To establish context for this course, let’s briefly revisit our initial discussions of groove in The Art of Groove, Level 1.

I defined the term groove as:

A rhythmic feeling of consistent, reliable & predictable forward motion in the music.

I also shared my thoughts on the importance of groove to bassists:

Simply put, the bass guitar is a rhythm section instrument fundamentally, and its primary function (together with the drum kit) is to create a solid rhythmic foundation for the other instruments, specifically, and for the music in general. In a nutshell, it’s the bassist’s job to groove. The bass and drums fundamentally establish the groove, and are essential to creating that feeling of consistent and reliable forward motion anytime they’re playing. In many instances, that involves the bassist and drummer working so synchronously that it’s almost difficult for the listener to discern where one leaves off and the other begins.

It is for that purpose that other musicians want us on the gig or session. That is truly what makes the phone ring. Notice that I didn’t say that the exclusivefunction of the bassist is rhythmic; on the contrary, it’s obviously a fantastic voice for melodic and harmonic elements as well...but the groove must always be the first consideration.

In this 2nd level of The Art of Groove, we’ll be building upon the foundation of basic technique, harmony and fingerboard familiarity established in Level 1...and delve into the actual composition of bass lines, working effectively with a drummer and developing our overall rhythm section skills.

“BASS AS DRUM” PARADIGM

In my opinion, arguably one of the most helpful paradigm shifts to this end is getting away from the mindset that we’re playing bass guitar (emphasis on “guitar”)...to thinking of the bass as part of the drum kit. While the bass guitarist approach lends itself to riffing and generally “bouncing along with the rhythm section”, approaching the bass as essentially a tuned drum (i.e., giving pitch to the drums) lends itself to truly supportive and effective bass playing that serves as a solid foundation for an ensemble. We’ll explore the practical application of this “bass as drum” approach throughout this course.

THE ART OF GROOVE

That stated, I would also like to preface that we’re now moving into the subjective realm of music, in that there aren’t really “right” vs. “wrong” choices as much as there are stronger vs. less-effective musical choices. Music can obviously be studied empirically and quantified to a certain degree, but fundamentally...is art (and you were thinking I was going to say “big biz”!). Art is intrinsically a subjective thing, so much of its impact upon the listener will be dependent upon whether the choices being made by the musicians (and composer, arranger, producer, etc.) are effective or ineffective, from the listener’s perspective.

Much of that distinction is dependent upon the context: what would be a glaringly bad idea for a pop ballad might actually make for an innovative and catchy bass part in a heavier or quirkier musical setting. It is my hope that the material we cover in the upcoming lessons will help to develop and refine your musical discernment in this regard, and equip you to make artistically- appropriate musical choices on the gig.