In what way are the virtuoso bassists any different from the guitar shredders.. ?

[Grueber]

Originally Posted by Alan Vorse

Wait, I'm not sure if you're agreeing or disagreeing?

disagreeing,

I don't think Malmsteen's solos are simply finger exercises with vibratos on the end of them. This is of course subjective. I'm sure alot of musical patterns, phrases, licks and solos used by musicians of any style can be broken down into an exercise. I mean, sure an arpeggio is a pattern that can be used in exercises but does that make it bad to play in a solo?

[j-bass-kreep]

Originally Posted by Alan Vorse

Are you implying that playing Reggae is easy? I'd like to hear you nail that FEEL.

Its easier to play than ska ,roll off all the mids and highs and you can be pretty sloppy and no one will notice.

[MammaryVest]

Nothing could be easier than ska. Just strings of repeated rhythyms over and over again using SIMPLE arpagios. Clap out the rhythm of any ska bassline, I bet it's real intersting and hard. I think reggae sucks, but I know for a fact that it is more complicated rhythm-wise than ska.

[beggar98]

Originally Posted by Alan Vorse

Are you implying that playing Reggae is easy? I'd like to hear you nail that FEEL.

I'm not "implying" anything, I'm saying it: Reggae is easy. If you can't master a reggae song, and I mean any reggae song, in about five minutes, hang it up.

Whenever someone counters the "X style is easy" comment with "But can you nail the FEEL?" I just laugh. Yes. I can nail the feel. I can nail the feel on all of Family Man Barret's lines. I can nail the feel on every pumping eighth note arena rock staple. I can nail the feel on every new country chart you want to put in front of me. Can you "nail the feel" on Teen Town? How about Amazing Grace? How about everything else that requires more than ten minutes of practice and the right facial expression?

[Thursday]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bulBD...ickens#comment

Around 1:52, BIll makes this funny face. OMG I just died. But, I really didn't see the whole point to that. Just sounded like some lil kids trying to do taps and whatnot.

[Alan Vorse]

Originally Posted by beggar98

I'm not "implying" anything, I'm saying it: Reggae is easy. If you can't master a reggae song, and I mean any reggae song, in about five minutes, hang it up.

Whenever someone counters the "X style is easy" comment with "But can you nail the FEEL?" I just laugh. Yes. I can nail the feel. I can nail the feel on all of Family Man Barret's lines. I can nail the feel on every pumping eighth note arena rock staple. I can nail the feel on every new country chart you want to put in front of me. Can you "nail the feel" on Teen Town? How about Amazing Grace? How about everything else that requires more than ten minutes of practice and the right facial expression?

Perhaps there's a mis-communication here. I LIKE bass solos and enjoy putting fast runs in my solos. So yes, I can "nail the feel" on Teen Town. Yeah I think the feel is important, but I like chops too.

Look, I've never heard you play. Maybe you CAN play reggae with a good feel. I will say that as you spend a lot of time listening to it, you discover there are a lot of subtleties like laying back on the beat and staggering the triplets and playing one-drops.

It sounds to me like you decided to take a cursory look at popular music bass styles (rock, country, reggae etc...), learned some stock lines and said, "Got it. Lets move on." I also get the impression that you feel if its not technical and complicated, its inferior. To each his own. I like Scott LaFaro as much as I like Sting on the old Police records.

[Alan Vorse]

Originally Posted by Grueber

disagreeing,

I don't think Malmsteen's solos are simply finger exercises with vibratos on the end of them. This is of course subjective. I'm sure alot of musical patterns, phrases, licks and solos used by musicians of any style can be broken down into an exercise. I mean, sure an arpeggio is a pattern that can be used in exercises but does that make it bad to play in a solo?

I will concede that I only own a battered old copy of the Rising Force album and haven't heard much else since then. Maybe he got away from that kind of thing. I do believe Blackmore was aiming that comment at Malmsteen though.

Nothing wrong with playing an arpeggio in a solo, but its how you use it. I like to hear melodic and rhythmic ideas in solos.
To each his own.

[beggar98]

Originally Posted by Alan Vorse

Perhaps there's a mis-communication here. I LIKE bass solos and enjoy putting fast runs in my solos. So yes, I can "nail the feel" on Teen Town. Yeah I think the feel is important, but I like chops too.

Look, I've never heard you play. Maybe you CAN play reggae with a good feel. I will say that as you spend a lot of time listening to it, you discover there are a lot of subtleties like laying back on the beat and staggering the triplets and playing one-drops.

It sounds to me like you decided to take a cursory look at popular music bass styles (rock, country, reggae etc...), learned some stock lines and said, "Got it. Lets move on." I also get the impression that you feel if its not technical and complicated, its inferior. To each his own. I like Scott LaFaro as much as I like Sting on the old Police records.

All I was saying is that the response of "Yeah, its easy, but can you nail the FEEL?" is lame. If you can't nail the feel, then you can't really play it, right? It brings to mind the Metallica documentary, "Some Kind of Monster". They were auditioning bass players, and talked about how everyone but Trujillo seemed like they were hanging on for dear life, just barely getting the notes in in time, whereas Trujillo was in the pocket and tight. Feel is just as important, some would even say more important, than staying in key.

That said, a lot of players try to make simple styles sound more difficult than they are by talking up the "feel" required to play them. This is one of the more irritating things, in my mind, that musicians do. Just because a style is simple doesn't make it bad music, just simple music.

You mention Sting, and thats a great example. "Roxanne" is one of the most universally recognized basslines ever. It is incredibly simple. If it is played without feel it will sound horrible. But playing it with feel is easy, and should be regarded as such.

[Stupid Jerk]

Attack of the Technicians!!!

[beggar98]

Originally Posted by Stupid Jerk

Attack of the Technicians!!!

Meaning?