View Full Version : A band with 2 bassists
I'm sure it's been done before, I'm just wondering what band did it?
An opportunity has arose for me to form a band with 2 bassists. I just want to listen to a few songs of another band with the same, so I can get an idea if it will sound good, be easy to work with etc etc.
yungatart
7th June 2006, 18:50
I'm sure the neighbour is gonna looove this one...
He'll never notice the vibrations.
Two bassists could be difficult to work with, but imagine the sound it would have! Slipknot are re-nowned(sp?) for 3 drummers/percussionists. And the only reason they wanted that in the first place was to have a heavy percussion sound, instead of the classic raunchy guitars and bass, metal sound. So why not go the other way and have 2 bassists, giving a deep, dark, heavy sound.
I'm sure it's possible. Would be interesting to try though. One would mainly play the top two, deeper strings. While the would play soft, higher pitched picking. Then in the chorus', have them both doing similar things. Would sound awesome, I think!
Hitcher
7th June 2006, 20:03
Two bassists would require the musical arranger to apply a bit of skill to derive the best effect. There would be little value in them both churning out the same bass line.
And to answer your question, I'm not aware of any mainstream bands that have tried this, but I'm sure it must have been done somewhere. Sting must have had some involvement with a second bassist at some stage in his career -- particularly when he was experimenting with his own prototype instruments back in the 80s.
riffer
7th June 2006, 20:06
Just what you need.
TWO manic depressives in the band.
Could be worse - two singers.
A tradtional bass player to put down the rhythm and someone to do slap and pop - a lead bassist like Stanely Clarke to do solos.I've heard bass players just playing by themselves...a huge range and style,they can just go on and on.
riffer
7th June 2006, 20:12
Now I remember - Marillion tried two bassists.
In fact Chris Squire (Fish) once said "a nightmare is two bassists on stage".
Then again, he was one of them sometimes ...
I'm sure it's been done before, I'm just wondering what band did it?
An opportunity has arose for me to form a band with 2 bassists. I just want to listen to a few songs of another band with the same, so I can get an idea if it will sound good, be easy to work with etc etc.
what is it with bassists and honda VTs? i ride a vtz250 and also play the bass. the talent of the other band members will need to be 2nd to none as intergrating two bassists is no easy task. see how the other bassist plays and then see if your styles are too similar
yungatart
7th June 2006, 20:26
hXc is a drummer - not a bassist
what is it with bassists and honda VTs? i ride a vtz250 and also play the bass. the talent of the other band members will need to be 2nd to none as intergrating two bassists is no easy task. see how the other bassist plays and then see if your styles are too similar
Well as said above, I'm a drummer. I just have a thing with organising different projects to try. This being one of them.
A tradtional bass player to put down the rhythm and someone to do slap and pop - a lead bassist like Stanely Clarke to do solos.I've heard bass players just playing by themselves...a huge range and style,they can just go on and on.
That's exactly what I thought.
Although there would be some places where it would be an added feature to have both the bassists doing the same, or nearly the same thing. And the guitarists doing the same. With the drums on the same rhythm. So it's all at the same time, then a break with vocals, then the 'riff' again etc...
The band I played with had 2 - one electric and one fretless... it worked!
Well this would possibly be a different style but that's good to know it worked. If it happens with the members we have lined up at the moment, it will turn out interesting indeed:
Singer likes: Emo, punk, rock
Bassist 1 likes: Emo, punk, metal, alternative, rock (Female)
Bassist 2 likes: Rock, metal, punk
Guitarist 1 likes: Metal
Guitarist 2 likes: Metal, punk, emo
Drummer likes: Emo, metal, punk, rock, alternative, jazz
This band has two drummers and two bassists. Interesting.
http://www.giantrobot.com/transmissions/49rumdiary/index.html
One band I have found that have had two bassists in their line up: Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Formed in 1987 as 6th formers. A british band. Taking their name from an episode of The Goons Show
Colapop
7th June 2006, 20:50
Try them out on a jazz piece - that always seems to bring out a definite clash of styles. Which can work real well or be the complete opposite. A guy I used to work with is a bass player. He's bloody good (I don't know shit about music though) he would play melodies (on his bass) over pre-recorded bass lines. No clash it sounded somehow cleaner.
riffer
7th June 2006, 20:56
Its called counterpoint Colapop. If you do it right it works really well.
Trouble is, if its not quite right it sounds really bad.
Colapop
7th June 2006, 20:57
Ah ok then.... When he did it - it sounded pretty damn good.
Yeah Cola thats pretty common where I come from, we just opted for 2 live players... I was on the Fender and Chris was on the electric Ibanez!
Ah... those were the days! :D
phantom
7th June 2006, 20:59
Got a dvd of one of Sting's concerts and he is playing an electric bass and he has another guy on an acoustic one but I don't suppose that counts
ZeroIndex
7th June 2006, 21:03
you need one doing standard-style bass, and the other doing 'tapping'.. bass-tapping sounds brilliant..
James Deuce
7th June 2006, 22:01
The only good thing that can come of two bass players in one band is the Drummer has a choice of girlfriends to steal off the bass players. Possibly both at once, because they'll be so stupid they'll never notice they're going out with the same guy, having been a bass player's girlfriend and all.
thealmightytaco
7th June 2006, 22:10
Counterpoint colapop? Genre's get stranger by the day. Emo?
And where do you get 2 bassists?! We couldn't find 1 bassist for years let alone 2, they all wanna play proper guitar, the soul-less bastards.
hazard02
8th June 2006, 08:14
From experience messing around in a band room back in school, it can work just fine. As has been said, just keep the two playing a different sound. If one plays something low and rhythmic, get the other to play something with a little more treble-ly and melodic. Adding a distorion pedal can give one of them a pretty unique sound too.
SPORK
8th June 2006, 08:19
Everyone knows if you want multiple instruments, guitar's the way to go. Bassists are the bottom of the band ladder unless played by a real musician.
Slap 4 guitarists in your band :)
Devil
8th June 2006, 09:36
Bottom of the band ladder. Hah. A good bassist leads the band.
There's nothing I hate more than shitty sounding bass.
The musical arrangements aside, you need to be very careful with the technical side of setting up two basses to work together if at some point they're going to be playing similar things, even if in different octaves.
Intonation needs to be spot on or it'll sound like arse.
SPORK
8th June 2006, 20:34
Bottom of the band ladder. Hah. A good bassist leads the band.
There's nothing I hate more than shitty sounding bass.
The musical arrangements aside, you need to be very careful with the technical side of setting up two basses to work together if at some point they're going to be playing similar things, even if in different octaves.
Intonation needs to be spot on or it'll sound like arse.
The key is finding a good bassit that doesn't just want to play the root notes of the guitars :/
But holy shit, I had practice with a completely awesome band today. They want me to sing (They've already got 2 guitars and 3 guitarists) Then take over full time when the other guy moves away. To become the FRONTMAN OF DOOEM.
F5 Dave
9th June 2006, 15:24
The only good thing that can come of two bass players in one band is the Drummer has a choice of girlfriends to steal off the bass players. Possibly both at once, because they'll be so stupid they'll never notice they're going out with the same guy, having been a bass player's girlfriend and all.
You've been a Bass player's girlfriend?:gob:
PaddyFZ1
9th June 2006, 15:42
Try listening to some Iron Maiden,or even better watch some of the vids, the good stuff, mid 80s. They only had 1 bassist but very talented, Steve Harris, i think his name was. You would probably need a couple of bassist to replicate that sound.
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