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Thinking Like a Rhythm Player: Blend in to Stand Out

by Dan Berkowitz

I sat in at the blues jam for a couple of songs the other night, stepping in for the house bass player while the regular drummer and the band leader/guitarist were still up on stage. We went through an Albert Collins funk number and then a slow blues tune. I'd known these players for a few years, but rarely played with them.

I was happy that we had no musical train wrecks, but was pleasantly surprised when the drummer - a very strong and experienced player - not only complimented my playing, but asked if I was available for fill-in work. "We really locked," the drummer explained. "You play like our regular guy, you didn't do all those extra notes."

That's a big key to success as a blues bass player, and it works for other kinds of music, too. It's not your incendiary display of fast licks. Not your quick thumb work as a slapper. Your success comes from learning to think and play like a member of the rhythm section.

I've heard the same thing over and over from the best and most experienced drummers. One I worked with for a couple of years - a guy in his mid-40s - had his own tongue-in-cheek explanation. His theory was that when rhythm players hit a certain age, they've begun to cut into their life-quota of notes and need to make sure the remaining notes count so that they don't run out. Interesting concept, but I'd argue that it's more a mental space than something age-bound.

Okay, so how do you think like a rhythm player? Here's my short list:

- Listen to the drummer. What do you listen for? Keep one ear on the kick drum and try to play right along with it. If the drummer is playing four beats per bar, land square with the drum kick. Don't complicate it with something bouncy. Keep another ear on the snare. If the bass drum is your cue to beats one and three, then the snare guides you to beats two and four. Follow along with those drum parts and you'll stay right in sync, laying a solid foundation for the players and singers up front.

- Be on guard for overplaying. Good bass playing drives the band. Once you start adding in lots of fills and busy rhythm patterns, you've begun to compromise your top responsibility. But does that mean you can't use fills at all? Not necessarily. Instead, use the intensity of notes for contrast, playing most simply in the beginning, mixing it up as the song moves on, building under the solos, and pulling it back in again when the vocals return.

- Guide the changes. Not only is the bass player in charge of the beat, but there's a lot that can be done to guide the band through the chord changes, too. For sure, play the chord root on the change, but think about how you can cue movement to the next chord by playing a phrase that moves there through chromatic tones or scale tones that head in the right direction. Notice how a good drummer will be right there with you, adding a little taste of cymbol or a bit of fill to take the band through the change. Watch that you are in sync with what the drummer does, but avoid being exactly redundant - doing that can take the song into hit a temporary halt by make an aural hole.

- Lead the dynamics. Sure, it's the band leader who's really in charge of that, but your work can make a big difference. Build when the leader builds, both in volume and in the number of notes you're playing, getting a little busier as the music gets louder. Similarly, help the band break down the dynamics. One trick is to lay out for one or two beats when there's a sudden dynamic drop. If the other players have big ears, too, they'll notice that they can't hear you and will come down to meet you. At the same time, simplify your notes in the quiet parts, maybe just thumping a root-fifth pattern that lets the music "breathe." Back off on the volume and thump gently - the song will almost float in the air, ready for the next build up.

What does all this have in common? If you can lock in with the band rhythmically, chordally, and dynamically, you'll really get the other players' notice. You're not getting their attention by standing out, but by fitting in so well instead. And you're adding a solid foundation to the music at the same time.

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