I love playing Bass.

It’s always been the exciting instrument for me. For many people, it’s guitar, and that is the instrument that a lot of people head for, when picking one.

It’s been that way for years…

But these days, i’m noticing a lot of people heading towards the bass as their prefered instrument. It used to be the case that bands needed a bass player, so some poor soul would be lumbered with it, whilst secretely wishing he could play guitar. It used to be the un-cool choice. The “sit at the back and be a good boy” choice.

But it’s come so far, you know? The electric Bass is such a young instrument. In it’s infancy, it’s number one ability was to sit back, hold time and maintain the low. Now, it’s still like that, don’t get me wrong, but we’ve come to realise that there are many ways of achieving this…

Tapping is still a new technique being used on the bass, and we’re finding out new things, daily. In my interview with Jean Baudin, he says it’s his favourite technique, because there is still so much to be found. Very true. Slapping and popping is a pretty new technique as well, pinoeered by Larry Graham. We are playing melodies now as well, just like in my video here. Again, people are doing more and more different things with it. We are adding more strings, more effects. We are experimenting.

These are exciting times to be a Bass player.

So when that lead guitarist tells you you shouldn’t be playing slap and pop, because it takes the shine off his solo, tell him it’s evolution. And when the old-school dinosaurs tell you not to experiment with your Bass, and keep it traditional, tell them it’s evolution…

As long as we maintain the low, and keep good time, we can be allowed to dream…

So that’s why I love playing Bass. Why do you?

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