Originally Posted By: David Snyder

Has anyone tried picking up the bass and playing it?

Ha!

Playing and listening and then playing what I heard and always more listening. I've always felt that listening was far more important than playing. When I was in school, they'd let any kid who wanted borrow an upright—all I had to do was show up and try to play and, while I was at it, learn to sight read.

Though I played many instruments, I learned a most important lesson nearly 55 years ago: Bass players work. Well over 50% of the thousands of gigs I played over the years were on bass, electric and upright.

Even though my arm is crippled and I can no longer play my basses, I can tap on the glass of an iPad and play live or use BIAB or VIs in a DAW.

Originally Posted By: rayc
Carol Kaye, the Wrecking Crew (amongst many other gigs) bassist, says her secret has always been to use chord tones.
"It Depends" is the biggest thing though.
Genre, instrument, intent etc.
Software? Are you writing bass IN BIAB, for keyboard, to play on a bass?
As a bassist I start on the root, look where I'm headed and what's around me then move accordingly - or stay on the root until the chord changes.
There aren't any rules unless you're playing rhythm section jazz...they seem to have LOTS of rules for that.

I always ignored the so-called jazz rules. Either I played the chart note for note like a symphony gig or I trusted my ears and experience.

Carol Kaye is an interesting example for you to pick. A good part of her genius is that she went off the reservation a lot on her recordings. She could play the root when she wanted but so often she didn't. She also insisted that students play with a pick, a point on which we disagree.

She and my wife taught at the same music store about 40–45 years ago and I got to know her a little. As much as I admired her, I was already formed as a player and didn't believe there was anything she could teach me or I would have taken lessons. I was doing studio dates and had a symphony chair.

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