In a band, the bassist and drummer are the band's backbone. But how exactly to they know how to work together to maintain the beat of a song without going off track? Basically the bass follows the drums as far as rythmn goes...everything does really, but basically as a bass player, you need to get to know your drummer really well and know what the overall beat is, where the changes are coming etc...the bass can add a bit move of a "groove" element to it. I have always thought (as a basss player) that the bass was kind of like a bridge between the drums and guitars. I hope that answered the question... Bass is what ties the rhythm of the drums with the melody of the guitar. There are different styles based on the genre. But for Rock, I prefer to follow a kick, snare pattern while playing the bass. So if the rhythm is typical kick, kick, snare... and the melody is in E, then I would play a low end E twice and move up an octave on the snare beat. | 