Hi. As some of you saw earlier, I'm new to this forum. I've been a keyboardist for many years, mostly playing solo, but occasionally playing with bands. I also play guitar and bass. When I play my Kurzweil in a band, I'm always careful not to ride the lower register too much, or to duplicate bass parts, or stomp all over them, unless the song actually calls for it, because to me it sounds cluttered (because the bassist is already there, and if he/she has a good rig, there is no need to fill that space in). I gig as a bassist, too, and I know what bassists say about keyboardists who over-play the lower registers (they hate it) but I seem to tolerate it okay, and I like the fat sound, except for when the keyboardist totally drowns out the bass lines by trying to "fatten up" the sound (we are a six-piece and he's "trying to make us sound like an eight-piece"). I have explained to him that the way to do this is not to steam-roll bass lines in every song with "fatter" sounding bass on keyboards (and the wrong bass lines no less, sometimes just droning and misplaced notes to fill in space). My first question is "why does he even need a bassist?" What he should be doing, IMO, is fattening up the horn parts (since we have one sax only but we need three-part sax lines). While I understand that he wants us to sound good, we just end up sounding awful... people have complained... and he is our musical director! I typically fatten my sound up by adding middle register in and around middle-C with fuller, richer chords, rather than filling up all space and stomping all over the bass parts in a song.
I just don't get why this guy HAS to play with is left hand. I actually think he can't play without using his left hand (octaves, his pinky all over the lower registers).
My second question is, "What is a nice, non-offensive, positive-sounding way to teach the keyboard player/ musical director that he shouldn't be drowning out the bass on every song, even if he thinks he's improving it by "fattening it up"? He's pretty good on keys but loves his left hand a little too much with all the grace notes and repeated parts in every song that aren't there--we are a cover band for goodness sake, and the bass doesn't need "fattening up" and every hole in the lower register doesn't need "a note" in it! He feels like he has to flil every single space with notes. He doesn't get that there needs to be a little open space for it to groove... but he just plays it where he feels it, and doesn't play "with" the bass. He just stomps all over it. It is driving me bananas, and it's embarrassing, because I have always been in better bands than this.
He says I just need to learn to play my bass "around" his keyboard parts in lower register. I think he is crazy, or inexperienced, or arrogant, or all three.
Do any of you know what I am talking about? And do all of you play over the bassist a lot? As a pianist, I was taught not to do it unless the song called for it. We play 60s, 70s, and 80s dance music. The 80s I can understand synthy bass lines... but 60s and 70s?? Come on. In the 60s they didn't even HAVE those registers on recordings. He is even an octave below where baritone sax belongs, but he just doesn't get it.
Thanks... just looking for opinions... Sorry, this was a bit long-winded. I'm just so frustrated. :-.( I love my band mates, and I don't want to quit (or get fired because I keep mentioning it).
Best,
N
I just don't get why this guy HAS to play with is left hand. I actually think he can't play without using his left hand (octaves, his pinky all over the lower registers).
My second question is, "What is a nice, non-offensive, positive-sounding way to teach the keyboard player/ musical director that he shouldn't be drowning out the bass on every song, even if he thinks he's improving it by "fattening it up"? He's pretty good on keys but loves his left hand a little too much with all the grace notes and repeated parts in every song that aren't there--we are a cover band for goodness sake, and the bass doesn't need "fattening up" and every hole in the lower register doesn't need "a note" in it! He feels like he has to flil every single space with notes. He doesn't get that there needs to be a little open space for it to groove... but he just plays it where he feels it, and doesn't play "with" the bass. He just stomps all over it. It is driving me bananas, and it's embarrassing, because I have always been in better bands than this.
He says I just need to learn to play my bass "around" his keyboard parts in lower register. I think he is crazy, or inexperienced, or arrogant, or all three.
Do any of you know what I am talking about? And do all of you play over the bassist a lot? As a pianist, I was taught not to do it unless the song called for it. We play 60s, 70s, and 80s dance music. The 80s I can understand synthy bass lines... but 60s and 70s?? Come on. In the 60s they didn't even HAVE those registers on recordings. He is even an octave below where baritone sax belongs, but he just doesn't get it.
Thanks... just looking for opinions... Sorry, this was a bit long-winded. I'm just so frustrated. :-.( I love my band mates, and I don't want to quit (or get fired because I keep mentioning it).
Best,
N
