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Form vs. Function |
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| An essay on why simple doesn’t mean better, and why pigeonholes stink of pigeon shit! Architects about sixty or so years ago began to follow the “form follows function” ideology, with people such as Frank Lloyd Wright making an impact with simple, almost box like linear designs for houses and office blocks. Many erstwhile homeowners and corporates gulped his designs down, and Wright no doubt had money in the bank for the rest of his life. But was a Frank Lloyd Wright designed house necessarily a comfortable house? Was the office building he drew an altogether pleasant place to work (if that’s at all possible…)? I’m inclined to think that as bass players we are so driven to simplify our playing and to cut out our chops that we have maybe – as a whole – forgotten to have fun. Sure, the song is always the bigger picture and overplaying can most certainly kill the piece, but do we all have to be playing only roots and fifths? Why do jazz players enjoy so much musical freedom – and are accepted for it – when rock players get the short end for playing more than one note per beat by being told we are just frustrated guitarists? Well, before I go on, let me say upfront that I think that being a servant to the song is fine if that’s your bag, and being a pat of the team is what bass playing is all about, (it’s what being any in part of a band is about) but what about the need to express yourself from time to time. I read that Marcus Miller said that nobody would ever hire a pianist that couldn’t solo, so why do we hire bassist who can’t? Am I wrong in suggesting that we are cutting off our noses by not exploring the instruments we choose to play, be it bass or any other for that matter? I don’t think I am. I’m not for suggesting at all that we trade one shoe for another and become slaves to technique, but I am saying that we shouldn’t be afraid to step out of the shadows from time to time and have something to say. We should have the ability to be able to do whatever we want. Someone told me once that you couldn’t dismiss a certain technique out-of-hand unless you can play it. I happen to think that is so very true. I can’t slap worth a dime, but I enjoy what I can do, and so do others funnily enough, but imagine if I said “well, I’m no Vic Wooten – so to heck with it”? Imagine if Tony Levin had said, “drumsticks on my fingers – I don’t think so”? Imagine if Jaco had left his frets in? Opening ones eyes to new possibilities is always rewarding. If you play rock – study a little jazz. If you play jazz – try a little AC/DC riff. If you can’t read music, learn. If you can’t tap, try it. If you play too much, try simplifying your style, because that’s always a measure of someone who knows when to blow and when to hold back. I’ve heard Steve Bailey play his fretless 6 like it was a two string, but when it’s his turn to step into the light, there is authority and wisdom and a whole lotta fun. The bottom line (pun intended) is to play to the best of our abilities. To be able to shut the guitarist up for 16 bars and to be the glue that holds it all together and the spice that makes the song cook. If not, then play the bass for money…(I’ll let you figure that one out) |
