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Going Vamping by Steve Gregory
There are a number of musical devices that can be used to build deep, meaningful worship experiences. One such device that is often used in both live and recorded worship music is the vamp. A vamp is defined as a short musical progression that is repeated, often as an introduction to another section. In vamps within the worship setting, the worship leader often speaks, prays, or ad-libs vocally while the worship team repeats a single chord progression a number of times. During this section, the worship team is responsible for keeping the music alive and responding to the worship leader. In a very common implementation of this technique, the dynamic level of the song is lowered at the beginning of the vamp section and then slowly built to a point to where the song “tips over” to the final chorus or two. Time spent watching live performances of worship teams will inevitably result in seeing this done.
What I find to be most interesting about vamping in worship is the enormous disparity between the possible effects. When done well, the swell of emotional worship can be overwhelming and amazing. When done without thought, the vamp section ends up sounding awkward and clumsy. On one hand you have an eruption of worship; on the other hand you have worship dropped to the ground.
Since this technique is so common and can have dramatic results (both good and bad), it is important for us as worship bassists to think about what can be done to make a vamp section successful. To begin, it is very important to realize that one possible pitfall is the vamp structure itself: usually consisting of 1-4 repeating chords, there is not a big song structure to hide behind. In addition, the consistent, repeating nature of the vamp is used to heighten worship and increase congregational involvement and therefore takes away drastic reharmonization as an option. Since so little is given in chord variance, it is important to look for other areas with which to work. Here are a few suggestions of techniques to improve the vamp experience:
Dynamics
I will admit that this is an area to which I give a lot of attention both as a bassist and as a teacher, but I do so for good reason. Dynamics give the worship bassist dramatic “shaping” abilities that apply perfectly to vamp sections. When playing a vamp, think about the shape that the section should take on: does it start soft and rise steadily to loud? Are there “hills” or “valleys” that a particular vamp demands? Will this change, depending on the worship leader?
Do not be afraid to implement effective dynamics and use the whole range of sound to your advantage. If the vamp goes for a longer time than you expected, it is very easy to run out of headroom too early. This is a quick way to reach the aforementioned “awkward and clumsy” stage!
Rhythm
Rhythm is a great tool for the worship bassist when building a vamp. In some cases, rhythm can provide the ability to shape the vamp section much like that which can be done with dynamics: longer, held notes at the beginning of the vamp lead and build to a busier rhythmic line toward the end of the section.
In other cases, the bass rhythm figure may be important to maintain, but accents on certain notes can propel the line forward. This is particularly true when working with a drummer who listens and carries on a musical conversation with the bassist. A single accent, played on the same rhythmic pattern, can change the effect entirely.
Arpeggiation
As I mentioned above, the vamp offers a static progression from which to work. In many cases, the melodic and rhythmic interest of a bass line can be increased by playing patterns derived from the arpeggios of the chords. It is important to regularly practice arpeggios and put on big ears when using them in worship, as it is very easy to lean into a note that does not sit with the group or walk yourself far away from comfortable transitions within the progression. Once again, the line between “awesome” and “awkward” can become very thin!
This is a very small list of possible techniques worship bassists can employ during a vamp, but it is important to remember that they are just techniques. Musical approaches such as these are simply tools to be used thoughtfully, not parts to put together in a formula. Every vamp will be different and will require the worship bassist to listen to the worship leader and the other instrumentalists. The bassist has the ability to lead with their choices (you will be amazed at how many musicians look to the bass for dynamic, rhythmic, and melodic cues!), but must also be willing to be led. Vamping can be tricky, but can ultimately create worship beyond compare.
Since I have listed only a few ideas about vamping, I would love to hear your thoughts! Let me know what you have found to be effective in your worship vamps by leaving a comment below.
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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