What do you do that's different?

[matthewbrown]

I keep seeing threads that start off with something like:

• "I want to play faster"
• "How do I slap like (insert name here)"
• "Anyone got the tab for (insert bass solo here)"

What I'd like to know is -- how do you apply YOUR technique to get YOUR musical expression across? I am working on a whole bunch of different musical material and expanding my musical vocabulary in as many ways as I can to actually SAY something musically and to get the widest range of emotion across with my instrument.

So what are YOU doing?

[dustdbass6]

I actually just thought about this earlier today while practicing with the band I'm in. My sound and technique have changed a lot since my first couple of bands (10 or so years ago). It has to do with what you're listening to and really into. Also, at least for me, who you are playing with. The people I jam with have many different styles that I have to adapt to. I started out trying to emulate Stanley Clarke and the more bands I played in, the more I incorporated that sound to fit with new music. So I guess there's a bit of evolution to what your sound is.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by matthewbrown

I keep seeing threads that start off with something like:

• "I want to play faster"
• "How do I slap like (insert name here)"
• "Anyone got the tab for (insert bass solo here)"

What I'd like to know is -- how do you apply YOUR technique to get YOUR musical expression across? I am working on a whole bunch of different musical material and expanding my musical vocabulary in as many ways as I can to actually SAY something musically and to get the widest range of emotion across with my instrument.

So what are YOU doing?

A little pretentious, eh? My advice would be to just stick with what you're doing and not worry about others who might have less noble pursuits.

[Slax]

I'm not sure, but I started learning from a lot of random punk/ska albums when I started playing bass years ago and now I sort of play anything... The last band I was in when I was recording our saxaphone player (who is a phenominal guitarist/pianist/flutist/saxaphonist/bassist) said my playing was a style he's never heard of before in his life.

I've also played a lot of "what sounds good" to myself without others influence while playing in bands... I like my style, but unlike my former saxophonist, I wouldn't say it's "unheard of". ) ...maybe my friend never heard of "The Who" before? lol

[Blown Cone]

When I'm doing electronic music (IE: solo, with a laptop) I play a lot of chords and intervals on bass to create a melodic/rhythmic feel. I have a sort of floating thumb/strum thing that works wonders for the chords and intervals. I also do a lot of odd time signatures. Another thing I'm incorporating, especially in the darker stuff, is muting just at the bridge and finger picking the strings. I also do unmuted finger picking, and twanging the strings of the fretboard. Fun stuff!

[nysbob]

I play the bass to best of my ability, then have a beer afterward.

[MonetBass]

I just learned to play stuff without worrying about how someone else did it. It was a "necessity is the mother of invention" approach. Thus my own style was born. I'm not saying it's different, but it's how I do it.

[matthewbrown]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

A little pretentious, eh? My advice would be to just stick with what you're doing and not worry about others who might have less noble pursuits.

I'm really hoping to find out about others' noble pursuits so I can use them to my advantage!

[fearceol]

It's the amount of posts asking "how can I play faster?" that surprised me. Yes, it's good, and sometimes necessary to be able to play fast. Though there are just as important aspects of playing.

IMO playing a "slow" blues with feeling would be as hard, if not harder.

[matthewbrown]

Originally Posted by nysbob

I play the bass to best of my ability, then have a beer afterward.

Yes, but how do PRACTICE drinking a beer?

[needmoney]

Originally Posted by fearceol

It's the amount of posts asking "how can I play faster?" that surprised me. Yes, it's good, and sometimes necessary to be able to play fast. Though there are just as important aspects of playing.

I see the whole 'playing fast' thing as just another way to be able to play what you hear. If you hear an awesome line, but don't have the chops to facilitate then your playing suffers.

[Deacon_Blues]

Originally Posted by needmoney

I see the whole 'playing fast' thing as just another way to be able to play what you hear. If you hear an awesome line, but don't have the chops to facilitate then your playing suffers.

+1. The main reason why people ask how to build speed is because they don't have the technique to play those fast lines they would like to do. I don't think anyone asks for how to build speed unless they have a musical reason for doing it. Btw, I'm tired of those posters here on TB/technique who throw condescending replies to those of us who obviously haven't been gifted with ability to playing as fast as we would like to. I hope those of you could keep that kind of comments for yourself in the future.


To answer the OP's question: My style is heavily influenced by Jamerson, and I improvise my basslines 90% of the time. But what defines my playing style? Well, that's harder to describe in words, but it would be my fearlessness to try new things, and sometimes even change style in the middle of a song so I can go from rock to funk and back or vice versa or even throw in some latin influences. That of course requires a drummer you know well and who follows you, otherwise it doesn't work. With this, I try to make the songs more interesting to the audience and people on the dancefloor, and so far nobody have complained about it. We did this quite a lot on a gig recently, and I don't think I've never gotten as good feedback from a gig as the band got then...

A small thing I do occasionally is ending the song with a sus2 chord high up on the neck (e.g. A-E-B) and tap the root (in this case an A) with the side of my right index finger on my plucking hand. Sounds good in a ballad, especially if it is in a minor key.

[OtterOnBass]

Well, since I'm using a bass, I tend to say things like, groove. Chord change. bump bump. Occasionally I say move it, move it and go, go, go.

[matthewbrown]

Those are all good things to say. How do you build the techniques to say them into your practice routine?

[von buck]

Originally Posted by matthewbrown

I keep seeing threads that start off with something like:

• "I want to play faster"
• "How do I slap like (insert name here)"
• "Anyone got the tab for (insert bass solo here)"

What I'd like to know is -- how do you apply YOUR technique to get YOUR musical expression across? I am working on a whole bunch of different musical material and expanding my musical vocabulary in as many ways as I can to actually SAY something musically and to get the widest range of emotion across with my instrument.

So what are YOU doing?

Whatever works.

Andy

[All_¥our_Bass]

I overdrive or distort my bass much of the time
Bright tone with little bottom
Cranked mids
Very clanky
Lots of chords (esp. dissonant ones)
Wierd scales
Wierd rythms
Wierd harmonies
Guiatarlike playing
Polytonality
Improv
Re-harmonization (usually on-the-fly too )

And that my list of the 'usual' stuff I do.

[Nyarlathotep]

I too have at least 1 OD effect on at all times.

To quote a guitarist friend of mine: "I hit the strings really fast and let my left hand spasm out on the frets. Sometimes I get lucky"

[VisualShock]

for some reason it's natural to me to leave my thumb on the pickup, not re-anchor it on the string bellow the one i'm plucking. it lets me leave things to ring out a lot, and i can do a bass-version of sweep-picking (kinda) gives me really nice melodic basslines

Although if you're looking to do new things, learn 1 new thing, and apply it to everything you know. then find what it works best on, and use it on that. repeat this process indefinately

[nsmar4211]

I keep finding myself doing the same things I used to tease my teacher about......sweeps......holding octaves..... bouncing off strings...... so nothing new area wise but new stuff for my playing

+1 to leaving thumb on pickup. It's either on p/u or it's on the B string unless I'm thumping

[Porksicle]

A couple things that I do differently that help me due to "stubby index fretting finger syndrome":

- I play 1-2-4 primarily all the way through the 7th position.
- While doing this, I find that I play most ascending passages with my index-middle-pinky, and most desending passages with my index-middle-ring fingers.

And one thing that I do that I have no idea why I do it (but it works):

- I play fast three-finger picking passages using 8-note sequences of r-m-i-r-m-i-m-i.
- I play faster straight-count two-finger picking passages using my ring and index fingers instead of my index and middle, but when the timing of the notes changes, I go back to index-middle.

These things all work for me - typically, if I have to work around them for certain parts, I'll do what's need just for that part instead of changing my style overall. I've tried the 1-finger-per-fret and the straight three-finger style, but they just never became natural for me (plus, I think I'm too lazy to drill technique into my brain... that's why I still can't slap very well).