Thanks for the feedback. How many different named formats do you think there are? By this, I mean you have: scales, arpeggios, octaves, riffs, walking bass...and I'm sure many more, or are there? What are the main 'formats' you use?
Until we are given a lead solo our job is to provide rhythm and harmony. IMO Chord tones let us do that. R-3-5-7 and of course if minor R-b3-5-b7. But nothing wrong with the 2, 4 & 6 if used as passing notes. The major pentatonic R-2-3-5-6, or minor pentatonic R-b3-4-5-b7 are all "good" notes. I think our task is to decide what notes to leave out and which ones to put into our bass line. Music is made of melody, harmony and rhythm. We normally are responsible for harmony and rhythm. I leave the melody to the solo instruments. Now if you want to play melodically no need in reading the rest of this post.
I guess my point is I feel like I personally do a lot of 1-3-5 stuff and will noodle around that base and throw in some other hints rest of that scale a lot. Then when they changing chords, I'll drop the main note of the new chord. That's fine for some things but feels a bit restrictive and repetitive. Should I be hitting the main note of the chord on the change? Or does it matter?
In the music I play, Country and Praise, it is roots to the beat. I am expected to call attention to the changes by sounding the root note, after that, if more is needed, it's left up to me what I put in. That is normally a 5 and the octave 8. So roots are a given and then somewhere between roots and R-5-8-5 is my bread and butter bass line. I do love to find one or two places where a chromatic run can be inserted with out stepping on toes. Only walking I do between chords is with Country and here a walk is expected. Praise will change chords so quickly, and can and will use all seven chords in one song and it's here that a walk between chords is usually not needed. Between verses, if a run fills a void, no reason not to insert a run.
What keeps that from being boring is the groove. You can fall into a groove with just roots to the beat. From there it's how much more is needed, or not needed. I find that less is usually more. I find a lot of satisfaction following the drummer's kick and falling into the groove for this specific song.
Is that restrictive and repetitive? Perhaps, I think of it as being what is necessary to perform the part of the song I am responsible for.
For example we started jamming on a new song this week and I knew the key but not the chords or timing of the chord changes. And to be honest with you it was the most on-point I've ever been. It felt good to be free of the bounds of playing the chord note on the change. Not sure if this was just due to this specific songs' structure or because I didn't really know or care where the changes were and neither did the rest of the band, and was playing with a much more open ear. It turned into an excellent (for us) 20 minute jam with a ton of variations from me and everyone else. I'd appreciate any feedback my uninitiated comments above inspire you to share. Thanks!
Yes I love jamming, it is free and not a lot of "exact" is expected. In jamming close is close enough. So when jamming have fun and let your creativity side flow. However, when we are not jamming we do need to hit the chord changes. Why? That's what we are responsible for; it is our job to let the band know it's time for a chord change and what new chord is to be used. In Country when the guys hear that walk it alerts them that a new chord is about to come into the song. When you lead with the root they know which chord to use.
You are asking good questions. I think we all have, at one time or another, ask those same questions.
