Any of you tried this?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kyUCOeUTM7E&mode=related&search=

Have I tried it.. yup

Can I do it without sounding like poop... nope

Youtube? Buy the dvd, it's excellent! Massively underrated player, a bit of a virtuoso really...he is so incredibly versatile! I learned a lot from that DVD but I can't even touch Bill!

So, is that Voodoo rope thing available?

The Buddah rope is......just rope. Just find a piece that works and call it good.

You don't need rope or anything to do that. I learned that finger exercise from a Dave Weiner video... it's just a chromatic warm-up. If you practice playing without a rope, IME, you'll have better results. Then you can not only work on finger strength for clarity and articulation, too.

Dave has about 80 videos with stuff like this on YouTube.

Here:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=DAVEWEINER

Best,

Dave

I couldn't see why the rope was necessary. Just what is it suppose to do?

I couldn't see why the rope was necessary. Just what is it suppose to do?

mute it.

The rope goes under the strings and you practice your scales etc. it builds up strength in your hands and fingers,you will notice a difference once you take the rope from under the strings and play the instrument.

It's like weight training or lifting.

So, the idea of the rope to raise the action, more than mute it?

It seems to me that it would be better to practice fretting while you're practicing fingering - that is, playing cleanly & sounding solid, clear notes.

Why not kill two birds with one stone, and just raise the action for practicing?

- Dave

Why not kill two birds with one stone, and just raise the action for practicing?

Do you really want to keep raising and lowering the action on your bass ?

the reason is most musicians dont know how to set up there own instruments so it would become a expensive thing to raise the action every time you wanted to practice.

How hard is it to slide a rope versus redo your setup.

I think it was Bill who said,
"I always saw these upright bassists switch to electric bass, and when they soloed they had killer speed!"

The reason is because the action on the Upright, compared to the electric is VERY different. Upright is higher usually.
So in raising the strings with the rope, you get the effect of higher action, therefore, greater finger strength and agility.

It's the same deal with baseball players, swinging a bat with the weights on it.
When they take them off, they have more power!

The reason is because the action on the Upright, compared to the electric is VERY different. Upright is higher usually.
So in raising the strings with the rope, you get the effect of higher action, therefore, greater finger strength and agility.


Thank you.

Thank you.

No problem :)

People should be able to understand the concept behind what Bill is doing with the rope.

the reason is most musicians dont know how to set up there own instruments so it would become a expensive thing to raise the action every time you wanted to practice.

How hard is it to slide a rope versus redo your setup.

I meant, use another bass (setup with higher action) for practicing. I have two Line6 Variaxes for this reason.

- Dave

I meant, use another bass (setup with higher action) for practicing. I have two Line6 Variaxes for this reason.

- Dave
I wish I could find a good bass to practice with that cost the same as a piece of rope!:hyper: :hyper:

This seems like the same kind of snake oil crap as "Gripmasters."

Thanks, but I'm comfortable NOT sounding like the first 12 seconds of that video :rolleyes:

This seems like the same kind of snake oil crap as "Gripmasters."

Not at all. Its no different than just playing your bass with really high action. Like people in this thread, and Mr. Dickens himself have said, its just a tool to mimic the playing conditions of upright basses on the electric to help build strength/endurance. It works really well. Try shedding on a complicated riff with a piece of cloth wedged underneath the strings (same effect as the Buddha rope). It will be a lot harder than if you played normally, of course (not to mention you won't actually hear it since the cloth dampens all of it). However, if you just keep practicing that riff for about 5-10 minutes and then take the cloth away, you will notice that your fingers will fly over the strings as soon as you're back to normal.

You don't need rope or anything to do that. I learned that finger exercise from a Dave Weiner video... it's just a chromatic warm-up. If you practice playing without a rope, IME, you'll have better results. Then you can not only work on finger strength for clarity and articulation, too.

Dave has about 80 videos with stuff like this on YouTube.

Here:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=DAVEWEINER

Best,

Dave

Wow, I didn't know Dave had made videos! I've seen him live twice now and met him the first time I saw Vai live. He's a really cool guy! That said, when I saw him he had short hair, which suited him a lot better imo! I got his album too, "Shove the Sun Aside", it's pretty good!

This seems like the same kind of snake oil crap as "Gripmasters.

This is not snake oil none sense at all,logic shows that. I have seen Billy utilize this in person(even in my house on several occasions)showing and explaining to his students and anyone else that showed interest.

Bill has been utilizing the rope concept and rope exercises in the video for decades.

A little history on the Buddha rope,years before the rope had the look that it does in the video,Bill would use rolled up tissue or a small rolled up towel to get the same results.

Common sense tells us that if you practice on a bass with action higher than what you prefer and then play on a bass with your preferred low action you will immediately notice a big difference in your playing.

Yeah, but common sense aint so common!

Sorry, snake oil in the sense that he's calling a small length of cord the "Buddha rope." Wow. What an invention.

Honestly, it seems just ridiculously beyond necessary.

Sorry, snake oil in the sense that he's calling a small length of cord the "Buddha rope." Wow. What an invention.

Honestly, it seems just ridiculously beyond necessary.

i dunno, i mean, its a rope, and bill dickens' nickname is 'buddha', so its just a peice of rope used in a way that 'buddha' used it. a buddha rope. its just a nickname like any other, hes doesn't say at any point that its a unique piece of equipment, just that its a fairly unique idea.

Common sense tells us that if you practice on a bass with action higher than what you prefer and then play on a bass with your preferred low action you will immediately notice a big difference in your playing.


Agreed. But you can raise the action on a bass with an Allen wrench and about 15 seconds. If you're going to practice this for an hour at a time, it's not hard to do. Plus, you can practice articulating the notes, in addition to just physically pushing down the strings, while you play.

My 2 cents.

- Dave

Sorry, snake oil in the sense that he's calling a small length of cord the "Buddha rope." Wow. What an invention.

Honestly, it seems just ridiculously beyond necessary.

Here's some more snake oil for you :)

(Leo) Fender Precision
(Leo) Fender Jazz
(Bill) Conklin guitars
Dean Markley strings
(Larry) Hartke amps
Gibson Les Paul


But you can raise the action on a bass with an Allen wrench and about 15 seconds. If you're going to practice this for an hour at a time, it's not hard to do.

Not every one can nor wants to.

Here's some more snake oil for you :)

(Leo) Fender Precision
(Leo) Fender Jazz
(Bill) Conklin guitars
Dean Markley strings
(Larry) Hartke amps
Gibson Les Paul




Not every one can nor wants to.
A rope is by no means even close to comparable to the invention of the electric guitar, bass, extended-range bass, etc.

Those are innovations. This is a rope.

I'm gonna go squeeze a Gripmaster for awhile with my left hand using scale fingerings and practice my right hand plucking on my belt-attached PraxAx.

I'm gonna be a technical wiz in no time! :rolleyes:

I'm gonna go squeeze a Gripmaster for awhile with my left hand using scale fingerings and practice my right hand plucking on my belt-attached PraxAx.

I'm gonna be a technical wiz in no time! :rolleyes:

Don't forget the buddha rope.

Don't forget the buddha rope.
Right -- I'll throw it under the strings in the PraxAx to raise the tension :smug:

Right -- I'll throw it under the strings in the PraxAx to raise the tension :smug:



:)