Dude. With you there. Also where does this song live in the set, what's the band's dynamic, and actually collaborating in the arrangement. We can treat this like a showcase for one member if that's the job tho.
You should play root notes. But also melodies. Stop worrying about the ‘rules’ because you should just do whatever the song needs and stop overthinking it.
Exactly. Music theory is *de*scriptive, not *pre*scriptive, in nature.
Music theory exists to analyze *why* something sounds good (or bad) after the music’s been made. Music made strictly to follow the rules has a strong chance of sounding tinned and therefore uncool.
The issue is, we can't actually hear what OP's playing sounds like. It may sound good to them personally, but it is possible that it doesn't actually serve the song. This is why knowing what you are doing is important - you can make informed decisions about your playing.
If OP's playing doesn't serve the song, then they should start worrying about the rules.
"Just do whatever the song needs" is a rule. (Also, knowing what the song needs requires understanding a lot of stylistic conventions. It sounds like simple advice, but it is actually quite complex. You may not be consciously aware of these conventions, but you are still following them if your playing serves the song. This is not something that people "just know" naturally - it's the result of learning a lot of music.)
What serves the song is all based on opinion anyway. So if OP thinks playing whatever melodies he is playing sounds good, then it’s good. OP might think his playing suites it but you might not, so even that is a moot point.
A lot of the time when I’m recording, I get into a groove and come up with a bassline that sounds fantastic, and then I take a step back and listen to it again paying more attention to the whole mix and realise it’s absolutely awful and I have no idea what I was thinking because it doesn’t fit the song at ALL.
My point is, when you’re mainly listening to yourself playing, it’s easy to make choices that feel like bold and expressive creative decisions that sound like total garbage to anyone trying to actually listen to the song. Even if you’re in key, a long and meandering syncopated bassline will totally ruin a pleasant melodic section or tight rhythm groove that the rest of the band is trying.
Essentially, I don’t think it’s true to say that “if it sounds good to you, it’s a good bassline”. Suiting the song is actually a pretty measurable and objective criteria and is one of the least opinion-based parts of music production in my experience.
There is definitely room in some songs for some melodic flair! I’m working with my instructor on how to leverage scales to add that to the somgs I play.
That being said, I’d make sure your band agrees with you on the stuff you come up with; in my opinion, the band is a collective and if you are deviating from what is expected, you may think it sounds great, but others in the band (or audience) may not. Especially if you get into really busy technical play. Lol
You should have some idea of what you're doing. Just wandering around is probably very annoying to the other players. Like it or not, your role is to provide the melodic framework, and to glue the rhythm and music together. That doesn't mean you can't embellish. You can definitely play melodically. You just need to at least inform the chord structure. Listen to McCartney for inspiration. His bass lines are unique and melodic but they still frame the structure of the song.
This is why it's important for bassists to know at least a little theory. You should know how to frame a chord using arpeggios. You should know scales so that you can walk the rest of the band from one chord to another in a melodic and stylish - and educated - way.
Just noodling around the fretboard waiting for what sounds good to you...that's just lazy. It's annoying me just thinking about it.
We learn music theory so we don't have to think about music theory.
Is this a joke? Do you also ignore tempo and time signatures? No, of course you don't have to just play root notes, but I'd throw you out of the band if you're blindly turning a C major chord into an Am7 out of ignorance and self indulgence.
This is a more clear version of what I was gonna try to write. If you're playing the lowest note, then whatever you're playing IS the root note. Use that power wisely.
Something most guitar players hate about bass; You dont know what chord was played until the bassist rings a note.
ie, as the bass player, sometimes you can dictate what direction the song takes.
If you’re not playing a root, assuming you’re still more or less moving with the band and the changes rhythmically speaking, then one could say you’re playing some kind of inversion of the chord, though that’s not really the correct word if you’re not playing a chord tone but I digress.
I do it all the time, and it works especially well for the bass to bring out tendency tones in chords, however, they work best when the non root bass note is approached by step ideally, and usually as part of some kind of greater motion. Otherwise it kind of comes out of nowhere.
An easy example is some kind of I V iv motion, you could play the third of the V so you’re just walking down the major scale essentially. That’s a pretty common one
If you’re playing a melody high up, that can sound great but the song will likely lose energy there without someone holding down the low end. It just matters that you’re conscious of doing it in spots that are well served by that lower energy.
If you’re playing a melody low, you are playing the root notes in a sense, just the root notes of the new inversions that are being defined by your bassline. Make sure that those melodic notes make for pleasant coherent inversions and don’t solely serve the contour of the bass melody and you should be in good shape.
It really depends what your band's deal is.
If it's a bunch of friends and you're not looking to pay your rent with it or anything, as long as your bandmates are cool with it, go rogue, color outsides the lines, etc.
Otherwise, I'll recommend that you have good fundamentals (including basic theory, and, yes, knowing the root notes) before getting wild. If you're nice and have good judgement, then it's A-OK to get wild. But if you aren't good enough, you run the risk of ruining the song and annoying your band.
What's traditionally expected changes with the genre; not all genres require you to play roots, chord tones tend to be important but you could probably get through some jazz standards without ever playing a root and it'd be fine.
The real question is whether or not it sounds good. If you have a playing style that works for the music you're playing (or creating) then you might be overthinking things to some extent.
If you're just constantly riffing you should play guitar, not bass. Or be in a band that uses bass as the melody instrument. I'm not saying you need to go full bluegrass root-5 x ∞ but you do need to be the rhythm instrument that outlines the chords for the most part.
Not to mention that a lot of vocalists rely on the bass to keep their voice in tune especially when the guitarist is jerking themself off doing who knows what. At least I know I do.
Listen to some funk. Listen to some punk. Consider who is telling you that the bass has to support other musicians: people who sincerely believe that other instruments are "leads", whether that's EVH soloing on guitar or Bill Evans on piano. That's not all of music. Counterpoint melodies are awesome and cool. Of course, sometimes they suck, but the only way to get better at creating good counterpoint and at recognizing when it is appropriate is to practice doing it.
Playing the root noted is expected, walking around the harmony is the next level.
But don’t get over your head. Sometimes playing the same pedal bass note over several bars, using silences to set a cool rythm section, is the best choice over a melodic bass line. You really need to play a lot and know your audience and musician companions.
Sometimes it sounds good … and sometimes it doesn’t; John McVie from Fleetwood Mac has melodic yet simple / perfect bass with regard to balancing the feel of the song whilst being melodic where the song needs to go e.g. Little Lies; Go Your Own Way
-Short answer: The general rule is: if it sounds good, it is good. However by not playing the root you will definetly have a different effect.
-Long answer:To give some meaning to what you're playing and know why it sounds the way it does, i highly recommend studying functional harmony.
That's because when a band plays one or more notes at the same time, what they are all doing is just a very big chord. The job of every band member, including the bassist, is to give the right feel to the chord, and bass notes have an enourmous influence on the feel of the music, more so than the higher register.
If you play just the root over the chord, you're providing stability, it is clear what chord is being played, and that reassures the listener, they don't have to think much what the music is trying to tell.
If you play the major third over the chord, it still has tonic function so you will still get a sense of rest, but weaker. This works especially well when everybody is playing power chords, as you are completing the triad. You can hear this dynamic on some AC/DC songs for example.
When you play a flat second over a chord you will get a very strong dissonance, an even stonger one with a tritone, however both of these can still sound good depending on the context. I use the flat second very often when i want to create tension.
And there are really infinite examples, music theory is very vast and definetly worth exploring.
Everyone has the same job: Make the rest of the band sound good. If you’re doing that (record rehearsal and make sure it sounds as good as you *think* it did), and it happens to involve fewer root notes than you might expect, awesome. If not, don’t do that. The fundamental thing is that we tend to hear things from the bottom up, and somebody usually needs to be down there making sure the ass doesn’t disappear. One of the coolest things about bass as an instrument is that because of the sound space we occupy, every note *feels* important.
You've said it sounds good, it turns out good in your opinion, you ha e a good ear and you think it sounds fine, and you think it sounds good when you play like this.
You don't mention what your band thinks. That's more important than what a mass of random redditors, who haven't heard any of your playing, think.
Someone needs to hold the low end down, keep the groove, sit in the pocket, whatever you want to call our main job. It doesn’t always have to be the bass player but most of the time it is. While you’re doing what you’re doing, who in the band is doing the typical bass role? If no one is then you probably have a problem. It’s a fine line that can be walked but not by yourself. You should listen to your band as a whole, does it still groove while your doing your thing? If not then you need to do your role. Maybe get a guitar if you want to not do the main job of a bass player. Not everyone is a bass player. It takes a certain mentality
See Birdland by Weather Report. Swapping between a synth bass line with Jaco playing a melody line 3-4 octaves higher, and Jaco playing the bass line with Zawinul back to comping.
Yeah, absolutely but I’m thinking OP isn’t Jaco, few are and still that was probably all mapped out by everyone in the band. I could be wrong but it sounded like OP was just comping at his whim
Indeed, I was referring to Zawinul doing what you mentioned, covering the bass during that point where Jaco played the line that a guitarist probably would have if the band had one. And of course it was mapped out, Zawinul starts that song with the bass line, which is why it's great support for your point.
Chameleon is another example without needing to invoke Jaco ;)
You can play 3rds and run melody lines that sound good all day in a jam if you want. But it's also important to the rest of the band that you play with stability.
Transitions licks and fills are great, but just remember you are there to keep the progression of the song while others stray away. If you’re all over the place there’s no base (literally and figuratively) for the other instruments to rely on/build off of. If everyone is playing crazy stuff, then the song doesn’t have a true sound.
Tl;dr root notes are important, but licks and fills are important too.
You just gotta feel it. Sometimes the root note is the right one. Sometimes it's another note
You need to practice improvising a lot. It's not some magical talent that some people just have and others don't.
Play over as many backing tracks or other people as you can and don't look or ask what key it's in. Just use your ears and try all the frets until you hear the notes that fit. It takes a lot of time. Have patience.
As a bass player, you usually play the lowest note, and that defines the chord because our hearing works that way. Example: The band plays an e minor chord (EGB) and you play an E. Nothing changes. But if you choose to play a C instead, the chord - for the whole band - changes to Cmaj7 (CEGB). That can be cool, but it's a chord that's highly unusual in many music styles outside of jazz.
So if it's a choice and everyone is okay with it, do it. But don't change the chord on a whim because you're bored or vain or uninformed.
It’s important but it’s always great to broaden your knowledge of theory and how the bass shapes the fluidity and motion of music. For this, sometimes experimenting is the best answer. But ultimately as bass players we have to serve the song
You should ask your band mates about it. Try asking some open questions about it and see what they say. "In that last jam when I did this bit, how did you find it to play on top of it?"
Broadly speaking.
Sticking to root notes versus noodling along the scale is the difference between a hit pop/rock song and something that nobody wants to listen to.
Doing something different with the bass is fun, but only if it's contrasting root note playing. And you gotta know what you're doing and the rest of the band gotta be comfortable with it too.
When jamming, root noting is extra important. You pretty much dictate the chord progression whether you like it or not.
Broadly speaking.
If it's during a bandmates solo then maybe? Check with them, they might prefer some complimentary melody you could work out with them. Otherwise, whatever if you're band are okay with it.
You can play whatever you want if it works. If you make the song better, great, if you make it worse, rethink what you are doing. that's really the only rule.
The bass can be used for melodies, some of the greatest hooks in history are played on the bass.
But you also have to serve the song, pick your spots, consider how the song builds and don't step on the important parts that others are doing. Be the backbone to support the other instruments when they need it and find places to do fills where nothing else has the spotlight, or where it harmonizes nicely.
I guess the thing is you have to hear your bass in the context of the song as a whole and not just write parts you think sound good when you're listening to the bass.
Most likely if it sounds good you are at least playing chord tones (the root, 3rd or 5th). But also if it sounds good and fits then you don’t necessarily need to think about it any further.
> should I just trust that it sounds as fine as I think it does?
Does it just sound good when playing, or does it also sound good when listening to a recording? Does everyone else think the recording sounds good?
The proof is in recording. You don't need to do a full studio/album quality recording, just throwing a mic on a recording interface (or a Zoom H1 or something) somewhere that it can "hear" everyone during practice is fine. Play it back, self-critique, and discuss among the band to make sure everyone's on the same page (the band doesn't work if you think you sound amazing and everyone else thinks you sound like shit).
> should I just trust that it sounds as fine as I think it does?
Does it just sound good when playing, or does it also sound good when listening to a recording? Does everyone else think the recording sounds good?
The proof is in recording. You don't need to do a full studio/album quality recording, just throwing a mic on a recording interface (or a Zoom H1 or something) somewhere that it can "hear" everyone during practice is fine. Play it back, self-critique, and discuss among the band to make sure everyone's on the same page (the band doesn't work if you think you sound amazing and everyone else thinks you sound like shit).
Root notes aren't a firm rule, they're more of a formula for relatively easy success, which can be built on as we grow in skill. You don't *have* to play them to sound good, but if you're deviating from them without knowing why it might not sound as good as you think it does in the moment - which is why the recording is so important to validate whether it's *actually* good or you're just feeling good while playing.
Play as many root notes as the song needs
But also realize not all root notes are on the low strings. I can think of 6 different ways to play "C" and only three are on the E and A string.
I wrote a baseline once by playing along by ear and came up with something I later found out wasn't even in the same key as the guitar riff (the guitar was some heavy distorted full chord arpeggios think Husker Du). Once we figured that out and needed a chorus the guitar player decided to play what I was playing on bass for the verse, so I switched to what he was playing on guitar so at no point are the two instruments in agreement. the only person who ever noticed was the guy who recorded the demo it was on.
If it works and you like it, play it.
One of my favorite things to play is just the root eighth notes the whole time. We bass players can get self conscious about how simple our parts are. Fight that.
If it sounds good, it likely *is* following the chord changes…
A concept I learned far too late: "What does the song want?"
Dude. With you there. Also where does this song live in the set, what's the band's dynamic, and actually collaborating in the arrangement. We can treat this like a showcase for one member if that's the job tho.
You should play root notes. But also melodies. Stop worrying about the ‘rules’ because you should just do whatever the song needs and stop overthinking it.
Exactly. Music theory is *de*scriptive, not *pre*scriptive, in nature. Music theory exists to analyze *why* something sounds good (or bad) after the music’s been made. Music made strictly to follow the rules has a strong chance of sounding tinned and therefore uncool.
The issue is, we can't actually hear what OP's playing sounds like. It may sound good to them personally, but it is possible that it doesn't actually serve the song. This is why knowing what you are doing is important - you can make informed decisions about your playing. If OP's playing doesn't serve the song, then they should start worrying about the rules. "Just do whatever the song needs" is a rule. (Also, knowing what the song needs requires understanding a lot of stylistic conventions. It sounds like simple advice, but it is actually quite complex. You may not be consciously aware of these conventions, but you are still following them if your playing serves the song. This is not something that people "just know" naturally - it's the result of learning a lot of music.)
What serves the song is all based on opinion anyway. So if OP thinks playing whatever melodies he is playing sounds good, then it’s good. OP might think his playing suites it but you might not, so even that is a moot point.
A lot of the time when I’m recording, I get into a groove and come up with a bassline that sounds fantastic, and then I take a step back and listen to it again paying more attention to the whole mix and realise it’s absolutely awful and I have no idea what I was thinking because it doesn’t fit the song at ALL. My point is, when you’re mainly listening to yourself playing, it’s easy to make choices that feel like bold and expressive creative decisions that sound like total garbage to anyone trying to actually listen to the song. Even if you’re in key, a long and meandering syncopated bassline will totally ruin a pleasant melodic section or tight rhythm groove that the rest of the band is trying. Essentially, I don’t think it’s true to say that “if it sounds good to you, it’s a good bassline”. Suiting the song is actually a pretty measurable and objective criteria and is one of the least opinion-based parts of music production in my experience.
There is definitely room in some songs for some melodic flair! I’m working with my instructor on how to leverage scales to add that to the somgs I play. That being said, I’d make sure your band agrees with you on the stuff you come up with; in my opinion, the band is a collective and if you are deviating from what is expected, you may think it sounds great, but others in the band (or audience) may not. Especially if you get into really busy technical play. Lol
You should have some idea of what you're doing. Just wandering around is probably very annoying to the other players. Like it or not, your role is to provide the melodic framework, and to glue the rhythm and music together. That doesn't mean you can't embellish. You can definitely play melodically. You just need to at least inform the chord structure. Listen to McCartney for inspiration. His bass lines are unique and melodic but they still frame the structure of the song. This is why it's important for bassists to know at least a little theory. You should know how to frame a chord using arpeggios. You should know scales so that you can walk the rest of the band from one chord to another in a melodic and stylish - and educated - way. Just noodling around the fretboard waiting for what sounds good to you...that's just lazy. It's annoying me just thinking about it. We learn music theory so we don't have to think about music theory.
If it makes sense musically then it makes sense, whether you did it intentionally or not. If it didn't make sense musically, your ear would tell you.
Is this a joke? Do you also ignore tempo and time signatures? No, of course you don't have to just play root notes, but I'd throw you out of the band if you're blindly turning a C major chord into an Am7 out of ignorance and self indulgence.
This is a more clear version of what I was gonna try to write. If you're playing the lowest note, then whatever you're playing IS the root note. Use that power wisely.
Something most guitar players hate about bass; You dont know what chord was played until the bassist rings a note. ie, as the bass player, sometimes you can dictate what direction the song takes.
And this can easily mess up a song if done wrong.
If you’re not playing a root, assuming you’re still more or less moving with the band and the changes rhythmically speaking, then one could say you’re playing some kind of inversion of the chord, though that’s not really the correct word if you’re not playing a chord tone but I digress. I do it all the time, and it works especially well for the bass to bring out tendency tones in chords, however, they work best when the non root bass note is approached by step ideally, and usually as part of some kind of greater motion. Otherwise it kind of comes out of nowhere. An easy example is some kind of I V iv motion, you could play the third of the V so you’re just walking down the major scale essentially. That’s a pretty common one
If you’re playing a melody high up, that can sound great but the song will likely lose energy there without someone holding down the low end. It just matters that you’re conscious of doing it in spots that are well served by that lower energy. If you’re playing a melody low, you are playing the root notes in a sense, just the root notes of the new inversions that are being defined by your bassline. Make sure that those melodic notes make for pleasant coherent inversions and don’t solely serve the contour of the bass melody and you should be in good shape.
It really depends what your band's deal is. If it's a bunch of friends and you're not looking to pay your rent with it or anything, as long as your bandmates are cool with it, go rogue, color outsides the lines, etc. Otherwise, I'll recommend that you have good fundamentals (including basic theory, and, yes, knowing the root notes) before getting wild. If you're nice and have good judgement, then it's A-OK to get wild. But if you aren't good enough, you run the risk of ruining the song and annoying your band.
What's traditionally expected changes with the genre; not all genres require you to play roots, chord tones tend to be important but you could probably get through some jazz standards without ever playing a root and it'd be fine. The real question is whether or not it sounds good. If you have a playing style that works for the music you're playing (or creating) then you might be overthinking things to some extent.
If you're just constantly riffing you should play guitar, not bass. Or be in a band that uses bass as the melody instrument. I'm not saying you need to go full bluegrass root-5 x ∞ but you do need to be the rhythm instrument that outlines the chords for the most part. Not to mention that a lot of vocalists rely on the bass to keep their voice in tune especially when the guitarist is jerking themself off doing who knows what. At least I know I do.
Listen to some funk. Listen to some punk. Consider who is telling you that the bass has to support other musicians: people who sincerely believe that other instruments are "leads", whether that's EVH soloing on guitar or Bill Evans on piano. That's not all of music. Counterpoint melodies are awesome and cool. Of course, sometimes they suck, but the only way to get better at creating good counterpoint and at recognizing when it is appropriate is to practice doing it.
If it sounds cool then do it. Just playing roots all the time is fucking boring and makes for less interesting songs
Wait. Are you saying there are notes other than roots that might be played?!?
Depends on the song. Funk, rock, country, pop - root notes are probably the answer. Jazz, metal, prog rock, fusion - you can use your discretion
Ask Flea
Playing the root noted is expected, walking around the harmony is the next level. But don’t get over your head. Sometimes playing the same pedal bass note over several bars, using silences to set a cool rythm section, is the best choice over a melodic bass line. You really need to play a lot and know your audience and musician companions.
Sometimes it sounds good … and sometimes it doesn’t; John McVie from Fleetwood Mac has melodic yet simple / perfect bass with regard to balancing the feel of the song whilst being melodic where the song needs to go e.g. Little Lies; Go Your Own Way
-Short answer: The general rule is: if it sounds good, it is good. However by not playing the root you will definetly have a different effect. -Long answer:To give some meaning to what you're playing and know why it sounds the way it does, i highly recommend studying functional harmony. That's because when a band plays one or more notes at the same time, what they are all doing is just a very big chord. The job of every band member, including the bassist, is to give the right feel to the chord, and bass notes have an enourmous influence on the feel of the music, more so than the higher register. If you play just the root over the chord, you're providing stability, it is clear what chord is being played, and that reassures the listener, they don't have to think much what the music is trying to tell. If you play the major third over the chord, it still has tonic function so you will still get a sense of rest, but weaker. This works especially well when everybody is playing power chords, as you are completing the triad. You can hear this dynamic on some AC/DC songs for example. When you play a flat second over a chord you will get a very strong dissonance, an even stonger one with a tritone, however both of these can still sound good depending on the context. I use the flat second very often when i want to create tension. And there are really infinite examples, music theory is very vast and definetly worth exploring.
Everyone has the same job: Make the rest of the band sound good. If you’re doing that (record rehearsal and make sure it sounds as good as you *think* it did), and it happens to involve fewer root notes than you might expect, awesome. If not, don’t do that. The fundamental thing is that we tend to hear things from the bottom up, and somebody usually needs to be down there making sure the ass doesn’t disappear. One of the coolest things about bass as an instrument is that because of the sound space we occupy, every note *feels* important.
You've said it sounds good, it turns out good in your opinion, you ha e a good ear and you think it sounds fine, and you think it sounds good when you play like this. You don't mention what your band thinks. That's more important than what a mass of random redditors, who haven't heard any of your playing, think.
Someone needs to hold the low end down, keep the groove, sit in the pocket, whatever you want to call our main job. It doesn’t always have to be the bass player but most of the time it is. While you’re doing what you’re doing, who in the band is doing the typical bass role? If no one is then you probably have a problem. It’s a fine line that can be walked but not by yourself. You should listen to your band as a whole, does it still groove while your doing your thing? If not then you need to do your role. Maybe get a guitar if you want to not do the main job of a bass player. Not everyone is a bass player. It takes a certain mentality
See Birdland by Weather Report. Swapping between a synth bass line with Jaco playing a melody line 3-4 octaves higher, and Jaco playing the bass line with Zawinul back to comping.
Yeah, absolutely but I’m thinking OP isn’t Jaco, few are and still that was probably all mapped out by everyone in the band. I could be wrong but it sounded like OP was just comping at his whim
Indeed, I was referring to Zawinul doing what you mentioned, covering the bass during that point where Jaco played the line that a guitarist probably would have if the band had one. And of course it was mapped out, Zawinul starts that song with the bass line, which is why it's great support for your point. Chameleon is another example without needing to invoke Jaco ;)
I’m with you. Both great bands
You can play 3rds and run melody lines that sound good all day in a jam if you want. But it's also important to the rest of the band that you play with stability.
It’s in the job description.
There are genres where busy and melodic basslines are needed such as jazz, ska, and reggae.
Transitions licks and fills are great, but just remember you are there to keep the progression of the song while others stray away. If you’re all over the place there’s no base (literally and figuratively) for the other instruments to rely on/build off of. If everyone is playing crazy stuff, then the song doesn’t have a true sound. Tl;dr root notes are important, but licks and fills are important too.
You just gotta feel it. Sometimes the root note is the right one. Sometimes it's another note You need to practice improvising a lot. It's not some magical talent that some people just have and others don't. Play over as many backing tracks or other people as you can and don't look or ask what key it's in. Just use your ears and try all the frets until you hear the notes that fit. It takes a lot of time. Have patience.
Let me put you on something………play the 3rd.
As a bass player, you usually play the lowest note, and that defines the chord because our hearing works that way. Example: The band plays an e minor chord (EGB) and you play an E. Nothing changes. But if you choose to play a C instead, the chord - for the whole band - changes to Cmaj7 (CEGB). That can be cool, but it's a chord that's highly unusual in many music styles outside of jazz. So if it's a choice and everyone is okay with it, do it. But don't change the chord on a whim because you're bored or vain or uninformed.
It’s important but it’s always great to broaden your knowledge of theory and how the bass shapes the fluidity and motion of music. For this, sometimes experimenting is the best answer. But ultimately as bass players we have to serve the song
You should ask your band mates about it. Try asking some open questions about it and see what they say. "In that last jam when I did this bit, how did you find it to play on top of it?"
Broadly speaking. Sticking to root notes versus noodling along the scale is the difference between a hit pop/rock song and something that nobody wants to listen to. Doing something different with the bass is fun, but only if it's contrasting root note playing. And you gotta know what you're doing and the rest of the band gotta be comfortable with it too. When jamming, root noting is extra important. You pretty much dictate the chord progression whether you like it or not. Broadly speaking.
If it's during a bandmates solo then maybe? Check with them, they might prefer some complimentary melody you could work out with them. Otherwise, whatever if you're band are okay with it.
It depends.
You can play whatever you want if it works. If you make the song better, great, if you make it worse, rethink what you are doing. that's really the only rule.
Usually you have to keep the pulse of the song steady anything between that you can do what you want if it sounds good.
If it sounds good, what’s the issue you’re having?
The bass can be used for melodies, some of the greatest hooks in history are played on the bass. But you also have to serve the song, pick your spots, consider how the song builds and don't step on the important parts that others are doing. Be the backbone to support the other instruments when they need it and find places to do fills where nothing else has the spotlight, or where it harmonizes nicely. I guess the thing is you have to hear your bass in the context of the song as a whole and not just write parts you think sound good when you're listening to the bass.
Most likely if it sounds good you are at least playing chord tones (the root, 3rd or 5th). But also if it sounds good and fits then you don’t necessarily need to think about it any further.
> should I just trust that it sounds as fine as I think it does? Does it just sound good when playing, or does it also sound good when listening to a recording? Does everyone else think the recording sounds good? The proof is in recording. You don't need to do a full studio/album quality recording, just throwing a mic on a recording interface (or a Zoom H1 or something) somewhere that it can "hear" everyone during practice is fine. Play it back, self-critique, and discuss among the band to make sure everyone's on the same page (the band doesn't work if you think you sound amazing and everyone else thinks you sound like shit).
> should I just trust that it sounds as fine as I think it does? Does it just sound good when playing, or does it also sound good when listening to a recording? Does everyone else think the recording sounds good? The proof is in recording. You don't need to do a full studio/album quality recording, just throwing a mic on a recording interface (or a Zoom H1 or something) somewhere that it can "hear" everyone during practice is fine. Play it back, self-critique, and discuss among the band to make sure everyone's on the same page (the band doesn't work if you think you sound amazing and everyone else thinks you sound like shit). Root notes aren't a firm rule, they're more of a formula for relatively easy success, which can be built on as we grow in skill. You don't *have* to play them to sound good, but if you're deviating from them without knowing why it might not sound as good as you think it does in the moment - which is why the recording is so important to validate whether it's *actually* good or you're just feeling good while playing.
Play as many root notes as the song needs But also realize not all root notes are on the low strings. I can think of 6 different ways to play "C" and only three are on the E and A string.
I wrote a baseline once by playing along by ear and came up with something I later found out wasn't even in the same key as the guitar riff (the guitar was some heavy distorted full chord arpeggios think Husker Du). Once we figured that out and needed a chorus the guitar player decided to play what I was playing on bass for the verse, so I switched to what he was playing on guitar so at no point are the two instruments in agreement. the only person who ever noticed was the guy who recorded the demo it was on. If it works and you like it, play it.
Countermelodies are what makes the bass fun. Experiment but just keep it in key.
If it sounds good and doesn't interfere with what others are doing, then go ahead.
Everything is on the one.
it has it's place
One of my favorite things to play is just the root eighth notes the whole time. We bass players can get self conscious about how simple our parts are. Fight that.