Chapter 2: Intermediates
Rhythm & Sync: Phat Bottom

Objective: To study the stylistic approach of the music that relies on the bassist to provide a Phat Bottom. This is typically found in R&B ballads and some contemporary Pop music.

For this lesson I would like to use two CD's as a reference: Sending Love To Everyone by Narada Michael Walden and Sons Of Soul by Tony Toni Tone

On Sending Love To Everyone let's listen to the track "My Desire Is You" and follow the written chart in Example #3-1. You'll notice that what really holds the track together is the bass and the bass drum. They really are playing different rhythmic patterns yet both instruments are effectively driving the rhythm section by having a little dialogue with each other. If we were able to isolate just the bass synth and the bass drum and listen to them separately we would be able to hear how they are laying down the groove but at the same time playing their own individual melodies. This is a very effective way to have a big sounding bottom to the rhythm section. By having this dialogue between the two lower instruments we spread the lower frequencies and make it much more interesting for the listener.

On Sons Of Soul let's listen to the track "Lay Your Head On My Pillow" and follow the written chart in Example #3-2. Just as in the previous example, we'll see that the bass guitar and bass drum follow a general pattern but dance around with each other. Notice how the bassist (Raphael Wiggins) makes use of the all holes in the arrangement to effectively play fills without overplaying and distracting from the vocal melodies.

It takes a lot of patience to play these types of grooves because they are so simple. It is also the sign of maturity when a bassist can play this style without losing their own personality or compromising the composition.

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