11 Jan
2008
11 Jan
'08
5:23 a.m.
Ken Restivo wrote:
I know the bassist in my church band makes a real big difference when
he's there. He's got a fantastic sense of rhythm and beat. If we're
trying a song with a complex rhythm or beat, he's always the first one
to get it. And (on at least one of the songs) he's the only guy who's
really got it - when he misses a service and we're doing that song,
we're just all over the place trying to get the rhythm straight.
He's a pretty good guitarist, too, but prefers bass.
--
David
gnome(a)hawaii.rr.com
authenticity, honesty, community
On Thu, Jan 03, 2008 at 10:25:42PM -1000, david
wrote:
Hmmm, I've worked with four different drummers. Only one of them was
quiet - and he wasn't a very funny guy. The other three were
chatterboxes but weren't particularly funny guys, either.
The funniest guy I've worked with was a rhythm guitarist. He'd quietly
tell a joke as he was leaving after rehearsal or a show - and a few
minutes later, it would finally penetrate and we'd be ROTFL.
Folderol wrote:
I think drummers are in a permanent trance state
brought on by
repetitive motions and sounds.
I have noticed that the drummer is *always* the funniest guy in the
band. By far.
That's because humor is.... timing. Hard to beat the drummer for
hitting the punchline at exactly the right moment.
Plus, they tend to be quiet too. So when they do speak up it has a
certain effect. A few
months ago, my drummer was watching me lovingly and idly
turning knobs on my synth, for no really good reason, while we
were waiting for the bass player to set up or tune up, and
remarked, "Hmm. I'll bet all you synth guys really like
breasts, don't you?"
This one does, anyway.
-ken
:)
Mind you I always thought there was something a bit dodgy about
drummers and bass players. Notice how often they seem to be away
in a world of their own :) Don't know
about bassists - perhaps its brought on by the
physiological effects of loud low-frequency sounds on brain
tissues.
The best bass players-- real bass players, not guitar players who got
demoted-- I've worked with are intensely kinesthetic. They always
seem to have the best feel for the music of anyone in the band. I've
found that, in rehearsals and writing/arranging/recording sessions,
if what you're playing is making the bass player happy, then the
audience will be happy with it too.