( And Classical Goldie which is posted further down the page. )
I wrote this with the idea of taking a fresh look at things, a different take - this case that being basslines. I'm so you know I'm not saying this is the only way of looking at things or the best, hell I'm still am finding basslines to be my achilles heal. I just feel that you can get so caught up in sound design aka "making a dirty reese" that forget about the basics and more importantly the importance of the them - ohh and I relise that differs from person to person but do feel I have a point and if you already think you know how to create a bassline in 5 minutes maybe this thread isn't for you...
Rhythm is a very difficult thing to talk about abstractly: it's something you have to experience and feel before you'll be able to play it. The best solution is to put on your headphones and listen to music. Hear the bassist and drummer, and hear the rhythm they're playing.
That is from an article named the role of the bassline, after reading it got me think about basslines differently but more importantly the structure behind them. The article is more aimed at bass players within bands but it was still a good read. The information shared in that article is great, especially if you not quite a noob but are struggling to put together good quality basslines.
Anyway here is the article was talking about and the thread I started yesterday on DOA.
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/less...esson_part_2_-_the_role_of_the_bass_line.html
http://www.dogsonacid.com/showthread.php?threadid=673882&cache=26
See I quite often play too many notes trying to change things up when I get into trouble, I also haven't read up on chord progression and the importance of the root note. I'm starting to think when it comes to basslines you must be able to play it on the piano or some other non electronic instrument, with it still sounding good - at least not a mess, for it to be a quality bassline. Also that sticking to the root note if you're having trouble is a very good idea and a handy thing to know. You have to know the rules before you break them I suppose.
Chord progression.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_progression
http://www.hotfrets.com/songanator.asp
Root Note.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_(chord)
Anyway here is a mini list on how go about structuring your basslines.
1. Play the root note of the chord being played on a given beat. This is the strongest, most emphatic note you can play.
2. Play a note on the beat, but not the root note of the chord. This is still emphatic but not so much so as the root note.
3. Don't play a new note on the beat, but carry over the note you were playing on the previous beat. This de-emphasizes the beat, because the bass isn't adding a new sound on it.
4. Rest: play no note at all. This is the most de-emphasizing thing you can do on a beat.
The most important part of writing a bass line is deciding which beats to emphasize and which beats not to emphasize. In particular, deciding where to use rests to de-emphasize a beat is essential to constructing good, solid, supporting bass lines.
Here are some other ideas to think about.
A. What I like to do is have the root at a pitch where you can go a couple of notes below it without the bass becoming too deep.
B. Don't rely on pure production.
C. The chord structure and key of a tune basically determines which frequencies are available in any given part which is ultimately the blue print to the tune itself.
So having read all that info and I've had some spared time I decided to look at a few tracks to see how their basslines are structured. I'll post them below the OP.
---------- Post added at 17:33 ---------- Previous post was at 17:27 ----------
BASEMENT TRACK - High Contrast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiG07PK_9So
GANJA MAN - Aphrodite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez5fQYT2Bk
RUFFEST GUNARK - Tom Cat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgQyhaN2u1A
SUPER SHARP SHOOTER - DJ Zinc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbkR5aDFMTs
3000 MILES - Original Sin (the red bars being the wobbles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNberjAwZqg
I wrote this with the idea of taking a fresh look at things, a different take - this case that being basslines. I'm so you know I'm not saying this is the only way of looking at things or the best, hell I'm still am finding basslines to be my achilles heal. I just feel that you can get so caught up in sound design aka "making a dirty reese" that forget about the basics and more importantly the importance of the them - ohh and I relise that differs from person to person but do feel I have a point and if you already think you know how to create a bassline in 5 minutes maybe this thread isn't for you...
Rhythm is a very difficult thing to talk about abstractly: it's something you have to experience and feel before you'll be able to play it. The best solution is to put on your headphones and listen to music. Hear the bassist and drummer, and hear the rhythm they're playing.
That is from an article named the role of the bassline, after reading it got me think about basslines differently but more importantly the structure behind them. The article is more aimed at bass players within bands but it was still a good read. The information shared in that article is great, especially if you not quite a noob but are struggling to put together good quality basslines.
Anyway here is the article was talking about and the thread I started yesterday on DOA.
http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/less...esson_part_2_-_the_role_of_the_bass_line.html
http://www.dogsonacid.com/showthread.php?threadid=673882&cache=26
See I quite often play too many notes trying to change things up when I get into trouble, I also haven't read up on chord progression and the importance of the root note. I'm starting to think when it comes to basslines you must be able to play it on the piano or some other non electronic instrument, with it still sounding good - at least not a mess, for it to be a quality bassline. Also that sticking to the root note if you're having trouble is a very good idea and a handy thing to know. You have to know the rules before you break them I suppose.
Chord progression.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chord_progression
http://www.hotfrets.com/songanator.asp
Root Note.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Root_(chord)
Anyway here is a mini list on how go about structuring your basslines.
1. Play the root note of the chord being played on a given beat. This is the strongest, most emphatic note you can play.
2. Play a note on the beat, but not the root note of the chord. This is still emphatic but not so much so as the root note.
3. Don't play a new note on the beat, but carry over the note you were playing on the previous beat. This de-emphasizes the beat, because the bass isn't adding a new sound on it.
4. Rest: play no note at all. This is the most de-emphasizing thing you can do on a beat.
The most important part of writing a bass line is deciding which beats to emphasize and which beats not to emphasize. In particular, deciding where to use rests to de-emphasize a beat is essential to constructing good, solid, supporting bass lines.
Here are some other ideas to think about.
A. What I like to do is have the root at a pitch where you can go a couple of notes below it without the bass becoming too deep.
B. Don't rely on pure production.
C. The chord structure and key of a tune basically determines which frequencies are available in any given part which is ultimately the blue print to the tune itself.
So having read all that info and I've had some spared time I decided to look at a few tracks to see how their basslines are structured. I'll post them below the OP.
---------- Post added at 17:33 ---------- Previous post was at 17:27 ----------
BASEMENT TRACK - High Contrast
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiG07PK_9So
GANJA MAN - Aphrodite
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cez5fQYT2Bk
RUFFEST GUNARK - Tom Cat
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgQyhaN2u1A
SUPER SHARP SHOOTER - DJ Zinc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbkR5aDFMTs
3000 MILES - Original Sin (the red bars being the wobbles)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNberjAwZqg
Last edited: