locomotive style rockabilly?

[markx1]

I want to teach myself how to play the bass part of Buddy Holly's "Peggy Sue".I play a Stratocaster, but would like to learn some songs on the bass.I can't clearly make out the bass part on my recording, so what is meant by locomotive style for this song? any special techniques used here?

[BusterDog]

Buddy Holly had an upright bass player.
Locomotive style probably refers to the standard rockabilly slap style of playing. That only works well on an upright bass.

[Just J]

Listening to the track, I'll second what BusterDog said. If you listen closely, you can hear what sounds like a train in the background, it's the bassist slapping the upright.

www.bassplayer.tv has an interview with Lee Rocker and he shows some upright slap techniques, you can hear what I mean when he slaps triplets.

That would be tricky to mimic exactly on an electric, but you might be able to do it using a pick and tweaking the sound a bit.

[JimmyM]

Sorry, but I know Joe B. Mauldin from the Crickets and have seen them play several times, and he never slaps, nor did he slap on the original recordings. He plays a very simple line with roots on the 1 and 3. The locomotive thing is more a reference to the drums doing paradiddles on the toms.

[Infernal Affair]

Yeah. I always thought that locomotive sound was from the drums. Always cool to see some proven confirmation.