Note: My senior-year English teacher in high school was dedicated and hard working. She cared about her students and was passionate about making us better writers. And at the time, I couldn’t stand her. She put great emphasis on helping us find our voice, and in the process (I felt) stifled our voices–or mine at least. After much frustration with negative feedback on my writing (this piece, for example, written at almost exactly the same time), I wrote a piece designed purely to make her happy. It was shorter than other things I had written, and I put very little effort into it, other than to parrot the style I felt she wanted–short sentences that communicated ‘feeling.’ My only goal was to make her happy, and I succeeded. This piece got an A and positive comments, and I’ve always hated it. (DL, Sept. 19, 2021)
I love playing the bass. When I play the bass, whether alone, but especially in a group, I experience a unique sense of rhythm and control. The bass is the root and bone of the music. Every chord is built upon the foundational note that the bass lays, and it is the bass rhythm that shares the responsibility of driving the music.
Sometime when you get a chance, listen to Henry Manncinni’s “Theme From Peter Gunn”, or some Beach Boys tune. Concentrate on the bass line. Turn it all the way up and feel the rhythm. The best bass line I ever heard was at a youth group concert, being blasted by very large speakers. It was so loud that I could feel the bass vibrating up and down my sternum. If you ever experience that felling, you’ll know what I mean. You can’t miss the strength.
The magic of bass is more than volume though. Small, quiet jazz ensembles have some of the keenest examples of bass kicks you can find. They emphasize movement and syncopation over volume. This is due to the fact that for the most part they don’t use electric basses, but the big, upright wooden kind. It’s a whole different sound, but just as, if not more effective.
I just have to hope that some day I’ll be able to play the bass well enough to join a really good group, jazz or otherwise, because only then will I be able to experience playing the bass to the fullest.