Carlos Dominguez
Musician
The bass is a fundamental instrument in any musical style, despite belonging to a register that people generally do not pay attention to.
When I started playing bass I was worried about learning techniques like slap, tapping, etc.; I dreamed of being a soloist, with the passage of time I realized that the importance of the instrument is to generate a line that maintains freshness in rhythm and notes that complements both fields.
And you have to know when you have to support the band and when you can be the protagonist ; That has helped me in the church band to give a better foundation and for the entire ministry to be heard very well….
It is essential that the bassist be very confident and aware of the rhythm and figures. Many times a rhythmic variant will be more interesting than a melodic one.
It's not just about playing 100 notes per second , there are times when a quarter note and a rest is necessary, and as such, you should not stop doing it. Don't be afraid to play just enough, sometimes the simplest thing is the richest musically!
Having a good musical ear is key, bassists, like any other musician, must train their ears, know how each note sounds and imagine the harmonic circles and know how to transport a song from one scale to another, and learn the songs in all the notes by some sudden change...
A personal piece of advice would be not to get discouraged about the instrument, since bassists are not as popular as mentioned before, people almost never notice it, but in reality a song or a band without bass sounds empty, the bass is the soul of music! ...so cheer up! Let's listen to good music and learn more melodic lines to enrich our Groove.