Years ago I had the great opportunity to travel and perform with the legendarily ornery drummer Buddy Rich and his big band. (Yes, I have some stories.) One night, a couple of weeks into the gig, he said … well, yelled actually, “Fix your sound!”
I was confused. I thought I had a pretty good tone—a ’65 Fender Jazz combined with my desperate attempt to emulate Jaco—but the next night he said the same thing. I went to a veteran bandmate and asked him what Buddy wanted. “More treble. He’s having trouble hearing you,” he said. So I adjusted my amp the next night only to hear, “Fix your sound!” during the first chart. I asked another band member what to do, and he said, “Oh, more bass. Buddy likes the real traditional upright sound.” Well, you can guess what happened the next night. Then it dawned upon me: Buddy heard the whole band as one huge instrument. When there was a trumpet kick, it had to match his snare attack perfectly. When there was a fast sax passage, it needed to be articulated exactly with him. He played “four-on-the-floor” during many of the charts, so he wanted my bass to match his kick drum perfectly—not just time-wise, but also the “shape” of the note. Buddy came up in the vaudeville, swing, and bebop era, when music featured un-amplified acoustic bass. I came up on the Beatles, Allman Brothers, and Weather Report, bands that featured electric bass guitar. Once I figured out how to match my sound to his bass drum, he stopped yelling. Actually, he kept yelling, but at least it wasn’t about me.
Learn to shape your sound. This involves active, engaged, and creative listening. A note’s shape is often referred to as its envelope. The attack and decay of the note create a particular shape; this can be described in terms of physics, but instead I’d like to take an aesthetic approach. You can’t learn how to alter this shape from a book or video; you must come to it yourself, using your imagination.
I have had the chance to play with some great drummers. Each feels the time and groove in their own unique way. In order to lock in as quickly as possible, I listen to where they feel the time. First, I focus on their right hand, specifically their approach to playing the hi-hat or ride cymbals. I listen for their eighth-note feel. Is it straight or swung? Then, I tune into the feel of the backbeat and pocket, focusing on the snare. Is it laid back or in the center of the beat? To clue into the basic groove, I focus on the bass drum. Is it a simple one and three pattern, or are there anticipated eighth-notes or syncopated 16ths? Finally, I focus on the shape of my notes in terms of duration, attack, and tone. This is the step that really adds to the impression of tightness with a drummer.
Many technological factors affect note shape, like the type of bass, strings, and amp. But equally important is your playing technique. Making good choices on whether to use your fingers or slap, pop, mute, tap, or pick—and combining this with fretting-hand techniques—is essential to good note-shape control.
Music notation accommodates note shape through rhythmic duration and articulation, phrase markings, and ornamentations. We are more concerned, however, with the player’s interpretation than the composer’s intent. Check out the example to the right, which is like Abe Laboriel’s killer bass line on “New Frontier” off Donald Fagen’s Nightfly [Warner Bros.]. Again, actively listen to his articulation and note lengths, how the shape of his notes lock perfectly with Ed Green’s drums.
To bring this all together, I encourage you to listen with intention to the great bassists. Focus on how the bass is locking with the drums, and then, in your own imagination, hear the shape and sound that speaks to and for you.
Get This!
There are a lot of records that demonstrate excellent playing with an attention to note shape, but Donald Fagen’s Nightfly is particularly good. It features five of the world’s greatest bass players, each playing with a different drummer. Dig this: Anthony Jackson, Abe Laboriel, Marcus Miller, Chuck Rainey, and Will Lee playing with drummers Jeff Porcaro, James Gadson, Ed Green, and Steve Jordan. For example, listen to Anthony’s articulation on “I.G.Y.”—absolutely perfect playing with incredible consistency and attention to note shape. This record is a must-have.