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Worship Bass With Steve Gregory: Bass Blessings
Meet Steve Gregory
When I was younger, I had a very cynical view of worship bassists. I imagined that playing bass in a worship setting meant sitting stoically on a stool, playing whole notes from a page in a hymnal. I was convinced that playing for worship was possibly the most boring fate a bass player could face!
I kept this attitude until my girlfriend, now my wife, challenged me to actually go to church. I explained that, while I would go to church with her, I knew that the music would be painful to listen to, at best.
Have I mentioned that in our relationship, my wife is the smart one?
My wife took me to Highlands Fellowship Church in Abingdon, VA and thoroughly enjoyed watching my arrogant attitude turn upside down. Her “I told you so” look went unnoticed as first, because I was immersed in the music! From that one experience, my opinion of worship music changed 180 degrees and I found my calling as a bassist.
After my initial wake up call, I went on a mission to learn all I could about worship music. I listened to Lincoln Brewster, Jeremy Camp, Francesca Battistelli, Tommy Walker, and others and was amazed to discover that, yes, worship music could be hip. I also realized that the mythical “stoic stool sitters” were nowhere to be found. Instead, bassists including Norm Stockton, Abraham Laboriel, and Matthew Tennikoff were playing grooving bass lines that would silence even the most anti-worship music critics.
While on this discovery mission, I was blessed with the opportunity to play worship music on a weekly basis. What I immediately realized was that there is a distinct role for the worship bassist. This role can be summed up in one sentence:
“The role of the worship bassist is to aid in the creation of a special musical environment in which people can worship, praise, and prepare for the message.”
This may seem to be a bit “touchy feely” and am I certain that some of you are worried that I’ll be presenting a solo bass arrangement of “Kumbaya”, but there are sound musical principles to use in fulfilling this role. Let’s explore these concepts and see how to create the worship environment from the bottom up.
You Have to Love the Drummer
Bassists learn a basic rule soon after they pick up the bass: create a pocket with the drummer. In worship music, the drums and bass provide the immediate feel that determines the fullness and depth of the worship environment. I’ve heard several worship performances where the “spark” was missing and almost every time, the problem can be traced to the bassist and drummer not locking in a groove together.
I am unbelievably lucky to play with a great drummer who has an impeccable sense of time, listens incredibly well, and has chops to spare. When we first began to play together, building a bond was the first order of business. To do this, a return to basics was necessary: I listened to the kick drum and locked in as tightly as possible with that drum alone. The result? We immediately felt a connection. I then allowed my lines to interact with the kick, snare, and hi-hat. I made it my goal that, when a bass note and drum hit coincided, the drummer felt as if the drum actually triggered the bass note. By doing this, we felt as if we had been playing together for years! Now that we have been playing together for some time, we are “brothers in groove” and together form the foundation for the worship experience.
Victor Says…
In a recent clinic I attended, Victor Wooten made a fantastic and often overlooked point. Victor pointed out that while the bassist-drummer relationship is an absolute necessity, you have to listen to each and every player you are with in order to create a complete groove. This is entirely true in the worship setting, where you may find yourself on stage with any number, and any combination, of instruments. In my setting, it is not unusual to be playing with drums, acoustic rhythm guitar, electric rhythm guitar, electric lead guitar, keyboards, and even a saxophone on occasion. With so much sonic space being occupied, it is important to play bass lines that support, not weaken, the worship experience.
Case in point: Highlands Fellowship Church features the best keyboardist I’ve had the pleasure of joining on stage. In particular, his Hammond organ work is phenomenal; however, the Hammond organ has a range that overlaps the range of my bass. In order to play together, the keyboardist and I have to listen to each other and develop a “conversation” together. Decisions I face in this conversation include what range on the bass I will choose for a given section, whether to play the root of a chord or create an inversion, and whether or not it would be beneficial to play a lick or passage together. Being a successful worship bassist requires having huge ears and the willingness to play what is needed for the worship experience. At times there is room for a flashy run down the fingerboard and other times a half note on the root is the perfect choice.
Follow the Leader
Here’s an important question to consider: how many people leave a church service singing the bass line to their favorite song? I’m willing to bet that the answer is, “not many, if any”. People are singing the words to the song! The worship leader singing these words and leading the experience must be listened to and supported, above all. This is where the worship bassist gets to truly exhibit a “servant’s heart”. If the vocalist needs space instead of a busy bass line, the space should be given to them. If the worship leader wants to have a sense of propulsion, a driving bass line is needed. What about when things don’t go the same way they did in rehearsal? If the worship leader decides to repeat a chorus where there wasn’t one in rehearsal, the change should be seamless. If the worship leader feels a connection and begins to vamp, be prepared to play that groove as long as is needed. Connecting with the worship experience often means “follow the leader”!
Be a Servant With a Groove
For the worship bassist, building the worship environment is everything. If you are willing to be a servant to worship, the musical and spiritual experience cannot be explained in words. I can say that if you stay strong on your spiritual walk, consistent in your musical walk, and keep the role of the worship bassist in your heart, you will have some of the most incredible adventures you have ever had playing your bass!
Until next time, I hope that your bass playing is blessed and that you can bless others through your bass playing!
PS – In case anyone is wondering, some of the most amazing worship experiences I’ve had were done sitting on a stool, playing whole notes.
Bass Videos
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes…
It is always great to meet a super busy bassist who simply exudes a love for music and his instrument. Erick “Jesus” Coomes fits this description exactly. Hailing from Southern California, “Jesus” co-founded and plays bass for Lettuce and has found his groove playing with numerous other musicians.
Join us as we hear of his musical journey, how he gets his sound, his ongoing projects, and his plans for the future.
Photo, Bob Forte
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www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
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FB @lettucefunk
Bass Videos
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
“These stories from the front are with real-life, day-to-day musicians who deal with work life and gigging and how they make it work out. Each month, topics may include… the kind of gigs you get, the money, dealing with less-than-ideal rooms, as well as the gear you need to get the job done… and the list goes on from there.” – Steve the Bass Guy and Shawn Cav
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This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
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Bass CDs
New Album: Jake Leckie, Planter of Seeds
Bassist Jake Leckie and The Guide Trio Unveil New Album Planter of Seeds,
to be released on June 7, 2024
Planter of Seeds is bassist/composer Jake Leckie’s third release as a bandleader and explores what beauty can come tomorrow from the seeds we plant today.
What are we putting in the ground? What are we building? What is the village we want to bring our children up in? At the core of the ensemble is The Guide Trio, his working band with guitarist Nadav Peled and drummer Beth Goodfellow, who played on Leckie’s second album, The Guide, a rootsy funky acoustic analog folk-jazz recording released on Ropeadope records in 2022. For Planter of Seeds, the ensemble is augmented by Cathlene Pineda (piano), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophone), and Darius Christian (trombone), who infuse freedom and soul into the already tightly established ensemble.
Eight original compositions were pristinely recorded live off the floor of Studio 3 at East West Studios in Hollywood CA, and mastered by A.T. Michael MacDonald. The cover art is by internationally acclaimed visual artist Wayne White. Whereas his previous work has been compared to Charles Mingus, and Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet with Charlie Haden, Leckie’s new collection sits comfortably between the funky odd time signatures of the Dave Holland Quintet and the modern folk-jazz of the Brian Blade Fellowship Band with a respectful nod towards the late 1950s classic recordings of Ahmad Jamal and Miles Davis.
The title track, “Planter of Seeds,” is dedicated to a close family friend, who was originally from Trinidad, and whenever she visited family or friends at their homes, without anyone knowing, she would plant seeds she kept in her pocket in their gardens, so the next season beautiful flowers would pop up. It was a small altruistic anonymous act of kindness that brought just a little more beauty into the world. The rhythm is a tribute to Ahmad Jamal, who we also lost around the same time, and whose theme song Poinciana is about a tree from the Caribbean.
“Big Sur Jade” was written on a trip Leckie took with his wife to Big Sur, CA, and is a celebration of his family and community. This swinging 5/4 blues opens with an unaccompanied bass solo, and gives an opportunity for each of the musicians to share their improvisational voices. “Clear Skies” is a cathartic up-tempo release of collective creative energies in fiery improvisational freedom. “The Aquatic Uncle” features Randal Fisher’s saxophone and is named after an Italo Calvino short story which contemplates if one can embrace the new ways while being in tune with tradition. In ancient times, before a rudder, the Starboard side of the ship was where it was steered from with a steering oar. In this meditative quartet performance, the bass is like the steering oar of the ensemble: it can control the direction of the music, and when things begin to unravel or become unhinged, a simple pedal note keeps everything grounded.
The two trio tunes on the album are proof that the establishment of his consistent working band The Guide Trio has been a fruitful collaboration. “Santa Teresa”, a bouncy samba-blues in ? time, embodies the winding streets and stairways of the bohemian neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro it is named for. The swampy drum feel on “String Song” pays homage to Levon Helm of The Band, a group where you can’t always tell who wrote the song or who the bandleader is, proving that the sum is greater than the individual parts. Early jazz reflected egalitarianism in collective improvisation, and this group dynamic is an expression of that kind of inclusivity and democracy.
“The Daughters of the Moon” rounds out the album, putting book ends on the naturalist themes. This composition is named after magical surrealist Italo Calvino’s short story about consumerism, in which a mythical modern society that values only buying shiny new things throws away the moon like it is a piece of garbage and the daughters of the moon save it and resurrect it. It’s an eco-feminist take on how women are going to save the world. Pineda’s piano outro is a hauntingly beautiful lunar voyage, blinding us with love. Leckie dedicates this song to his daughter: “My hope is that my daughter becomes a daughter of the moon, helping to make the world a more beautiful and verdant place to live.”
Bass CDs
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
In a thrilling solo debut, bassist Nate Sabat combines instrumental virtuosity with a songwriter’s heart on Bass Fiddler…
The upright bass and the human voice. Two essential musical instruments, one with roots in 15th century Europe, the other as old as humanity itself.
On Bass Fiddler (Adhyâropa Records ÂR00057), the debut album from Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter and bass virtuoso Nate Sabat, the scope is narrowed down a bit. Drawing from the rich and thriving tradition of American folk music, Sabat delivers expertly crafted original songs and choice covers with the upright bass as his lone tool for accompaniment.
The concept was born a decade ago when Sabat began studying with the legendary old-time fiddler Bruce Molsky at Berklee College of Music. “One of Bruce’s specialties is singing and playing fiddle at the same time. The second I heard it I was hooked,” recalls Sabat. “I thought, how can I do this on the bass?” From there, he was off to the races, arranging original and traditional material with Molsky as his guide. “Fast forward to 2020, and I — like so many other musicians — was thinking of how to best spend my time. I sat down with the goal of writing some new songs and arranging some new covers, and an entire record came out.” When the time came to make the album, it was evident that Molsky would be the ideal producer. Sabat asked him if he’d be interested, and luckily he was. “What an inspiration to work with an artist like Nate,” says Molsky. “Right at the beginning, he came to this project with a strong, personal and unique vision. Plus he had the guts to try for a complete and compelling cycle of music with nothing but a bass and a voice. You’ll hear right away that it’s engaging, sometimes serious, sometimes fun, and beautifully thought out from top to bottom.”
While this record is, at its core, a folk music album, Sabat uses the term broadly. Some tracks lean more rock (‘In the Shade’), some more pop (‘White Marble’, ‘Rabid Thoughts’), some more jazz (‘Fade Away’), but the setting ties them all together. “There’s something inherently folksy about a musician singing songs with their instrument, no matter the influences behind the compositions themselves,” Sabat notes. To be sure, there are plenty of folk songs (‘Louise’ ‘Sometimes’, ‘Eli’) and fiddling (‘Year of the Ox’) to be had here — the folk music fan won’t go hungry. There’s a healthy dose of bluegrass too (‘Orphan Annie’, ‘Lonesome Night’), clean and simple, the way Mr. Bill Monroe intended.
All in all, this album shines a light on an instrument that often goes overlooked in the folk music world, enveloping the listener in its myriad sounds, textures, and colors. “There’s nothing I love more than playing the upright bass,” exclaims Sabat. “My hope is that listeners take the time to sit with this album front to back — I want them to take in the full scope of the work. I have a feeling they’ll hear something they haven’t heard before.”
Available online at natesabat.bandcamp.com/album/walking-away
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Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
Tour Touch Base (Bass) with Ian Allison
New Gear: Spector Woodstock Custom Collection Volume II
New Gear: The Dingwall John Taylor Signature Model
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Working-Class Zeros: Episode #2 – Financial Elements of Working Musicians
New Gear: Esopus Guitars Launches New Acoustic/Electric Bass
Debut Album: Nate Sabat, Bass Fiddler
