Two holiday parties with bands, no bass "guitar" player

[Connie Z]

Hello fellow bass players,

 

Saturday and Sunday, two holiday parties, two bands. Both bands had no bass "guitar" player. Their bass was done on a keyboard, in addition to keyboard parts too. The music sounded pretty fine though. I actually couldn't tell whether they had track music in the background, and they may have.

 

The first band had a keyboardist, rhythm guitarist/singer, and drummer. The second band had a keyboardist, rhythm guitarist and lead singer.

 

It scared me. I just finished reading the Bass Player Magazine article about bass players adding synth bass to their repertoire, but I didn't realize the synth was "replacing" the bass guitar.

 

The only negative comments I have about either band, are that they looked and sounded flat. There was very little physical movement by anyone except the one with the lead singer. He moved around. And... the band I saw today was playing for a crowd of about 300-400 at a "dressy" company holiday party, and they wore crummy casual clothes. VERY innapropriate!!! As an audience member I felt like, "Gee, I guess we weren't worth the trouble of putting on a nice shirt."

 

So, are we a dying breed (sniff)?

 

... Connie Z

[davich]

I would like to share with you Alain Caron's comment on V-Bass. He tries to steal gigs from keyboardist using his V-Bass now to get even..:-)

 

According to my knowledge this phenomenon is already there not just recently, but quite long time. We need to admit that Stevie Wonder's left hand is a big challenge to follow.

 

What I see is that I am a part of rhythm section. And if someday I can play synth bass (still rhytyhm section), it will be just like broadening my horizon.

 

If you look it that way you will be depressed. But to construct a song and choosing what kind of instrument to choose is very interesting. It is the same like one can afford to buy many basses types for the tones and the way it is sounding.

 

By the way playing bass looks cooler to me rather than "doing massage" on keys.

[patrick_dont_fret]

I'd like to get a nice phat synth-bass pedal... Which one would you all recommend?

[Russfingers]

Two industries were revolutionized by the computer chip-Medicine and Music.I have a KAWAI GB-4 which is a "band in a box".It comes with preset rom cards,Santana,Clapton,Led Zep,Hendrix,Beatles, Standards etc.It shows the next chords on an lcd screen.You can edit the songs and replace the instruments,but I have no time for that.I put it through a PA sys and it is unbelievable in quality.you can hear Ginger Baker on drums.You can "mute" your instrument so you play along-It doesn't take lunch either.I have done clubs with it ,but it definitely does not replace real people who you can interact with and groove with.IMHO

[davebrownbass]

The Doors did okay with keyboard synth.

 

If music could be played on computer with as much humanity as humans, we'd have already been replaced.

[surfmonkey]

I don't think bass players are being "phased out". I think it has more to do with being the victim of a numbers crunch. When there isn't enough money to go around, band members become expendable. And it's not just bass players, keyboard players frequently get the axe in favor of tracks; horn players, even drummers too!

But, tracks replacing members are usually the sign of a bottom tier band. All the best corporate bands have members plus tracks (instead of just tracks) because as you said it really makes a difference in stage presence (and musically).

[Addix Metzatricity]

Originally posted by patrick_dont_fret:

I'd like to get a nice phat synth-bass pedal... Which one would you all recommend?

I have the Boss SYB-3. It's great. If you want some seriously weird stuff, try the Line6 FM4. I play with that one allllll day long! (BP did a review of it a few months ago).