Question

What is the importance of having a bass player in a punk rock/skating punk band?

Answer 1

The low end really drives the crowd wild. A good bass player will lay down a foundation for your band and your drummer. The bass player should be able to lock in with your drummer's kick drum, this will give you a big commercial sound that is balanced and exciting.

So you get balance in your rhythm section arrangements (which is more important than your solos), and you keep your drummer and music in time.

Answer 2

....as a drummer, only one flaw in your otherwise beautiful statement. the drummer is the independent metronome...never ever follow anything but drums for time, otherwise you sound wrong.

Answer 3

I could argue that, as not always do you have an excellent drummer. And not always do bands have great iem systems that allow them to stay together and listen while playing loud gigs. No other instrument really holds the low end on stage then the bass player and the kick drum; therefore, my statement could still be considered. I'm a drummer as well, and I can promise you it's a really situational question. I wouldn't say you can really go without a bass and I'll give you a great example in some of my own work.

Answer 4

This is not really my everyday genre. But I digress. A little background: I was challenged by a friend to prove that knowledge and practice are what it takes to make a mix sound commercial (Not gear, and huge budgets necessarily at first). I did this in 2 hours. Wrote out with mouse, and mixed in logic pro x using only included plugins and samples. In my rush I totally forgot to write in a sub-bass and the mix really lacks that extra punch and fullness.

https://soundcloud.com/diegococcomusic/slide-away-diego-cocco

Answer 5

But...in the on stage concert world of a band...you dont get time from the kick, because its not playing straight notes to gather correct time from...you get time from the most consent of notes, the high-hat or whatever the right (or sometimes for open/lefty, left) hand is playing.

Answer 6

Not quite. For this reason rehearsals for live shows are in place. They're a huge difference between playing in the pocket and not. This makes your band either suck or 'really awesome for some strange reason.' We're not thinking about time. In today's world many even have clicks in their monitor mixes. Everyone has a choice of what they hear in their iem's, and if you add practice to the equation it finishes the picture.

Answer 7

Yeah sure the drummer may play with things like metric modulation, but they're a perfect example where the bass player will keep time along with the band while still following a close rhythm to the drummer's feet. It has to do with the live mix. There's a certain thickness and density that the subs push when the bass and kick are mixed together. (Look at why EDM's so popular and how the kick and bass are so important) This is essential to the modern sounds we hear today from the end of the 20th century through the future. Sorry man, you really have to see for yourself and seek other perspectives. Bass is CRUCIAL in any modern mix.

Answer 8

With metric modulation you're right, you keep something constant so that others don't get lost. But the bass player is required to play in the pocket. I don't see why you could even consider not having a bass player, it's absolutely essential. In other perspective, it's one more person to deal with. I'm really not a huge fan of the band situation for reasons like dealing with egos, and total bs, as well as the fact that today you really have to do it all if you want a piece of the industry. If you're band doesn't make it you alone without them don't have access to the connections you previously made. (Just my perspective) I do agree that creating music with real humans is a very inspiring and fulfilling thing. So in that regard, might as well do it for the music. End of story: Bass Player? NECESSARY.

Answer 9

then....who keeps tempo in Primus...les hardly plays anything straight time

Answer 10

and why doesn't the bassets count things off? I didn't intend for this to become a discussion about who keeps tempo, the bass is easily replace able by a rhythm guitar who plays constant notes in a low register..the bass is completlly independent from time if it wants to be..it has nothing to do with tempo because the drums are made for tempo and aux fill

Answer 11

Click tracks in IEM mixes is pretty common place now.. It's the monitor mix engineer's job to make sure they start the clicks accordingly to every song. Again this is where rehearsals come into real world application. As they were for tempo, drums have become a rhythm instrument that groove. Hype the energy of a song (Look at how acoustic songs use cajons), and give a rhythm for people to dance and move to. When music is memorable, and listenable, it usually ends up remembered and praised highly.

Answer 12

I'm not saying the bass player keeps the tempo. They carry the 'groove', which is the most important thing in music today with so much competition. As do the drums. They're so much that goes on in monitor mixes that no one knows about. Look at how people are obsessed with drum sounds, and how they shape the energy of a song. They both carry it, not keep it really. They're so much that is run by software now, and instruments that are quantized live. It's just not the same buddy. Bass players and drummer have and will always be important, just not for the exact same reasoning to the point as they used to.

Answer 13

Anyways no hard feelings man if you have a different point of view. I'm just explaining the way I see it from my experience and questioning.

Take care brotha,
guitarplayer

@Blink-182

Answer 14

But what about those band who dont use a met...when you put it that way, i only hate now days "musicians" even more...shows they truly have no talent..