Canadian Musician - November/December 2018 | Page 27
BASS
Years before Cordovas’ formation, bassist and bandleader Joe Firstman travelled the U.S. as a solo musician. Raised in North Carolina, he moved to
Hollywood as a determined 20-year-old, signing a major label deal with Atlantic Records. When a dizzying blur of acclaimed shows – including opening
dates for Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson – weren’t enough to satisfy the expectations of a big-budget record label, Firstman lost his contract and took a
new job as music director on Last Call with Carson Daly, where he performed nightly alongside first-rate musicians like
Thundercat and Kamasi Washington. www.cordovasband.com.
By Joe Firstman
Your Bass Has A Voice
M
y approach on bass isn’t
really from the perspec-
tive of a bass player; it
would be more from the
perspective of a producer or a person
in an audience. When I’m thinking
about the song, I’m thinking about the
overall picture, and all of the instru-
ments are being considered in the
same way. What best serves the musi-
cal situation? What makes the most
compelling vibe? Maybe it’s a repeated
part, maybe we never repeat the same
thing. Vibe dictates what we should do.
Consider the Song
The song matters. We can’t save a bad
song, but we can use playing bad
songs as practice and make them as
true as we can. Then, if we stick with it
and allow our friends and open space
to be constructively critical, we will
eventually arrive at truths – that mean-
ingful art life, through music, that you
never retire from, that will be everlast-
ing. Not, “How fancy can I be?”
If I wanted bass on my country
bar band’s song, I don’t think it would
serve the situation very well for my
band to play it really straight and keep
on the root note and to worry so much
about the bass lining up with the kick.
I prefer to hear a bass player make
melodies happen, take chances, and
create vital melodies that we want to
hear repeated – well placed melodies
and parts. This approach is certainly
W W W. C A N A D I A N M U S I C I A N . CO M
more attractive for our songs. Maybe
yours, too.
That is a good way to look at it – to
step back and make sure that you’re
not just being the bass player, but that
you’re being the producer. Produce
yourself constantly and mix yourself
constantly. (Take the cymbals away
from the drummer!) Know that you can
get that volume nice and hot and then
let your hand do the work and play a
little softer. Always be sure to enrich
your music and your performance of
each song with as much dynamic as
possible. And nothing matters more
than emotion.
Again, nothing can save a bad
song. Not all the booze in the dressing
room or the best mother of pearl.
Make the highs and lows, dynami-
cally speaking, as far apart as possible
to make it a nice roller coaster of
volumes. Don’t be afraid to have the
bass harmonize with a vocal part. Be
innovative. Be unique, and at all costs,
be original. There are endless ways
to go about it. The best thing is to
manage the fundamental core of the
material – the song, the arrangement,
the overall execution, and a strong
ending or transition.
Get Creative
Lastly, my favorite thing to do is to
reharmonize. If the song is in G, that G
is the root, C is the fourth, and D is the
fifth, so maybe we play B instead of
D – the relative third. Maybe we play
A minor instead of C. Maybe we play
E minor instead of G. But we should
also explore what C over G sounds
like, what D over G sounds like, what
those little substitutions could add to
the music.
Paul McCartney did it all the time.
Early Elton John records have plenty of
it, too. Obviously, all the Joni Mitchell
records… It goes on and on. Make it a
less-than-boring part – not busy, but
inventive and heartfelt. Just the right
amount of heart and soul and the
subtle revelation into the stone-cold
brother or sister that you are deep
down.
Only the rugged choose this job.
Don't fake it. You are the real thing if
your approach is sincere. Just go down
that path, follow that muse, pursue
that story. Hail your errors. Celebrate
your mistakes. Sing THAT on your bass.
Make plans. Map out an entire narra-
tive for the "voice" of your bass. Tell
a story with every note, chorus, run.
Think about your rock band as a little
orchestra. Don’t unnecessarily stack
things, but make sure you account for
as many octaves and as much range
as possible. We don't need three guys
and a keyboard all playing the low
G note. Also, volume is not going to
make our song better! Preparation,
good arranging, dynamics, and execu-
tion are going to make the song better.
Then all we have to do is drive safe.
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