Effects did a strange thing to me . . .

#1 06-16-2010, 05:54 AM

Effects (and listening to different kinds of music) have done a strange thing to me . . . they've made me want to play other kinds of music.

I've been a metal guy for a while. The only effect I've used in the past has been a little dirt or tube overdrive. And since (besides stoner metal or doom) a lot of metal bass utlilizes a relatively clean tone, that means I've always had only one or two pedals in front of me - dirt and a tuner.

Then I started listening to Muse, and so-and-so, and so-and-so, etc . . . and I started to say to myself, 'You know, it would be really cool if I could get that kind of sound.'

So, I started to buy some pedals. Prunes and Custard, Subdecay Prometheus, various dirt pedals (I too have the disease), synth, delay, etc. And I started to have a lot of fun.

And I decided that I really didn't want to play 'metal' anymore.

It's probably because I've started to listen to different kinds of music. Combine that with the boredom of metal, which is 'follow the guitar line,' or 'play as fast and as technical as you can.'

I guess that instead of being bored and/or developing carpal tunnel syndrome, I just want to have some fun.

cheapbasslovin · #2 06-16-2010, 07:20 AM

It is strange how effects change you as a player. I never used to listen to music except from a writing and playing perspective, but now I really listen to the production of the music and try to discern where the music is coming from. I still don't do much trying to 'copy this sound,' but I never realized until the last few years how heavy the use of effects in production was. It has made listening to music more interesting and has made me more tolerant of styles I previously couldn't stand.

Fishyfan · #3 06-16-2010, 08:15 AM

effects have served to keep me in trouble with my bandmates.

i do agree tho about the diversification that they cause. i never would get a Muse album if i were still stuck in my classic rock thought process. nor would i have gotten a Tori Amos song were it not for JMJ's killer Fuzzbass on it. so yeah...effects are great for branching out.

playerunk · #4 06-16-2010, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheapbasslovin

It has made listening to music more interesting and has made me more tolerant of styles I previously couldn't stand.

+10

since playing an instrument, being in a band, recording and seeing how music comes together i have a new view on music altogether. I can listen to music i considered complete garbage just to see the structure and how is something done...and i am sometimes surprised of what i found.

bassbrad · #5 06-16-2010, 12:21 PM

I've had the effects bug for a long time because the bass players that excited me were all fusion guys that used effects:Percy Jones, Alphonso Johnson, Ralphe Armstrong, Byron Miller, Gary King...even Jaco and Stanley to a lesser degree used effects--plus I loved the sounds of funk bass:Bootsy, Larry Graham....and the sounds of synth bass like Gary Wright and Gino Vannelli so I got into experimenting with sound-tone.
I am a bass player at heart but also want to step out and strut my stuff from time to time and effects made the bass more exciting to me and the listeners.

Sound Chaser · #6 06-16-2010, 01:02 PM

If you want to be excited by a metal bassist again, I'd recommend Dan Briggs of Between The Buried And Me. He plays metal from a jazz perspective, adding in his own layer between the drums and guitars, with unbelievable chops and taste. Check out their album "Colors," it's unbelievable. Joe Lester from Intronaut is another really, really great player (fretless, upright). His use of effects (overdrive, phaser, delay...I think, it's pretty complex sounding) on their track "Primordial Soup" was one of the biggest pushes for me to start building my pedal board.

FilterFunk · #7 06-16-2010, 01:31 PM

I write and record children's music, and I use a keyboard to play all the parts (except drums). I play mostly funk, so when I first got into effects I thought it would be just envelope filter and phaser. I decided to get a simple overdrive pedal, just in case. I chained one of my filters with the dirt just for fun, and I've been a changed man ever since! In fact, I wrote and recorded a song called "Preschool Blues", a rock/blues tune that would have never happened if I hadn't bought the OD.

stflbn · #8 06-16-2010, 01:33 PM

Effects did a strange thing to me also. They made me realize that I really didn't need any effects the vast majority of the time.

skwee · #9 06-16-2010, 01:40 PM

I think its great that you are inspired to play different styles, even if you feel like you're giving up on your mainstay. In truth, you'l probably never give it up entirely, but its cool to really try and stretch: shows maturity in your musical life.

#10 06-16-2010, 03:37 PM

Yeah, Dan Briggs is pretty damn good. And what is he, like, twelve or something?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sound Chaser

If you want to be excited by a metal bassist again, I'd recommend Dan Briggs of Between The Buried And Me. He plays metal from a jazz perspective, adding in his own layer between the drums and guitars, with unbelievable chops and taste. Check out their album "Colors," it's unbelievable. Joe Lester from Intronaut is another really, really great player (fretless, upright). His use of effects (overdrive, phaser, delay...I think, it's pretty complex sounding) on their track "Primordial Soup" was one of the biggest pushes for me to start building my pedal board.

Bassmike62 · #11 06-16-2010, 06:53 PM

Now what did effects do to me...Let's see. I've played guitar for 35 years and mostly played rock (hard and classic), a little metal, blues and in the last 10 years, fell in love with mostly acoustic stuff. As a bassist, oddly enough, started the same way but gravitated to.... funk, which I couldn't be bothered to listen to as a guitar player.

Also, being the compulsive bastard I am, once I got into effects, I put together a pedalboard of 20 pedals or so in 18 months, including 5 filters.

So what I end up doing ? I buy a house with a larger basement so I can lay my stuff down and play with it as long as I wanna.

I'm happy

takfar · #12 06-16-2010, 07:59 PM

Yea, I've always been a classic/heavy rock kind of guy; you know, Pearl Jam, Queen, U2, Aerosmith, Doors, Zeppelin, Beatles... More recently, QoTSA and TMV. A leeetle bit of punk rock and metal now and then, just for kicks.

When I really got into listening to (and playing) Muse, I became interested in their effects. Which raised my interest in synthesizers. And now I find myself listening to The Prodigy (and similar stuff) every once in a while. I like it, it's really broadened my musical experience.

rr5025 · #13 06-16-2010, 08:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by takfar

Yea, I've always been a classic/heavy rock kind of guy; you know, Pearl Jam, Queen, U2, Aerosmith, Doors, Zeppelin, Beatles... More recently, QoTSA and TMV. A leeetle bit of punk rock and metal now and then, just for kicks.

When I really got into listening to (and playing) Muse, I became interested in their effects. Which raised my interest in synthesizers. And now I find myself listening to The Prodigy (and similar stuff) every once in a while. I like it, it's really broadened my musical experience.

Thats pretty much my experience exactly.