I have some questions..would anyone kind enough to answer me ?
1. I've learnt that body bass should match with kick drum ..is that true ? I listen to some songs of RHCP and they were doing pretty good bass line without matching kick drum.
2.so..I've written a song..it's like this..C-G|Am-F|..110 bpm..round chords the whole song..bass note is like this ..C-GG|A-FF|..bass should be root note of the cords ..rite ? but my bass sounds so flatten..could anyone give me advice to change it ?
thx a lot
just a few questions
-
JumpingJackFlash JumpingJackFlash https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=44005
- KVRian
- 1227 posts since 10 Oct, 2004
The bass does not have to be the root note of the chords. - When you have a different note in the bass, it is said to be in inversion. The 3rd in the bass is first inversion, the 5th in the bass is second inversion. - First inversion chords are good and very useful, but second inversion chords are week and unstable.koyotesoe wrote:2.so..I've written a song..it's like this..C-G|Am-F|..110 bpm..round chords the whole song..bass note is like this ..C-GG|A-FF|..bass should be root note of the cords ..rite ? but my bass sounds so flatten..could anyone give me advice to change it ?
So, at the moment, you've got I-V-vi-IV in C major. You could put the V at the end, making it I-vi-IV-V, which is probably a more natural progression. Or, as I said above, you could invert some of the chords, and/or swap them for inversions of other (similar) chords. For example, you could make the IV into iib (the b means first inversion). This gives I-vi-iib-V-I, which is a very common (and nice) progression. Or, you could swap the V for viib. etc.
Something like this would work well:
I-Vb-vib-viib-Ib. - The bass here would go C-B-C-D-E, which as you can see is moving by step. - This is a very good thing to do, especially if the top line moves in contrary motion (opposite direction), or in parallel 6ths with the bass. - So, here, the top line going E-G-A-B-C would be very good.
Also, another way to add interest in your bass (and indeed all your parts) is to use non-harmony notes, inserted between the notes of your chords. For more details see my Introduction to ornamental, unessential, and non-harmony notes.
So, for example in the second bar of your original bass, A-F, you could insert a G as a passing note between them. - A,G-F. This can smooth out the part and make it more interesting.
Unfamiliar words can be looked up in my Glossary of musical terms.
Also check out my Introduction to Music Theory.
Also check out my Introduction to Music Theory.
-
- KVRist
- 62 posts since 30 Nov, 2006
the body bass...are you talking about the bass guitar? if so, not at all. If the bass guitar and the kick drum matched all the time, then music would probably be boring. They match sometimes, like slapping a note when the kick drum is hit, but just be yourself, and make your own music, do not be like everyone else, be origional. 
-
- KVRAF
- 1975 posts since 4 Feb, 2005
You've heard suggestions, though, not rules.
Yes, it's sometimes good to have the bass do root notes. This is common in certain rock music, for instance, and in some hip hop too. However, it's sometimes NOT a good idea. The suggestions you heard are ones that (IIRC) pertain to house and trance music mostly (inasmuch as they seem to be ones that people who write that kind of music often suggest), and may not necessarily apply to what you want. You mentioned that RHCP manage to pull of plenty of music that doesn't follow these guidelines; the reason for this being that in their style of music the bass guitar and kick drum have rather different functions, while in dance music the bass and kick are often so similar in tone and range that if they do not cooperate you get muddiness (muddiness of course being bad if you want to have a driving, danceable rhythm.)
Same with root notes; the bass may be very predictable and uninteresting if it just does roots, but certain styles of music use the bass for nothing more than filling out the low end; the hooks and interesting bits are carried out by the vocals or lead instruments (guitars, synths, brass, whatever). In that case, having a tame bassline is a good thing, since it keeps the low end clean and doesn't make the song overly complicated.
I guess my point is: the things you've heard are good tips to keep in mind, but what's more important is to remember what they're tips FOR. If you don't want to create that style of music, you wouldn't necessarily want to consider those guidelines.
Yes, it's sometimes good to have the bass do root notes. This is common in certain rock music, for instance, and in some hip hop too. However, it's sometimes NOT a good idea. The suggestions you heard are ones that (IIRC) pertain to house and trance music mostly (inasmuch as they seem to be ones that people who write that kind of music often suggest), and may not necessarily apply to what you want. You mentioned that RHCP manage to pull of plenty of music that doesn't follow these guidelines; the reason for this being that in their style of music the bass guitar and kick drum have rather different functions, while in dance music the bass and kick are often so similar in tone and range that if they do not cooperate you get muddiness (muddiness of course being bad if you want to have a driving, danceable rhythm.)
Same with root notes; the bass may be very predictable and uninteresting if it just does roots, but certain styles of music use the bass for nothing more than filling out the low end; the hooks and interesting bits are carried out by the vocals or lead instruments (guitars, synths, brass, whatever). In that case, having a tame bassline is a good thing, since it keeps the low end clean and doesn't make the song overly complicated.
I guess my point is: the things you've heard are good tips to keep in mind, but what's more important is to remember what they're tips FOR. If you don't want to create that style of music, you wouldn't necessarily want to consider those guidelines.
