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11-09-2007, 02:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: towards dead end | | | Cliff Burton's playing style
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Presently I use a pick, and I want to learn to play fingerstyle like Cliff. i know that someone already posted on Demystifying Death Metal but Cliff ain't death metal. Any specific pointers or tips?? |
11-09-2007, 02:43 PM
| | Supporting Member | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: WI | | | Uh, just learn the basics of fingerstyle technique first before trying to be just like Cliff. |
11-09-2007, 04:56 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2007 Location: towards dead end | | | alright, say i know fingerstyle. now what? |
11-09-2007, 04:59 PM
| | | | Cliff played with fingers.. and that is :P No mystery, no enigmatic technique beyond. Fast fingers, big muff and morley PWA |
11-09-2007, 05:16 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Canada | | | he didn't really have that much special about his technique.
just low action, two fingers, very raw sound. |
11-09-2007, 05:40 PM
| | Banned | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Montreal,Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Gawd  he didn't really have that much special about his technique.
just low action, two fingers, very raw sound. | just like me  but he does it better.
Hmmm I've heard he has some sort of "pinky" technique |
11-09-2007, 05:46 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springfield, MO | | Quote:
Originally Posted by metalbass66 alright, say i know fingerstyle. now what? | now you can play like cliff. |
11-09-2007, 05:47 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Springfield, MO | | Quote:
Originally Posted by peaveyuser just like me but he does it better.
Hmmm I've heard he has some sort of "pinky" technique | no his pinky just sticks out when he plays. kind of looks like he's throwing you the horns |
11-09-2007, 05:48 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pacific Northwest | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Gawd he didn't really have that much special about his technique.
just low action, two fingers, very raw sound. | And more talent than most will ever have...
People love to say Cliff was nothing special but if he wasn't doing anything special then why is that no one else was writing the stuff he wrote?
Anyway, if you want to play with your fingers; it's all physical. Throw your picks away and use your fingers. At first it will feel strange and uncomfortable but eventually you'll have it down. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and Cliff wasn't born playing bass.
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11-09-2007, 05:53 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by casualmadness And more talent than most will ever have...
People love to say Cliff was nothing special but if he wasn't doing anything special then why is that no one else was writing the stuff he wrote?
Anyway, if you want to play with your fingers; it's all physical. Throw your picks away and use your fingers. At first it will feel strange and uncomfortable but eventually you'll have it down. Just remember, Rome wasn't built in a day and Cliff wasn't born playing bass. | of course cliff was an innovator for the bass. he brought into the spot light for the genre, and had a lot of talent.
I just there was nothing special about his technique. like wooten has double thumb, willis has floating anchor, etc. cliff just played great without the extras |
11-09-2007, 07:26 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Perth, Western Australia | | How you can describe the way he helped revolutionise the role of bass in thrash and metal music as "no extra's" is a bit harsh IMO.
Then again, I'm biased. Cliff was my primary role model while learning to play bass, in fact probably the only one I watched on vidioes back then. I have that same pinky habit and try as I might to break it's just not happening. 
That said guys are right. Learn to play finger style with a fast consistent attack. On the theory side, learn arpeggio's. If you can find it, get a copy of "Cliff Em All" or look them up on YouTube and watch his technique.
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11-09-2007, 07:29 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pacific Northwest | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Gawd there was nothing special about his technique... |  that's like, your opinion man...
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11-09-2007, 07:33 PM
|  | (V) [;,,;] (V) | | Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Michigan | | | Cliff's fingerstyle was actually really, really poor technique, that only really worked for him. I HIGHLY recommend you don't try to emulate it.
He played by placing the palm of his hand on the top edge of the bass's body, and then just had him thumb floating there while he reached his fingers to the strings. Also, I see a lot of new bass players trying to emulate him by extending their right pinky while playing; this is just lame. He did it because he probably hurt his hand at one point; I'm sure he didn't do it intentionally.
In short, Cliff's style was his own and quite unique. It did him wonders, but not you, or anyone else for that matter. If you want to study the technique of a metal bassist that slings his axe low like Cliff, look no further than Troy Sanders of Mastodon. The stuff he plays is pretty fantastic, and even though he slings his instrument very low, his right hand technique is very good. Check him out!
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11-09-2007, 08:31 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Sydney | | Quote:
Originally Posted by Gawd he didn't really have that much special about his technique.
just low action, two fingers, very raw sound. | He used three actually.
To the OP go and check out this link to Steve Digiorgio's site for some ideas about how to use your third finger. You can find a similar lesson by Steve Bailey here. Good luck. |
11-09-2007, 08:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Pacific Northwest | | I hate bass wienies... 
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11-09-2007, 09:23 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by mutedeity He used three actually.
To the OP go and check out this link to Steve Digiorgio's site for some ideas about how to use your third finger. You can find a similar lesson by Steve Bailey here. Good luck. | Im pretty sure he used two.
he usually had his ring curled and his pinky sticking out though.
is there a video where you can see him using three clearly? |
11-09-2007, 09:26 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: May 2004 Location: Hamilton, Ontario Canada | | Quote:
Originally Posted by casualmadness that's like, your opinion man... | why do people take this the wrong way.
I mean his technique was basic, he didn't use any flashy tricks. just straight to the bone style bass playing. no slap, or tapping, or hybrid finger styles. his technique was very basic, but he was still able to use it in great ways. |
11-09-2007, 11:03 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: The little red dot on the map. | | | I'm no expert but IMO you should at least have a bass with the same teeny string spacing as him if you want to play as fast.
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11-10-2007, 08:45 AM
| | | he was really in to country music believe it or not!
i dnt think he used three fingers there a great shot of him playing in the video for " for whom the bell tolls" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KpxOmksHrY
awesome is all i can say!
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11-10-2007, 09:18 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Charlotte N.C. | | Check out Billy Sheehan, He certainly isn't Cliff, but this video helps as fas as learning some speed while plucking with 3 fingers f/f to about 1:00 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruTSsawJpcU | | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
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