Re: Bassnotes
Date: August 25, 2005 07:18
Chelsea posted this back aways...may be of some interest to ya....
Darryl Jones interview in Bass Player August 2005 mentions the Stones.
BP: Can you talk about the Rolling Stones' compositional process, and your part in it?
DJ: The first thing that happens is Mick and Keith get together and throw around different riffs and ideas. Keith once told me that sometimes he'll play an old tune on the piano, like something by Hoagy Carmichael, or a blues tune, and as his hands fall to different places, things will occur to him, and that's how he'll come up with a song. Then Charlie comes in and they start doing a little recording, and then they start adding people. Recently, I've discussed bass lines with Mick more than I ever have, because he's evolving, and he has a better idea of what he's looking for in a bass line.
Then we'll try a bunch of different stuff - we'll try straight eighths, we'll try partial straight eighths, we'll try a full-blown line, we'll try doubling the guitar-until we come up with something he's satisfied with.
Keith is much more hand-off. He just puts the idea out there and lets you develop it in a way that's more organic to you. The interesting thing about Keith's writing now is that I can recognize a certain thread that goes through it, and i know a bit about the way he plays bass, so now I have repertoire of things Keith will do to make the bass line his, to give it those "Keith" characteristics. Like, instesd of playing the root note, he'll play a 3rd lower. i try to add those things to their writing to try and make it a little more Stones-ish.
ROCKMAN