Latest
The Devil Ain’t in the Details Part 2 by Steve Gregory
Meet Steve Gregory –
In my last article we explored the tremendous impact small details can make on our bass playing. For that article, I had used “Our God” by Chris Tomlin, from the album, “Passion: Awakening”. This song provided fantastic material for discovering details: a strong kick drum/bass lock and dramatic dynamics that were perfect for bass line analysis.
A few days prior to that article being published, I was in a worship rehearsal working on the song “Blessed Be Your Name” by Tree 63. The song felt “flat” during our run-through and a very astute observation was made by my friend Dane: it can be extremely difficult to make a song with a repeating chord structure, especially one that has further been edited for radio play, exciting and energetic. This is absolutely true and calls for the bass player to pay even closer attention to the details that breathe life into a song.
The version of the song I’m referring to can be found on the album, “The Answer to the Question”. This is a great song with fantastic sing ability for the congregation. Now for the transcription – ready?
Db – Ab – Bbm – Gb (Db – Ab –Gb)
Ok, maybe we should expand the transcription a bit further, but I wanted to make a point: 4 basic chords total, repeating often (To be fair, there are several instances where a sus chord can be played, but I’ll leave that aside for now). Rather than provide a detailed, note-for-note transcription, the following is a “bass sketch” chart, which only shows the root motion and basic rhythm reminders.
To compare and contrast with last article’s detail analysis, let’s look at similar elements this time: rhythmic figures and dynamics.
“Blessed Be Your Name” has several rhythmic elements that should be used to their full advantage. The first bass entrance, halfway through the first verse, allows us to lock with the drummer immediately. The eighth note lead in on the “and” of four adds nice propulsion through the verse. To build from this figure the first pre-chorus changes to straight quarter notes, which lead to the eighth notes used in the first chorus. After the chorus, which ends in a whole note, the verse is “reset” by the low, held Db (marked by a subscript in the markup) which holds over the first and second measures of the verse.
The next area of rhythmic interest occurs during the last pre-chorus, where whole notes build to eighth notes, leading into the final chorus. Both sections create an overarching rhythmic shape that creates a sense of build and release. This shape should be applied so that the bass line creates movement, without bass note complexity.
The next element to look at is dynamics. In my last article, analysis of “Our God” provided the following dynamics chart:
“Our God” Dynamics Chart
Contrast that shape with the dynamics chart for “Blessed Be Your Name”:
“Blessed Be Your Name” Dynamics Chart
Dynamics are where I believe the radio/album editing to be most evident. There are three builds, all peaking in the chorus. Further, the dynamic changes are not very dramatic – mezzo piano to mezzo forte to forte. In cases such as these, it is extremely important to pay strict attention make clear differentiations between the different dynamic levels. When there are small dynamic variances as there are in this song, it’s very easy to make everything “mezzo forte-ish”. When that happens, any chance of using dynamics to our advantage is lost.
I chose to compare and contrast “Our God” and “Blessed Be Your Name” by using rhythmic figures and dynamics as elements for analysis. These are certainly not the only two elements available. For example, one important detail in “Blessed Be Your Name” is providing steadiness when running eighth notes. Locking these into the groove and making every note count is critical. Further, using octave changes and short licks to shape phrases is another small detail that provides a big impact. There are other ways to view this song and find the details that make the difference; I hope you share your finding by commenting below or chatting with me in the Bass Musician Magazine Community, I can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
“Blessed Be Your Name” is a fantastic song with the possibility for great congregation involvement. On the surface, it may appear that there isn’t much to use to make your bass line great; however, careful attention to details gives us the tools to make the maximum impact. Bring your best bass playing to worship and make the small investment in details that provides great returns.
Until next time, I hope that your bass playing is blessed and that you can bless others through your bass playing!
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
Featured Videos
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
Latest
This Week’s Top 10 Basses on Instagram
Check out our top 10 favorite basses on Instagram this week…
Click to follow Bass Musician on Instagram @bassmusicianmag
FEATURED @foderaguitars @overwaterbasses @mgbassguitars @bqwbassguitar @marleaux_bassguitars @sugi_guitars @mikelullcustomguitars @ramabass.ok @chris_seldon_guitars @gullone.bajos
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
