at FareStart and I am looking forward to going back and taking new people with me. Learning new cooking tricks doesn't hurt either.

Ok, I'll come up with more things to write about and make a concerted effort to do this more often.

Cheers!