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Whose Line Is It Anyway? by Steve Gregory
Meet Steve Gregory –
The other day I took some time to listen to different live recordings of the song “From the Inside Out” by Hillsong and I became interested in the subtle differences I found in the bass lines that were played. The differences were not core arrangement changes, but were “signature” changes – subtle variations that the different bass players made to the same song. These variations included licks, small rhythmic changes, and the use of different harmonic devices to move to and from major song sections (verse, chorus, bridge). Again, these variations did not change the base structure of the song, but allowed each bass player’s interpretation of the song to be heard.
This is an expected occurrence – as bass musicians, we naturally interpret songs through the filter of our personality, ears, and technique. The true art of this process is not only filtering the song through our selves, but passing that output through a secondary filter to ensure that the musicality and worship of the song is maintained.
Applying filters is especially important for worship bassists. In particular, this practice is important in situations where worship teams learn songs from recordings. Some bassists will opt to learn the original bass line note-for-note and play back that line as recorded. This works in situations where other band members are doing the same but, more often than not, I find that bassists (and other worship musicians) tend to “add themselves” to the interpretation of the songs. Further, the level of “personality” that is added to the interpretation ranges from a few subtle changes to total disregard for the original line.
In the model where the arrangement hasn’t changed, but the bass line played isn’t going to be an exact replica of the recorded line, passing your interpretation through the second filter described above is critical! Here a few thoughts on this process:
1. Learn the original bass line, in its entirety.
There’s a reason that the bass line you hear on the recording made it on the recording. When you are asked to learn a song by Lincoln Brewster that Norm Stockton plays on, I assure you that Norm has laid down a line with critical elements that you need to know. Learn the notes, the licks, and the feel…all of it. There is nothing detracts more from a worship rehearsal that hearing a player that has not listened to the original recording and exudes arrogance through their “I don’t need to listen to anyone else, I can do it better” attitude.
Here are three good reasons to learn the original before going any further: first, learn the original because everything there already might be everything that needs to be played. Second, you can’t vary from something that you don’t understand or know completely. Third, song transcription is a self-contained bass lesson where you get to learn from master bass players!
2. If an element you want to add is all about getting attention/being noticed/ego, don’t add it…period.
A friend of mine tells this joke:
Q: How do arrogant musicians count triplets?
A: Look-at-me, look-at-me, look-at-me
This one is simple: worship bass is about supporting worship, not about supporting egos. Enough said.
3. Understand what adding or subtracting something does to the core of the song.
Imagine watching a home improvement show and hearing the designer say, “I really want to open this room up…let’s remove all of the load bearing walls”. The bass line is a foundational bridge upon which rhythm and harmony are joined and this role needs to be constantly considered. Playing a lick instead of a bass element that supports the song is never the right choice. Further, changing a bass line in a way that distorts the rhythmic or harmonic elements of the song radiates out and distorts worship.
4. Know the situation.
There are times to stretch; there are times not to stretch. For example, last Sunday we played Lincoln Brewster’s “All To You” as a closing song. The congregation was dismissed soon after the second chorus, before the guitar solo. As people were leaving, they were talking, laughing, and enjoying a time of fellowship. During this time our band stretched out, taking some liberties in our playing, throwing in a few licks, trying out different lines. It was incredibly fun and well received by those in the congregation who were listening. In contrast, playing a song like Chris Tomlin’s “Our God” during a time of commitment section of worship would not be the time to stretch; rather, it would be a time to remain close to the original arrangement to respect the worship service.
We are not just bass players, we are bass musicians. As such, we should make worship music alive and vibrant, so I am in no way suggesting that we clamp down on our worship and make it stale. In fact, I personally love to hear different worship bass players play, because through their playing you can truly hear the person worship. Definitely bring yourself to worship, but be willing to use your filters to bring your absolute best to worship.
Until next time, I hope that your bass playing is blessed and that you can bless others through your bass playing!
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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