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I do not understand, as a bass player, what it means to "stay on the one", "on the five", etc.

What do musicians mean when they tell the bass player to "stay on the one", or any other number?

Your Uncle Bob
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j. Leone Hayes
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4 Answers4

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This means the scale step, either of the current key, or more likely, of the current chord. Playing "one" means playing the root; "three" means the third above; "five" means the fifth above. For example on a G-major chord, one=G, three=B, and 5=D (and 7=F), etc.

ttw
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    Are you sure it’s the scale step? I thought it was the first beat. – Todd Wilcox Jul 02 '19 at 02:10
  • Possible. I've always heard it on the scale step but there may be other (and even more widely spread) traditions.I'll withdraw my comments if beats are more common. – ttw Jul 02 '19 at 03:03
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    @ToddWilcox The expression "on the one" is indeed ambiguous, but the OP mentions "staying on the one" and also "on the five", so that suggests scale steps, not beats. – Your Uncle Bob Jul 02 '19 at 03:06
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    @YourUncleBob: Why assume that people know what they're talking about, on a site where people ask questions about things that are unclear to them? That's a silly assumption. :) With approximately 58.2 % probability, the OP only assumed that "on the one" and "on the five" use numbers in the same sense. The "on the five" can be a completely made-up thing that was never actually said, but because he's confused, he took the number five from a different context. Or maybe it was said but it meant something different. Who knows. – piiperi Reinstate Monica Jul 02 '19 at 08:18
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    @piiperi Now you sound like House :-) – Your Uncle Bob Jul 02 '19 at 09:51
  • @piiperi - try not to assume anything! If it was beats, with 5 in the bar, the other emphasised note will be 3 or 4 usually... unless of course the 5 strays into the next bar 9in4/4) to substitute for beat 1 again..! – Tim Jul 02 '19 at 11:35
  • I suspect both senses of "the one" are used (i.e., first beat, tonic note), and in this case it is probably the tonic note, although when it's the bass it could easily go either way (as opposed to drums, where I would expect "the one" to be about rhythm and meter). That said, "the five" could confusingly refer to the third beat in 4/4 time that is being counted as 8th notes, or the second beat counted as 16th notes. This is especially possible if the speaker is used to step sequencing beats with 8th or 16th note resolution. The step button marked "5" could be what they mean. – Todd Wilcox Jul 02 '19 at 15:06
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    @ToddWilcox - if indeed it did mean the first beat, how could a bassist 'stay ' on it? I know some are really slow players, but... – Tim Jul 03 '19 at 14:27
  • @Tim “On the one” in my experience has meant either “neither ahead of nor behind the beat” or “not syncopated at the start of the measure”. Some styles might call for not playing on the first beat of the measure, unless you’re specifically asked to play on the one. E.g., The main riff to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica does not have a note that starts on the first beat of the measures, the riff starts on the 4& of the previous measure. – Todd Wilcox Jul 03 '19 at 14:34
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    @ToddWilcox - that's fine. Except OP asks stay on the one - which will have different implications (if any). It would obviate use of any anacrusis, for instance. I've questioned 'stay' and 'play', waiting for OP. Isn't Enter Sandman staring on the & of 4? (last 1/8). – Tim Jul 03 '19 at 14:45
  • @Tim regarding Enter Sandman, that’s exactly what I wrote. “4&” – Todd Wilcox Jul 03 '19 at 16:30
  • @YourUncleBob - House is no mean piano player! – Tim Jul 05 '19 at 09:52
  • I would definitely say "stay on the root" to say don't play the fifth or third. – Dave Jacoby Dec 12 '20 at 01:53
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As per user48490's answer, when talking about playing in the rhythm section, the most usual meaning of "The One" is "the first beat of the bar":

James Brown often cued his band with the command "On the one!," changing the percussion emphasis/accent from the one-two-three-four backbeat of traditional soul music to the one-two-three-four downbeat. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funk)

Legendary bassist Bootsy Collins explains here, in his own terms:

I don't think the expression "The five" is nearly as common - though I have heard people talk about playing "a five" or "the five" meaning a five-string bass guitar!

Could "the one" or "the five" mean a scale degree? Well, maybe - depends on the context. As a shorthand form, people do also say things like "1-3-5" to mean scale degrees; If you talked about a "one-five" bassline, people would know what you mean, and in context, playing "on the one and the five" might mean the same thing. However, I think "root-fifth" is more common if you're talking about scale degrees.

So as with a lot of musical terminology, you need to consider the particular context to work out what's meant.

Нет войне
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    This is the right answer. Thought the OP did mention "on the five" etc. The phrase relates to the beat. James Brown. –  Dec 11 '20 at 22:41
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In a lot of pop type music, the bass' job is to play one on one. Which means playing the root of the chord on the first beat of the bar.

Root note generally sounds more solid than any other, so on a bar of C, the bass plays note C. Usually on the first beat of the bar - regarded as the most impotant. Therefore playing the most important note on the most important beat. Yes, reggae et al uses different strategies, but this is 'standard' pop.

After the root (1), the next note expected from a bassist is the 5. So in that bar of C, the bassist could well play C then G, above or below. Staying on 1 will mean not playing 5 - or even 3, the other note usually associated with a triad. It certainly won't mean play on beat 5 (which doesn't get played in 4/4), or play on the 5th string of a bass!

If it's 'stay on the one', then it can't be 'stay on the 1st beat of the bar', and can only be 'stay on root', which may be because the chords change (to slash, maybe), and the root needs to stay constant, while the harmonies change.

It's maybe not the best way to describe what happens, as it's a little ambiguous, but a lot of bassists would understand and play what I've described. 'Stay on the root' makes more sense.

Tim
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    Any links to the "one on one" usage? Not denying it at all, just haven't heard it! – Нет войне Jul 02 '19 at 10:36
  • @topomorto - none! I've used it for years, as it's apposite and easily understandable - even for bass players! – Tim Jul 02 '19 at 11:30
  • Go on - explain the dv! – Tim Jul 03 '19 at 14:49
  • right now you're on the one downvote and on the five upvotes... – Нет войне Jul 03 '19 at 15:41
  • @topomorto - very droll! What can I say that won't cause offence?! Always been a distinct lack of humour on this site. Musos need to be serious! – Tim Jul 03 '19 at 15:47
  • @Tim -- the downvotes on the answers here seem curious. Maybe a serious musician is responsible, though there seems to be a bit of an inverse relationship between serious musicians and serious personalities.... –  Jul 05 '19 at 16:04
  • @DavidBowling - hmm, well spotted - except the last answer... The asylum did mention a breakout, so it could be serious musos - or even serious personalities...I've now given up caring about 'unqualified' dvs. They mean literally nothing in useful terms, but I've said that (too?) many times. Roll on the revolution! – Tim Jul 05 '19 at 16:10
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In funk music anyway, it refers to the first beat of each measure being accented. Also called the downbeat.You can play ahead or behind the beat elsewhere, but be on beat "on the ones".

user48490
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