Anybody using Jamerson Hook Technique?

[Pirate Captain]

Curious to hear from any Jamerson/Motown heads out there. Are any of you using Jamerson's one-finger "hook" technique.

I've gotten to the point when I think my left hand technique is strong enough to venture out into giving it a go. I'm anchoring my right ring on the pick up cover and floating the thumb (I've also got a vintage mute in the ashtray...and yes, dead as dirt LaBella deep talkers on my...yes, Motown specific P bass...with tort).

Too bad there aren't that many clips of Igor himself to dissect.

 

[Bob_Ross]

Exclusively, no. But there are occasions where it lends itself to a particular passage or sometimes even an entire song, and then I'll definitely whip it out temporarily.

 

[TMARK]

I'll rock the hook. I don't even know when I'm doing it.

 

[brianrost]

I like to play some lines with a single finger. Especially lines like steady root 8ths because one finger is more even sounding then alternating fingers.

 

[Mr_O'B]

I swear master builder Nino Valenti is rockin "The Hook"!

 

[chris_b]

I'll sometimes use a single finger.

In slow melodic lines and pumping root notes etc. There is a definite improvement on some lines when you use 1 finger.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

I always use one finger, just a product of being "self-taught".

 

[RyanOh]

Do you have a video link showing this in action?

EDIT:


Not a big Motown/Jamerson follower, but interesting. Sort of like watching old Beach Boy videos using the right thumb and tug bar. Seems awkward.

 

[Ant Illington]

Curious to hear from any Jamerson/Motown heads out there. Are any of you using Jamerson's one-finger "hook" technique.

I've gotten to the point when I think my left hand technique is strong enough to venture out into giving it a go. I'm anchoring my right ring on the pick up cover and floating the thumb (I've also got a vintage mute in the ashtray...and yes, dead as dirt LaBella deep talkers on my...yes, Motown specific P bass...with tort).

Too bad there aren't that many clips of Igor himself to dissect.

I don't go out of my way to play Jamerson stuff with one finger, and much of it I COULDN'T do with only one finger unless I started practicing really hard to get that kinda speed out of one finger but I have bigger priorities for my playing and two fingers gets the job done and sounds authentic to me. Thankfully, it's a duller bass sound so it works.

On the other hand, on songs like the one I'm posting below, I do use primarily one finger as I get a much better attack with my index finger. I'll play the octaves with my second finger but I really have to yank the string to get some similar attack to my first finger on something so aggressive. Interestingly, I used my 3rd finger a couple of weeks ago when playing the G string on Stomp by Brothers Johnson and, though I never used it before, it sounds remarkably like my index finger. This makes no sense to me. My index and 2nd finger are calloused and my 3rd finger has NOTHING. However, my 3rd finger sounds almost exactly like my index finger. I think I should start developing use of the 3rd finger just because of that. The sound must have something to do with angle of attack that I just don't get with my 2nd finger. Anybody else experience this?

 

[lostreality]

The Hook is the only way I play fingerstyle. I hold my pick with my other fingers while I do it. Good way to use a smoother sound into the slow parts of a song

 

[Pirate Captain]

Thanks for all the replies. Are any of you anchoring the ring finger on the pickup guard (if you have one) like Jamerson did? This is what I've been doing and I notice that it allows for a great variety of angles of attack that have subtle but noticeable affects on tone. The hard part (besides the obvious speed issue) is that it does take a toll on my muscles. I can usually only do it for about a half hour before the sloppiness is noticeable. (where I could play two finger or pick for hours at a time)

 

[lostreality]

Thanks for all the replies. Are any of you anchoring the ring finger on the pickup guard (if you have one) like Jamerson did? This is what I've been doing and I notice that it allows for a great variety of angles of attack that have subtle but noticeable affects on tone. The hard part (besides the obvious speed issue) is that it does take a toll on my muscles. I can usually only do it for about a half hour before the sloppiness is noticeable. (where I could play two finger or pick for hours at a time)

Floating right hand here. I've got an MM style bass so there aren't many good places to anchor, though if you've got really long fingers you can rest the heel of your palm on the body of the bass, above the strings. I don't know if it's me but playing with one finger seems to require less hand movement overall

 

[JCooper]

I like to play some lines with a single finger. Especially lines like steady root 8ths because one finger is more even sounding then alternating fingers.

Yeah, I've noticed that as well….
Why is that?

 

[Pirate Captain]

Yeah, I've noticed that as well….
Why is that?

same finger, same strength, same position (however small) in relation to the pickup...there's a lot to be said for this style

 

[Pirate Captain]

Floating right hand here.

...also, I'm using a vintage Fender bridge mute, so a lot of the right hand muting techniques I'd normally use are not applicable

 

[BassChuck]

Generally I use 2 finger. Strangely I've found that some faster more technical things 'clear up' with the hook. So, only a go to technique when needed.

 

[AK precision]

Pardon me, I just come across this posting, Sir. I do, since 1993 ever, one finger lick (hook) on anchor (bell) - My p-basses all have sponge mute jammed at bridge = supermarket sold bath sponge w/D'Addario flatwound

 

[Fat Freddy]

I'm a hooker too.....

Not by choice.....

Fingers just won't work in tandem no matter how hard I try.....

I seem to be getting along ok with just the hook though....

 

[ezra1]

I used a pick all thru the 70s.Pick and palm muting. I am self taught.
Went to the hook 3 years ago.
It didn't seem as precise as the pick for a long time.
I finally stopped looking at what I was doing and just listened to my playing.
Later I found that I was alternating between the hook and 2 to 3 fingers and was confident in what I was doing.

 

[ZenG]

I used to ...until 1980. After that I fell out of favor with new-wave producers and even had a difficult time getting session work.


Kidding...but according to Jamerson's bio on Wiki...that's basically what happened to him.