Techniques you discovered yourself?

[BrandonBass]

As in, you didnt learn it from anyone and you didnt get it from books/internet.

For me:

1. Palm Muting. I think i saw some guitarists do it before but I didnt know it could be done on bass(lol?). I palm muted for 3hours upon this discovery

2. With the addition of a compressor to my pedalboard my notes seem to last longer than they have to. During this song (violet hill by coldplay), it ends with a sustained bass note that decays over 1 whole bar....but my note rings longer than that. But if I mute it on the next bar, it'll seem to abrupt. What I did? I held the note but slowly turned the volume knob on my bass down w my right hand. Im not sure if its common, but I sure as hell havent seen anyone do it in person!!!

[CannyBusDriver]

Thumb tapping while slapping and false harmonics by putting down your thumb lightly on the string and popping/fingering

[Ric5]

Every time I think I have invented or discovered some new technique I find another bass player who has been using it for years.

[CannyBusDriver]

ya, after discovering thosemi realized Jaco did the false harmonics kinda like that, and tons of players have used their thumb for tapping

[Duckwater]

I discovered natural & tapped harmonics. I thought I was a genius until I started listening to Jazz & Funk.

[Yerf Dog]

Galloping sound with two fingers.

Weird Hotel California style bass stutter thingy.

[AlexKralles]

Originally Posted by Ric5

Every time I think I have invented or discovered some new technique I find another bass player who has been using it for years.

This

[oldcatfish]

Originally Posted by Ric5 View Post
Every time I think I have invented or discovered some new technique I find another bass player who has been using it for years.

I agree with this too. There are many things that I thought that I invented, until I saw someone else do it: The volume swell thing, percussive muted notes, and a lot of other "guitar tricks."

One thing that I haven't seen anyone else do though, I can make a "palm muted" sound by lightly touching the string with my thumb while fingerpicking...I sometimes fingerpick with a completely free floating fingerpicking style, and it's easier for me to do it this way.

I am a fairly decent guitar player--I played lead guitar in a band, and also fooled around with flamenco,classical and fingerstyle guitar for a few years. When I made the transition to bass, I had no problem with the basic techniques, and incorporating a lot of the "guitar tricks" The hardest thing for me was learning to approach the instrument like a bass, not a guitar.

[I<34080]

Playing with my fingers

[onosson]

Holding my elec. bass upright like an upright, until I realized that I should get an upright. Took about 5 years.

[oldbassplayergu]

three finger rake. oh wait I didn't invent that. ok nothing then

[doot doot doot]

Tapping on the string near the bridge with my right hand to get volume swells and nearly remove the attack of the note entirely.

[onosson]

Originally Posted by doot doot doot

Tapping on the string near the bridge with my right hand to get volume swells and nearly remove the attack of the note entirely.

"The Bass Whisperer"

[eyeballkid]

the beauty of FEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDBACK!!!.. and how to use it of course.

[Ian the bassist]

Making my bass feedback like a raygun firing, Plucking up and down with my fingers to play twice the amount of notes, Flaminco picking, harmonics. Everything along the lines of tapping, slap and effects was gotten through watching other bass players

[aidanmay]

Originally Posted by Ric5

Every time I think I have invented or discovered some new technique I find another bass player who has been using it for years.

Before I could walk properly with two fingers I naturally did the John Wetton "flicking" of the strings, ie plucking and then flicking the string with the back of my index finger. I also find a lot of the techniques in guitar such as playing octaves strumming but muting the string in the middle came naturally to me.

[jgroh]

I dont look at it like "I invented a technique"...but moreso proud that I discovered something on my own without copying someone directly. I used harmonics extensively and never was trying to copy anyone. I just stumbled on them early into my playing and then progressed to become pretty creative with them.

[punkinfantry]

Originally Posted by oldcatfish

The hardest thing for me was learning to approach the instrument like a bass, not a guitar.

A million times this, I often find myself competing with our lead guitarist (and upstaging him when doing so, which he doesn't seem to be too fond of ).

That, and fingerstyle power chords. Old guitar habits die hard!

[makkE]

I sometimes do a flam by flicking my hand, and hitting the octave with the pinky first, followed by the thumb on the root.
Think of it kind of like a flamenco strum with the pinky only, followed by a thumb.
It's a flicking motion, with all fingers loose, as if you flick off water.

Has limited uses though. Haven't seen anyone do that, though I would be surprised if I was the only one.

[Russell L]

Everything I do I discovered by myself. That doesn't mean it's a new invention, but just that I got there by myself. Stuff like two-finger technique. Took awhile before I could get a good groove feel, like I can on guitar with a pick. Got there, though.

Kinda like all the objects I've seen with my telescope, nothing new to science, just new to me, and discovered for myself by myself.