“Bass and Drums Aren’t Two Instruments… They’re One” | Smiley Barnard | The Rhythm Section

The Rhythm Section: Smiley Barnard

<p>What do bass players look like from the other side of the drum kit?</p>

<p>Welcome to The Rhythm Section, an occasional <em>Now That’s Bass</em> series where I turn the tables and talk to drummers about the bass players they’ve worked with, what makes a great rhythm section — and what bass players can do to make drummers love playing with them.</p>

<p>And there aren't many better people to start with than Steve “Smiley” Barnard.</p>

<p>Smiley's career has seen him play with Robbie Williams, Joe Strummer, The Alarm, The Boomtown Rats, From The Jam, Archive and The Stranglers — putting him alongside an extraordinary list of bass players including Jean-Jacques Burnel, Bruce Foxton, Pete Briquette, Derek Forbes, Jonathan Noyce, Tony Visconti, Yolanda Charles, Dale Davis, Lee Pomeroy, Matt Round and many more.</p>

<p>We talk about what separates the truly great bass players, why Smiley believes you can tell whether a bassist can play within the first five bars, and why feel, space and personality matter far more than showing everyone how clever you are.</p>

<p>Smiley also explains why playing with a Chaka Khan bassist taught him to stop playing drum fills, why Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr may be the ultimate rhythm section, why Adam Clayton deserves far more respect — and why the bass player is the “pivotal glue” that completes a track.</p>

<p>Plus: J.J. Burnel, Bruce Foxton, James Jamerson, Sting, Mani, Tina Weymouth, Joe Strummer, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Wonder, U2, The Beatles and the perils of musicians who simply won't stop playing between songs.</p>

<p>This is The Rhythm Section — bass players, seen from the drummer's seat.</p>

<p>#NowThatsBass #TheRhythmSection #BassPlayer #BassGuitar #Drummer #RhythmSection #BassPlayers #Drummers #Musicians #PaulMcCartney #RingoStarr #AdamClayton #TheStranglers #JoeStrummer #TheAlarm #robbiewilliams</p>