Know Your Role as a Bass Player | Rhythm & Groove

We're hitting our rhythm and groove in episode 62 of The Bo Show, where we look at the importance of knowing your role as a bass player.
Learn your primary role of being a time keeper and a melody maker in the band.
0:00 Your Role as Bassist
0:24 Locking In with the Drums
0:52 Demonstration
1:10 Demonstration
1:29 The Importance of Steady Playing
1:41 Demonstration
1:52 Practicing with a Metronome
2:14 Creating the Groove
2:59 Practice & Repetition
3:17 Recap & Summary
3:34 Closing Remarks
Your Role as a Bass Player
The bass guitar is part of the rhythm section, which is the backbone of the band. Your primary job as a bassist is to provide the rhythm and groove that the rest of the band follows.
Locking In with the Drums
Your goal is to sync up with the drummer. An easy rule of thumb is to match your notes to the drum’s beat. Commonly, this will be the kick drum, but this isn't always the case. There are times when the bass is playing notes that don’t match the kick drum, but they usually coincide with one of the rhythmic instruments, such as the snare, the toms, or the cymbals. If you’re playing the right notes with a strong, solid rhythm and not going off tempo, then it’s called being “locked in” or being “in the pocket”.
Importance of Steady Playing
Ideally, you are playing steady enough that if the drums cut out, but you keep playing, everyone is still able to stay on tempo and keep the song going.
Practicing with a Metronome
Practicing with a metronome is a great way to hone your sense of rhythm and timing.
Metronome App: Pro Metronome (No Affiliation)
apps.apple.com/be/app/pro-met...
play.google.com/store/apps/de...
Creating the Groove
Groove is more than just rhythm, it’s about the melody too. Your bassline provides the melody that the rest of the band follows. You might’ve heard the phrase get into the groove, which means getting into a comfortable pace, hitting your stride, or getting used to a routine.
Practice & Repetition
The best way to improve your groove is practice and preparation. Practice with a metronome or with a drummer, and be as prepared as you can.
Summary
As you continue to grow as a bass player, you’ll find opportunities to add improvisation, but don’t forget that your primary role is to provide the rhythm and the groove. As a bassist, you’re both a timekeeper and a melody maker.
If you found this video helpful, please subscribe to get more bass tips! Thanks for watching!

[@szymonwozny]

Another great video Bo! I like the waveform visual aid, nice touch, thanks! :)

[@BoBoswell]

Awesome! I'm glad you liked it! Thanks for the feedback!

[@ErnieLeblanc]

Subscribed, Liked, Shared.🇺🇸🎯💯🎯🇺🇸

[@BoBoswell]

Thanks so much!

[@paulchristie8452]

@@BoBoswell Some times the bassist will play the full arpeggios of the rhythm guitar. I think Sing by Travis is an example of that. And some times the bassist will lock in note for note with the lead guitar melody. I think Side by Travis is an example of that.

[@danyell666]

I always have an issue with the idea that drums and bass only exist to serve the song but vocals and guitars make the song. This explains things well, but there is no reason you can't switch it up and any combination of instruments can keep the rhythm and groove and the bass can be lead.

[@BoBoswell]

I completely agree! And there are some artists that do this exceedingly well. It's good to note that there are no hard and fast rules in music, they're more what you'd call guidelines (to paraphrase Pirates of the Caribbean). 🙂 I'll make a bigger point about this in future videos. Thanks!

[@OldManSilencer]

while none of this is new to me this is very solid advice and remember the mission when creating a bass line. A lot of intermediate bass players lose the central idea of your role when creating their bass line and focus too heavily on melody and fills that the grove gets lost or make the rhythm too busy or complicated for what the song is trying to do. Bass is about finding how to do more with less and glue things together and fill what needs to be filled in the song and not stuff it too full.

[@BoBoswell]

Preach, brother! 😃

[@daveweed2765]

Dont forget a whole lot of the time with rock and metal you do mimic the guitars also mostly on Choruses. Bass is a whole lot harder than what most people think. Add some dirty distortion and most people mistake it for guitars. But still the same theory apllies. I dont think i would call bass the glue. I would rather call it a freakin "bridge" between the drum and guitar/guitars. It really dont look too cool playing an upright bass but sling an electric bass on your shoulder. So cool. Billy Idol's White wedding would really suck without bass. The bass is the song. Pretty much just 8th notes.

[@davidsudak5114]

Had no idea that Jason Schwartzman played bass.

[@BoBoswell]

Haha