I want to say something significant about playing bass but I've got nothing. I started out on bass (I just realized I've been saying the opposite of late, getting the two lengths that I've been playing mixed up, bass and guitar) but it was jazz bass. I played the electric bass way up high, using what I believe to be proper plucking techniques - guitar high enough that you can use the extreme sides of your two plucking fingers so it just kind of thuds out the notes like a percussion instrument. Take a look at a guy playing the double bass and how his plucking fingers hits the strings, that's how a bass is meant to be played. If you play bass as low as the average player plays it you're not going to get any aspect of bass playing right in my opinion. Tone, speed and accuracy.

'Bass player drives the bus' ... tempo wise. It's really another percussion instrument which is why the drummer/bass player groove has to be the tightest part of a band. Everything else is bonus. (Can you imagine if dance music were performed live and the drums and bass were off?)

If you're gonna argue the bass tempo bit consider a walking bebop bass line. In rock I guess it's more drummer. ONE two THree four. Cymbol crash. lol.