Roger Zee Memoirs

"Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician"

Bass Playing 8/14/20

Here's one of two goals I set for myself when NY state shut down 5 months ago due to Corona virus -- refine, hone, and polish my bass playing. On the advice of friend Chris Remediani, I've focused on my Mexican Fender Precision bass. In surfing terms, ride the wave. Grab it, cut it, refine it, pump it! The other goal -- work on my memoirs, the "Life and Times of a Pandemic Musician."

It seems very strange to see so many bass players posting themselves soloing off of songs on YouTube. Really, what's your function as a bassist? No one really sells records anymore except for singles. In the old days, the guitarist got a 2O second solo. As a bass player, how long a solo do you think you'll get, LOL! I believe I function to glue the groove and most importantly, support the vocals.

Do you remember the old joke, "How do you get a fighting couple to talk?" Play a bass solo! So every day, I pick out a popular CD and try to figure out the grooves that propelled these musicians to stardom...

Due to various medical issues affecting both of my hands, I've spent this time completely re-tooling my fingering techniques in order to make them more efficient, faster, smoother, and less painful. In essence, I've had to re-learn to play from scratch!

So on yet another hot, steamy, humid August day spent mostly in lockdown due to Covid-19, I take my masked walk through the neighborhood and return home to pick out the sublime bass lines to War's epic CD, "Why Can't We Be Friends." One <3

YouTube - Low Rider - War