Treble_Clef_Sucks Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Hey I play a lot of jazz, classical, rock, and some punk. And my friends wanna start a ska band. Does anyone know whats really different with ska bass from the other stuff ive been doing? Thanks See that bass? Grr I wish it were mine. What am I stuck with? A lousy Kay Bass, a beat up school owned instrument nonetheless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cornbread_medhotmail.com Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Ska is a lot of walking lines. It's basically a TASTEFUL bass solo the whole song. A lot of movement, never hanging on one note for very long at all. Just pick up some Reel Big Fish for some really good ska bass lines. There are some others, but that guy is the best one that stands out in my head at 4 am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bear Jew Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Also check out: The Mighty Mighty Bosstones The Blue Meanies The Specials Fishbone (early stuff like "Lyin' Ass Bitch") Goldfinger Mephiskapheles Madness If you listen to these guys, you'll get the idea. \m/ Erik "To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting." --Sun Tzu Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BenLoy Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Horace Panter with the Specials. Nuff said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addix Metzatricity Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Ska bass is basically upbeat reggae (at a punk-tified speed). "Bass isn't just for breakfast anymore..." http://www.mp3.com/Addix_Metzatricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg and Sterling Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 Catch 22 = awesome ska bass, very jazzy and sweet. Stuff from "Keasby Nights" is the best. I'm out my league like Jordan was in baseball Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanSanX Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 I also recomend Catch-22's Keasby Nights. It friggin awsome and the bass lines too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ibescotty Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 For harder edge Ska look at the Urge's earlier stuff. Double Posting since March 2002 Random Post Generator #26797 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundWrangler Posted January 24, 2003 Share Posted January 24, 2003 If you're going to play covers, be aware that generally you will have to learn the original bassline correctly, in order for the song to work AT ALL. Like its "cousin" reggae, in a majority of cases the bass line IS the song (along with the vocal melody, of course - the counterpoint between these two elements often being the most distinctive thing about the arrangement). Guitarrists & keyboardists will be of no help; they generally are oblivious to this basic characteristic of the style. In the reggae style, of course, Aston "Family Man" Barrett (w/Bob Marley) pretty much laid down the road for melodic bass lines, espec. in the one-drop style. (Worth a lifetime of study; lack of attention to HIS parts, & of course the ever-popular "dumbfuck rock drummer not realizing the kick & sidestick are on 2&4, rather than 1&3", are the most common features of "jam" desecrations of these songs.) Robbie Shakespeare is the other towering figure among Jamaican bassists, espec. the rub-a-dub fusion style he & Sly developed w/Black Uhuru & other artists. (In a way, this sounds a little more like slowed-down ska than most of the Wailers' style, & DAMN, he lays down a hefty groove!) For 2nd-wave British-Jamaican "2 tone" ska from about 1979-1984 (main inspiration for most of the current ska bands), ditto on Benloy's Horace Panter (Specials) recommendation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dohhhhh6 Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 No luv for Cake and Less Than Jake? In Skynyrd We Trust Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KikkyMonk Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 buck-o-nine too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patrick_dont_fret Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Well, ska is a lot like swing (in my mind), so check out Squirrel Nut Zipper, The Brian Setzer Orchestra/Stray Cats, and the Cherry Poppin' Daddies for some swingin' tunes you can use. Ska is generally more upbeat, though, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Addix Metzatricity Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Ska is very upbeat... And usually pretty comical. I highly recommend Reel Big Fish. "Bass isn't just for breakfast anymore..." http://www.mp3.com/Addix_Metzatricity Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phizz Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 check five iron frenzy for ska punk... well their old stuff like upbeats and beatdowns... Keith can play some really moving bass lines... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shex Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 after you've checked out all the bands from above, you might check out some aussie ska, area 7!... lol the ska bassist is a big part of the band, and plays awesome solo like tunes for the whole duration of each song. whenever im at a ska gig, i just stand there, and all the vocals, trumpets, sax, guitar all ceases to exist as i lose myself in the bass.... reel big fish's "beer" has an awesome bassline - roses on your breath but graveyards on your soul - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_dup3 Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 I must disagree with some of the bands suggested...they're good, for the most part, but you should read a little on the subject & get recordings by some of the original late 1950s/early 1960s Jamaican artists (like the Skatalites) rather than decades later re-interpretations by others. It is a lot like "speeded up reaggae" (or actually, reggae is slowed down ska) but ska's a lot less kinky in syncopation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundWrangler Posted January 25, 2003 Share Posted January 25, 2003 Ditto on d's Skatalites recommendation - that's the rootsy stuff! (Their recent "reunion" releases are somewhat disappointing, though - look to the 60's/70's material for inspiration.) For rocksteady (& some proto-ska) there's a great-sounding 2-CD compilation called "Duke Reid's Treasure Chest", that's worth seeking out too. All 60's stuff, & makes clear why so many reggae artists cite listening to American soul and R&B from Detroit, Atlanta & Memphis among their influences. (Imagine those classic Motown/Memphis beats turned around backwards!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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