Bass chords on a Sunday morning

By Mahes perera

At a time when many bass players are conscientiously copying styles laid out by musicians globally in the limelight, Ray Gomes was careful that he keeps his ears open to influences that will help in developing a Ray Gomes sound that is now much sought after.

Ray Gomes

A musician who never wanted to hog the limelight because of his humble nature, Ray in his own unassuming way has moved out to lead a band of his that is the centre-piece of attraction at the Barefoot on Sunday mornings. He's come a long way since he formed the band, significantly called Sunday Morning Breeze which as he tells us was a happening when he was in school and he was in his teens then. "Initially I was a rhythm guitar player but moved on to playing the bass because there was nobody to handle the bass department!" Ray Gomes puts the records straight.

Question: How would you describe the role of a bass player in an outfit?

Answer: The role of a bass player according to my thinking is to lay down the foundation on a given track or a given melody. It is the drummer and the bass player who lay the foundation and carry the tune right from the start to the end and not make the bass sound like a lead instrument.

The bass and drums are the nucleus of a band. The keyboards, guitar and other instruments embellish the sound. The role of a b ass player is to have a solid grounding and keep a steady lock.

Q: They say that a bass player sits right into the middle of the music how would you explain that?

A: I think that's a fact. Because if you take the bass out of a tune you will find that the whole will fall flat. The piano and the guitar they play in between the chords, normally on the one or on the three, or in between that, some times there'll be a big space. So the bass player has to stick to the one and the three or the two and the four, whichever groove he is playing on. It is very important that you be steady on your bass and keep it going. You have to pay attention to the drummer who is playing on his bass drums -because it is essential that the bass drum and the bass guitar should go together.

Q: What's the difference between playing the bass like a bass guitar player and not like a guitar player?

A: The difference is that the guitarist's role is to play the melodies and the solos. Like a saxophone player. The bassist role is to lay the foundation and keep the groove.

But having said that, in today's context, bass players are taking a very prominent role. In fact the bass has become a fairly lead instrument. It has become a 'funk line thing'. Everybody wants to start soloing and aspiring bassists go in for a six string bass or a seven string bass. Today you find in any band the bass player doing a lot of soloing.

Q: You teach the bass and the guitar. Is there an ongoing improvement among the students you teach especially the youth?

A: In Sri Lanka we have a lot of talented youngsters and I think that this talent should be nurtured so that we have a wide bank of bassists and guitarists. In Sri Lanka most of the youngsters are hooked on metal, rock and pop that is good but they should be routed to play jazz and fusion. But the sad part is that the youngsters want to play these styles but unfortunately they don't make it to point to listen to these styles.

Another setback is that we don't have an official academy for youngsters to study and develop their interest in Western music other than classical music. Still they have to be commended because some of them have a good ear for music and can pick up melodies and chords with ease.

Q: What would your advice be to the younger generation of aspiring bass players?

A: My advice as a bass player to any aspiring bass player or guitar player would be if you want to fine tune and hone your art you have to put a lot of time into achieving it.

That's the first step. Listen to a lot of good music available. Today's generation is lucky they have Youtube, Instructional clips on view. So they should take those facilities and go to an experienced musician and learn from him those areas they are unable to comprehend.

What's more it is important to know how to perform as a musician with a band. This is a very important role they have to know. You can't just grab an instrument and go on stage. You have to be able to grasp what is being played and fit in without glitches.

The bassist cannot go in one direction, the drummer in another each wondering what's coming next, unable to read ahead the melody line requirements.One classic band I would advise young aspiring bassists, guitarists or drummers is to listen to Fourplay. The drummer plays his role absolutely correct, so does the bassist, guitarist and the pianist.

They complement each other. You cannot get on stage and think you are the only one there, it won't work. You have to pay attention to what the other musician is playing and begin to relate to one another.

Ray Gomes in his career as a bassist and a guitarist has played with many musicians and many bands. In the early years there was Experiments, Jade, Summerset, Colombo Gems, Pro Arrangement and Ultimate. A free- lance bassist and a guitarist Ray has had his moments enjoying the many different musical moods and vibes that the bands performed.

Q: When did taking over the reins of the present Barefoot Band come about?

A: I was with Ultimate and we had returned after playing many gigs in the Far East and the Middle East, I met saxophonist Grant Chamberlain from Australia at Barefoot and he suggested we start a trio and together with guitarist Revel Crake we formed The Barefoot Trio.

Over the years we brought in a drummer Shiraaz Nooramith. Subsequently after Shiraaz left we had Chris Dhason, then he left and we ended up with Christopher Prins. But then Grant left the band, he went back to Australia. Then in came saxophonist Rodney van Heer.

Finally, Rodney left us and Dilukshi Sirimane stepped in to play keyboards and this is the current line up.

Ray Gomes was largely influenced by the music of bassist Abraham Laboriel. He was lucky to have met Abraham in Norway and struck up a learning friendship which Ray values a great deal. Ray has had his fair share of travels for gigs.

There was Indonesia, Bangkok, Germany, England, Lusaka, Maldive Islands, Dubai, Qatar, Bahrein and Doha. As you read this in the morning Ray Gomes is winging his way to Perth, Australian for yet another happy gig!