# What is the key to playing bass in the modern metal scene?



## Brill (Feb 8, 2013)

Pretty self explanitory. Im looking mainly at stuff like monuments, mnemic, periphery, RXYZYXR, ect..


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## Adrian-XI (Feb 8, 2013)

Umm, practise?


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## Randyrhoads123 (Feb 8, 2013)

Play the root note of what the guitar is playing an octave down?


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## abandonist (Feb 8, 2013)

Play your bass in a way that sounds good? 

I mean, I really just don't know what to say to this.


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## Veldar (Feb 8, 2013)

Um, how many guitars will the bass be fighting against?


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## MF_Kitten (Feb 8, 2013)

I would say "be audible". Don't just be "the low end rumble", be another instrument alongside the others!


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## Yo_Wattup (Feb 8, 2013)

Loxodrome said:


> Pretty self explanitory..



Uhhhh... I disagree .


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## Brill (Feb 8, 2013)

I ment like what techniques are key in those bands and such. And what should i do to make my bass playing sound like theirs.


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## BillNephew (Feb 8, 2013)

I'd say try and make your bass part play around the notes that the guitar is playing so that way your part sounds interesting, and not just that chug behind the guitars.


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## abandonist (Feb 8, 2013)

This thread is awful. 

Play your bass. Eventually you'll get better at it. Then you can play like whomever you like. There's no specific technique or "secret" to metal bass playing.


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## HeHasTheJazzHands (Feb 8, 2013)

Brush your teeth and eat your veggies. 

















And what everyone else said. They're spot on.


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## trent6308 (Feb 8, 2013)

Give it a little slap every now and then while you play......


and practice your bass playing too


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## FireInside (Feb 8, 2013)

The best advice I can give is just focus on being a well rounded, good player. Focus on locking in with the drums and (contrary to most of the other posts) don't just double the guitar. In a lot of cases that's what works but bass and drums should usually be in the same be together (sometimes you have a 3 or 4 way and you invite the guitars).


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## Veldar (Feb 8, 2013)

What kind of metal are you planing to play?
EDIT: sorry. I was half asleep when I posted this.


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## facepalm66 (Feb 8, 2013)

^ It's about time to learn to read. The first post says everything.


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## JPhoenix19 (Feb 8, 2013)

Loxodrome said:


> I ment like what techniques are key in those bands and such. And what should i do to make my bass playing sound like theirs.



I'd say use a pick for more attack, and make sure you emphasize them mids. Otherwise, it's really about preference. I'd say make your bass signal chain have aspects of what you use for guitar- like gates and boosts, and try a dual-tone setup where you can blend distortion and clean tones to your liking.


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## NegaTiveXero (Feb 8, 2013)

SLAPPA DA BAAAAASSSSSS!!!


_Posted from Sevenstring.org App for Android_


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## leechmasterargentina (Feb 8, 2013)

Don't be a frustrated guitar player or a guy who wants to be in a Metal band and guesses the bass is the easiest instrument to play.

That would be it. If you're gonna be a bass player, BE a bass player. It's a beautiful instrument.


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## The Omega Cluster (Feb 8, 2013)

play in unison with the guitars, unfortunately.


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## MF_Kitten (Feb 8, 2013)

The Omega Cluster said:


> play in unison with the guitars, unfortunately.



not unfortunate, and not necessary, depending on what you're after. low E is about the limit where things get really hard to keep up with. Octave-down E can work fine, as long as you accomodate it in the mix and you get the strings for the job. Beyond that it starts getting really hard to do in a metal context, unless you're after the timbre and growl of those notes, rather than the "note" content of it.


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## davisjom (Feb 8, 2013)

It all depends on how you look at things. When I was in metal bands I played exactly what the guitars did. And it worked for the music. But my friend's band, Summon The Ancients, the bass player sometimes does his own thing in songs and it works much better than if he matched everyone else.

You need to sit down with the music and figure out what will make the music more unique.

As for techniques... all of them. Slap, pop, tapping, fingers, and a pick. Every song is different, and in my mind, that could mean a different style for each one.

Not trying to piggyback on other comments, but practice and learn to be another instrumentalist, be audible but don't steal the mix. Low end rumbly-ness is okay, but for the stuff you were talking about, it's good to be heard.

My two cents, that is all.


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## in-pursuit (Feb 8, 2013)

show up late for practice and occasionally don't bother showing up at all, rarely chip in for rehearsal space/merch/food/beer, take forever to learn the material and then fuck a lot of it up anyway?

I kid, I kid, I'm actually a bass player. no wonder I don't have a band


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## Veldar (Feb 9, 2013)

Rum it through a pod or an axe FX with dual amps one a clean bass amp the other a dirty, filthy guitar amp, then combine them together for a sound that's heavy but clear as well.

Bonus points for using a Warwick or a Dingwall bass.


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## Don Vito (Feb 9, 2013)

leechmasterargentina said:


> Don't be a frustrated guitar player or a guy who wants to be in a Metal band and guesses the bass is the easiest instrument to play.
> 
> That would be it. If you're gonna be a bass player, BE a bass player. It's a beautiful instrument.


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## Leuchty (Feb 9, 2013)

in-pursuit said:


> show up late for practice and occasionally don't bother showing up at all, rarely chip in for rehearsal space/merch/food/beer, take forever to learn the material and then fuck a lot of it up anyway?
> 
> I kid, I kid, I'm actually a bass player. no wonder I don't have a band


 


Reminds me of my last band...

I would say with the mentioned styles, basically play what the guitars are playing. Its what gives the guitars girth and punch in the mix. Especially when guitars, bass and bass drum are all following each other.


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## Danukenator (Feb 9, 2013)

Listen to lots of bands with amazing bass players. Even if they aren't the style you want to play, they can give you an idea of how a bass can fit into a song.

I broke out my Iron Maiden disks the other. I'm always amazed how Steve always has a distinctive part without being in your face.


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## Belleal (Feb 9, 2013)

Punk/Oi/Thrash/Metal pretty much all I do--yeah, obviously I can djent. 

Fuzz, seperate amps for easy swap of sound, volume pedal is nice when ya wanna lock in an amp's sound, abc/xyz pedals make for easy shift, along with a Fender Bassman pedal to help any cheap amps & a good compression pedal (subtle & enough, yet great)...crap like that. In a three piece you'll wanna learn some chords & you'll have to learn to drown out the guitarist, subtly taking lead & let them fill rhythm (ambient/white noise).


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## cGoEcYk (Feb 9, 2013)

If you play in a band setting, make sure you got a loud enough rig. 4x10 (or more) + a fairly powerful head. Sansamp BDDI for brighness if your gear is on the dark or overly clean side. Use mids, develop chops. I like to play aggressively/percussively for more bite and not getting buried by the kick.


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## TheFerryMan (Feb 10, 2013)

Learn a few Mudvayne, gojira and lamb of god songs. I think that would cover all your bases (no pun intended)


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## jeleopard (Feb 10, 2013)

1. Pull pants down
2. Play bass with your dick
3. ???
4. Profit


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## MassNecrophagia (Feb 10, 2013)

I haven't seen any bass-playing techniques _not_ used in metal at some point.

There's no all-encompassing advice you're going to get. Learn to play bass, use what you know to play metal. There's no fast-track for any specific genre.

Ultimately it will come down to whether or not you're a good musician.


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## Ocara-Jacob (Feb 11, 2013)

Regarding modern metal, there are two bassists whose work I really enjoy, regarding technique and note choice. Nolly (Periphery) and Amos Williams (Tesseract) play amazingly well. They play creatively without making their lines seem too out there regarding the context of what the guitars are playing. Also, the techniques used by both are pretty great. When I have to play bass (which I mostly just do in recording situations) I pretty much try to play something that isn't EXACTLY what the guitars are doing (all of the time) but something that still fits.


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## Nmaster (Feb 13, 2013)

Honestly, the main thing is, just play with metal musicians. Listen to metal. Watch the bassist and their techniques, but don't copy them exactly. Take from different artists and develop a style unique to yourself if you can.


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## r3tr0sp3ct1v3 (Feb 13, 2013)

Practice makes perfect. You don't just wake up one day with magic fingers. Sounds wrong but you need to finger that bass more. 



Practice though.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 13, 2013)

They key to playing bass in modern metal seems to be the same as the key to being a woman or child prior to civil rights... 

Be seen and not heard.


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## right_to_rage (Feb 13, 2013)

Eq your bass to fit the guitar sound, cut the highs and let the drums take the sub lows. COMPRESSION!!!


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Feb 13, 2013)

develop your own style and apply it to metal


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## VBCheeseGrater (Feb 13, 2013)

Tons of great advice - one good thing is to know when to lock in with guitar. You should always be locked in with drums, but sometimes bass players overplay and muddle up the overal sound with all kinds of fills and crap that seems cool to the bass player, but only makes the band sound messy. There are some parts in songs that DEMAND you play the same notes as guitar, else it sounds like shit


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 13, 2013)

BIG ND SWEATY said:


> develop your own style and apply it to metal


 
GET BACK IN THE BOX!!!


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 13, 2013)

VBCheeseGrater said:


> Tons of great advice - one good thing is to know when to lock in with guitar. You should always be locked in with drums, but sometimes bass players overplay and muddle up the overal sound with all kinds of fills and crap that seems cool to the bass player, but only makes the band sound messy. There are some parts in songs that DEMAND you play the same notes as guitar, else it sounds like shit


 
Honestly... I'm the guitar and bass player in my band so maybe I do this to avoid boredom, but my bass parts never follow the guitar or drums. It always does its own thing tastefully within the spaces the drums and guitar provide. 

I see a song as a dance between all the instruments more so than some dancing with others under the pretense of a collaborative effort.

The muddiness you refer to may have something to do with EQ problems or an overly busy bass player.


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## Herrick (Feb 13, 2013)

The key for most metal bassists unfortunately is to be seen butt not heard.


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## knuckle_head (Feb 13, 2013)

The lower you go the slower you play . . . .


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## cGoEcYk (Feb 13, 2013)

Konfyouzd said:


> Be seen and not heard.





Herrick said:


> The key for most metal bassists unfortunately is to be seen butt not heard.


Maybe that's how you guys roll. 

It really does take quite an investment in gear to have serious presence as a bassist when drummers are pretty thunderous and guitarists are super loud (and probably dialed in for a massive version of their "bedroom" sound that takes up the whole sonic spectrum). Easy to get stuck into that limited role when you are starting out and struggling to be heard & other people dominate the creative process and overall sound by default.

Having a key bassist makes a big difference in getting a more distinctive sound as a band.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 14, 2013)

cGoEcYk said:


> Maybe that's how you guys roll.



It's not... I AM the bassist in my band and we don't play metal (per se). But I've noticed the bass player in a lot of modern metal bands seems to take a back seat to a buncha busy-body weedly weedly heads... 

I'm also the guitarist in my band so...


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## ToMurderAMachine (Feb 14, 2013)

"Modern Metal" Scene? ok... so basically what you want to do is smash your head into some sort of object at a high velocity several times until a sufficient amount of brain damage has occurred, and you forget EVERYTHING you've ever learned about this thing they call "Music"... Then, Droptune your bass to whatever the lowest string on the guitar is (and namely the only string you AND your guitar player will even touch considering its "metal") and play that string whenever it feels appropriate. Whatever you do though, make sure you absolutely do NOT try to be creative or sound original... they'll kick you right out of the band without a redemption. Make sure you listen to as many metal bands as possible, and do whatever you can to sound EXACTLY like them... forget the word "creativity" even existed. Once you've mastered all these techniques, they may ask you to growl or make silly noises into a microphone. Don't be scared, it isn't nearly as hard as they say it is... no talent actually required whatsoever. Also, make sure you wear your strap as low as it can possibly go... If your bass isn't bouncing off your knees, you don't look cool enough and are also at risk (again) of being kicked out of the band...


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## isispelican (Feb 14, 2013)

thats the key :


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## BIG ND SWEATY (Feb 14, 2013)

ToMurderAMachine said:


> "Modern Metal" Scene? ok... so basically what you want to do is smash your head into some sort of object at a high velocity several times until a sufficient amount of brain damage has occurred, and you forget EVERYTHING you've ever learned about this thing they call "Music"... Then, Droptune your bass to whatever the lowest string on the guitar is (and namely the only string you AND your guitar player will even touch considering its "metal") and play that string whenever it feels appropriate. Whatever you do though, make sure you absolutely do NOT try to be creative or sound original... they'll kick you right out of the band without a redemption. Make sure you listen to as many metal bands as possible, and do whatever you can to sound EXACTLY like them... forget the word "creativity" even existed. Once you've mastered all these techniques, they may ask you to growl or make silly noises into a microphone. Don't be scared, it isn't nearly as hard as they say it is... no talent actually required whatsoever. Also, make sure you wear your strap as low as it can possibly go... If your bass isn't bouncing off your knees, you don't look cool enough and are also at risk (again) of being kicked out of the band...



look out guys we got a bass elitist here


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## ToMurderAMachine (Feb 14, 2013)

^ haha, nah i'm not really an elitist... i just don't care for modern metal. I don't mind periphery with the exception of the vocalist, and I grew up listening to Ryan from mudvayne. There are special occasions to the paragraph i spewed above. Such as Ryan Martinie, but as far as modern metal goes, (infant annihilator, and other bands with ridiculous names) I just don't see many talented bassist. The dude from periphery is literally in the process of changing the scene, similar to how Ryan did back in the early 2000's. I just don't feel like the "metal" genre has too many talented bass players in it... with a few exceptions.


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## Konfyouzd (Feb 14, 2013)

I think you might be surprised if they were allowed more freedom. 

Unless you're in the band, you might not be able to fully understand why they put what they did on a record. Despite what you might want to hear, perhaps they collectively decided it was best to do something a different way. 

Moreover, a huge part of playing is also knowing what not to play. Restraint is a difficult pill for some to swallow and may come across to some as a person not being skilled enough or whatever preconceived notions one might have about someone's musical abilities. Some ppl are just obviously not very good, but I'm fairly certain a lot of them will surprise you given the chance.


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## Herrick (Feb 14, 2013)

cGoEcYk said:


> Maybe that's how you guys roll.
> 
> It really does take quite an investment in gear to have serious presence as a bassist when drummers are pretty thunderous and guitarists are super loud (and probably dialed in for a massive version of their "bedroom" sound that takes up the whole sonic spectrum). Easy to get stuck into that limited role when you are starting out and struggling to be heard & other people dominate the creative process and overall sound by default.
> 
> Having a key bassist makes a big difference in getting a more distinctive sound as a band.



Konfyouzd beat me to it. I didn't see that he posted that already. 

That's not how I roll. I don't even play in a band. That's just my observation from listening to Metal. The bassist that has a consistently audible tone (forget unique or even being a great player) is the exception. This is unfortunate. Bass sounds very cool. I don't know why most bands are content with burying their bassist alive 

Steve DiGiogio said in an interview that bassists were pushed out of the mix because they weren't good players. I like what he said about not having bass if you don't want it. This is something I often question when I hear inaudible bass on metal albums. Why even have a fucking bass player? Is it because a band is expected to have one? Another good point he brings up is bassists should try to create their own parts...but this largely depends on the main songwriter(s) in the band...whether or not they would allow such a thing.


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## djentinc (Feb 14, 2013)

A good tone is a really important part of modern metal bass playing. The "tone shaper" of a bass usually lies in the low mids so accentuate those, and also let a little bit (BUT NOT TOO MUCH) high end in there so that the bass cuts through. A nice distortion pedal will really help you to get that nice growly tone. Also try and find a pedal that has a "blend" feature, so you can blend the clean tone in with your distorted growly tone.

Make sure you practice playing in as many different styles as you possibly can. Learn the basics of funk and jazz electric bass (especially study the work of Stuart Zender on those early Jamiroquai albums, they are the pinnacle of bass playing in my book). Be comfortable with playing both with a pick and with fingers, maybe even switching between the two during the course of a song. Also look at more technical bass players like Bill Dickens and Jeff Hughell to help you improve on techniques such as tapping and slap/pop techniques.

Remember that you don't have to follow the guitars and drums all the time! Experiment with playing counterpoint and harmony lines with the guitars, keyboards or even vocals. Write your own little fills and runs which add something new and cool to whatever you're playing. Don't just play root notes, but also play OTHER notes in the chord (such as the 3rd, 5th or 7th).

Most importantly, the groove is your friend. Get in your pocket and stay in it. Keep the groove going even when playing solo lines, or the audience/listeners will get bored and think you're just wanking. Almost equally as important, learn when it's right to hold back and when it's right to play busier parts. There is nothing wrong with having parts where you're sitting back and grooving on one note for a minute or so, but it's good sometimes to cut loose and put some cool fills and runs in there.

Hope this helps you .


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## signalgrey (Feb 14, 2013)

dont scoop your mids, if you are talking about EQ.

Remember that you are a rhythm/melodic instrument hybrid. You dont need to play like a metronome on the beat and follow the rhythm guitarist. You can add harmony, rhythm and THE body to any piece of music. Prepare to be under appreciated but totally missed if you arent there.


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## djentinc (Feb 14, 2013)

Ocara-Jacob said:


> Regarding modern metal, there are two bassists whose work I really enjoy, regarding technique and note choice. Nolly (Periphery) and Amos Williams (Tesseract) play amazingly well. They play creatively without making their lines seem too out there regarding the context of what the guitars are playing. Also, the techniques used by both are pretty great. When I have to play bass (which I mostly just do in recording situations) I pretty much try to play something that isn't EXACTLY what the guitars are doing (all of the time) but something that still fits.



Amos is one of my biggest influences as a bass player. I often think WWAD (What Would Amos Do?) when writing bass in a metal context .


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## Mwoit (Feb 16, 2013)

For modern metal bass, I just think of Colin Marston. 



Nothing else to me has such a cutting tone and original non-linear playing for modern metal bass. Then again, I'm a super fanboy so whatever.


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## codycarter (Feb 18, 2013)

Learn to play more than the root notes without going all Primus


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## axxessdenied (Feb 18, 2013)

play to the drummer and groove like a motherfucker.


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## theronaldchase (Feb 22, 2013)

As well as what everyone is saying about developing technique, work on tone as well. Build a great rig with good gear. 

But before worrying about that, definitely work on technique.


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