Bossas are fun to play. It's all about the groove.

August 2020 - Jazz Bossa

I played some exotic scales over this backing track and I liked some and may still record and upload one.

But, I got sidetracked (as I often do - well, usually do) and thought that this was the perfect track to play my African Talking Drum on since the Tablas and other Indian drums also have some pitch change to them. 

Although this is a single drone on C, that isn’t entirely true because percussion has pitches, too. They’re more subtle. but never the less still add melodic content. I stayed pretty much on the C, but did waver that within a few tones on the drum. There’s also the case that playing the fifth of a chord or scale implies the one anyway, so I also used the G on the synth tracks. One of the synth tracks is a sweeping kind of pad and the other uses an arpeggiator and textural changes using the mod wheel on both of them to make one more dominant at times. I had intended to also add a bass part, but the Talking Drum and Arpeggiated Synth covered those frequencies well enough that I just left it as it was.  I did several takes, but the two synth tracks and the mic'd drum track were all played straight through with no overdubs, so there are a few warts, but I avoid overdubs or piecing tracks together as much as possible.

This ended up with kind of a mix of World Music and Trance. I had fun with this and it was the first time I ever recorded the Talking Drum. It’s the larger sized Meinl one I picked up a while back for a very low price because I had to replace one of the heads and then found out that Meinl would not ship the head mounted on the ring to the U.S. and there were no other sources for it. So I got a large enough goatskin and soaked it and stretched it myself and had to unravel and restring the 50+ feet (or 16+ meters) of cord. It was a much bigger task than I anticipated and it took a few adjustments and eventually came out OK. It’s a slow learning curve with it because the pitch adjustments are so sensitive on the lower notes, but take much more force on the higher ones. It’s played with a curved stick with padded leather on the tip. I had been practicing for months matching notes on the piano to get the muscle memory down. It still only has a six note range or so, but its a drum you can get a lot of different sounds out of.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun. I hope some of you enjoy the results.

June 2023 - Indian Style Drone Backing Track

I added piano and bass to this backing track. Between the chord substitutions on the keyboard and the melodies in the bass line interweaving with the keys, it totally changed the entire song into something that sounds so different from the original.

July 2023 - Pop Groove

September 2023 BC

I added a classic organ track (with a rotating speaker effect) to this and then noodled a bass line for it. This was fun.

October 2023 Bass Challenge

November 2023 BC

Dec 2023 BC - Holiday Blues

SBL April 2024 Bass Challenge - Latin (modern)

Although this backing track is a basic montuno, it is supposed to be a Funk version, except there were zero Funk elements and no space to really add any. I added another drum layer with congas, bongos, and castanets to fill in a few more drum hits. Then I added the Electric Upright Bass, and finally a nylon string acoustic guitar.

These are all single takes, so there are some missed notes and other errors, but I approached it like when playing live where there are no chances to replay any mistakes. You just go with them the best you can. The bass played to the BT and drums recording and left room for the guitar  being added next. The guitar then played off the bass and being the main part trying to add to and repeat the melodic theme first played by the bass. 
So, it isn't anywhere near perfect, but I tried some other takes and none of them had the feel and musicality as the first takes. Even if they aren't the best technical performance, the better played takes didn't groove and groove always wins out over the technical stuff with me. I don't mind being real and making a few mistakes. Imperfection in music is what gives music the human element. That's critical with the advance of AI, and is is catching up quickly, but it isn't there yet and it won't be like playing live, because the experience of performing live is a human experience that isn't saved in files and data for AI to access. You have to do it to gain it. 

April 2024 BC Output

June 2024 BC

This was a backing track with an 80's feel. I added the bass and guitar tracks to it. The guitar is a Brian May Red Special copy which has a sound so different than the usual Humbucker or Strat sound. They are single coil pickups (like a strat), but putting it has such a different sound. It's also a short scale neck that I'm still getting used to.
It has some warts and things, but most of what I put up here are quick demos to get reactions on to modify and apply towards a finished product not using backing tracks.

Aug 2024 BC

This was supposed to be a Reggae Backing Track, but it didn't have as much of the old school Reggae feel where the bass sits behind the beat and may use a one drop. Anyway, I added a much different kind of Reggae bass line for it and a crunchy guitar to fit it in a bit and make it a bit edgy and more interesting to listen to.

Sept 2024 BC

October 2024 BC

Everyone associates Disco with X-Mas, don’t they?

Dec 2017 Disco X-Mas

I take bass playing very seriously which means being able to play many different genres and styles. I’ve played in Pop, Rock, Acoustic, Alternative, and Jam bands over the years and have been doing mostly different types of Jazz the last five or so years. I’ve always really liked World Music and have been playing that a lot lately. 
Bass isn’t just the groove. It can define the song and totally change the feel. Most of these tracks I put up are where I took royalty free backing tracks and totally changed the feel and sometimes genre by adding a unique bass line and sometimes some other instruments. Enjoy...

MikePlaysBass

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