Notes to Self and Bassists: 🎸 Bass and drums tell the truth

DearReader

I just got back from a tour with Raj Ramayya and Akira Yamaoka.

Eight shows in seven cities, literally from New York (Irving Plaza) to Los Angeles (The Belasco). Flights, vans, sold-out venues, photos with fans. The whole rock star treatment.

One thing that surprised me was the audience. Several people told us it was their first concert ever. Fans of Cowboy Bebop, Silent Hill, and Ghost in the Shell hearing the soundtrack of their youth played live in front of them for the first time.

Pretty cool to be someone’s first concert.

One musical challenge on this run: we played with three different drummers: California groove litigator Alec Wheatley, 16 year old drum phenomenon Yoyoka and Florida pulse master Rion Smith

That keeps you alert. Every drummer shapes the pocket a little differently.

In New York, drummer Rion Smith and I rented a rehearsal room to run the tunes. We had only played together twice before, so tightening things up felt worth the time.
​Side note: the map said 20 minutes by car and 10 minutes on foot. That’s New York math.

We ran the songs with just bass, drums, and the effects track.

That setup reveals everything. No vocals. No keys. No cushion.

At one point Rion pointed out a section where he had to play very forcefully, followed immediately by a few bars that needed to feel completely relaxed. Same tempo. Same groove. Different energy.

That made me think of PORA. Principles of Rotating Attention.

The notes you play stay the same, but your attention moves. One round you focus on timing. Another on note length. Another on tone. Another on relaxation.

At one point in that rehearsal, the focus was energy.

How much push a section needed. How much air the next one needed.

We ran the tunes again with that lens. Doing this revealed further options to shape the songs and it deepesn the knowing of the songs beyond just notes.

Note to self: sometimes the fastest way to deepen a groove is not just running the tunes. It is attention on where the energy goes.

Big stage. Big production.

But the rehearsal that made the biggest difference was still the simplest format there is.

Bass. Drums. Attention.

Here are a few clips and photos from the shows if you want to see the vibe: Click Here to watch​
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Practice Spark

• Take one groove and play it for three minutes. Rotate attention every 8 barss: timing, note length, tone, relaxation, energy.
• Practice a bass line with only drums or a drum loop. Notice how clearly every note start and stop is exposed.
• Pick a section of a song and describe the energy of each phrase before you play it.

With groove,
Ari

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FAQ

Why is practicing with just a drummer so powerful for bass players?

Because it exposes the core of the groove.

When you remove guitars, keys, and vocals, the rhythm section becomes the entire band. Every note start, note length, dead note, and space you leave becomes audible.

That forces you to listen differently.

You start noticing where the groove pushes forward, where it relaxes, and how the bass and drums breathe together. It also forces you to really know the tune. Without harmonic instruments filling the space, the bass line has to outline the form clearly.

Practicing with just a drummer deepens the pocket and deepens your understanding of the song at the same time.

PS
If you want feedback on your playing and structured practice sessions with other bassists, Live Practice with Ari is currently open and we still have room for a few more.

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