KENT GUSTAVSON :: THE UPRIGHT BASS
__________________________________
A Historical and Practical Introduction to the Upright Bass!
Just read below about the history of the bass, then pick it up and play it like a drum -- you're the rock and foundation of the music!
______________________________
The bass has always been an optional instrument in most forms of folk music and classical music. String quartets don't have a bass, Arabic and most eastern musics don't have a bass, neither does traditional American music. When the bass arrived in this country I don't know, but sometime in the last century, folks in the hills got a hold of one, and ever since, have used it as the backbone of dance music from the hills, and later on, bluegrass.
Before there was the wooden bass in the hills, there was a washtub bass, basically a glorified rope on a broomstick sticking out of a bucket, and a jug with a deep boom... When played by experts, they still sounds pretty earthy, but they are instruments with deep character, and very highly recommended by this writer:)
The upright bass could be switched out for an electric bass in this service, or a tuba, trombone, washtub bass, even the pedals of an organ would do... But the real sound of bluegrass needs an upright bass! Of course, the contrabass is also a classical instrument, and has become part of the jazz idiom... but in bluegrass, it is essential! Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley's bass players both strapped their basses to the top of the station wagon the whole band travelled in every night from one end of the country to the other, rain or shine. The bass sometimes fell into the ditch, sometimes had to be stitched back together before a gig -- but it was always essential.
The most commonly used bass in bluegrass is the Kay bass -- especially the ones from the 40's or earlier. All Kay basses have a very plunky sound, and that is what the players love. Epiphone made a good sounding bluegrass bass in the 1950's as well... But when it comes down to it, any bass will do...
When you play bluegrass bass, the key is to play about six inches up from the end of the fingerboard -- to get a really fleshy, broad sound that keeps resonating -- and then to really hit the front end of the notes with the group of musician -- almost beat them to the front side of the note! Keep the music driving!
The mandolin plays all of the off-beats, and the bass plays all of the down beats. The bass plays the heart beat of this music, pushing the pace on the fast tunes, and soft and easy on the slow tunes. The bass is simple, but it is always there, and needs to be rock-solid.
If you, as a bass player, want to stay true to the bluegrass style, there are very few deviations from playing the 1 and 3 of a 4/4 bar. There are also very few ornamentations... the best bass players in bluegrass rarely or never play solos, and they never play anything fancier than roots and fives. What does all of this mean?
Anybody can play bluegrass bass! It is incredibly simple. The thing is, the better the player, the tighter your group will be... but if you need somebody to play, almost anybody can learn it. All they have to do is play the root and the fifth (for example, in the key of G, G and D), and they will be playing perfectly!
Of course, with this service there is much leeway, and the chords are easy enough that an electric bass, a tuba, a piano, or an organ's pedals could play the bass part to this piece. The bass player could also decide to play in a jazzy way, or in a rock and roll kind of way -- it depends on the leader of the group, the bass player and the congregation.
Again, have fun, and don't worry so much about notes... important with the double bass is rhythm -- be there on 1 and 3, and the music will stick together!
For more information on the upright bass, google it!
|
|||
|