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Former Jazz bassist as well. Blew my mind when I was in school, all of my teachers insisted that I was the timekeeper, not the drummer. The band might listen to
by jjulius 4y ago
Former Jazz bassist as well. Blew my mind when I was in school, all of my teachers insisted that I was the timekeeper, not the drummer. The band might listen to the drummer, but the drummer needed to listen to me.
Once I left school, it quickly became apparent that each band has their own preference for who they should follow. But, that pressure on me really gave me a strong sense of time and rhythm that I tremendously appreciate to this day.
- analog31 4y agoIt's interesting that the "rule" seems to be that the bassist is the timekeeper in jazz, but in a lot of bands, the players habitually lock to the drummer. I'm ready for it to go either way. In my main band, I have a good rapport with the drummer (we've been playing together for 20 years), and so we are a pretty tight unit. Sometimes if the drummer has to miss a rehearsal, then it's just me, and I don't mind reminding the band that they can trust the bassist. It's kind of like driving in heavy traffic. You might not completely trust the cars in front of and behind you, but choosing your own speed is fraught with risks. ;-)