Learn a chordal instrument. At some point you are going to have to explain a tune’s chordal movement to someone. You will never know a tune as well as you should if you can’t relate to its overall harmony, and that includes what the guitarist and the singer are doing. Yes, I know you can play chords on a bass. You can try to get by with the limited chordal possibilities of the electric bass, or you can go to a piano or guitar and make it very clear to them what you want to hear. (Bonus: You will get huge respect for this, since many chordal-instrument players secretly don’t even consider us musicians). Many great bassists play keys, guitar, or both, and when they write for guitar, keys, or horns, you know they are not reaching for a bass guitar until they write the bass line or a solo. Don’t get me wrong—the bass is still the coolest thing in the universe—but knowledge is power, and power is respect.
From A.Canning