Fast Bassists

[D.J]

Who are or who is faster bassist/s in your opinion?

[arther daily]

It would have to be John Deacon from Queen, hot-dang is he F...A...S...T !


To be honest I dont really know, the fastest playing I ever heard would either be Flea on a live CD (bootleg, sorry everybody I know I is done bad). Stu Hamm on an album of his doing a live solo (gor blimey!) or maybe Les Claypool, he plays some mental stuff (shame it sounds like it'll make you go bonkers)!

I know that there must be faster bass out there, but I don't really listen to music for the bass (well...alright...sometimes, I do), but mostly I avoid 'bass' music...it scares me.

I keep meaning to hear this Victor Wooten guy though, he sounds cool. (Honestly, I've never heard him play).

[Dave Siff]

I would say something like "who cares, it's not a speed competition?" but it just so happens the fastest bass player I've ever seen live was Jeff Berlin, and he also happens to be among the most musical bassists I've ever seen.
But it's still not a speed competition.
It's WAY harder to play slow than fast, while keeping a good groove going.

[Blackbird]

There used to be a guy named "Adrian Davison" who was marketing himself as "The fastest bass player in the world". he could (or claimed he could) play 31 notes per second. The people at bass player magazine actually ridiculed him a bit, which I thought wasn't that cool, even though they guy's claim to fame was a tad ridiculous.


Will C.

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I'm not a genius. I'm just a hard working guy.
-BW

[Dave Siff]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Wheel:
There used to be a guy named "Adrian Davison" who was marketing himself as "The fastest bass player in the world". he could (or claimed he could) play 31 notes per second. The people at bass player magazine actually ridiculed him a bit, which I thought wasn't that cool, even though they guy's claim to fame was a tad ridiculous.


Will C.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Yeah!!! That's right.. I forgot about him! Remember Jim Roberts' review of his album in BP, in which he parodied "The Raven" by Edgar Allen Poe and totally flamed the CD?
I believe Mr. Davison played the infamous Lado Zapper bass.

[Acacia]

myung from dream theater is about the fastest i have seen live. and it was tight.

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[pedro]

&gt;but it just so happens the fastest bass player I've ever seen live was Jeff Berlin, and he also happens to be among the most musical bassists I've ever seen.
But it's still not a speed competition.
It's WAY harder to play slow than fast, while keeping a good groove going.

Dave, I completely agree. Jeff is amazingly fast and musical. Furthermore, I think you're right on the $ that speed 'per se' is a poor way to judge musicianship.

[RIZ]

Um...uhh,, Stanley Clarke.

[Blackbird]

Oh, My God!! Yes!! Stanley's bass playing on "Captain Marvel" on RTF's "Light as a Feather" is amazing!

Will C.

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I'm not a genius. I'm just a hard working guy.
-BW

[Erlendur Már]

Jaco was pretty fast

[JimK]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Big Wheel:
Oh, My God!! Yes!! Stanley's bass playing on "Captain Marvel" on RTF's "Light as a Feather" is amazing!
Will C.
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

...and that was on ACOUSTIC bass!
(Right?)

[Blackbird]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JimK:
...and that was on ACOUSTIC bass!
(Right?)

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

JFC! I mean, Jim! I always thought that tune sounded kinda "uprighty" but I didn't think it was an upright! Same for "500 Miles High". It should actually be obvious. Well, I found the impetus to practice the upright again. Now where's that damn Simandl book?

Will C.

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I'm not a genius. I'm just a hard working guy.
-BW

[JimK]

BW-
I'm pretty sure that Chick Corea is the ONLY one playing an electric instrument on LIGHT AS A FEATHER.
BUT...I'm probably confusing RTF's version of "Captain Marvel" with the Stan Getz version(Clarke, Corea, Airto, Tony Williams, & Getz).

..."OK", I just checked; RTF's version is much quicker than the Getz version. The Getz version really sounds ACOUSTIC...now I'm not too sure what Clarke played on the RTF version. Either way, Clarke's smokin'.

...WHEW! I dunno; I listened to RTF's "Captain Marvel" twice. It sounds acoustic...damn, that S*** is quick!
Did Clarke play an EUB back then(like an Ampeg Baby Bass)? If so, the EUB would be my guess. Man, I haven't listened to this tune in awhile....it's F***ING depressing!

[This message has been edited by JimK (edited July 18, 2000).]

[phogchris]

For speed, it's hard to beat a guy named Adam Nitti, he is a friend of Victor Wooten's and teaches at AIM, I think...
www.adamnitti.com

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http://www.puddinhogs.com

[Blackbird]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JimK:

Did Clarke play an EUB back then(like an Ampeg Baby Bass)? If so, the EUB would be my guess. Man, I haven't listened to this tune in awhile....it's F***ING depressing! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jim:

I know that Stanley did own one of the old Framus Triumph electric uprights (which Warwick has brought back, by the way), but I think he had an early pickup on a regular upright. The sound has that upright timbre and warmth without the usual 'hollowness' and I don't think they had electric uprights that were that good around that time. Then again, I don't know. I was born in '71...

Will C.

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I'm not a genius. I'm just a hard working guy.
-BW

[JimK]

BW-
Hopefully, someone will enlighten us! That tune is one 5:00 samba that'll kill ya; check it out!

Usually the "fastest" guys are the nameless, faceless guys that perform at NAMM shows. Figure that out...

[RIZ]

Guys, what about Stanleys solo work?

thats some prety a w e s o m e stuff too!!!

[This message has been edited by RIZ (edited July 19, 2000).]

[Bassin']

I saw Stanley Clarke in concert about 5 years ago and he did an upright bass solo. If anyone is questioning whether he's playing upright on songs because of the demand of the instrument, I can tell you he had no problem with it the night I saw him. It was nothing short of incredible!

[JLeeFJ]

Rush's "YYZ" from "Moving Pictures" contains some frickin' fast finger pluckin' goodness. Geddy may not be the fastest out there, but he doesn't need to be.

John Myung is up there too. If anyone here has listened to "Metropolis Pt.2: Scenes From a Memory," Myung has some awesome riffs and fills. Of course, Petrucci and Portnoy tend to bury his stuff underneath their guitar and drum work (respectively). What a pair of arrogant @$$#*les.

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"We told you before, but you didn't hear us then. So, you still question why! You didn't listen again!" -Rush

[Bruce Lindfield]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JimK:
BW-
Hopefully, someone will enlighten us! That tune is one 5:00 samba that'll kill ya; check it out!

Usually the "fastest" guys are the nameless, faceless guys that perform at NAMM shows. Figure that out...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Jim - I've got the 2CD "re-issue" (Verve Master Edition) of "Light as a Feather", which includes alternate takes with different solos and unrealeased tracks. It also has a lot of the original documentation and photos from the session. All the photos show Stanley Clarke playing a full-size upright bass, but it does say on the notes that he also plays electric bass but I think you can hear pretty clearly that he only plays electric on one track and that the tone is very different. I'm sure from repeated listenings that the tracks you mention are on upright.