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Think Upright, Play Electric

by Dan Berkowitz

I was recently at a show by harp player Gary Primich (see the August Harmonica Sessions interview with Gary) and his blues band - a really tight old-school group - and during a break, I had a chance to chat with his electric bass player, Dave Wesselowski. Because Dave's playing really fit the band's retro sound, I asked him if he played upright. He said he didn't, and I commented to him that it sounded like he "thought" upright when he played his electric bass. That brought a smile to his face, because that was the sound he was after.

You might find yourself in the same situation, playing a gig where upright bass would be the instrument of choice, yet you only play electric. It could be blues or jazz, rockabilly, or even latin music…you need to do your best to fit your electric bass sound to the musical style.

There are really two aspects for success in covering upright bass parts on electric. First, there's the mental angle, learning to think the way an upright bass would sound if you were playing one. A second aspect involves the technique you use on your instrument. Both combined, your electric playing can be quite convincing. I learned this one night while walking from my car to hear an outdoor concert. Certain that I would be treated to an upright bass in this band, it was quite a surprise to see an electric bass instead. The funny thing was, it sounded more like an upright than an upright. That player really knew how to think upright while playing electric.

So what's involved with the mental aspect? For one, think about the nature of upright notes, their feel and their tone. Listen to some recordings in your band's genre that include upright bass. You'll notice several things:

- Simply because of the physical nature of playing upright, doghouse players play fewer notes. Each note carries more meaning when it's played on upright.

- Similarly, upright playing usually involves more groove playing instead of fast runs between the main notes. Pay constant attention to restraint in note selection during your gig…this can really help out.

- Think about the slower attack of the notes, building a mental image of holding that big bass and feeling its long, long strings vibrating right beside you.

- Much of the upright bass sound involves shorter sustain. Build a mental image of how long notes should last. They shouldn't really be choppy and cut off, but there's certainly not the sustained connection between notes that you'll get playing electric bass either.

Even if you're playing a fretted electric bass, thinking upright can make quite a difference. At some point, you might start to identify your electric playing with the upright. Sure, they'll never quite be the same, but the more you work at it, the closer you'll get.

As I mentioned a moment ago, the second aspect of getting an upright feel is your playing technique. With the sound of upright notes in your mind, you're ready to work toward producing them. There are two main approaches for your right hand:

- Palm-muted thumb plucking. For this technique, rest the heel of your right hand on the strings close to the bridge. Don't press too hard, just enough to damp the attack and sustain of your notes. Keeping your hand in place on the strings, pluck with your thumb, the big meaty part on the side. Doing this produces a rounder attack to the notes that also produces a darker tone, both ingredients helpful for getting that upright sound. This technique is best for slower tunes and those songs that rely mainly on quarter notes - it's not a way to accomplish speed playing. Listen to the notes attack and die. Think about space between notes and the sound that a big, thumpy upright would produce.

- Playing close to the neck. You can also approximate an upright sound with your usual two-finger right hand technique, by plucking close to the neck. Your strings will sound quite different there, deeper and with less attack. Be sure not to pluck the strings too hard, which would produce a sharper sound more like electric bass. You can also help this technique by using left hand damping. Just raise the left hand up a bit off the fingerboard after playing a note - this helps the note die at the right time. Try playing notes on different strings, too. Playing up higher on the E or A string will create a tone with more fundamental and less overtones, a tone that dies out a little quicker, too.

Finally, if you've begun to think upright and you've worked on technique, turn to your instrument's tone controls and the EQ on your amp. Try to dial in a tone that's solid in the low-mids, with some of the upper-mids and highs rolled off to reduce finger and fret noise. You don't need a huge fundamental, but the tone should be thick sounding.

Thinking back over these pseudo-upright tips, I'm reminded of a rehearsal tape I once recorded with my blues band for a bass player who would be subbing for me. The whole session was recorded on electric bass, but shaped by the ideas I've just discussed. After the subbing bassist listened to the tape, he sent me an email, wondering if he should play upright with the band, since he'd heard upright throughout the recording. I assured him he could get by on his electric bass…just as long as he "thought upright."

About the author:
Dan Berkowitz is a journalism professor at the University of Iowa by day and a bass player after the sun goes down. He plays bass with The Tornadoes (www.tornadoesblues.com) in Iowa City, Iowa.