Paul's fingerstyle bass playing

[JakeK]

Everyone knows that for the bulk of his work, Paul McCartney used a pick for playing bass. But what some people (mostly Beatles tribute bands) do not know is that when the song was mellow or softer than the usual songs, Paul would use his index and middle fingers at the same time to pull a string, and tuck the pick in the fingers that weren't used (such as Till There Was You or '66 versions of Yesterday)





And, when miming songs for promo vids and TV shows (I Am the Walrus and Hello, Goodbye videos), when Paul didn't have a pick (or if he dropped his pick onstage), he'd use his fingers or thumb.

Something new you learn everyday, it pays to pay attention.

[vynesmusic]

I'm new to the forum here...proud owner of a FireGlow Rick 360-12....I have to weigh in on Paul's bass playing, because I started as a bassist in 1965, and it wasn't until years later that I realized how much he, along with George Martin, changed the entire concept of bass. 2 songs changed everything, and later a 3rd..."Rain" and "Nowhere Man" took bass to a new level, and later, "Come Together". The fact that he could play parts like those and "Paperback Writer" AND sing so well raised the bar very high for electric combo sound. Paul is the master of electric bass....strangely enough, another Rickenbacker family member, Byrd's bassist Chris Hillman, was contemporary with Paul, and outstanding in his own right. His bass parts on the "5D" and "Younger Than Yesterday" albums were virtuoso caliber. Both Chris and Paul played extraordinary patterns, yet they remained bass patterns, weaving under the song and pushing the melodies....it was not the wannabe lead guitar stuff of a few other bassists indemic to the times, the great John Entwhistle notwithstanding...

[JeffZ]

I'm a bass player too...I was listening to "Old Brown Shoe" last night. The bass playing on this is outstanding, especially on the bridge, which has some neat machine gun riffing...

[bottom4]

It's oftened discussed that it's George playing bass on OBS

[JeffZ]

Really? I have not heard this before...if true George is a pretty good bass player!

[tennis_nick]

Really? I have not heard this before...if true George is a pretty good bass player!

If you listen to Anthology which I believe has only George on it (overdubbed a few times for the sake of the demo) he plays such a bassline (on a guitar it sounds like though.)

[sloop_john_b]

George on a Bass VI IMO.

[FretlessOnly]

It's oftened discussed that it's George playing bass on OBS

Quoting from Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions; entry for Wednesday 16 April 1969: "The song's highly distinctive and impressive bass sound was actually a fine combination of matching lead and bass guitar notes played by George and Paul."

If only the word "respectively" were in there at the end. Anyway, it's implied by this that George played lead guitar and Paul the bass (I mean, wouldn't Lewisohn make a point of saying that George played the bassline, which would have been relatively rare?).

[JeffZ]

I'm familiar with the demo version on the Anathology, and it's a great demo, but the actual single certainly sounds like Paul playing bass.

[FretlessOnly]

I rather thought I provided strong evidence that McCartney did play the bass.

[rickboy88]

Here is another source:
http://oldies.about.com/od/thebeatlesso ... wnshoe.htm

The interesting thing is that it has McCartney playing the Fender VI. I've read though that he could play the bass "up side down" (strings reversed) as well.

I've also thought that he overdubbed bass in on tracks, even if someone else played it on initial takes.

[iamthebassman]

Something new you learn everyday, it pays to pay attention.

Yep, knew all that already, it's my job.

[JakeK]

Ronn, when The Eggmen play the softer songs, do you use your fingers?

Something else I noticed: in the "I Am the Walrus" video, the 4001S' selector switch was pulled up rather than flipped down. That bassline sounds rather trebly, but then again, I don't know if a cap on the horseshoe would sound like that. Maybe both pickups?

[sloop_john_b]

"Walrus" does not sound "trebly" to me at all. The tone there is similar to everything else he was doing during the period (though the song does have fairly understated bass playing, for the era).

[tennis_nick]

Ronn, when The Eggmen play the softer songs, do you use your fingers?

Something else I noticed: in the "I Am the Walrus" video, the 4001S' selector switch was pulled up rather than flipped down. That bassline sounds rather trebly, but then again, I don't know if a cap on the horseshoe would sound like that. Maybe both pickups?

videos mean nothing.