Stevie Wonder "I Wish" - GRRR! - Page 4

bassplayerbob · #61 02-10-2013, 07:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qervo

Yeah I can tell that the bass is doubling Stevie's keys, but something sounds "electronic" about those slides. Or I guess it could be him just digging in and pushing the amp. I always try to get that sound when I play it but all I've got is an overdrive pedal.

I have a music man and if i dig in on those slides, it gets pretty nasty! On a side note, check out Let's Get Serious by Jermaine Jackson, which was written by Stevie Wonder. Nate plays bass on that and those growly slides appear again..

**Jeremy Allen** · #62 02-10-2013, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassplayerbob

Actually there is an interview with Nate Watts in a bassplayer magazine where he says that they would tune down a half step because Stevie wrote a lot in flat keys.

That's cool, but as far as this particular recording is concerned it's moot. As far as I can tell (just listened again to refresh my memory) there's not a single low Eb on the recording and thus no evidence that he's tuned down. (You'd think he would've used it if he tuned down for it.) But it doesn't matter, because even if he was tuned down, the line never has the low note anyway and you can play it without re-tuning.

Having played it for so long in E, I can say, though, that it's fun to have the low note...

qervo · #63 02-10-2013, 08:19 PM

Found this in an article about Nathan Watts sound :

Nate used his maple neck ’79 MusicMan Stingray—as always, tuned down a half-step—with month-old Rotosound roundswounds, and heard his bass through headphones. According to Gary O. Adante, who has worked with Wonder since Innervisions, and who engineered and mixed “Do I Do,” Watts plugged into a Countryman DI and an Alembic F-2B tube preamp set to slightly overdrive his signal (something Adante first suggested Nate try on “I Wish,” in 1976). Says Adante, “There was one track of bass, although it sounds like more.” He continues, “In the mix session, all I did to the bass was use a Teletronix LA-2A limiter on it. The slight distortion had an advantage of enabling the bass to cut through the track more easily—even one as dense as this. As for panning, back in the vinyl days you ran into trouble keeping the needle in the groove if you had a lot of bass and tried to do too much wide panning. The whole vinyl disc procedure has a way of driving bass frequencies towards the center of the groove anyway, so we didn’t fight it.” TEN OTHER NATE WATTS-INFUSED TRACKS 1 “I Wish” Stevie Wonder 2 “Sir Duke” Stevie Wonder 3 “As” Stevie Wonder 4 “Contusion” Steve Wonder 5 “Master Blaster” Stevie Wonder 6 “Say, Say, Say” Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson 7 “I’m So Excited” The Pointer Sisters 8 “Waters of March” Sergio Mendes 9 “Muscles” Diana Ross 10 “This Place Hotel” The Jacksons

bassplayerbob · #64 02-10-2013, 08:25 PM

Killer Clip of Nate playing it alone...When the girl starts to sing, he uses that open E...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0-LUWRX2rE

bassplayerbob · #65 02-10-2013, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeremy Allen

That's cool, but as far as this particular recording is concerned it's moot. As far as I can tell (just listened again to refresh my memory) there's not a single low Eb on the recording and thus no evidence that he's tuned down. (You'd think he would've used it if he tuned down for it.) But it doesn't matter, because even if he was tuned down, the line never has the low note anyway and you can play it without re-tuning.

Having played it for so long in E, I can say, though, that it's fun to have the low note...

Totally agree, I have played it both ways and having that open E is more fun....

qervo · #66 02-10-2013, 08:46 PM

Apparently this has been talked about before
Nathan Watts and his Sound

21niko21 · #67 02-13-2013, 12:19 AM

That's exactly the reason I've been hauling a second detuned bass to practice for 4 months...that and Superstition.

BillyIVbass · #68 02-13-2013, 12:30 AM

Nate definitely tuned his bass down, but it's doable in Eb and a great way to get your fingers comfortable with Eb pentatonic.

keep it low · #69 02-13-2013, 01:07 AM

I heard this version before the original and I have to say, I like it better http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=ZR3p7...%3DZR3p7W_OF_Q

Vince Klortho · #70 02-13-2013, 01:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucephylus

BTW, the 5 works as well. Of course. But, in fact, I actually prefer an open Eb to the stopped Eb. As always, YMMV.

I try to avoid open notes for two reasons - the tone sounds slightly different played on the nut instead of a fret and I think it's easier to transpose when you don't rely on open notes. This was important in my last band because we had a singer with a very limited range. When we were learning "Play That Funky Music" we tried four different keys before he found one he was comfortable with. We had to write the keys of the songs on the set list because most were not in their original keys. It was a challenge but a fun one.

bucephylus · #71 02-13-2013, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vince Klortho

I try to avoid open notes for two reasons - the tone sounds slightly different played on the nut instead of a fret and I think it's easier to transpose when you don't rely on open notes. This was important in my last band because we had a singer with a very limited range. When we were learning "Play That Funky Music" we tried four different keys before he found one he was comfortable with. We had to write the keys of the songs on the set list because most were not in their original keys. It was a challenge but a fun one.

Sure. But, as Bruce Lee famously stated, "My style is no style." By which he of course meant all styles.

Definitely need to be agile with transposing. But the open also has its advantages; among which is that it is just plain fun(ky) to whomp on it. 8^)

jaywa · #72 02-19-2013, 03:32 PM

OP here with an update.

4 pages of TB posts and a lot of woodshedding later... I got an e-mail from the BL today. We're dropping the key to C cause the singer can't sing it that high.

< facepalm >

Back to the woodshed.

pedro · #73 02-19-2013, 03:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaywa

OP here with an update.

4 pages of TB posts and a lot of woodshedding later... I got an e-mail from the BL today. We're dropping the key to C cause the singer can't sing it that high.

< facepalm >

Back to the woodshed.

Oh dear that is gonna be a problem on a 4-string.

Zootsuitbass · #74 02-19-2013, 03:49 PM

The challenge that detuning helps,for me, is the fills. WAY easier to bang a open E after those shakes than to get to the Eb on the A string. I just lays WAY easier.

jaywa · #75 02-19-2013, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pedro

Oh dear that is gonna be a problem on a 4-string.

Yeah I'm wondering about that. I may wind up playing everything in upper octave and using a suboctaver.

On top of which the song itself is gonna sound REALLY weird just from being transposed so radically. A half step either way I can usually abide as a listener but even the tin-ears in the audience are gonna know it sounds a lot different than on the record.

But I'm just a hired gun so I do what I'm asked.

pedro · #76 02-19-2013, 03:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zootsuitbass

The challenge that detuning helps,for me, is the fills. WAY easier to bang a open E after those shakes than to get to the Eb on the A string. I just lays WAY easier.

??? How far are you gonna detune?

pedro · #77 02-19-2013, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaywa

Yeah I'm wondering about that. I may wind up playing everything in upper octave and using a suboctaver.

On top of which the song itself is gonna sound REALLY weird just from being transposed so radically. A half or even whole step I can usually abide but even the tin-ears in the audience are gonna know something's different going from Eb to C.

I hope there is a special heck for singers that make us do this sort of thing.

longfinger · #78 02-19-2013, 03:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaywa

OP here with an update.

4 pages of TB posts and a lot of woodshedding later... I got an e-mail from the BL today. We're dropping the key to C cause the singer can't sing it that high.

< facepalm >

Back to the woodshed.

Not hard... just reverse the "fall-rise-rise-fall" contour to "fall-fall-rise-rise" starting on the C an octave higher than the low C
The Cm key even allows the use of the open A string and G string if you desire to use them...

The main riff is just 2 chords... Cm and F7.... you can do it.

you can even do "rise-rise-fall-fall" starting on the bottom C... no big deal.

jaywa · #79 02-19-2013, 04:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pedro

I hope there is a special heck for singers that make us do this sort of thing.

I also play in church worship bands with different singers each week and acoustic guitar players armed with capos (full and half)... so I've gotten used to changing keys on others' whims.

I don't like it, but I'm used to it.

pedro · #80 02-19-2013, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaywa

I also play in church worship bands with different singers each week and acoustic guitar players armed with capos (full and half)... so I've gotten used to changing keys on others' whims.

I don't like it, but I'm used to it.

You're a better man than I.