I was playing bass...

last night at the SOS Club, an alcohol free place where people can relax and listen to music, and it happened again.

The jam was small and tight. Often there are a dozen or more players and the sounds can be overwhelming but this time there were just a few and we were locked on to each other and the music was better than average. And then it happened.

A couple of the guitarists decided they wanted to take a whack at the bass. I usually let folks like that give it a try because they basically find out its tougher than in looks. Sure enough they ran through a few lead guitar lines on the bass and decided they could handle it. That usually happens and then I remind them. Noodling lead guitar lines on a bass is not the same as being a bass player.

Bassists lay foundations and merely mimicking the lead is not a foundation. The foundation of a song is a combination of root notes, passing notes, rhythm, and the ability to create a mixture of time, notes, and silence that allows the rest of the group to explore and move in the superstructure. The essence of being a bassist is to think like a bassist and make that alchemy work and its more then just playing a guitar with the last two strings removed. I guess its can be summed up in a t-shirt (isn't that an American thing) I saw in a shop for bassists. The shirt said "You'd notice if I quit playing."

Enough said.