Guitar, Bass, and Drums.
I’ve been playing guitar since I was a kid. I’ve written tons of songs and parts on guitar. I’ve even been “the” guitar player in bands before, guess I am now. I’m invested in guitar not only with practice time but some nice axes. So why have I started writing songs on bass and djembe?
The simple answer is I’m exploring different sounds and structures. But the more complicated answer is I was stymied on guitar and I knew it in my playing, but did not realize it in my writing.
My hands gravitate to certain chord shapes and riffs I play all the time. I had to put down guitar for a bit. I didn’t want to quit music, so I got a bass and djembe. I learned about different kinds of music from Fela Kuti to Babatunde Olatunji, to over here in the 70’s like The Meters, all the way to Paris with Balkan Jazz like Djeravica.
(Thanks, bkbirge, Brady Jo, and Steve McGrady for the tips on amazing hand drums and bass.)
“Drums of Passion: The Beat, Babatunde Olatunji”
New Ingredients, New Music.
I’ve spent over a year honing fretless bass and djembe together to make sense and fun rhythms. It’s changed not only the music that comes out, it’s changed the music on loop in my brain. I have a diverse radio station going with songs from all times and locations. I’m enjoying it. It is maybe the best time I’ve had since I was a kid with music. It’s because of the bass and djembe.
I played drums when I was a kid and even in my college stint. So the hand drumming just feels good. Not only am I connecting to music from around the world that doesn’t play the snare on the 2 and 4, I’m connecting with me as a kid. I’m always down for that. I was an interesting kid. I like giving that boy some attention.
The bass is different. The bass is new. Sure I’ve tinkered with bass before. However, I didn’t get beyond root notes until recently with some practice. That felt good too, like buying a nice tool for the tool box. What I did not expect was the writing to explode with bass and djembe together. The rhythm section has taken on life and direction. It drives the songs at the moment. That’s new, and welcome.
And finally, back to guitar?
What happened when I picked the guitar back up is that I was playing on top of bass and djembe rhythms I made. I play guitar much differently now. I got out of my rut. Back to no presets, anything’s possible.
I hope if you’re experiencing a rut, you’re able to try something new, zany, or simply different. Dig into it, I say. When you come back to the old stuff, you find you can do new stuff with it. Pretty handy, for the musician type.
Enjoy the song and enjoy learning new music stuff. Take care.
Return to home
The Meters
“Cissy Strut”
Extra Video (if you want).
After I showed this entry to a friend, he nudged me to add an example of me playing the new sound. Here is one minute of djembe, maraca, fretless bass, and guitar. It isn’t like music I have ever done. I enjoy that aspect to it a lot. I also enjoy rocking out, so. Take care!