We Are Family

Thank you, Mr. Bernard Edwards, for every groove you created. This man's bass lines are masterclasses in style, technique, and taste. Every one of them. This one, on We are Family by Sister Sledge, is a particular favorite of mine. His use of octaves, both in the chorus and in the verse, is so inspired. There are a million bass lines that are built around octaves (like Boogie Oogie Oogie in my last post), but this one is special.

Word is that Niles Rodgers and Bernard Edwards were encouraged to write for other acts signed to Atlantic after they had a bit hit with "Dance, dance, dance". Rodgers and Edwards were concerned that they wouldn't get proper credit if they wrote for one of the big acts, so they asked who was the least established. That turned out to be Sister Sledge, and of course the song the guys wrote became their biggest hit.

The secret to making this bass line sound good is all about time. If you're not one hundred percent in the pocket, it'll show. Not that the song falls over, but it'll feel ever so slightly unstable, and it's gotta be steady as a rock. Second, note length: Bernard is very intentional about which notes are short, and which ones are less so. Finally, those pops he slips in a few times? It's very tempting to keep doing them, but I like to limit myself to just twice; three times if I'm feeling particularly excited. They should feel like a nice little surprise. Make your audience wonder if they really heard it.

Listen to the man. He is so much cooler than I'll ever be, and what a tragedy it is that we lost him at age 43. I'll post some more of his bass lines in the future, because they're just too good.