5 Reasons Bass Players Should ALWAYS Play The Melody

As bass players, we spend so much time refining the art of the groove. As we should. This is our job and we need to do it with confidence, strength, and finesse. But it shouldn’t be the end of the story for bass players. I’m a firm believer that bass players should be playing melodies just as much. Whatever style of music you’re playing, you should be playing melodies and I’ve got 5 reasons WHY!
I’d love to know your thoughts on playing melodies on the bass down in the comments - do you think bassists should play melodies? Do you play melodies on your gigs? Do melodies help you learn tunes? Let me know down in the comments!
00:00 WHAT Are You Doing?!?
01:03 #1 Go Deeper
02:45 #2 Build Yo Chops
04:35 #3 Get Solo Ideas
06:32 #4 Learn Phrasing
09:17 #5 The Most Important One
10:40 Learn The Melody!
#bass #bajo #bassplayer #bassist #doublebass #uprightbass #acousticbass #bassguitar #electricbass #sixstringbass #jazz #melody #lesson #advice #5reasons
Want to get deeper into jazz bass lines? Check out some bass over standards and get free downloads of the transcriptions: www.chipboazmusic.com/dig-dee...
Want to play some jazz but you need a groove? I can help you out: www.chipboazmusic.com/1105-2/
SUBSCRIBE to my channel and turn on alerts for all the upcoming music: tinyurl.com/cbytsubscribe
Become a part of The Boaz Brigade for all the latest on my music, performances, videos, and more! Sign up here: tinyurl.com/joinboazbrigadebc
Check out my album Reflections: chipboaz.bandcamp.com/album/r...
Check out my EP New Chapter: chipboaz.bandcamp.com/album/n...

[@gurmot]

I’m 3 years in and now playing in a covers band I started myself. I almost always play around the melody using roots, triads and occasional flourishes and fills to make it sound right to my ear. I very rarely try to learn how the original bass line was played and copy that, preferring to do my own thing. I’m by no means an extravagant player but my band seem to be content with my part in the mix and the quality of our sound. I love it when me and the guitarist play something like “Sunshine of your love” as we both start playing a similar melody (different octaves) but then I carry on whilst he goes off on some lead flourishes but I keep the melody going, then he rejoins me. It’s like two roller coaster starting and ending next to each other but veering off on different tracks part way through the ride. I’m not sure if I’m doing it right but nobody really complains.

[@chipboazmusic]

I love this. First off, congrats on starting a cover band! I'm well aware that leading a group - especially as a bassist - can be a real challenge. So that's awesome that you're doing that. And I love how you're taking this opportunity to develop your own approach to the bass on these songs. Incorporating the melody can be such a perfect way to do this. Both the melody and the bass line are such integral parts of the song; blending them together can be a great way to anchor the song. I love your description your work with your guitar player as a roller coaster ride too - that sounds truly epic!

[@davidbalczo3902]

Just starting to play jazz and the guys are already asking me to solo. This has been my approach. Figure out a melody and try to change it a little to squeak out a solo. It's rough, but I'm getting there. I'd love to see some "How to play the melody to.." videos!

[@chipboazmusic]

That's so cool David, congrats on jumping into jazz! And I agree, no time like the present to jump into soloing. You're right on the money with your approach to soloing - ALWAYS start with the melody in my opinion. As you fill in the theoretical and stylistic gaps, other things will happen; but it all starts with the melody. I LOVE your idea for the "How To Play The Melody To" videos - I'm going to do that!

[@estarling8766]

I love this subject because the melody is the only thing I can do properly on a bass guitar. Starting from this point I try to attach a bass line to certain songs I love. It is a funny game to hold myself involved with my favorite tunes . Best regards Chip !

[@chipboazmusic]

I love this. Chick Corea used to talk about music as a game - I think that's a really healthy way to look at the craft. And this is such a fun game - attaching melody to a bass line and finding a way to make it all work together. It makes the lines more interesting, and often, it makes the line more integral to the song. Sometimes I like to "rewrite" bass lines to favorite songs to find ways to make this work. Such an awesome insight - thanks for this!

[@ricoaalst]

I fully agree with the proposition and all the reasons you expressed here. It definitely enhances our deeper understanding of the tune, the variety of sound offered to the listener, and does really provide you with a library of lines that can be used elsewhere. Personally, I prefer to link in with essential movements of the melody when playing bass with a band, and the odd bass solo thrown in is both exiting to play and adds more depth and dynamics to the rendition of a tune. Great vid, thanks for producing and publishing!

[@chipboazmusic]

Thanks Rico, I really appreciate your feedback on the video. Yes, I agree - connecting with key points in the melody really brings the music to another level. I mean, all the different pieces of a song should be connected, right? From the bass to the vocals, it should all be played in a way that brings the song together. I love that you mention depth and dynamics - we want our performances to be deep, meaningful, and take our listener on a journey - this can only be done when we're all working together to make it happen. Insightful stuff - thanks for that!

[@Xubuntu47]

IDK about gigs or whatever, I just love melodies. Sometimes they just sound so good an octave or two lower than we're used to. I like to play Rebecca Sugar's "Love Like You". Not a jazz tune but it's a gorgeous melody that sounds great on the bass. Charles Cornell explains (This tune starts at 6:04 but I recommrnd the whole video): kzbin.info/www/bejne/goi6cpWVgL2Grrssi=-Ab8upjoobTb9Vmz

[@chipboazmusic]

So true - it's just so satisfying to play a great melody. It's all good that it's an octave lower - that's our home base territory, right? And WOW, what I gorgeous tune Love Like You is! I've never heard any of the music from Steven Universe, but now I'm going to have to listen AND watch the show! I agree with Charles on this one, it's right there in jazz standard territory. I can see this working beautifully on the bass - I might just have to give it a try. Thanks for introducing this music to me!

[@Xubuntu47]

@@chipboazmusic The music is amazing and genre crossing. If you watch the actual show, don't be put off by how silly it seems at first. It's sort of an adult drama packaged as a kiddie cartoon, but it takes a while to see what's going on. The writers deliberately, and brilliantly, subverted the network's requirement to target the show to 6-11 year old boys, and wrote at a mature level while still keeping it appealing to kids.

[@paulopalacin3337]

nice video!! I'm very tempted to buy a 6 string bass

[@chipboazmusic]

Thanks, glad you liked the video! And DO IT! I love my six string bass, I've been playing it for years. It's definitely not necessary for every setting, but it does open up a lot of creative possibilities. It's great in a lot of ways - I'd highly recommend it!

[@Xubuntu47]

I can't even play four strings very well so I think I'll pass lol.

[@chipboazmusic]

Ha, all good! We all need the amount of strings that we need, no more!

[@Xubuntu47]

@@chipboazmusic I do think they are cool, don't get me wrong. You can do bass lines or soloing, even chord melody work. I'm just not there yet.

[@visog]

Needs more compression! Also... I prefer hat to cap...