Can someone explain what "filler" is?

[all4hisGLORY]

I've been playing for a few years now and I want to add more runs to songs but I don't know what to do. I do basic ones like D-C-A-G but nothing very complicated. I've bought DVDs and watched a lot of YouTube videos and they always break down the song to simple notes. After the song they say you can add more to the song but never go in depth as to what to add. Usually they say just add something that sounds good to you or just add some basic filler. Can someone help me with this?

[tewest86]

Honestly, this is something that can't be taught.  This is my thoughts on it.  It's just stuff you pickup as you get more experience.  Someone else may have a different opinion.  That's why I can tell a beginner bass player from a seasoned one in the first 10 seconds of a song.  Especially a slow ballad type song.  I can show one what I mean way better than trying to explain it through words.  I'm not talking about doing a bunch of licks either.  I begineer will play just that rood note of the cord and that's all.  You play around using octaves and the 5 of the root.  I may make you a video to show you the type of stuff I'm talking about tonight. 

[all4hisGLORY]

Well I'd appreciate it. I wanna do more than just  1-5-1-5 and  1-6-5-6 on faster songs.

[tewest86]

You have a particular song in mind?

[Mysteryman]

I personally think it can be taught but there are few teachers who are able to transfer the knowledge in a way the student can understand.

[berbie]

Break out your bass,  turn on your music source,  turn up the bass control,  listen to the notes that the bass player is playing,  play them yourself.  Play them over and over.  Get them under your fingers.  Then use them yourself.  You'll find that they will fit many other songs of the same type.  You'll find that you don't need a whole lot of fillers.  Just recycle the ones you know to fit the songs. The fillers that you use (with your touch)will become you.  Don't say that you copied them from other musicians.  That is a trade secret.

[DWBass]

Please forgive me as I'm going to use a secular song (albeit a positive one) as an example. The song "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye. Listen to the chords. Very simple song chords wise. If James Jamerson just played root notes, it would still be a good song, but he played a lot of 'filler' notes or 'runs' in between. The songs now seems a bit fuller and busier. What he added was genius. That's just one example but I think it's a good one.

[all4hisGLORY]

Well right now I'm trying to work on my congregational playing. Songs like I gotta feeling or king Jesus. I've got an iRig and its been helping a little with playing by ear but for me it's easier for someone to show me something and I build of that.

[tewest86]

Well right now I'm trying to work on my congregational playing. Songs like I gotta feeling or king Jesus. I've got an iRig and its been helping a little with playing by ear but for me it's easier for someone to show me something and I build of that.

Listen to Bebe Winan's cd titled "Church" .   They do all those hymns and congregational songs.  Andrew Gouche' is on bass and he's killing.

[berbie]

Go to youtube.  Listen to "Sunday Morning Medley" by the Georgia Mass Choir.  Check out the bass player.  Listen for the 1-6-2-5-1s and the chromatic runs. They fit anywhere.  Listen for other licks.  Listen to "Lord, You're The Landlord" by the Mississippi Mass Choir.  Listen for the main bass lick.  It'll fit into many songs,  Listen to the other bass notes and patterns. Listen to "I love to praise Him" by the same choir.  There are many examples to use.  They can be helpful with many songs.

[phbrown]

filler is the notes you play that you come up while not playing the bass

so while driving around sing the bass line and then make a whole bunch of random sounds in between the root notes and BAM you got a filler

[all4hisGLORY]

Go to youtube.  Listen to "Sunday Morning Medley" by the Georgia Mass Choir.  Check out the bass player.  Listen for the 1-6-2-5-1s and the chromatic runs. They fit anywhere.  Listen for other licks.  Listen to "Lord, You're The Landlord" by the Mississippi Mass Choir.  Listen for the main bass lick.  It'll fit into many songs,  Listen to the other bass notes and patterns. Listen to "I love to praise Him" by the same choir.  There are many examples to use.  They can be helpful with many songs.

I listened to some of those and I can here hear what you're talking about but we don't do those types of songs. Will the 1-6-2-5-1 work for songs like I gotta feelin or you don't know like I know.

[Mysteryman]

I listened to some of those and I can here hear what you're talking about but we don't do those types of songs. Will the 1-6-2-5-1 work for songs like I gotta feelin or you don't know like I know.

When I saw this and the songs you named, I said this person must be Apostolic or Pentecostal.  Chord arpeggios and their inversions will help you out a lot when it comes to songs like this. I have clips of the bass player from my home church. I will see if I can post a few.

[all4hisGLORY]

When I saw this and the songs you named, I said this person must be Apostolic or Pentecostal.  Chord arpeggios and their inversions will help you out a lot when it comes to songs like this. I have clips of the bass player from my home church. I will see if I can post a few.

Yup that's me 

[neddy]

I agree with All4hisglory, I have looked on you tube, and have become more confused on run and fillers. So my question would be what note to start on the 3rd, 7th, 5th. Is there some base to start from or is just "Keep swimming, Keep swimming"?

[berbie]

Hey, I think I missed what you were looking for. If I were going to play, "I've got a feeling, everything's gonna be alright"  I would play something like the runs that are used in the Eddie Ruth Bradford rendition of that song on youtube.  Just to verify that we are on a different page, listen to that version if you will and verify.  Sorry about that.  However, the chromatic runs in the other songs are used everywhere.

[neddy]

Yes Berbie, that old school bass is what I'm talking about, but let say you wanted to do a run/fill in that song, around the 2:25 mark, would you start  the run on root note, the 5th, 7th, 11th or 13th or would target the root note of the next chord and figure your run from there?

[berbie]

Sounds like he started on the third.  Excuse this, but it sounded like he played, barup de dum dum dum.  You hit the three and slide up to the five     six    five- three-one.   Did you notice all the 1-6-2-5-1s.  The song started off with one as an intro.  Then he song went from the one to the 6, which is minor.  You see that quite often, though most songs of the type are 1-4-5.

[all4hisGLORY]

We do that song a lot faster. Like by and by and, it's all over me and its keepin me alive.

[all4hisGLORY]

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=iE5KUSZvtco&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DiE5KUSZvtco. 
You can skip to 4:40 the quality isn't the best