Some bass players hate guitar players – with a passion. My first response to that is that you probably hate bad guitar players, as in ones that always play too loud or are way too flamboyant when playing, or have a poor sense of rhythm, etc. The unfortunate reality is that there are a ton of guitar players who just never learned rhythm correctly and fudge it along as best they can; that’s probably what you hate the most.
Well, what happens when you take out the guitar player completely? What kind of band would you have then? What would it sound like?
Here’s a good example of that:
No guitar player in the above. None at all. And it sounds pretty damned good. The bass can obviously be heard very clearly with nothing overpowering it whatsoever, and in addition the bass itself is not overpowering anything else. It takes more than just a good sound guy to make this happen as the band itself has to “gel” appropriately to make this kind of sound work.
The lead instruments are actually the horns, while lower on the register the Rhodes-style keyboard fills in that space, and the bass + drums fill in the low end.
Probably the best part about having a band such as the above is that you do not need a super-loud rig just to be heard over a screeching guitar. You can go smaller (such as with an EBS Neo Gorm,) and you will be heard just fine. Leave the bulk behind, go smaller, be heard and play happy.
The bass player looks retarded.
Hush now, the big people are talking.
“The bass player looks retarded”
It’s not about looks and being a poser. It’s about what you hear. And I hear a decent bass player.
This bass player is just laying the groove just like the Empire State Building is standing on solid concrete base construction. Learn more about music and understand Groove and come back later… (I’m no friend to this bass player).
That’s just a classic Jazz set up. The thought that a unit without guitar player is somehow exotic makes me think the writer is very young and hasn’t got much history under his belt.
What I hate is guitar players who always play in the low register when playing chords. They play in our territory so it cause us bass player to restrain our playing. I’ve had lots of arguments about that but fortunately they did understand.
Same can be said about lousy drummers with no sense of dynamics. I frequently play bass at a church with many different lineups. My fav is no drummer, keyboards, acoustic guitar & my bass.
Before we all get anti-guitar, no guitar also mean… “no bass guitar”. So who plays upright here? I know I do. But yes, like any instrument bad players ruin it for everyone. Don’t tar an instrument because of it.
P.s. but I still can’t stand the flute and the tuba…
After hearing Victor Wooten’s band last year…I didn’t miss hearing a guitar. Would love to try the horn “thing” since I play tenor sax as well.
There’s something else “missing” as well, vocals. In this mix, that would probably fit pretty easily, especially if it were a tenor guy or any female singer. The comments above about spectral balance between the various instruments is also key. This is the first thing they teach you about mixing recordings, everything has to have a “space”. Otherwise it’s just random noise. The above band is making MUSIC!
Sorry but it sounds empty
I hate saxophones
And saxophone hate you. 🙂
Basically, it is just a jazz combo; two horns and a rhythm section.
Sounds empty , cause the key’s are filling the holes . No Guitarist needed if keys take up the slack
I don’t like this kind of music. It reminds me too much of Kenny G. But they do this style quite well and if they like it then they are “winning”.
By the same token, a band without a bass player sounds empty as well. We need everyone to contribute and work together. Great things can be accomplished when that happens!! No charge for the positive coment!!
Very good groove Bass Man…
Yeah, it does sound a bit too Kenny G for my liking. Also, these guys really don’t seem to get a real groove going. It seems more like they’re faking it. A good example of a song, at least, with no guitar is XTC doing a cover of “All Along The Watchtower.” Drums, Bass, Organ, Harmonica and vocals. Very raw and funky!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjTSZmDdJdw
They sound pretty good but I don’t like the groove, gets pretty choppy at times.
I seem to remember a little band called Weather Report that did just fine without a guitarist
Ha! everyone seems to forget that a lot of early rock/soul used the sax as the lead instrument, not the guitar ..
NOWWW, who’s the guy hangin’ with the musicians???
These new guitarists with 7 and 8 string axes, downtuning .. why don’t you just get a BASS and quit bullcrappin’
This song felt like it was missing something…. Kazoo and triangle? In all seriousness, I heard a lot of good playing in a simplistic song structure and I admit I too am one of those guitar haters, ha! My only critique to the bassist is no more of that vibrato slash trill stuff. It is seriously way over done in the bass world today and is a sure way to sound generic. I try to stay as far away from the tones of the “giant” players as possible, too. You don’t want Victor Wooten or Marcus Miller’s sound because they can technically destroy you in their sleep and listeners can and will recognize tone and ability or lack thereof. Find your own sound, create your own style, put on some Nike’s and “just do it”. Amen? Back to guitarists: Jazz chords, funk picking, metronome. Buy a volume pedal.
why the comparison ? if you are happy with whatever configuration of instruments you have going, that’s all that matters..