Bass Riff

Last summer, a used bass guitar and amp showed up on Facebook Marketplace. I hadn’t been looking for a bass specifically, but I had been kind of passively looking for something else to occupy my idle hands besides the keyboard or camera for a while. Besides, the price was right, so I bought it.

I’ve never owned a bass, but I do have a somewhat musical background. Like many folks, music is lifeblood for me, and I played around in bands for a spell in my youth and young adulthood. I started on drums, moved to singer, had a band with a few paying gigs, then life happened, and I put the microphone down.

But as I’ve gotten older, the bass slowly maneuvered its way to the front of my awareness and appreciation. I couldn’t have been happier when I got it home, plugged it in, and turned it up to a reasonable volume. Dicked around with it, discovered there are phone apps that act as digital tuners, of course. Then proceeded to go to the YouTube school for new bass players.

The first thing I wanted to learn was the main bass riff from the Alice in Chains song, “Would.” And I wasn’t going to sleep until I did. Then, after two hours and three beers, I fell asleep.

It is a very basic riff for an actual bass player, but it does have some nuanced syncopation, not to mention a hammer-on, pull-off, and some grindy pick work, all required for optimal nastiness. Which combined to make it a momentarily uphill climb for this greenhorn. But at some point the next day, I managed to lock it in. And when I finally did, I proceeded to lose my shit in the most joyous of ways.

I’ve accomplished a handful of things in this life that I’m proud of. But hear me when I tell you that, without embellishment or hyperbole, this was one of the top five proudest moments I’ve ever experienced. Without sitting down to map out memories, I’d be hard-pressed to name an instance of more pure, soul-satisfying, boundless bliss born from personal achievement.

I’ve tried to unpack why. I mean, other than the uncut awesomeness that comes from flawlessly executing one of the filthiest-sounding bass intros of all time. But like I said, it’s hardly difficult as epic bass riffs go. It doesn’t require much in the way of skill, let alone mastery. But I don’t think that’s the point. Maybe it reminded me of my youth. Or one of those early seminal moments when music first manages to move us viscerally. It could be because I haven’t handcrafted any audible art in decades, and it felt surprisingly good. And even more surprisingly, it sounded that way, too.

Regardless, I play “Would” every damn day now. And “Superfreak”, you’re on deck!