Day 345, February 23, 2021

All About That Bass

Tonight's soundtrack: Marcus Miller, Jazz à la Villette, 2019

I've been feeling like my blogging energy is flagging these past few entries. It is the kind of sensation that makes me feel like something is wrong, out of balance, like when my stomach is acting up and I try to run through all the things I've eaten recently to try and figure out what is triggering the problem.

If I am honest, it is not just the blog, my energy has been a little low. 

Now, more than ever, I have to be wary about letting that lethargy spread like a puddle of spilled milk over everything. Until now, my efforts to ward off depression or anxiety has been to keep myself busy with projects, writing, work, music. But, sometimes those things fail me and what is needed is a little break, a chance to reset. Sometimes, the laptop acts up and it seems as if every program is lagging and buggy. Sometimes the only solution is to shut everything down and wait a little bit for all the electrons to refer to their natural state before rebooting. It feels a little like that.

I did have a topic in my back pocket for a day when I wasn't feeling particularly inspired. I was thinking of trying to write about my approach to playing bass. I think I am very lucky in that I love playing both guitar and bass, but I think my approach to each instrument is very different. Or, maybe they are more similar than I realize... but for me, playing bass is really a function of supporting the other musicians and maintaining a sense of the groove. 

It is wonderful watching a phenomenal player like Marcus Miller, but in comparison, I'm much more limited in technique. I'm definitely inspired and in awe of players like Miller, but I enjoy laying a thick and heavy foundation on which other players can carry the melody. I love locking in with the drummer and can be perfectly happy playing the simplest line when I'm in sync with one of the fantastic drummers I've had the privilege of playing with. Other times, I can lock into the service of the song, to play in a way that reinforces the melody, or heightens the distinctiveness between verse, chorus, and bridge, or maybe when there's a guitar solo, finding a way to accent the root notes in a way that maintains a spectrum of sound behind the guitarist when they shift from chords to single note lines.

In recent years, I've played bass for The Original Cowards and The Big Why. My approach is different in each band, but both bands are trios with fantastic drummers and excellent guitarists. With The Original Cowards, I see the songs as tightly crafted and structured, so the creativity comes in what you do with the structure, how you can play with accents, or create little flourishes that are minor in the grand scheme of things, but in the moment, make the song just a little bit tastier. I love John Crand's song writing and guitar parts, so I try to stay out of his way or create counterpoints to his melodies. And then, Riley Godleski is such a phenomenal drummer, I can loose myself in trying to emulate his rolls and beats. 

We have been playing together long enough that there is a repertoire and we know how the songs are supposed to sound. We are always learning new tunes, but our standard set has a nice range of songs that have been refined over time in a basement in Northampton until we can focus purely on how to make the song better, how can I support each part a little more than I did before.

The Big Why has a very different approach, particularly in rehearsal. While we have a set of standard original tunes, both Jamie Miller and Roger Knight are encyclopedias of musical influences. Actually, Riley and John are too, so I'm totally outclassed by my fellow musicians, but what I can do, particularly in The Big Why, is listen to what Jamie and Roger are playing when they lock into a sudden inspiration, and find something that works. So while I may not recognize the Prince tune we are playing, I find my way of playing the song and have a great time doing it. 

Roger is an incredibly expressive drummer and it makes playing bass along with his rhythms wonderfully entertaining. We make faces at each other over the cymbals and try to catch each other's accents and breaks. Jamie is an amazing chameleon of a guitarist where he can suddenly shift from sound to tone like a DJ spinning records. I am constantly in awe playing with these musicians and that is a wonderful place to be. To just be thankful to have the opportunity to play with such amazing people. There are times when I'm playing with The Big Why in one of our epic long medley of tunes and my fingers completely cease to function. I am like a marathon runner who collapses and needs to be covered with a tinfoil blanket. I can't walk my fingers and end up just flailing at the strings with my mittens-for-hands until Roger crashes us into a roaring end. It is a marvelous feeling to be so exhausted.

I do miss that.

Sigh. So here's to hoping that we all find ways to ecstatic exhaustion. 

Take care,

Leo

It was beautiful out this morning!

From Our Friends:

From the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

RACE ON CAMPUS Why Faculty Diversity Remains Largely a Zero-Sum Game By Vimal Patel Without more people of color pursuing doctoral degrees, the talent pool will stay predominantly white.