Has this happened to you? (Side effects of studying one bassist too long)

[Electra Player]

So, anyhow, I'm a major Metallica fan. That being said, I'm a HUGE fan of, who else, but their original (and arguably best) bassist, Cliff Burton.

now, when he played, due to a fishing accident, his pinky on the right hand always stuck out.
Well, I learned a lot of how I play from him, watching videos, etc, and realized my pinky has started to do the same thing by default. Whenever I use my right hand my pinky is always a bit off.

I'm curious, has this sort of thing happened to YOU? I don't mean you picked up a technique, but, have you adopted a certain quirk or such from a bassist you study? Who?

I just want to see how this pans out.
I apologize if this is the wrong forum, but it seemed the best fit.

[standupright]

i grew a mullet from listening to too much rush.

[J. Crawford]

I noticed this from playing so much Zeppelin. I always just used to play over the pickup, bu after listening to all the tones from JPJ, I play right on the neck joint, use a pick while muting right on the bridge, use the tone knob more.

None of those are bad things!

[Electra Player]

Originally Posted by standupright

i grew a mullet from listening to too much rush.

Problem is, once one grows a mullet, cutting of said mullet is an unforgivable sin.

And J, while I didn't pick it up from JPJ, I find I tend to play up on the fretboard when I go for faster solos, also, I find myself using the pickup to kind of limit myself from digging in on the string to much, so I end up with a bit more speed.

[colcifer]

totally. i play most like whatever i listened to that day. if people want me for a gig, they have to burn me a cd to listen to. two gigs in a day can get weird for me

[Electra Player]

Originally Posted by colcifer

totally. i play most like whatever i listened to that day. if people want me for a gig, they have to burn me a cd to listen to. two gigs in a day can get weird for me

Haha, I like that philosophy.

[Mr. Mig]

Very early on I developed that sort of "Baseball Pitch" with my fretting hand that McCartney seems do do. But, I soon got out the habbit since it wasn't right for me.

[Corporate Boy]

Sooooo many bad habits from only listening to Phil Lesh when i started playing. I had to learn the hardway that simple bass lines are best for most songs and not every song needs a 45 minute jam in Amin after it.

[JimmyM]

i could never study any one bass player long enough to incorporate their idiosyncracies. great to have heroes and benchmarks out there, but there was already a cliff and now there's no point in making yourself another one. just my opinion...

[GianGian]

I find myself playing with only one finger in the righ hand and moving my whole right hand to pluck, pretty much like Geddy. But it is ok, he is so awesome.

[Buslady7803]

as much as i love marco hietala, i don't want to emulate him. admire, worship, watch 24/7, go fangirl on him and gawk at Zac's photos on Facebook (tons if hilarious pics...Marco on his wedding day in a tux WOW) ....whatever...but i don't wanna be LIKE him...he picks, i dont...he uses 'wick, i dont, he tunes down, i dont...if i pick up any habits it'd probably be my teacher's

[sonic assassin]

ive definitely picked up routine moves from cliff and tim C, but i think the only bad habit ive got is playing WAY too hard to make it sound like i was using a pick.. which cliff seemed to have going on quite a bit. i wonder if he had the blisters ive had

[Hoover]

Back in the Dark Ages when I was learning to play bass we didn't have YouTube -- or personal computers, or even consumer videocassette recorders -- so it was really difficult to watch enough of your favorite bassists to even learn of their idiosyncracies much less emulate them.

I suppose I listened to way too much Chris Squire when I was a kid and so I've always believed that a bass line should be something that can stand on its own as a (horizontal) melodic line, not just a harmonic support (vertical) part. But that's not an idiosyncracy per se, that's just substantive musicality imho.

[Qvist]

Jason Newsted, too comfortable downpicking only, need to work on that =P

[Electra Player]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

there was already a cliff and now there's no point in making yourself another one. just my opinion...

I'm not saying I'm trying to be Cliff. It's just a little quirk I got, and at least it's practical. I mean, where else is that pinky gonna go if I don't use it? Just gets in the way.

My style is different, but my similar use of effects was a coincidence, I was doing the distortion/wah thing before I knew anything about Cliff, but now people think I'm just ripping him off.

[David Tyler]

I was on a Geddy jag for a little while until I decided that I might be overplaying. I reeled it back in and made it more of a support than a lead instrument. I still get in my licks now and then but concentrate on the whole rather than the parts.

[Deluge Of Sound]

I routinely find myself "stealing" fills from Al Cisneros, Jack Bruce, Robbie Shakespeare, and Steve Kile. Especially that descending Flight Of The Eagle bit that starts on the D string's C#. I love that riff-ette.

[Valerus]

Originally Posted by Deluge Of Sound

I routinely find myself "stealing" fills from Al Cisneros, Jack Bruce, Robbie Shakespeare, and Steve Kile. Especially that descending Flight Of The Eagle bit that starts on the D string's C#. I love that riff-ette.

Nothing wrong with "borrowing" from Cisneros

[rebelscum]

Oh God ... Les Claypool for me. When I started playing Bass, I played to Primus almost exclusively. My main genre has been Metal for years, and occasionally get a raised eybrow from a guitarist when it comes out while writing.

[Electra Player]

Originally Posted by rebelscum

Oh God ... Les Claypool for me. When I started playing Bass, I played to Primus almost exclusively. My main genre has been Metal for years, and occasionally get a raised eybrow from a guitarist when it comes out while writing.

Learned that lesson too.