light touch vs digging for new tones

[Pat Farrell]

Hey Janek, it's PW here I msg'd you yesterday thanks for pointing me here. I think in the last few months I learnt a really valuable lesson that's going to really help my bass-line playing. JUst want to hear your thoughts on this.

Back ground:

Basically I was made hip to the low action/light touch thing when I was very young. For years I was obsessed with Gary Willis but also hip to the fact that he didn't 'cut' enough tonally so I really felt I was on my way. But something happened, I started becoming one of 'those' bass players that sought of don't 'nail' the gig. I don't think I wasn't committed to the role of bass line playing. Which didn't bother me cause I thought I was content 'just getting the feel good' but having 'my own sound' - because my goal was always to do the solo thing.

Change of city/headspace:

I bought an MTD535 with a maple finger board and set it up so that I could do all the soloing stuff and I moved to Melbourne (Australia's big muso city) and something happened. I did a blues gig and realised I couldn't play. Every time I wanted to relax and groove I was just totally aware that my tone was bull!@#.

Now it is probably true that some basses still sound great with super light touch but either way this one doesn't so I started freaking out and went to some of my mates for advice.

Basically all these cats are Aussie 'A' list (hate that term). Much more big time than me and yet their technique/melodic ideas are not where mine are (I was obssesive for about 13yrs) but they couldn't understand why I set it up so low. Anyway cut a long post short I realised that

A: all the 'big' groove players dig in and set up their basses higher than I was

B: when I set my bass up slightly harder to play I was actually 'sounding like the sound on the record'

C: maybe this is the secret - every body goes on about 'efficient technique' but that doesn't mean 'lowest action lightest touch' - you have to pull the right TONE first and foremost. ANd I'm just starting to realise that there's a lot more tones out there than simply playing soft.

Also I now see why you can't have one bass for every gig - I want to say more when I'm improvising but pull the right sound for sessions - and that means more than different basses - it means different set ups on different basses.
Maybe I need to get one of those crazy foderas because I can't see my self changind my setup every practice session.
Got $10, 000 AUD?
If you got through this rambling post congrats.

Peace. And thanks for the music.

P.W.Farrell

[janekbass]

setup is all personal I think, and if you are comfortable nothing matters.

I do have different setups of different bass, and for different styles of music. I never change the setup of my fodera, it's always low, and I have my own way of playing it that works for almost everything I do.

I don't buy into this whole argument between high and low action, and sound etc.... whatever works for you works.

I have been more conscious recently about my sound as I just finished recording and producing my latest album. So i've had to sit there an listen to myself play for hours and hours while I work on the music. I think I had some doubts about my sound when I started to lower my action, about it not being as fat or as big..... but when I listened back to some of the grooves on my album it's as fat as any sound out there. (check out some clips on the myspace page linked below that I just posted today of the new album) And to think that I did the whole album on just two mics direct to hard disk with no mix, I think it's sounding great. So this proves to me that you can pretty much do anything with any setup you want. it just depends where you are happy and comfortable.

As long as you have a voice of your own, you'll sound like you no matter what bass or setup you're playing.

Easy,

Janek

[Pat Farrell]

I wasn't sayin low setup can't be fat. Gary Willis is fat on the right stuff, so am I in my opinion. What I'm saying is - different styles of music don't all translate to the same playing approach. Having been in the session seen in the USA you would already know this. But it never clicked with me until recently. It's just liberating is all I'm saying. Realising how to pull 'that' sound.

Of course maybe this bass just doesn't work for me - i've never had to fiddle so much in the past.

Pat

[Pat Farrell]

Hey Janek I just did something interesting that might clear this up a bit. I lowered my strings until it felt great. Then I lifted them until I got that big round tone back (without altering my playing). There is a slight compromise there. That's probobly what the real lesson is. I wasn't setting my bass up with my ears. In the past I was too focussed on the feel of my hands. I guess the bass for me is one where each need is in synchronicity.

ALright - end of discussion I guess.

Thanks mate.