fbpx

Should Bass Players Never Solo?

Victor Wooten, a phenomenal bass player that many of you know, has an interesting opinion on whether bass players should solo or not.

The first thing to note that Victor says is that the bass player is supporting other musicians; this is a very good thing to bear in mind because traditionally, the bass is not a lead instrument.

He doesn’t say not to solo, however he does say (albeit indirectly) that the bass must keep the rhythm going in order for an audience to stay interested. And that is, pun intended, sound advice.

What does “groove” mean?

In the absolute simplest terms, groove when used as a musical term means a musical progression (usually a repeating one) that an audience can follow along with. Concerning you, the bass player, it simply means rhythm and bass. Or to put it even simpler terms, drums and bass.

And yes, it’s drums and bass in that order and not bass and drums. The drums provide the beat that starts the rhythm, and the bass player supports that rhythm.

Your job as the bass player is to, as Victor says accurately, keep the groove going so the audience stays interested.

It’s a popular belief that “groove” in terms of bass playing only applies to specific genres like funk or jazz. Not true. No matter what style of music you play, if you want to include a bass solo, the general rule of thumb is to keep that groove going.

As an example, here’s a solo by Geddy Lee of Rush fame:

The above style Geddy is playing is totally different from what Victor plays, however notice that Geddy is soloing in a way that follows the rhythm – even when he does off-notes. He keeps the groove going, supports the song even in the soloing position and totally gets it right.

As said above, groove applies no matter what style of music you play. Keep that in mind, and your bass solos will work. If on the other hand “everyone gets out of your way” as Victor says, the audience will get really bored really quick.

5 thoughts on “Should Bass Players Never Solo?”

  1. Good point. Keep it groovy should be our mantra. The grove is the best place to look for solo inspiration. Soloing can be a bitch when a bass players forgets who he is in the band. Not surprisingly, when asked why he never solo-ed, Rocco Prestia replied that, he felt like he was soloing all the time. It’s all in the groove 🙂

    Reply
  2. I guess it’s a matter of perspective. When I hear bass players doing a solo, I think of songs like John Entwhistle and My Generation or Jack Bruce and I’m So Glad (Live). But I also agree with Rocco Prestia that a good bassist can “solo” throughout a song as long as he/she stays in the groove, as he puts it.

    Reply
  3. She looks so grown up there, and soooo tall(I know weird because she is siinttg down)Cute picture and glad you have your gig down don’t know how you do it, Hayden will be smarter than me by next year!!

    Reply

Leave a Comment

Want a New Set of Pickups?
Enter for a chance to win: