The Campaign Builder's Guild

Because many of us play bass, I guess I can actually get a critque on this.

This is an as-of-yet unnamed song I've been trying to write for the bass.  Since I'm not in a band, its all bass guitar.

At present, I have no recording capabilities, so you get it in tab, with a thurough explination.

If there is anything you don't understand, please, by all means, ask.

Intro:

The only overall notes for the intro are that it is entirely in natural harmonics and is played as a cadenza.  Individual things will be discussed in the relevant section.

If you have a volume pedal it will be much easier but you can manage without one.

Intro (Part 1):
G -7--------------
D ---12-7---------
A --------12-7----
E -------------12-

This part is entirely in natural harmonics.  Each note should be struck with the volume OFF, and then the volume should be turned on and off again to form a triplet.

The last beat of the last triplet (the E harmonic) should not decrecendo, and should be held over into the next part.

The tempo for this part would be Adagio.

Intro (Part 2):
G ------------------
D --5-5-5-5-5-5-5-5-
A -------------7-7--
E -7-7-7-7-7-7------

Again, this part is all natural harmonics.  This part is played normally.  All the notes here are sixteenth notes in 4/4 time.

The tempo for this part would be Andante, with a Ritardando starting on the third beat ending up really slow (perhaps Grave).

Intro (Part 3):
G --5-5-5-5-5-5-4-4-
D ------------------
A -7-7-7-7-7-7-7-7--
E ------------------

This part is played exactly the same as Part 2.  The last note should be let ring and slowly muted (using volume controls).

Riff 1:
G -2-  ---22----22----22----22----22----22----22----22----
D ---  -0----00----00----00----03----33----33----33----30-
A -0-  ---------------------------------------------------
E ---  ---------------------------------------------------

Start this with the volume off.  Strike the separate chord, and slowly raise the volume.

The next part is sixteenth notes in 4/4 time.  It is repeated once.  The last sixteenth note is overlaps with the first one when repeated (simply go into the second and third sixteenth note.

This is all I have for now.

My electric is in storage currently, so I can't try this out in the way that it's intended. But your description is excellent, and it's more than enough to give me a pretty clear picture. Here's my quick impression.

I really like the harmonics. Harmonics in general fascinate me, and I feel that they're underused. Changing volume on harmonics (essentially changing the envelope of the sound) is an interesting effect. I wonder how well the sound carries if you're doing that, since harmonics decay quickly and most of the note's weight is on the original impact. I'd really need to hear how you're doing it, I suppose.

Overall, though, it looks like a song written by a bass player, but not for solo playing. Seems to me it'd work well as the bass part of a piece for a larger ensemble, but it doesn't stand up well on its own, due to lack of any real melody to speak of. Granted, it's not finished, and melody may be coming later, but it's written like accompaniment where there's nothing to accompany. Waiting for a long time to introduce a melody is a pretty sure way to lose an audience's attention, I'm afraid.

Honestly, I'd suggest shortening large sections to get to a melody faster (Riff 1 is just an arpeggiation of the d minor triad) or saving them for something to play with a band.

If you want to use harmonics, you can get harmonics in a very melodic part of the instrument, over frets 3, 4, and 5. By crossing from string to string, you can get some very scalar harmonic passages in that part of the instrument, and predominately scalar melodies (that is, without many very large leaps) tend to be the most compelling for listeners.

If you need some piano or drum parts on it, let me know :)

Thanks for the responses so far.

I guess there isn't a real melody.  Spending 9 years as an alto sax and bass guitar player doesn't lend itself much to learning melody, except for solos in jazz, but this isn't a jazz song.

I took your advice, LC, and came up with this little harmonic part that I plan on expanding upon.

New Part:
G ---------  -----5---
D -------5-  ---4---5-
A ---5-7---  ---------
E -7-------  -5-------

This part should be played with a light swing feel.  All natural harmoics.  All quater notes in a 4/4 time signature.

As promised, I expanded on the "New Part."

New Part:
G -------5- | -----5--- | ---------- | --------7- | -----7- |
D -----5--- | ---4---5- | -7-------- | ------7--- | ---4--- |
A ---7----- | --------- | ---7------ | -12-7----- | ------- |
E -7------- | -5------- | -----7-12- | ---------- | -7----- |

This part is all natural harmoics, and is in 4/4 time.  I guess it would be accuarte to say that it is played with a light swing, but that might be streching it.  (If there was one thing our band director told us, its that we suck at swing...)

*The first measure is a dotted quarter note, and eighth, and two quarters.  
*The second measure is two eighth notes, a dotted quarter, and a dotted quarter.  The last note should be a short fermata.  
*The third measure is two quarter notes, a dotted quarter, and an eighth.  
*The fourth measure is two eighth notes, a dotted quarter, and a dotted quarter.  
*The fifth measure is a quarter note, a half, and a quarter.

I will have more later.