Groove is an elusive
thing and one that people will argue until they are blue in the face. I
have never understood why this is such a hot topic of debate when it is
something that everyone on a stage or in the studio will want at some
point, some more than others.
First,
let’s come up with a working definition of groove. There are
mathematical descriptions and clichés, but I live in a world where
neither is the overwhelming element. So I keep it simple: Groove is what
makes the music breathe. It is the sense of motion in the context of a
song. If you ever see people doing that head-bob in traffic, they’re
caught in a groove. That’s what I aspire to – freeing people from their
self-conscious natures to the point that they can let go and dance, even
if it’s just while they sit in a chair.
So how do
we as bass players create a groove? There are a few things to keep in
your mind when trying to get that pocket happening. Let’s start with the
absolute basics. Do you think when you play? If so, are you distracted
by your thoughts? Is your mind cluttered? Nothing will kill a groove
quicker than musicians who are thinking and not feeling. You have to be
in tune with the beat and the way everyone around you is interpreting it
if you want to contribute to it. Your job, more than anyone’s, is to
make the music bump. Drums are there to keep the time and give everyone
a skeleton on which to hang their parts; guitar and keys and horns are
there to ornament and to give an audience ear candy and embellish the
foundation; vocals are to provide something to draw an audience in to
the instruments. This means you have to be the thing that links it all
together in a meaningful way. If you’re worried about your hair or what
the cutie by the bar is thinking, you may not be able to do your job.
When you’re on stage or even in rehearsal, be as “in the moment” as
possible.
Next
let’s focus on you and your playing. How comfortable are you moving
around the neck of your bass? How is your instrument set up? Do you warm
up before you start to play? Being on top of each of these factors as
much as possible will help you groove for the same reasons as your metal
state: The fewer distractions you have, the easier and more natural your
playing will be. You want to be able to respond instinctively to the
music and the others playing it with you. If your hands are warmed up,
you aren’t worried about how to connect your lines, and if your bass is
easy to play then you can simply play!
Alright,
now we’re moving into the world outside of your personal bubble. Do you
lock naturally with your drummer? One of the most useful (and
terrifying!) experiences of my musical career was the day that my
drummer suggested that the two of us rehearse without the rest of the
band. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone and I wanted the band to
succeed, so I said ‘yes’ and we booked some time in a rehearsal studio
without the other band members. At first we just jammed to loosen up. I
was nervous and awkward, but the longer we played the more fun we had.
Once we were having fun we weren’t thinking about what we should do, we
simply played. We reacted to one another and started pushing each other.
We grooved!
In terms
of bass and drums locking to create a cohesive part, there are three
areas of focus for me. You have to know where your drummer is most
comfortable in terms of the beat. Is your drummer very “straight”,
playing right on top of the beat? Is he or she laid back, sitting in
that area way back on the beat? Does your drummer’s playing have that
urgency of a musician who plays up on the beat? This is crucial to know
because the two of you have to function as a unit. You don’t have to
play everything the same, but you have to know and understand the way
the other thinks and feels.
The
second aspect of your hooking up with a drummer is whether or not you
play with your drummer or against drummer. Your part does not have to be
identical to your drummer’s if it complements the part he or she is
playing. This harkens back to understanding the way each other think.
Playing parts that are not necessarily built on the same division of the
rhythm in a measure can be incredibly effective. Check out the way the
Headhunters crafted the fierce groove in the tune “Palm Grease” as a
primary example of this approach. It is not as easy as both of you
hitting 2 and 4, but you will be rewarded by the results of a great
tension-and-release groove.
Third,
you need to think in terms of space. It is rare that a busy bass player
and a busy drummer can be in the same band for long. It has happened --
Brand X and The Dixie Dregs are good examples – but it is not a working
situation for many bands. Compromise is much more the norm. You can
alternate who plays busily or one of you might just be the more
intricate player. What you don’t play is at least as important as what
you do. Often is it more important. This leads to the next factor in the
equation…
Getting
the rhythm section to groove with the rest of the band. This is much
more difficult than most people think. You will need to keep everything
mentioned previously happening on an unconscious level as you move into
the most difficult part of this process. Guitarists don’t always listen
to drummers. A keyboardist may have metronomic time and have a difficult
time coordinating his/her left hand with a bassist. Vocalists will often
forget that there’s a band playing behind them altogether! So how do we
as bass players make a grooving rhythm section lock up with the whole
band?
Above all
remember that the music is the important thing. If you’re playing music
to make yourself look cool, you should be a soloist or a bandleader. As
bassists we are there (most of the time) to make the music happen. We
are at the foundation. This does not mean that you have to give up your
personality or play quarter notes on the root all night. It does mean
that your ears have to be bigger than your ego.
One way
to keep all this together, particularly when everyone is playing
together, is to remember this crucial and often overlooked fact:
Simplicity is elegant. Rarely has a bass line been made worse by taking
notes out. I appreciate this on more levels almost daily. Jaco Pastorius,
Rocco Prestia, Gary Willis, and Paul Jackson mastered playing 16th note
grooves for hours. That doesn’t mean the rest of us should even try and
do the same. Listen to classic grooves by the Average White Band, War,
and James Brown. “Sex Machine” is one of the most lethal grooves ever
recorded and most of the time there are only 2 bass notes played with
authority and space. There is a reason that it works!
Being
able to reharmonize a bass line like Anthony Jackson is an amazing feat,
but he became famous and got work for being able to play solid lines
like “For the Love of Money” with the O’Jays. His lines with Chaka Khan
are at times busy, but listen to how they fit in the arrangement of the
entire song. They speak with authority and drive the music, but they
take nothing away from the vocals or the melodic power happening in the
higher registers.
At the
heart of the matter is the fact that everyone in the band will listen to
the bass line for reference. It provides the pulse and outlines the key
center of the music. Our challenge as musicians is to make that
interesting for ourselves, our listeners, and those with who we work.
This can be a daunting thought, but as my first teacher put it, ‘Think
of how much power that gives you!’
Now go out and groove!
