BassIAB V-Let I see if ja got the riddim
BassIAB V is here. Ja Mon. Let I see if ja got the riddim.
It's in Db, for those of us that don't know the key signs, and 120 bpm.
Sorry it took so long. Reggae is a lot harder to arrange than I thought. BiaB is based on rules that probably originate mostly from the Jazz world. Reggae doesn't recognize rules. : )
Anyway, I finally got this piece to sound close to what I wanted. It's a bit Bob Marley-ish with a touch of calypso. Definately sounds like it's from the islands.
I extended the intro with 4 bars of drum and guitar so the bass could noodle a bit and set up the song. The next 4 bars start the chord progression before entering the choruses. I'm not sure if that was a good idea. I suppose it'll depend on what you can do with the bass. That probably means mine'll suck. Mind you Family Man was able to do a lot with a single note maybe I'll try that.
Anyway, I hope you all like it. I'm looking forward to hearing your tracks.
BTW, take it easy on the ganja. hahahaha
I made a slight re-mix.
I made a slight re-mix. After listning at work I realized I needed to bring the synth up in the mix. Hope you like it.
If any of you downloaded
If any of you downloaded this yet you may want to do it again. I had to trim the file. Somehow the guitar kept playing for a whole extra chorus by itself. Ahhh, the wonders of technology. hahahaha
Thanks for getting this
Thanks for getting this going, Paul. I'll DL this week and start working on a line. I guess I should break out my one Bob Marley CD (or my Police boxed set) and get my riddem calibrated to the island vibe. Yes, I.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
No problem Wheat. I enjoy
No problem Wheat. I enjoy doing this. It not only really helps my bass playing but it's giving me a lot of insight into different genres.
You are quite correct in that comment about getting the island vibe. It seems to me that reggae is all vibe. All the instruments are primarily rythym (the vibe if you will) with the melody coming almost exclusively from vocals or guitar (maybe a little from the keys too). It makes it really hard to get a decent reggae tune without vocals. I guess the 'message' is a big part of it too, also hard to convey without vocals.
I think the final result isn't too bad. I've been finding the bass is critical to this tune. It sounds thin without the bass track but when you start adding some good low end and 'riddim' it comes alive. I actually found myself bopping around playing this one. It can infect you.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to hearing how others handle this one. I should be able to get my line recorded some time in the next week or so.
Good point about melody
Good point about melody being essential and most everything else being rhythm. I think, especially on this track, it might be a good idea for BassIABers to consider adding a melody. The melody could be played on bass or on any other instrument. The point would still be about making a bass line that works. But we could get some practice writing melodies. And reggae melodies are usually fairly simple and repetitive. So it would be fun and not insanely difficult.
I'm thinking of using electric guitar (clean) for the melody. But I have a little MIDI keyboard, too, and lots of sounds. So I might opt for an organ or some other keyboard-ish instrument.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Well, that's not exactly
Well, that's not exactly what I meant Wheat. I was refering more to the role of the various instruments in a reggae piece. In most genres there's a fairly well defined split between the rythym section and the melodic instruments. I was indicating that in reggae it appears there's less distinction between the two. Take the Wailers, Bob Marleys guitar mostly keeps a rythymic pulse along with the drums and bass. Even the keyboardist seems to chug along with the rythym more than the melody.
Only the vocalists seem to lay down the melody part. Bob sings the main part and the backup singers echo his lines. The only other part that's more melodic than rythymic is his lead guitar player who puts in those really sweet, short solos.
I was really saying how difficult it is to get a really Marley-ish song without vocals. I ended up with the melody played on the somewhat muted jazz guitar. It isn't the same but I think it worked fairly well considering.
What I really DID want to do was add a soloed guitar in the middle choruses noodling around the established melody al la the Wailers lead player. Unfortunately BiaB doesn't have a guitar voice that's even close to what I wanted and additionally, BiaB doesn't have a soloist with the same laid back feel.
I'd love to use an envelope to mute the melody track and have a live soloist play an improvisational part in the middle. But to stay true to the Marley sound it would need to be restrained and very 'sweet' toned.
I was also tempted to go and buy some percussion instruments and add some extra tracks with bongos, tamborine and whatever that 'twirly thing' is called. hahahaha (Ah yes the Afuche)
Hey, I have an Afuche and
Hey, I have an Afuche and several other percussion instruments. I might have some fun with this.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Re: Hey, I have an Afuche and
[quote=wheat]Hey, I have an Afuche and several other percussion instruments.[/quote]
Cool.
I might get a couple of percussion instruments for christmas myself. I want a cowbell for sure. An afuche and a tamborine might be nice too. Adding any live tracks to BiaB increases the realism. Plus it's fun. : )
Hey Paul, Just wanted to let
Hey Paul,
Just wanted to let you know I'll give it a listen ASAP. Just a little busy right now. Thanks for working on this.
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
No probs Bo. I really enjoy
No probs Bo. I really enjoy arranging BiaB pieces. It's nearly as much fun as playing them later.
I finally had a listen.
I finally had a listen. Nice piece (of music, not the other kind of piece...haha!) I'll get to work on it as soon as possible. Probably next weekend.
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Family Man
I was hanging with Family Man today and now I'm too buzzed to play bass LOL
....and you didn't share!
....and you didn't share! LOL
B #
B #
Hey there P, I will give
Hey there P, I will give this a listen in a few. No submissions form me though. I removed al my software from my pc to finish up some video editing that needs a shyte load of space. Hope I can get the new machine soon to start recording again.
Cheers
Hazz
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Musicians Collaboration Studio
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Hey Hazz, good to see you
Hey Hazz, good to see you drop by again. It was getting a little quiet around here. I almost started responding to my own threads. I sure hope you get your computer soon though. I'd like to hear your take on the BassIAB tunes. You usually put an unexpected spin on things. : )
Hey Paul, don't despair...
Hey Paul,
don't despair... I love the idea of the bassIAB thing. Thing is, newb that I am, I never composed. Well, not to an accompaniement that is... It's an all new challenge for me. What notes I can play, what notes I'd better not play. Finding a rythm that works along with the rest of the song.
Listening and trying and listening and trying... not much came out of it yet, albeit I'm somewhat happy with the bits I have for the chorus (well, the 3rd and 4th measures) but I can't seem to find something that would sound good with the first two measures AND at the same time tie in with that other part I have...
But it's fun, even if I don't end up posting anything, or posting crap, I'll be happy I tried.
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Wanted : Schrödinger's Cat. Dead or Alive.
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Wanted : Schrödinger's Cat. Dead or Alive.
LOL I'm not too worried...
[quote=PaulPosition]don't despair...[/quote]
LOL I'm not too worried about it. It's just that I really wanted to hear what some other people come up with as a bassline to a reggae song. I really like playing reggae and wanted some inspiration.
[quote=PaulPosition]But it's fun, even if I don't end up posting anything, or posting crap, I'll be happy I tried.[/quote]
I'm glad you're enjoying it. I find BassIAB to be an invaluble tool for learning. Please post a mix if you can. I'd be happy to hear it and comment. I'm sure some of the other members will too. The comments will be very helpful and honest and I'm sure they'll help you progress.
Feel free to comment on mine as well. You don't have to have posted a mix in order to comment or ask questions.
Hope that your gonna keep
Hope that your gonna keep this BassInABox project open for a while.
Still been crazy busy with work and with a few other things ( I can see that a lot of the regulars have been a little quiet also), that I haven't had much opportunity to pop in to Bassplaying.
Geoff :-)
Well......Ya know......?????
Sure Greg, It'll stay open
Sure Greg, It'll stay open until the membership demands a new one. : )
It has sure been slow here lately. I guess everyone is really busy. I know I have been and this is supposed to be my slow time of year.