Victor Wooten technique question

AmazingGracePlayer · #1 03-20-2007, 06:43 PM

Alright, this is not about double thumping, or tapping, or harmonics, or open hammer plucks. On Youtube, there are a lot of videos of Vic playing Amazing Grace, and during the groovy part, he does this percussive thing on the bass, which sounds like people clapping, this can be seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CR6t4...elated&search= after 2:28. I was wondering, how does he do that? I'm pretty sure it's not just hitting the lowest string very hard and making the clicking noise...

Anyone know?

moopants · #2 03-20-2007, 07:20 PM

He's basically just slapping muted notes. He's muting with the left, and slapping with the right. Many people do it; it just sounds like clapping, because he's doing it so fast.

Sir Edward V · #3 03-21-2007, 02:38 AM

there IS an audience... they clap sometimes...

other than that he does some muted notes like guy above me said, i think he slaps all the strings with his right hand sometimes too

ostrich · #4 03-22-2007, 07:51 AM

i'm pretty sure its played
555xx xx -----------555xx xx-------7---]
555xx xx 555xx xx 555xx xx 555--7---]
333xx xx 555xx xx 333xx xx 555--5---]
-----------333xx xx------------333-------]

all the 5's and 7's are harmonics except the last 5

AmazingGracePlayer · #5 03-22-2007, 12:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Edward V

there IS an audience... they clap sometimes...

other than that he does some muted notes like guy above me said, i think he slaps all the strings with his right hand sometimes too

How do you slap all the strings? It sorta looks like he's using his index and middle fingers to press down the G or D string quickly (he's bass is tuned ADGC in that song)

Grueber · #6 03-22-2007, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AmazingGracePlayer

How do you slap all the strings? It sorta looks like he's using his index and middle fingers to press down the G or D string quickly (he's bass is tuned ADGC in that song)

I think he hits all the strings with the pinky side of his palm

**T. B. Player** · #7 03-22-2007, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Edward V

there IS an audience... they clap sometimes...

...that's what I thought.....

fryBASS · #8 03-22-2007, 05:50 PM

Yeah, your talking about that shuffle-like muted sound he's getting right? Yeah, I'm kinda confused on how he gets the mutes to come out like that... it may have something to do with the fact that its a tenor bass and the notes are higher up, so even the muted notes sound different then a regularly tuned bass.

I think he's doing it just by putting his fingers down on the strings (right hand). You know what I mean, like you put your fingers down to play the note and it kinda makes that muted sound?

Anyway, you just kinda gotta throw some of those (or just one) in fast between each of those chords he plays.

Broadbent · #9 03-29-2007, 05:13 AM

yah, besides the real people there clapping, he is just whacking the strings on beat to keep the groove going.

Bayou_Brawler · #10 03-29-2007, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by moopants

He's basically just slapping muted notes. He's muting with the left, and slapping with the right. Many people do it; it just sounds like clapping, because he's doing it so fast.

yeah he's just kinda "slapping" a muted note with his finger tips....

a lot of bass players do it....i do it subconciously...i pretty much do it in every bass line a play where the traditonal snare hits would be.....just lock'n into the groove..

it's usually cool..but it has actually been a problem on some live..and especially studio recordings for me if i'm really into it and hit'n that "snare hit" hard......

HELLonWheels187 · #11 03-29-2007, 10:17 AM

You can get the same sound by double thumbing through all the string then coming up on the G just like he showed in his instructional video.

AmazingGracePlayer · #12 04-01-2007, 09:11 AM

Could it be that his pickups are very high up, so when he taps slightly on the strings above the pickup, the strings hit the pickups and makes that percussive sound?

Gegatso · #13 04-02-2007, 10:50 AM

His pickups are set high, but not to the point of the strings ever being able to hit them.
It's done like Moopants and Bayou Brawler said. I end up doing it subconsciously, and it's something I was never "taught" to do...it just came about many years ago playing with guys and having no drummer, etc. It's sometimes hard to shake the habit of putting beats in like that and I do get some flack here and there for playing "sloppy" in certain situations.

FWIW

Mark