IGNs Bass review.

[Silvernix]

If any bass players out there have read the review on IGN of rock band, you can tell that they know nothing about bass. It's almost insulting. ... "A dumbed down version of the guitar Part"....?? The bass is all amount the rhythm and is more closer to the drums then the guitar. ... another thing is, the bass is one of the most important parts of the band. I know ALOT of bands who work without a Drummer, a lead singer, AND a guitarist. but never without a bass. ... now, I'm not saying that those other parts are not important to the overall band, but we bass players.... virtual or otherwise never get any respect.

[MdubMedia]

Do you need a hug?










lol...j/k I respect the bass, y0!

[SteppinRazor]

Yeah, that kind of statement really makes you question the value of some reviewer's opinions eh?

[nVizzle]

It would have been pretty easy for them to add a bass career too. I don't see why they didn't. All they had to do was rearrange the songs based on bass difficulty.

[Silvernix]

Well.... I understand. If your not a bass player or part of a real band, you really don't understand. With that aside, I would think that if your gonna do a review on a game like this, you would at least, try and understand the different parts.... I'm just gonna wait for the review from Gametrailers. I bet THEY'LL respect the bass :D

[obersmith]

As a long-time bass player, that part of the review actually offended me.

[jaydajedi]

what about the group thats just the husband on guitar and singing and the wife on drums
for some reason i think of the name rite now

[Silvernix]

As a long-time bass player, that part of the review actually offended me.

I'm not even a long time bass player and I was offened! Been playing bass for less then a year and have learned to respect the bass and what it does for ANY type of band... and .... it was almost a slap in the face.

[Silvernix]

what about the group thats just the husband on guitar and singing and the wife on drums
for some reason i think of the name rite now

I can't way I know that band Jaydajed.... but I'm gonna look it up. But I bet they don't sound as good as a complete band though... just saying.... no disrespect to them

[thegame696911]

what about the group thats just the husband on guitar and singing and the wife on drums
for some reason i think of the name rite now


The White Stripes...... which should be DLC imo. lol

[jaydajedi]

thats it but i m a smoker and i kept thinking lucky strikes lol

[raregamer]

Incubus has an excellent bassist I always loved their work with it.

[milkman4591]

If any bass players out there have read the review on IGN of rock band, you can tell that they know nothing about bass. It's almost insulting. ... "A dumbed down version of the guitar Part"....?? The bass is all amount the rhythm and is more closer to the drums then the guitar. ... another thing is, the bass is one of the most important parts of the band. I know ALOT of bands who work without a Drummer, a lead singer, AND a guitarist. but never without a bass. ... now, I'm not saying that those other parts are not important to the overall band, but we bass players.... virtual or otherwise never get any respect.

I completely agree man, people really don't respect the bass. And people don't realize all the crap that gets thrown our way because they are not listening for it, like I can't help but do all the time. Anyway, here's hoping for bass career :D

[Chris_Gonzalez]

It would have been pretty easy for them to add a bass career too. I don't see why they didn't. All they had to do was rearrange the songs based on bass difficulty.

Harmonix said that the bass tracks in the songs weren't challenging enough to call for a bass career. There's also the fact that you don't always play bass if you're the 2nd guitarist, you could also play Rhythm. Though there are some great bass tracks in the game (Sabotage, Epic, Won't Get Fooled Again, Highway Star, just to name a few), I don't really think they would need a career. They've got a bass quick play, though.

And bassists get an extra goody. Their multiplier goes up the 6x instead of 4x without overdrive, unlike the guitarist.

[masterx1918]

the bass player is the most important aspect of rock band since they can net you the most points due to the high points multiplier they can acquire. the max multiplier for bass is 6x while all the other's are 4x, so it's obvious as to why bass is so important to your band.

[ima747]

I had a similar response to the IGN review. My bass skills a pretty limited but I do enjoy the instrument irl. I post my impression of the demo with some focus on bass since I haven't seen anyone else really pay it much mind.

http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=7938

It may not be as hard on expert as a guitar on expert, it's got fewer strings and it's played with the same controler so the adaptation can't be quite as hard... however it's still fun enough to justify me REALLY wanting to play it single player...

Here's to hoping enough posts/threads about wanting a bass solo game will get harmonix to patch that in after the BWT online patch... Please harmonix? there are plenty of songs I will download just for the guitar, and plenty other ones I wouldn't consider except for the bass... Continue your tradition of impressing us with being awsome and toss it in eventually.

[Silvernix]

OOH! That band that was on the Simpsons when Bart was learning the drums. lol



Well, that do actually work, but two things with that.
1. When they are playing something that requires a full sound, the guitarist plays the bass and guitar parts.

2. They just play quick chords and goes with the beat of the drum for the most part.

[Atsumi]

This is why they need more Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Flea is an amazing bassist.

[Silvernix]

OH SNAP!!~ Rock band doesn't have a Bass guitar career? Tsk! Figures!

[InsaneGame]

Yeah we bassist ont get any love....We get no groupies either...

[Silvernix]

Incubus has an excellent bassist I always loved their work with it.

Ya know, I've been listening to Incubus today.... the bass really IS hot!

[dlisapussy]

The White Stripes...... which should be DLC imo. lol

they're brother and sister


most of their songs either had the guitar an octave lower, or bass played by Jack White and thrown into a studio recording.
They didn't have bass during live shows, because there was only two of them.
Bass is more powerful then you think...

[dlisapussy]

Ya know, I've been listening to Incubus today.... the bass really IS hot!

Agreed.

I always thought Incubus should be in this game.

Make Yourself Album as DLC?
Definitely.

Or Megalomaniac...

[Chris_Gonzalez]

they're brother and sister


most of their songs either had the guitar an octave lower, or bass played by Jack White and thrown into a studio recording.
They didn't have bass during live shows, because there was only two of them.
Bass is more powerful then you think...

They're ex husband and wife, man.

[MrTorso]

I didn't get that from the article. They were talking about the Rock Band songs and the game play, not bass in general.


On many songs the bass plays like dumbed-down versions of the guitar parts. Since there's often far fewer notes than the other instruments there's slightly more emphasis on holding a steady rhythm and hitting more notes over the course of the entire song.

They are clearly talking about bass in Rock Band and how it plays.

[dlisapussy]

They're ex husband and wife, man.

really??

thats crazy

Wikipedia-
<I>White and fellow bandmate Jack White are not siblings.</I>

I stand corrected

[Ardius]

what about the group thats just the husband on guitar and singing and the wife on drums
for some reason i think of the name rite now

The White Stripes......its the reason they arent any good, as theyre constantly making really simple songs as they have no substance to build upon (which bass provides).
The most legendary bands have excellent bassists - I think that really says something. Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Rush, The Who, Led Zeppelin..............

[jaydajedi]

Ardius dont forget Mr. Big lol

[dlisapussy]

and The Beatles.

Paul McCartney wasn't just a pretty boy with a great talent for writing songs.

Listen to Abbey Road and try to deny his greatness at bass...

You can't.

[tmanrocks]

wtf bands w/o drummers? I wouldnt listen to a band with no drummer in it -_-

[battle_axe_of_doom]

lmao the doors didn't have a bassist

[GrayInvisible]

I play Bass in real life too. It's very important. A lot of bands have simple bassists who play eighth notes, or just keep the beat, but a good bassist is important.

EDIT:
lmao the doors didn't have a bassist

From wikipedia

"The Doors were unusual among rock groups because they did not use a bass guitar when playing live. Instead, Manzarek played the bass lines with his left hand on the newly invented Fender Rhodes bass keyboard, an offshoot of the well-known Fender Rhodes electric piano, playing other keyboards with his right hand. On their studio albums, The Doors did use bass players such as Jerry Scheff, Doug Lubahn, Harvey Brooks, Kerry Magness, Lonnie Mack, Larry Knechtel, Leroy Vinegar, and Ray Neapolitan."

[Frederf]

That pretty much confirms that the doors didn't have a bassist.

[Bakkster]

That pretty much confirms that the doors didn't have a bassist.

It just means they used session bassists. Same as the the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the bassist just isn't a permanent member of the band.

But yeah, IGN just glazed over the bass, which was kinda disappointing. Didn't even mention the 6x multiplier. Did they even talk about the quickplay? In any case, there are a fair number of great bass lines in RB, and even more good lines.

Also, far fewer bands replace the bassist with a piano than replace the guitarist with a piano. Who's important now? ;)

[jaydajedi]

lol
fdjkgjkjkjdkjk

[e1duke]

The Doors don't have a bassist, and they rock.

[e1duke]

LA Woman, for sure used bass in the Studio, but there are a majority of songs in studio that do not feature a bassist.

[hankmallon]

I play the bass and was insulted by "dumbed down version of the guitar". Insulting the way an instrument plays, a more beefed up note chart to add challenge would be untrue to the actual play style.

[toefer]

I think people are taking this too personally. In the context of a video game, the bass is easier, and not as fun as the the guitar. That's all they're saying. It's not all that difficult to keep a beat and play C, C, C, C, G, G, G, G, A, A, A, A, F, F, F, F, or something along those lines, and in a lot of songs, thats the sort of boring, steady beat a bass guitar keeps.

In real life, sure, there are good bassists. But it's still one of the easiest instruments to just pick up and play with, and make it sound like you know how to play it.

[Bakkster]

In the context of a video game, the bass is easier, and not as fun as the the guitar. That's all they're saying. It's not all that difficult to keep a beat and play C, C, C, C, G, G, G, G, A, A, A, A, F, F, F, F, or something along those lines, and in a lot of songs, thats the sort of boring, steady beat a bass guitar keeps.

In real life, sure, there are good bassists. But it's still one of the easiest instruments to just pick up and play with, and make it sound like you know how to play it.

True, for the most part. But that ignores Dani California, WGFA, Tom Sawyer, Are you Gonna be my Girl, Paranoid, Detroit Rock City, and several other songs which are just as difficult/fun as their guitar parts. It sounds like they just wrote off an entire part by ignoring a fair section. Same way they called the guitar too easy, even with GGaHTF in the game.

[Maposaurus]

This thread is ridiculous for one reason - no matter how you twist it, what was said is right.

This isn't Bass Hero. You aren't playing bass. Hell, the controller is the same as the guitar controller. When it comes down to it, bass in this game is just easy guitar.

Sorry, but it's the truth. Maybe in a few years we'll get a four buttoned slap bass controller, but until then, it is, in essence, a dumbed down guitar part.

[dlisapussy]

Why four buttons?

And what if the bass isn't playing the same thing as the guitar?

In this game's case, most of the songs play the same thing as guitar, but DLC is coming out with upwards of 1000 songs. Bass is going to rock in some of these songs.


And who said this was Bass Hero?

[Patch_]

Am I the only person that would buy Bass Hero?
Sounds freakin' sweet, imo.

[jaydajedi]

gazzuuuu hero would be sweet

[Bakkster]

Am I the only person that would buy Bass Hero?
Sounds freakin' sweet, imo.

Hells yes, that would RAWK!

[Chris_Gonzalez]

Hells yes, that would RAWK!

Not as much as an Accordian Hero would.

Game composed entirely of They Might Be Giants songs, anyone?

[Uncognitive]

Am I the only person that would buy Bass Hero?
Sounds freakin' sweet, imo.

Yeah, but the official Bass Hero forums would be hellish, with 3/4ths of the posts being "Hey, why is there no fishing in this game?"

[Silvernix]

This thread is ridiculous for one reason - no matter how you twist it, what was said is right.

This isn't Bass Hero. You aren't playing bass. Hell, the controller is the same as the guitar controller. When it comes down to it, bass in this game is just easy guitar.

Sorry, but it's the truth. Maybe in a few years we'll get a four buttoned slap bass controller, but until then, it is, in essence, a dumbed down guitar part.

Sorry, I TOTALLY missed your point.

Then again, maybe it's because I'm black. In most songs by black people, the Bass is VERY important. However, in Rock Bands. It's easy. I learned "Rock you Like a hurricane" in about 23 seconds all jokes aside.

But still, it's not cool to disrespect the bass by allowing Drums, Guitar and Singers have a career.

[Silvernix]

I think people are taking this too personally. In the context of a video game, the bass is easier, and not as fun as the the guitar. That's all they're saying. It's not all that difficult to keep a beat and play C, C, C, C, G, G, G, G, A, A, A, A, F, F, F, F, or something along those lines, and in a lot of songs, thats the sort of boring, steady beat a bass guitar keeps.

In real life, sure, there are good bassists. But it's still one of the easiest instruments to just pick up and play with, and make it sound like you know how to play it.

I hear what your saying, but a REAL bass player ..... someone who takes pride in theyre craft doesn't play like that. At all. Actually, I try NEVER to play a total of 8 of the same notes....hell, even 4 of the same notes in some cases.

[Symphonite]

I don't know about you guys, but I prefer to play the bass on a large number of GH and RB songs. I've always felt it more immersive as the parts are generally more believable on the controller. Perhaps it's because I'm a guitarist in real life and know how abstracted these parts are (especially anything dealing with chords or arpeggios) and that I hate hate hate wanking arpeggio-filled solos that a lot of later-tier GH guitar songs would break into. Bass is just more fun to me.

[Bakkster]

I hate hate hate wanking arpeggio-filled solos that a lot of later-tier GH guitar songs would break into. Bass is just more fun to me.

Queue Eff Tea

[dlisapussy]

Being a guitarist, bassist, drummer, and pianist, I haven't found anything boring about any of these instruments. Why people think bass is boring, I don't know. To all those people who are saying, "bass is a dumbed down version of guitar", do you even realize what your saying? <I>Version of guitar</I>. You can do the same damn things with bass as you can with guitar. Why the majority of bands use bass simply as a beat keeper, I have no idea. I do know that bands with active bass players who don't play the same four notes over and over are very successful. To name a few, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, Led Zeppelin, and The Beatles. Why use only guitar, drums, and singing to be successful? Adding another instrument only makes it easier. Respect the bass. Fools.

[Frederf]

Can anyone find that quote from an interview that talked about how they tried to pick songs without bass solos?

[Bakkster]

Can anyone find that quote from an interview that talked about how they tried to pick songs without bass solos?

I actually think a dev just posted that on the forums, or a blog.

[Maposaurus]

Sorry, I TOTALLY missed your point.

Then again, maybe it's because I'm black. In most songs by black people, the Bass is VERY important. However, in Rock Bands. It's easy. I learned "Rock you Like a hurricane" in about 23 seconds all jokes aside.

But still, it's not cool to disrespect the bass by allowing Drums, Guitar and Singers have a career.

The whole point is that bass in this game is easy, because it's not playing bass. It's playing guitar on a guitar controller with less notes.

[toefer]

I hear what your saying, but a REAL bass player ..... someone who takes pride in theyre craft doesn't play like that. At all. Actually, I try NEVER to play a total of 8 of the same notes....hell, even 4 of the same notes in some cases.

Yeah, I understand. I'm not saying a bass can't be complex, or difficult, but sadly in a lot of bands, it's just not.

[Bakkster]

Here's the quote about avoiding bass solos:

I asked this exact question over at Scorehero.com and received a reply from, dfan, a Harmonix representative: "Nope, the special abilities of solo buttons are just for guitar solos. We tried to minimize the number of bass solos in the game."
I was so sad the day I read that...

[Frederf]

Here's the quote about avoiding bass solos:

I was so sad the day I read that...

Nope, it was a different quote.

[dlisapussy]

Why would they minimize bass solos?



Oh wait I know, so people would ***** about how boring bass is.

[Axel32]

I have to agree as a Bass player myself. We don't play a dumbed down version of anything, we play our on thing that goes with the music, and that is in the same key as the guitar/singer. We put down the foundation of a house, without a foundation, there is no house.

[milkman4591]

lmao the doors didn't have a bassist

And that's why they sucked. God I hate the doors, and I hate the eagles. That is all, I'll be in my fire proof room :p

[mltdwn]

I find it funny how they think the bass is no where near the drums, or requiring as much skill. After all the old saying goes:

"What do you call someone who hangs out with the band?"
"The Drummer"

Not the bassist.

[milkman4591]

Here's the quote about avoiding bass solos:

I was so sad the day I read that...

In reference to that, can bass use the lower buttons for ending crazy wankeries or do they not even get them?

[Nilsen31]

If you hate the doors, try listening to their songs that don't get as much radio play...

like, Waiting For The Sun...


but if you don't like Riders On The Storm, L.A. Woman or Roadhouse Blues...I think you are too far gone :(

[Bakkster]

In reference to that, can bass use the lower buttons for ending crazy wankeries or do they not even get them?

Yes, to both.

[toefer]

I have to agree as a Bass player myself. We don't play a dumbed down version of anything, we play our on thing that goes with the music, and that is in the same key as the guitar/singer. We put down the foundation of a house, without a foundation, there is no house.

I'm not sure. It's one thing to discredit bass players, which IGN may or may not have done, but to overstate their importance is just as faulty.

[mltdwn]

Try telling Les Claypool that bassist are not important, or one of the most important parts in a band, he was considered too good for Metallica afterall. If you have no beat then you are SOL, and every band will tell you that. Regular guitar or the singer can screw up from time to time and it not affect everything because they can use the bass/drum to get right back into the groove, but if the bassist (or in some cases drummer) screws up the whole song is screwed as they are the groove and it travels down the line.

[Eastwood]

If they want to make bass have a bigger role, they need to add some Tool in there.

[Silvernix]

I find it funny how they think the bass is no where near the drums, or requiring as much skill. After all the old saying goes:

"What do you call someone who hangs out with the band?"
"The Drummer"

Not the bassist.

That's EXACTLY what I'm saying. A bass player can make or break a band easily. Any true musician knows that.

[Silvernix]

Try telling Les Claypool that bassist are not important, or one of the most important parts in a band, he was considered too good for Metallica afterall. If you have no beat then you are SOL, and every band will tell you that. Regular guitar or the singer can screw up from time to time and it not affect everything because they can use the bass/drum to get right back into the groove, but if the bassist (or in some cases drummer) screws up the whole song is screwed as they are the groove and it travels down the line.

OH Yes!!! I hear it all the time. A singer can forget the words and it's all good. Lead chords (Guitarist or Pianist) can miss a chord, you can recover. A BASS or DRUMMER misses and there is no way someone is going to miss that! I know, I'm a Bass AND Drummer and I'll tell you, If I miss the snare or hit the wrong note, or even miss the note all together, all eyes on me FAST!

[Flea_funk]

Im glad they got kickass bassists like Flea, Geddy, and Entwistle in the game. The rhythm section is just as important as the guitarist or singer IMO. Im actually surprised they couldn't get Claypool.

[Silvernix]

I don't know about you guys, but I prefer to play the bass on a large number of GH and RB songs. I've always felt it more immersive as the parts are generally more believable on the controller. Perhaps it's because I'm a guitarist in real life and know how abstracted these parts are (especially anything dealing with chords or arpeggios) and that I hate hate hate wanking arpeggio-filled solos that a lot of later-tier GH guitar songs would break into. Bass is just more fun to me.

agreed full heartedly