by Siah Klootchman

Created on: February 10, 2009   Last Updated: March 10, 2009

Who are the best bass players?

The question is quite broad and could be answered from many perspectives, not limited to mass-market popularity, technical ability, showmanship, compositional quality or an innovative playing style. Often "best" is cultural shorthand for popularity-contest fan-level evaluation based simply on being attractive, attitudinal, featured on TV or making a lot of money. However, the standards of stars and capital-A artists usually have little to do with the average band playing dances, pubs and wedding gigs. An artist can do whatever s/he wants with a bass as a valid expression of musical thought.

From the standpoint of the average working musician, regardless of genre or gender, the best bass players are the ones arrive at the gig on-time in prime playing condition, unfettered by personal drama or crippling addictions. The best bass players come prepared with with costume and gear appropriate for the venue. They don't antagonize the audience, the wait-staff or their band-mates, and they never bring potentially disruptive spouses to the jobsite.

When it comes to actually making music in the average working band, the best bass players are the ones that play .... BASS! The function of the bass is to be the harmonic foundation for the lead instruments and vocals; and to co-create a tight danceable rhythm section with the drummer or percussionist. The best bass players never have to be told to turn down more than once.

The best bass players understand and LOVE their instrument for what it is and how it sounds. Frustrated spotlight-deprived lead guitarists ought to stay away from bass and perhaps focus on the study of other lead instruments. The bass is not an easier guitar-shaped thing with less strings. The best bass players do not crave blatant attention, for that is not the function of the instrument. The foundation only gets attention when it fails, yet is the integral piece on which everything else rests.

The best bass players understand enough music theory to converse intelligently with other musicians about song structure and arrangement. Ability to read charts, notation, chord symbols or tabs is a valuable skill, a useful adjunct to the time honored "by-ear" method often used in country folk and rock. No matter if they learn by ear, by note or from a combination of both, the best bass players practice their parts on their own time, maximizing full-band rehearsal time for developing the coherence between the parts learned by each player.

And finally, the very best, most in-demand bass players in working bands seem to always have good harmony vocal skills, a reliable van and always remember which night the band agreed to wear the blue shirts.

The best bass players are the kind you'd like to have in your own band.

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