Rhythm Section

Bassists and drummers need to have similar characteristics, and I know a lot about bass playing and very little about drum playing but here's the deal. They need to be comfortable backing up the band. I've agonized over this as a bass player and for awhile I rebelled against this idea and wanted to have a band like Rush where the bass played a much more significant role and if that can happen then it can be great and unique but I've realized now that a bass player can back up a band AND be an amazing technical player that really stands out in his own right. Listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers - Flea rarely solos and never overshadows what is happening musically - he and Chad are the two tightest rhythm players in current radio rotation - shut up and put your hands down. But Flea's talent is immensely obvious - he plays within the established chord structure and maintains a tight groove but he ornaments it and speaks within it with such feeling and talent that it changes the whole face of the song - someone just playing a standard walking bassline under that stuff would leave the song dull and uninteresting. And Chad's flawless funk drumming does exactly the same thing. Keith Moon and John Entwistle from the Who (both deceased, unfortunately) were another great combination. You never notice them if you're not listening for them, but once you do listen for them - wow you'll never ignore them again. John Paul Jones and Bonzo from Zeppelin. Whoever and whoever from Galactic - this great funk/jazz fusion band that no one has ever heard of but I used to play them on the radio in college and I love them.