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The Path for a Proper Bass Sound Part 1: Applied Techniques With Igor Saavedra
Meet Igor Saavedra –
The chain is only as strong as its weakest link……..
It’s that simple my friends; this is exactly what happens with our sound path. So we have to take care of it at any of its stages.
The final sound will depend on a vast list of very different factors, and those factors are interrelated the same way as a chain is. We have to assimilate each factor of a chain link, but with a slight difference, which is that these links must be considered as being in a linear sequence, which means that we have to take care of every link starting by solving the first one and then going into the second one and so on. It would be nonsense to take care of this links trying to solve them in a random manner.
What factors I’m talking about? I’ve chosen to numerate them in a progressive list so it will be much easier for any of you to individualize any of them and also to identify the exact position that it has in the Sound Path.
1. Abstract Sound
First of all you must be absolutely clear at a “mental level” what bass sound you are looking for. It would be worthless to try to take care of the next links if you don’t know clearly what you want.
2. Surface that will make contact with the “Sound Element”
You must consider that using a pick, or your fingertips, or your nails, or any other material will strongly affect the remaining chain links. Also, you have to consider that there are many different types of picks depending on the material and the thickness. The same happens with the fingertips, because they will vary depending on the biotype of the bass player, which means that you have to analyze if your fingertips are soft, hard, big, small, wet, dry, smooth, rough, etc…
3. The “Touch”
A big percentage of the sound texture rests on this link. As with the previous link, a soft or a hard touch will affect every following link. It’s very important to add that we don’t really pluck the strings on a bass, and we don’t pinch them either. I mention that because the word “Pizzicato” comes from the Italian language and means “pinching”. What we really do on a bass string is to “press” it in on a 45 degree angle approximately and then release it. All this happens in a fraction of a second, but that is what we really do when we play the conventional bass pizzicato technique. Obviously there are variations on the attack angle of the finger, so is good to clarify that I’m referring to the standard technique.
4. The Strings
Many characteristics of the strings can affect the sound. Those are the diameter, the length, if it’s a round wound, half wound or flat wound string. The construction material also affects the sound, so you have to consider the material of the strings you are using (Steel, Nickel, Bronze, Aluminum-Nickel, Nylon-Metal, etc.) Finally, the installation of the strings is crucial. The winding around the tuners (more turns, less turns) and mostly the string height must also be considered.
5. The Instrument
This is one of the most complex elements to consider. We’ll analyze each factor in order not to miss any detail.
1. Construction Material: Wood, Graphite, Aluminum, Acrylic resin, etc. Regarding the wood, we have to take into account if the wood is hard, soft, dark, clear, heavy, light, etc.
2. Construction Type: Neck-Trough-Body, Set neck, Bolt on, Hollow body, Semi hollow body.
3. Instrument Scale: Standard Scale, Short Scale, Long Scale.
4. Body Size: As an example, please compare a Steinberger bass with a Ken Smith bass.
5. Hardware Material: I’m referring to the hardware that makes direct contact with the strings, like the tuners, the bridge, the nut, etc. This can be made of stainless steel, bronze, ebony, many different alloys.
6. The Frets: Frets can be made of stainless steel, nickel, nickel silver (Alpaca), and even ebony. Also frets come in different heights and widths. Regarding the fret width, you can find thin, standard, and jumbo frets. So the amount of fret material that makes contact with the string will affect the sound in different ways. Regarding the fret height, a taller fret will imply that the strings will be far from the fingerboard wood, and on a lower fret the string will be closer. That affects the bass sound a lot.
7. Tuner Tilt Angle: A higher angle will constitute a higher pressure of the strings over the nut. A lower angle will constitute a lower pressure of the strings over the nut. Each circumstance will affect the sound in a different manner.
8. Paint finish: Sound will be significantly modified by paint, varnish, lacquer, nitrocellulose, polyurethane-polyester, oil, etc.
6. Instrument Electronics
You always have to separate the instrument itself from its electronics due to the fact that they are very different fields. The variables of the electronic system start on the passive transducer, or the device who “receives the sound” which is normally called “The Pickup”. It’s important to consider the placing, distance from the bridge, the distance from the strings, height regulation, the winding, series, single, parallel, the model, soap bar, jazz bass, precision, the material, alnico, ceramic, samarium cobalt, iron, and the brand (two similar pickups from a different manufacturer almost never sound the same). The preamplifier is crucial, and it will color the sound we are offering to it. The most important feature of a standard bass preamp is the semi parametric equalization and you want to know how to use it.
Finally, the potentiometers are very important as well, and I would suggest not trying to save dollars when replacing them, and try to keep them dust free.
7. Cables and Connectors
Regarding the cables, we must consider the wiring quality, and the shielding and the isolating capabilities. The length of the cable is very important, so if we want to drive the maximum sound quality into the amplifier, you should consider using the shortest cable you can.
Regarding the connectors, whether they are male or female, never skimp on them. The connectors are the only link of the chain that transmits the sound by contact pressure and not by “structural conducting”. So try to use the same brand of male and female connectors because they were made for each other, and that means that there will not be any chance of a loose contact on the surfaces because of slight “untested” difference between brands. I’ve seen cases when two different brands get stuck and are very hard to unplug, and in some cases they are so loose that the male connector almost falls out.
That’s all for now my friends. Don’t miss the next issue where we’ll finish this story talking about links 8 to 14.
Igor Saavedra.
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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Visit Online
www.lettucefunk.com
IG @jesuscsuperstar
FB@jesuscoomes
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
Interview With Bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes
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
