Do you think you can play on the DB what you can on the EB?

[ThePaste]

Just wondering what you think. I play a bass guitar.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

THE PEAVEY,

If by "EB" you mean "EUB", or "Electric Upright bass", then yes, I'm pretty sure that I can play on an DB everything that I can play on an EUB. The difference will be that what I play on the EUB will sound fake and electronic and have a greatly diminished capacity for acoustic tone and dynamic nuance, whereas the DB will sound "woody" and organic and REAL.

If, however, by "EB" you really mean "BG", as in BIG GUITAR, then the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT. There are hundreds of things that I can do on a Big Guitar that I can't do on a DB. The DB is a much more physically demanding instrument with a much longer scale length, much less unimpeded access to the upper registers, and, unless my fingers are poor judges of such things, a much higher string tension (at least in the practical sense of what it FEELS LIKE to play a DB as opposed to a BIG GUITAR).

Hope this helps.

Regards,

DURRL

[XavierG]

Originally posted by Chris Fitzgerald
THE PEAVEY,

If by "EB" you mean "EUB", or "Electric Upright bass", then yes, ....I can play on an DB everything that I can play on an EUB....the EUB will sound fake .....If, however, by "EB" you really mean "BG", as in BIG GUITAR, then the answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT. .....on a Big Guitar that I can't do on a DB. The DB is a much more physically demanding instrument .....what it FEELS LIKE to play a DB as opposed to a BIG GUITAR).

DURRL

I need some aspirin.

[mchildree]

I just proved I cannot. Recorded an original instrumental tune, which had previously been an electric thing. Wanted to do it with acoustic instruments and found that I had to completely re-write my bass lines to be able to play it on upright...and I still don't have it, really. I did a kind of in-between thing with my Taylor ABG, but only the tone of an upright will create the vibe I'm after.

Anybody wanna track an upright part for me?

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by XavierG


I need some aspirin.

Did I do something bad? I did not intend to write a headache-inducing post, I swear! Honest and for TRUE!

[XavierG]

Originally posted by Chris Fitzgerald



Did I do something bad? I did not intend to write a headache-inducing post, I swear! Honest and for TRUE!

It's just that all these initials, ie. EB, DB, EUB, GB, etc., they make my head spin. I think I'll petition Paul to add a new rule limiting the number of initials a poster is allowed to use in one post.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Some people seem able to! Like Christian McBride - he plays things on DB that I can't play on BG! Like on his version of Havona off his "SciFi" album, he plays Jaco's BG part from the Weather Report album, note for note, before breaking off for his solo!!

I have also heard/seen NHØP play stuff on DB that I know I could never play on BG! I'm sure he could play anything on DB, that I could play on BG.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by Bruce Lindfield
Some people seem able to! Like Christian McBride - he plays things on DB that I can't play on BG! Like on his version of Havona off his "SciFi" album, he plays Jaco's BG part from the Weather Report album, note for note, before breaking off for his solo!!

I have also heard/seen NHØP play stuff on DB that I know I could never play on BG! I'm sure he could play anything on DB, that I could play on BG.

Well if the title of the thread had been, "Can you play on DB what BRUCE can play on BG", I'm sure that we'd have gotten a lot more positive replies from the peanut gallery down here.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhahahah..hahaha...haha..


..haha...


..ha..


*cricket*





*chirp*



.....ahem, (cough)......

[Bruce Lindfield]

Well that's how I read the title - if the first "you" is read by and refers to : NHOP or Chris McBride and the second "you" refers to me, then I'm sure the answer is yes.

Maybe the question I have answered is : "Can anyone play on the DB what you personally can play on the BG?"

I suppose the intention was(taking out all the ambiguous "you"s) :

"Do people think that a person can play on the Double Bass, exactly what they can on a Bass Guitar? "

or

"Is it possible for anyone to play on a Double Bass, anything that possibly could be played on a Bass Guitar?"

[This is what Philosophy teaches you - or at least my degree did - that how you phrase the question affects what answer you get. Or more accurately - Philosophy can help you phrase questions to ask exacrtly what you meant to ....it just can't give you the answer!]

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by Bruce Lindfield
Well that's how I read the title - if the first "you" is read by and refers to : NHOP or Chris McBride and the second "you" refers to me, then I'm sure the answer is yes.

Maybe the question I have answered is : "Can anyone play on the DB what you personally can play on the BG?"

I suppose the intention was(taking out all the ambiguous "you"s) :

"Do people think that a person can play on the Double Bass, exactly what they can on a Bass Guitar? "

or

"Is it possible for anyone to play on a Double Bass, anything that possibly could be played on a Bass Guitar?"

[This is what Philosophy teaches you - or at least my degree did - that how you phrase the question affects what answer you get. Or more accurately - Philosophy can help you phrase questions to ask exacrtly what you meant to ....it just can't give you the answer!]

Wow. Now I need some aspirin...

Is that what Ed might have called LINDFIELDOPHY?That was extremely conbruceing...

[Don Higdon]

Originally posted by Bruce Lindfield
Some people seem able to! Like Christian McBride - he plays things on DB that I can't play on BG! Like on his version of Havona off his "SciFi" album, he plays Jaco's BG part from the Weather Report album, note for note, before breaking off for his solo!!

I have also heard/seen NHØP play stuff on DB that I know I could never play on BG! I'm sure he could play anything on DB, that I could play on BG.

OK

[XavierG]

I can't play much of anything on DB, so I guess my answer to the question is YES.

(you figure it out )

[ThePaste]

Well, so in a nutshell, a person would choose DB for the sound, not... playability, right? I don't know why, I was gonna try out DB, but if you can't do really fast stuff, or tapping, or slapping (BG style), you can still do arco, plucking, and slapping.

I don't know what I'm trying to say, but what was your reason for choosing DB over BG? I think most of you will say sound but oh well.

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by ThePaste
Well, so in a nutshell, a person would choose DB for the sound, not... playability, right? I don't know why, I was gonna try out DB, but if you can't do really fast stuff, or tapping, or slapping (BG style), you can still do arco, plucking, and slapping.

I don't know what I'm trying to say, but what was your reason for choosing DB over BG? I think most of you will say sound but oh well.

Well, in the first place, there's THE SOUND. Then, when you start to get a little deeper into it, there's THE SOUND. After that, when you really start to get good, you start to develop a deep appreciation for THE SOUND.

Oh, and DB's look cool, too.

[gruffpuppy]

In a nut shell that is funny. The only thing in a nut shell should be nuts.

Don't pick up a DB if you want to tap, pinch harmonics like Jaco or slap like Flea.

Pick up a DB for the same reason I did, I hides my gut better than a BG.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally posted by ThePaste

I don't know what I'm trying to say, but what was your reason for choosing DB over BG? I think most of you will say sound but oh well.

As we all suspected!

Ask the right question and you might get the right answer!

Actually I would have had a DB by now if I hadn't had my car broken into and my roof collapse this year!

But my reasons would probably be different - it would basically be to get taken seriously in Jazz, as a bass player. I do like the sound of DB - especially for slow ballads; but I think it also has many drawbacks, in terms of being heard and quite often, the subtleties of the sound are lost even in a small club.

And often the amplification I have heard that actually works and doesn't just introduce feedback, makes me think that the player might just as well be playing an EUB as all the acoustic tone is lost.

There are so many disadvantages to DB that I sometimes think that all DB players must be much more dedicated than I could ever be.

So : the thing is harder to get about - probably wouldn't fit in my car - would be impossible to practice in my small flat, would probably give me blisters and more wrist/hand fatigue than I've ever known, would probably get dropped and fall apart, a decent one would cost more than twice the amount I've ever paid for a BG, would be adversely affected by the weather, every note requires concentration on intonation etc. etc.

But I go along to my local Jazz club each week and see Double Bassists playing wonderful stuff - just makes me marvel at their dedication every time!

[mchildree]

I don't know if anyone who's not taken some time with a DB can REALLY understand the attractions. IMO, having an outlet where a DB really shines is half the battle..you can't really make it something it's not. Conversely, you can't get THAT SOUND from anything else.

A lot of what I love about it is the challenge of taking a primitive (yet elegant and beautiful) and demanding instrument and getting useable sounds out of it. I get the same amount of gratification (maybe more) just solidly driving a bluegrass band with root-Vs and simple walking lines as pyrotechnics on an electric. I can't imagine what kind of joy I'd derive from doing a killer swinging, jazzy gig competently. One day!

[farmerdude]

The vibe, the vibe, oh the vibe.........

Walk with a BG then walk with a DB. The force is stong is here on the DB side....join us my son

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Originally posted by farmerdude
The vibe, the vibe, oh the vibe.........

Walk with a BG then walk with a DB. The force is stong is here on the DB side....join us my son

Indeed. But remember, there would be reprocussions...not the least of which might me that you'd probably want to change your username to THE HIDE GLUE.....

[David Kaczorowski]

Originally posted by ThePaste
I don't know what I'm trying to say, but what was your reason for choosing DB over BG? I think most of you will say sound but oh well.

The sound. You can't bow a toybass. It takes more technique, but you can play all the same stuff.