Everyone who plays an instrument is required to be two things: a technician and a musician. For most instruments, the technician is the dominant part of that duality. For bass players, the musician is the greater part.

A common phrase kicked around musical circles is “less is more” and it is often applied to the rhythm section. God I hate that phrase. Don’t get me wrong, it is often right. But people are often right about it for the wrong reason. There are specific times and specific situations where this is correct, and I guess if you lack diversity in your playing so you are always in that time and place then I can’t blame you for falling into that trap. But I want to take a second and walk you through what decisions a bass player faces while placing “less is more” in the context of actually writing a bass part.

So to start with, what is the job of a bass player in music? Why is this instrument even in the band? Well…. there are six answers to that question. That’s right: 6 answers.

First answer, laying down that groove. Giving the song that feel and oomph that makes the rhythm section define the tone of the song. This is largely rhythm centric and done closely with the drummer and specifically with the bass drum. You will find bass players who absolutely obsess over the bass drum. Those guys are focused, maybe too focused, on the groove. Overall “Less is more” works with answer one… to a point.

Second answer, pushing the chord progression along. This is commonly done in conjunction with the rhythm guitarist and maybe a keyboard player. You will often hear the chorus of a song really ramp up the intensity with the guitarist and bassist really digging into the same line in unison. “Less is more” works here as well… to a point.

The third answer is a counter melody. Here is where “less is more” completely falls apart. A strong, interesting counterpoint can make the core melody of the song so much more powerful and interesting. It can give new light to an old idea and bring out complexities that were hidden before. This is super powerful but lacking in the arsenal of many bassists because “less is more” forces them to shy away from the “more” when it can do the song the most good.

So before we talk about the fourth, fifth, and sixth answers, let’s apply the first three to a generic rock song. You open up the verse with a nice groove to bring people into the song. The rhythm guitarist is doing a light effect or fingerpicking the chord. As the first chorus hits, the bassist switches to pushing the chord progression and the rhythm guitars digs in for a heavier feel. This combo brings a ton of energy to the chorus without changing the core of the song. You then slip back to groove in the second verse. If the song has a bridge, this is where you may play with a counter melody or you may be the only one pushing the chord progression while others play with counter melody.

This is the traditional setup for a bassist, but notice the overall highs and lows of the song are driven by the bassist switching answers. It is not the groove itself or the chord progression itself that is the art of playing bass, but determining which you should be focusing on. This is what I mean when I say a bassist has to be a musician over being a technician. The hard part isn’t playing the riff, it is knowing which riff will add the most to the song. Our job is not just to create a good answer, but to select from between a range of good answers that help the song become great.

Answers four, five, and six are simply hybrids of any two previous answer. A groove that also pushes the chord progression forward is often a compromise of the two and those compromises produce complex bass lines. Pushing chord progression while providing a counter melody normally involves weaving in and out of the chord progression or providing emphasis on a different part of the chord, literally changing the progression of the song by adding a new layer to it. A groove with a counter melody is a roaring alternative line or poignant counterpoint. These are never simple. These revel in their complexity.

The math here is simple. Two of the six answers can be done to some extent with a “less is more” approach. And once again, a simple line is often a great answer in these two cases. But “less is more” is simply a third of the job. And if you are going to be a great bass player, you have to be able to do the two-thirds that require the “more”. So many bass players limit themselves by never stepping out beyond the switch between laying down a groove and pushing a chord progression.

If you are going to be a bass player, a really good bass player, having one good answer is never enough. You have to be able to provide a range of answers and the song will dictate which is a good answer and which is a great answer. The more you limit yourself, the less likely you are to find the great answers.