Double Bass 101: 4 Strategies for Building Strong Time
Building a strong time feel is essential for a bass player. We are, after all, the foundation of the music. The role of the bass is one that provides the glue between the rhythm and harmony of the music. Our job is to make the music feel good. The bass playing greats accomplished this in their playing.
What do we think about as our first priority as bass players?
My personal approach and feeling of responsibility to the music is to make sure the rhythm and groove is taken care of first. That the time feels good, is steady, and I am connected with the musicians I am creating with.
Of course, rhythm is not static. There will be variations in the time – we are human. This is a natural push and pull that gives music life and breath. Nonetheless, a solid pulse, feel, and rhythmic foundation is my first priority as a bass player.
In this post we will address four practice strategies for building a strong time feel.
Listening and Playing Along to Records
I am sure you can recall what drew you to the bass. For many of us we were first inspired to play and pick up an instrument because we heard a recording that captured our heart and imagination. We were drawn to the feeling of the music, the tone of the instruments, and the spirit of the music.
Playing along with, transcribing, and imitating the musicians we love will certainly help in developing a strong time feel.
What a powerful learning experience to take a look inside a musician’s approach to music as you learn their solo, bass line, or idea and try to execute it with the phrasing and rhythmic feeling they did. Playing along with the masters of music – who have excellent time and feel – only helps to build our personal sense of time.
Playing along with our musical heroes gives us a bigger picture of music. It shows us how to fit into an ensemble and gives us a glimpse into the nuances of the music. Playing along with bassists and drummers who have great time will in turn help to develop our personal time feel.
Play With Others Who Have Great Time
Playing along with great musicians on recording is very important as is playing with others in a live setting who have strong time and who may be more advanced.
Each musician is different. Their sense of time, feel, and placement of the beat is different. Some musicians tend to play more behind the beat or in front of the beat. As bassists, we have to adjust and constantly evaluate the music while it is happening. We have to adjust our placement of the beat based upon our fellow musicians. This is especially true when playing with a drummer. The placement of the beat gives the music a forward motion, movement, and swing! Therefore, having the opportunity to perform with all different musicians and adjust to their time feel is invaluable .
Recording and Self Assessment
I can recall a time when I used to record everything. I would record gigs, rehearsals, and practice sessions and listen back to them. This gave me insight into my tendencies as a time keeper. This process allowed me to see what ideas worked and didn’t work. Recording gives us the ability to go back and assess our playing so that we can continue to improve. It also allows us the opportunity to learn and study the musicians we play with as well and how we relate to them. From this study we can go back and make adjustments and be more informed the next time we perform.
Working With A Metronome
I certainly know great musicians that do not work with a metronome. I have found working with a metronome to be a useful tool in developing a stronger internal pulse. One of the challenges is knowing how to practice with a metronome and keeping it from becoming a crutch or simply an unhelpful tool. I think one of the most important aspects of understanding rhythm and developing a strong sense of time is being aware of the rhythmic subdivisions. A metronome can certainly help with this. Knowing and feeling the 8th note pulse, triplet, and 16th note pulse will help to keep us locked in with solid time.
Practice putting the metronome on a comfortable tempo where you can practice playing quarter notes on the beat and then progressing to playing each of the rhythmic subdivisions. When practicing with one note on the beat, I do an exercise where I make sure that every note I play is directly on the beat. I set the metronome at a slow tempo – quarter note equals 50 bpm. I work to feel the subdivisions in my head as I practice this exercise and make sure that each note is strong and my attack and sound is consistent every time.
Similarly, practice feeling different beats and how they make the rhythm swing or groove. The following are exercises are a few I have worked on over the years.
- Place the metronome click on beats two and four.
- Place the metronome with the click on different beats in the bar. For example, feel it only on beat one, beat two, beat three, or beat four and practice walking or playing a bass line.
- Think of the click as a dotted quarter note and practice playing quarter notes against it to create a 2 against 3 feel.
Get creative and come up with your own exercises and ideas.
Conclusion
The great masters of music all have a complex and advanced understanding of rhythm. Building a strong sense of time is an ongoing process. Playing along with the masters on record, playing with other musicians who have advanced rhythmic feels, recording our progress, and practicing intentionally will all help to develop our sense of time.