Bill Dickens- bass master?

Trevor Morbid · #1 11-07-2007, 02:37 PM

You know, I've always seen videos of this guy Bill Dickens and at first I thought his "unnecessarily" fast licks were a bit silly. But over time I've come to realise that his sense of musicality is just brilliant. Many people don't know that he has co-wrote gold-selling hits with such artists as Aretha Franklin. In an interview conducted by Victor Wooten (which can be found on Bill's website), he claims himself to be a musician more than a bass player.

There is something in Bill Dickens that has inspired me as a player. The fact that he has worked on his crazy technique so much shows evident dedication within. Watch this video and please share your thoughts on the "Buddah". Is he a master? What do you think?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lh6BB_rs5S4

DWBass · #2 11-07-2007, 02:43 PM

Finally a vid that shows a more musical side to his playing!! I never doubted his validity as a 'master' but I grew tired of every vid showing his 'mile a minute slappity dappity' deal! Even this solo was still a bit much (for MY tastes) but it was much more enjoyable than his other vids.

Trevor Morbid · #3 11-07-2007, 02:53 PM

Haha, its funny because his slap licks are really clean and he's playing "musical" stuff, but they're too fast......

.....whatever that means

bottomzone · #4 11-07-2007, 03:01 PM

I was blessed to see Bill Dickens a number of years ago playing an Ibanez Musician bass (great sounding bass!!) with Ramsey Lewis in a trio setting. While he displayed riduclous chops and blew everyone away when soloing, he was grooving to the max! There is more to Bill than pyrotechnics!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

Trevor Morbid · #5 11-07-2007, 03:05 PM

Oh man! Thats sounds so cool! Unfortunately, I don't think he's gonna come to the UK anytime soon so I'll have to wait a while before I see him live!

BassSlave · #6 11-07-2007, 05:22 PM

I'm glad you said that. I live in the same town as Bill and have known him for many years. Videos never do anyone justice, but when you are in the audience a get ti witness an entire show featuring Bill, you will hear many aspects of his musicality and not just his solo chops, which is incredible and phenominal to say the least. As for his playing "too fsat" as someone said here, it's not that it's too fast, but the amp can't reproduce what he is doing acurratley sometimes. I did suggest to him to have an amp built for him that will capture his playing since he likes extended range basses and plays in all octave ranges, many times in one phrase or run. AMps these days are "quicker" at responding to fast players, but ridiculously fast players need a multi-speaker setup and maybe even more than one amp, depending on the frequencies that player plays.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bottomzone

I was blessed to see Bill Dickens a number of years ago playing an Ibanez Musician bass (great sounding bass!!) with Ramsey Lewis in a trio setting. While he displayed riduclous chops and blew everyone away when soloing, he was grooving to the max! There is more to Bill than pyrotechnics!

A Groove is a Terrible Thing to Waste!

4 + 1 is lower · #7 11-07-2007, 05:35 PM

+1 to DWBass's response

Jumbotron · #8 11-07-2007, 05:52 PM

I sure do like that bass-mounted camera!

Marcus · #9 11-08-2007, 01:49 AM

Thanks for sharing that video, I now have it bookmarked.

Bill Dickens is a phenomenal player. There should be no question mark after "bass master."

Baryonyx · #10 11-08-2007, 06:50 AM

Bill is an absolutely phenomenal player, one of the best around imo. I have long been a big fan of his and would like to see him take a higher profile and gain more praise for his skills!

**KJung** · #11 11-08-2007, 07:20 AM

Of course an amazing player. But man, he is SO on top of the beat at ALL TIMES, and that combined with the very mid range punchy tone really makes my head hurt a lot

It's very tiring to me.

This to me is another example of 'amazing but not particularly good' IMO.

Edit: My critique is as a listener, not a player. I wish I had about 1/100% of his skill and talent. Just don't dig the 'musicality and taste part'.

Dbassmon · #12 11-08-2007, 10:21 AM

I have seen few bassists with that much technical ability.

Technical ability does not unfortunately equate to music.

Also, to be a bass monster, I think one should speak the language of music...IMO. In his video, Bill addresses ii V I chord progression as a technique. What's up with that....? That is so far off the mark I am surprised someone didn't edit that out. I want my $19.95 back from Warner Music!

I just don't think he is a serious student of music, certainly not in ranks of the great ones. He does have talent, but he is jiving too.

I vote "no" on the bass monster question!

MikeBass · #13 11-08-2007, 10:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Of course an amazing player. But man, he is SO on top of the beat at ALL TIMES, and that combined with the very mid range punchy tone really makes my head hurt a lot

It's very tiring to me.

This to me is another example of 'amazing but not particularly good' IMO.

Edit: My critique is as a listener, not a player. I wish I had about 1/100% of his skill and talent. Just don't dig the 'musicality and taste part'.

I gotta agree with Ken here.
While there is no denying that he can play, most of the time I hear him sounding like a monkey banging the hell out of a typwriter.
Bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity bipity and so on....

That clip was a rather refreshing tast of him though.

And I also wish I had 1/100th of his talent.

WJGreer · #14 11-08-2007, 10:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MikeBass

I gotta agree with Ken here.
While there is no denying that he can play, most of the time I hear him sounding like a monkey banging the hell out of a typwriter. That clip was a rather refreshing tast of him though.

And I also wish I had 1/100th of his talent.

+1 on both Mike and Ken's comments. I like Bill, but in a sense I don't like him as a bass player as much as a soloist. It's sort of the same way I feel about Mark King (who has no bigger fan than me). He's fantastic too, but what he and the Buddha do isn't exactly bass playing in the same way that we would normally define it - it just happens that they are playing basses when they do their thing.

MikeBass · #15 11-08-2007, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJGreer

<snip> It's sort of the same way I feel about Mark King (who has no bigger fan than me)......

I dunno about that.
I wrestle you for that crown!!!!

BellBottomBlues · #16 11-08-2007, 11:21 AM

I vote no. Around a minute or, I don't feel like going back to check, he goes off time every now and then.

I read above that his amp can't reproduce everything he's playing, because it sounds to me like he's not keeping time with himself.

melt · #17 11-08-2007, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BellBottomBlues

I vote no. Around a minute or, I don't feel like going back to check, he goes off time every now and then.

I read above that his amp can't reproduce everything he's playing, because it sounds to me like he's not keeping time with himself.

I have to agree.

Lo end PUNCH · #18 11-08-2007, 03:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WJGreer

+1 on both Mike and Ken's comments. I like Bill, but in a sense I don't like him as a bass player as much as a soloist. It's sort of the same way I feel about Mark King (who has no bigger fan than me). He's fantastic too, but what he and the Buddha do isn't exactly bass playing in the same way that we would normally define it - it just happens that they are playing basses when they do their thing.

Trying to figure out how this makes sense. You say you "dont like him as a bass player as much as a soloist???" So you're saying that great walking bass line was ok but the solo is what you really liked? Just trying to get a clear picture of what you are saying here.

WJGreer · #19 11-08-2007, 03:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lo end PUNCH

Trying to figure out how this makes sense. You say you "dont like him as a bass player as much as a soloist???" So you're saying that great walking bass line was ok but the solo is what you really liked? Just trying to get a clear picture of what you are saying here.

You're right, I wasn't being clear. That walking bass line was very nice, but it's one of the few times I've heard Bill Dickens play that way. Most of what I hear from him is feature stuff, not groove or supporting stuff. This is probably because 90% of what I've heard is on YouTube clips.

Like Mike said, this clip is a different look at him, and I like it.

BassSlave · #20 11-08-2007, 04:16 PM

I made the comment regarding Bill's amp not reproducing him correctly. I meant to apply that statement to his live sound. The sound you herar on the clip is a direct maybe with a little amp mixed in and that is a great representation of Bill's tone. Sometimes live I was not getting that sound into my head.

As for his timing, many great players have that issue and after a while it comes across as a style or piece of theat players character. Not to compare Bill Dickens with the great Charlie Parker, but take any one of Bird's solos and slow it down using some type of transcriber or slowdown software and you will hear him speed up and down his phrases and licks, but when you speed them back up to tempo, you will discover that those litttle rushes and almost drunken slowdowns is what makes his lines skip and dance in the most musical of ways in the jazz idiom, or language. If you play perfect timing in most (not all) jazz tunes and especially on your solos, you will not sound as musical as you could by "borrowing" time from some of the other notes. What I tell musicians I play with that if you are going to speed up and slow down, or "borrow" time, to PLEASE put the time back, or make it up somewhere in the next phrase.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BellBottomBlues

I vote no. Around a minute or, I don't feel like going back to check, he goes off time every now and then.

I read above that his amp can't reproduce everything he's playing, because it sounds to me like he's not keeping time with himself.