Posted on Aug 21 2016 05:25 AM
I understand this personal situation well... As a bass player, I like to slide into notes as it helps create some excitement. But that's a different thing.
When I'm practicing or just playing alone, I'll play descending tremolo glissandos for sport. But I can't remember doubling these with the guitarists. The bass is just too deep and muddies up the sound when the notes are so rapid. Especially in a large room or hall and the guitar notes on reverb are already delayed...
When I play these things, the count is very important and I prefer to use a pick. Fingered notes just don't sound clear in this context. I play 16ths, and count them in fours... Alternating plectrum strokes... Just like Mr. Dale or Mrs. Kaye... These intro glissandos usually take one or two bars. So for every bar/measure of glissando I count four x four to obtain sixteen 16th notes per bar. It takes practice...
In the exciting Miserlou intro, Dick Dale is playing 16ths while the bass is silent... after the exciting guitar intro, the bassist plays 8th notes behind the guitar's 16ths of the melody.
In Diamond Head the bass is silent for the exciting guitar intro.
Why not use some "Friend" psychology... Listen to the exciting intro to Pipeline together and say, "Hey! I just noticed that the guitar does that alone! That's why I keep loosing the rhythm..." In other words, never say that you don't want him to play it... you could lose a bass player or even worse, lose a friend... you should take the fall! It's not his fault but yours... Get it? Tell him you need to concentrate... low frequencies and reverb and delay... anything...
Here's a bass cover of Pipeline and he does not play the intro glissando... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6baAReDZKn8
I used to want to play a lot of notes... now, I really enjoy playing the choice notes... the one's that make guitarists want to play bass... and when the music breaks, and the guitarist or drummer take the solo floor, I know that my first note is going to shake the dance floor. And I articulate every note for a fat, juicy tone that stands the band on it's head... I finally bought an Ampeg Classic 8x10 just for that reason... I even bought a compressor, a Sonic Stomp, a line driver and a volume pedal in order to get a superb bass tone... because that's where the money's at...
But I'm 60+ now, and I've learned guitar since and can also play the bass line of Jethro Tull's Bouree as well as the record... I'm celebrating because I just signed up with the El Bastardo's... here's a clip of them two years ago... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1X4k-Lmtkc
and I've written way too much because I have insomnia... Good Luck with your surfin' bro'...
Last edited: Aug 21, 2016 06:05:06
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