The 38-year-old Illinois native brought his multi-instrumental talents (acoustic and electric bass, guitars, keyboards) to bear on his debut album Far From Enough [Nonesuch, 2004]. His newest effort, II [Back Porch, 2007], showcases the compositional skills acquired in part through studies at the University of Illinois. Along with studio masters Dean Parks on guitar and the ever-present Matt Chamberlain on drums, Krauss’s composing and playing voices mesh into one continuous, humming musical landscape, exemplified in the song “Dudeman.”
Despite his many accomplishments (we haven’t even mentioned film-scoring credits on Dr. T & the Women and Twister yet), the quiet and gracious Krauss prefers the background to the foreground. Standing in the bedroom of his early-1900s Nashville home, he points to his upright bass and says, “This is an accompaniment instrument 99 percent of the time and I like doing something where there’s a ‘golden section’—a moment where I’ll play a lick that’s a little different in this one spot. Then I suddenly become aware that there’s something going on, and it makes me want to listen to other stuff that might be going on. What can I add from a compositional standpoint?” Viktor cites his approach to playing with Bill Frisell in saying, “What can I do that can move a section? What creates music? Not, what cool bass part can I play?”
In “Dudeman,” Krauss’s bass line drives the hypnotic groove of this densely layered tune, and it’s a nice acoustic workout. The first and third bars are a series of muted 16th-notes and harmonics that flow from the top string down fairly naturally; the right hand skips down the strings one at a time, while the left hand goes from 12th fret to 7th fret to 1st position. The second bar’s variation is a pause at the 7th fret for a series of harmonics. Finally, the fourth bar contains a greasy rake into the second note.
Getting the notes right is just a small part of what Krauss uses to make the line work. “There are so many tonal variations from here [plays with right hand on neck] to here [plays with right hand near bridge], depending on how close you get to the bridge.” Krauss then starts rotating his right hand at different angles, explaining, “It also depends on how much of your finger you want to use. If it’s something rapid, or tight-sounding like an electric part, then you’d play it like that [turns his right hand at a right angle to the strings, electric-style], or for more roundness, I’d do this [plays with right hand fingers pointing down, traditional upright-style]. I’ll end up with a callus—especially on a long tour—on pretty much the whole length of the finger to get the meatier sound.”
Harmonics are another tricky business on upright. Demonstrating the “Dudeman” line, he looks at his left hand and says, “There’s a bit of force here, or else my fingers peter out a little.” Krauss estimates he needs about twice as much left-hand pressure to make a harmonic work on the acoustic as opposed to electric. He then showed another way to do it during lighter moments: playing with the right hand above the left-hand position on the neck, for “a more harp-like quality. A lot of the time I’ll try to get the softer attack up there.”
As an acoustic bass influence, Krauss is quick to cite Ray Brown. “I wore out Oscar Peterson’s Night Train [Polygram, 1962]. That’s such a big sound that Ray Brown has … even though he’s got chops for days, he was just such a feel guy.” But Viktor’s other main influence is straight-up rock, and for deeper reasons than you might think. “I once had a band director who said, ‘If you’re going to play a mistake, play it loud’—so your intent is really there. I like the rock & roll guys for that—the attitude and the sound. Led Zeppelin is a huge one for me, not just because John Paul Jones is absolutely amazing, but I really appreciate the conviction and that there’s no secondguessing going on. AC/DC for me is the same thing: I’m going to hit this note and I’m going to mean it!”
Considering how much Krauss is offering compositionally on both Far From Enough and II, his advice to those interested in writing seem pertinent for both players and composers alike: “Just record a bunch of stuff. Whatever medium it is, just be able to listen back to it. Just be aware of what you like; there’s a part of your DNA that will come out, just because you’re different, and also because of who you’ve listened to your entire life.”
Technical Advice
Instrument Setup
Finding an instrument that’s doing a lot of the work for you, in terms of a great setup, is important. The acoustic bass has a lot of things going against you to begin with! It’s hard to play, it’s big, and there’s no frets. An adjustable bridge is crucial, as are good electronics.
Studio Setup
In the studio, I want to hear more DI than anything. I’ll play with that, not only to play in tune, but to take it from a standpoint of knowing it works good to begin with, depending on what an engineer wants to do with it, whether it’s a more miked sound or a more roomy sound. I like it when the mics are as close to the instrument as possible. The acoustic isn’t that loud, so this technique works. A quiet acoustic guitar is easier to record than a loud one.
We’ll put a larger-diaphragm mic on the right ƒ- hole, and then a really refined condenser, a B&K or Neumanntype mic right in the bridge so that you’re getting the strongest point on the note. A lot of the time it’s miked further from the instrument, which is great for an ambient sound but sometimes takes up too much space in the track. You don’t want the woofiness factor.
Instrument Electronics
I’m using a Fishman on the bridge; I run it through a Demeter tube DI, which does amazing things. My alternate q" jack is just a tuner out. I use the Underwood pickup when I use it with an amp, with my two contact pickups on the bridge piece. The Underwood is a quiet pickup, but I can get it much louder without feedback with the help of the SWR Mr. Tone Controls semiparametric EQ.