Why do you play bass?
I love the feeling of tension and release in a good bass line.
Do you practice? If so, how?
I’ve been playing the bass for almost 40 years, so it’s become second nature. I play guitar in my spare time. Playing an instrument that I’m not as used to puts me into a beginner’s mindset, which is creative and exciting. I focus on styles, harmony, and soloing concepts. This enhances my bass playing by making me a better musician.
How do you stay focused on a session? How do you come up with lines?
I stay focused by tuning in to the overall feeling of the track. I try not to get distracted by the studio environment. It’s easy to start bugging about the monitors, the producer or even your chair! I’ll take a few minutes to get acclimated at the beginning of the session and then I don’t think about it again. Tracks are usually half done by the time I record a bass part. The best bass lines create a relationship between the kick drum and the vocal melody in a song. I also try to hear the keyboard voicings. If the chords are inverted it will influence my note choices, especially passing notes. Sometimes there will be a basic part that is very syncopated in one section of the song. I may play a similar part but then straighten out the accents as the song builds.
What musical concept have you had to learn the hard way?
Time. For years I felt that I had to be metronomic, or at least exactly in sync with the kick drum. After hearing a lot of great bass players, I began to understand how they move the time feel around, working off the backbeat.
What non-musical thing inspires you the most? I’ve taken up cooking. Combining ingredients and seeing what happens inspires me to take risks. Usually it works out. But don’t ask my family about the rosemary incident!