Playing Bass With A Plectrum

[Nightwolf]

For those of you that maybe think - err...who?

http://youtube.com/watch?v=RdY-KAmj5fU

NICE, that'll bee stuck in my head for a bit

[Lazz]

For those of you that maybe think - err...who?

Very nice Roflcoptor.

I think that's from the Joni Mitchell tour.

I know I have it around here somewhere.

Such feel... such groove...

I love him as an orchestrator, also.

Jaco is just so happening.

Anyone else notice how many of the great writers/arrangers are bassists ?

Must be something about the vision you get from down there at the root of everything.

[Nick]

Very nice Roflcoptor.

I think that's from the Joni Mitchell tour.

I know I have it around here somewhere.

Such feel... such groove...

I love him as an orchestrator, also.

Jaco is just so happening.

Anyone else notice how many of the great writers/arrangers are bassists ?

Must be something about the vision you get from down there at the root of everything.

It is from the Joni Mitchell tour with Pat Metheney, Michael Brecker etc His playing on her albums arond that time is astounding - Jericho off the Don Juan album is amazing I think. Big influence on Joni as well with his approach and freedom.

I love playing bass. You can do so much from where it is. Change the harmonic feel of a tune by what you play - change the pace and feel of a tune - play like a soloist or like an ensemble player - emphasize the beat - drive the tune - play densely or sparsely - play chords - create riffs and bass lines that 'become the song' - it is much more versatile than non-players think. People say to me sometimes why do I like "just" playing bass when I could be playing the guitar which I play reasonably and they don't see it's because I like doing it so much.

[Roflcopter]

Well, I'm not a baseplayer but a guitarplayer that could fake it, and for my current projects I'm on a diet - no or hardly any guitars, and certainly no solos.

That forces me to concentrate on other stuff, and the bass is the big surprise there, it's maybe even more important in 'free-style' music (without the staccato drum-kicks as a basis) than any other modern rock instrument. But also in some plain rock like the Strokes, you can hear they all rely on that Nikolai guy for the drive, and not so much the drummer. The drummer follows the changes, more - and fills in the blanks, same as the rhythm guitar.

[Nick]

Well, I'm not a baseplayer but a guitarplayer that could fake it, and for my current projects I'm on a diet - no or hardly any guitars, and certainly no solos.

That forces me to concentrate on other stuff, and the bass is the big surprise there, it's maybe even more important in 'free-style' music (without the staccato drum-kicks as a basis) than any other modern rock instrument. But also in some plain rock like the Strokes, you can hear they all rely on that Nikolai guy for the drive, and not so much the drummer. The drummer follows the changes, more - and fills in the blanks, same as the rhythm guitar.

When I first started playing bass (about 1968ish scarey thought!) I used to just sit and jam with a lead guitarist with no drummer and it definitely makes you play in a certain sort of way. I was influenced at the time by a mixture of Cream, Black Sabbath and Blues. Because of the sparseness of the two instruments and no percussion I tended to play quite a lot of notes, a fair number of chords and to often try and play a bit off the rhythm rather than solid and on the beat.

I then stopped playing bass for about 30 something years. Going back to it I still played in the same sort of style but changed when I started playing with drummers reasonably regularly as my previous style did not necessarily work very well and I learned to play with a drummer which is much more fun.

[visualkeiinvasion]

well... there is an entire genre almost devoted to the sound of plektrum bass players. Visual kei. It's also the genre I imagine the bass players are having most fun in since larry graham started slapping...

[The S]

Well, 6 years late (the original post of this topic), my response is this.

Fingers. At all times.

Even better, use only one. RIP The Hook.

=)

[EJB]

You mean there's another way to play the Bass?

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

 

EJB

[Jim622]

Rick Danko - The Band - pick.

[Brad Barnett]

I have never, and will never use a pic to play the bass!  I really hate it lol.  Not trying to knock you because it is all a matter of opinion.  As a bass player I am much faster with fingers and love slapping and popping!