Fingers Vs. Pick
Moderators: rickenbrother, ajish4
Same here Scott. That's my outlook to a tee! I play lots of different styles of stuff in different bands, so I need lots of different sounds; I always tend to use Ricks for rock. I did use one for slap about 10 years ago in a band I played in; gigged it every week for about a year, but although I found it physically ok to slap on, the tone wasn't tight or snappy enough for me. I guess it depends on the slap tone you're after; I don't like the slap tone of a P bass either. For slap, its Alembic all the way (or Warwick, or Musicman...).
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
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big_g
In 24 years, many of them as a professional, touring bass player, I’ve played everything country, folk, punk, blues, old metal, nu-metal, jazz, whatever paid the bills. I have a couple of observations from this experience.
One, there is no perfect instrument, you get them set up as well as you can expect for that, "type" of instrument. If you want a radical departure, you get another instrument. You know the old cliches, "apples and oranges". Secondly, your most powerful weapon isn't at the end of your hands; it's at the end of you neck. I've been patient but relentless in my pursuit of knowledge and the application of the skills learned.
I have learned to play every style, I may not be great at all, but at all, I'm at least effective. I may not like them all, but if it gets the long green in the house, I'll try to play it. I sound somewhat mercenary, true, but it's also been a blast learning about so many styles of music.
I haven't even had to use them all, but in some way they exist in everything, I play. They all have affected the choice of notes or rests I choose to play, to a greater or lesser degree.
Try out new concepts, as long as you’re learning your growing.
One, there is no perfect instrument, you get them set up as well as you can expect for that, "type" of instrument. If you want a radical departure, you get another instrument. You know the old cliches, "apples and oranges". Secondly, your most powerful weapon isn't at the end of your hands; it's at the end of you neck. I've been patient but relentless in my pursuit of knowledge and the application of the skills learned.
I have learned to play every style, I may not be great at all, but at all, I'm at least effective. I may not like them all, but if it gets the long green in the house, I'll try to play it. I sound somewhat mercenary, true, but it's also been a blast learning about so many styles of music.
I haven't even had to use them all, but in some way they exist in everything, I play. They all have affected the choice of notes or rests I choose to play, to a greater or lesser degree.
Try out new concepts, as long as you’re learning your growing.
Amen. I would never say that I wouldn't ever use a particular style or technique; that would be far too limiting. I love all kinds of music and all kinds of bass playing, and whether it brings in the green or not, I just love being able to play in (pretty much) any style, simply for the love of music. The first bass I loved was a Rick, the first bass I got was a Rick, and I learned to play initially with a pick. But as my horizons broadened, and my interest in music deepened, I wanted to try EVERYTHING. To me, its just like life; it's a big world out there and I want to see as much of it as possible! Think of it as colours to a painter; a painter will use what he needs to express himself. I've never heard any decent painter say "I'm not gonna use blue, blue sucks" or similar.
"Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle."
When I got my first 4001 in '78, disco was in full swing. I hated disco but the string popping and thumb slapping bass really appealed to me. I would actually throw some of it in when playing the top 40 rock I used to play at the time. This would result in breaking up most of the members of any band I was in except for the notable exception of "chick singers"...go figure. Anyway, fast forward to last nite's anual set the clock forward party. I had one of my custom 3000's with a 4004 pickup and rounds played through an Ampeg B3R amp. During an extended jam session I must have resurected every Andy Tayler(Duran Duran) riff I knew and the the general consensus was that my bass sounded better and more defined on that sort of playing than the house bands' Musicman Stingray. The bottom end was also just as heavy which debunks the myth about short scale basses being short on low end too.
Back to the topic:
Each guitar gets its own technique set. The 4003S, strung with Roto's, is played picked, with 1 to 2 mm picks, or fingered using the Geddy Lee Smackdown (into the bridge pickup) or the OX-idental Bounce (off the 20th fret).
The MG C64, strung with Pyramid flats, is only picked with Dava Control Picks (when I can find them!!)
I've found it extraordinrily tough to finger a bass "normally". Guess that means no borrowing other guys' basses ever agagin!
Cheers, Tides, Dashes, Fabs, and Germaseptic Drefts,
Garry
Each guitar gets its own technique set. The 4003S, strung with Roto's, is played picked, with 1 to 2 mm picks, or fingered using the Geddy Lee Smackdown (into the bridge pickup) or the OX-idental Bounce (off the 20th fret).
The MG C64, strung with Pyramid flats, is only picked with Dava Control Picks (when I can find them!!)
I've found it extraordinrily tough to finger a bass "normally". Guess that means no borrowing other guys' basses ever agagin!
Cheers, Tides, Dashes, Fabs, and Germaseptic Drefts,
Garry
The ideal mix leaves the bass player louder than the rest of the band put together!