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Clickity Click Click Click

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#21
Originally posted by DuncanFlea
I would love to see an actual jazz musician play something other than jazz...And besides who needs music theory to play well, in fact most people who are great bassists have no idea on music theory. /B]
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Jeez, no idea about music theory? Who are you thinking of? What does GREAT BASSIST mean? Which jazz players have you seen who could'nt play anything else?

Get outa your cave baby. Name some "great bassists" who know nothing of theory. How would you know of their training?
How does their theory knowledge make them great or not great?

Do yourself a favor and approach the absolute best bassist you know and compliment him/her on being so good without really knowing what they're doing.

How do you think jazz musicians become able to play jazz, by skipping everything else? Do you think jazz is easy?
They just popped out and knew all the notes on the bass neck? That's right, they never had to practice. Never had to sit on the couch in front of the TV. They never had to know the blues scales. They never played "Iron Man". They never had a garage band or cheap gear. They never had to start with the first note everyone else started with. They were somehow able to skip the basics of learning their art. They could read music as a baby and solo'd over changes while pooping their pants.

Have some respect man!!!
 
#22
Ah, a celebration of ignorance. I so love these. I think I'll wear my special pointy hat for the occasion. :)

Originally posted by DuncanFlea
And besides who needs music theory to play well, in fact most people who are great bassists have no idea on music theory
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Name two, any genre.
 
#23
Don't needa know theory?
I'm sorry, are my ears filled to the brim with ear wax, or did I hear that right?
No theory?
Sure, if you have a great ear, then you can figure out a song all on your own, and you can probably make up some really cool sounding stuff, but if you were at a jam session, and someone said "Hey, why don't we try a little something in G? Why don't we get the drummer to start with a beat, then you [indicating YOU, the bassist] get a groove in G going, then I'll come in with guitars(/piano/whatever other instrument they play)."

Then what would you do, eh?
Sure, I don't know much theory, but I know a couple of the absolute basics, so if my band is getting together, and someone says "Let's try something in A" or "Let's try a jam in F#" then I know generally what I can and can't play to make it sound good.

Honestly, I'm jealous as hell of people who know theory, because I know next to none. I'm planning on learning, but I'd have to do that some time later, since I've got exams coming up soon. Heck, I've been meaning to learn for about 6 or 7 months now, just never got around to it.

And back to the original post about clicking...
it can sound good, when used properly. ;)
 
#24
Except if you play some very basic 4/4 rock with only roots for your entire life (as a bassplayer) OR if you are a natural musical genius OR if you want to loose hours and hours trying to find "something" that "fits", I can't see how a minimum of music theory can't be necessary.
But that's just my .2 cents.

Originally posted by Sheep Man

And back to the original post about clicking...
it can sound good, when used properly. ;)
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Yes !
A good (IMHO) exemple : Steve Harris from Iron Maiden.
 
#28
Originally posted by DuncanFlea
Just so I don't offend anyone either jazz musicians are usually very talented artists, just sometimes too close minded.


I would love to see an actual jazz musician play something other than jazz...And besides who needs music theory to play well, in fact most people who are great bassists have no idea on music theory. Sure you pick up things along the way from practicing but they are by no means theorists of music. At least I know for me I can play jazz, maybe not the extent of others, but I can play all other types of music, and play them well. I would rather be well rounded the one sided.
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Well how many Jazz musicians do you know or have talked to - from this I would guess it's close to zero! :rolleyes:

In my experience, the exact opposite is true! I go to Jazz classes with UK Jazz pros and a Summer school with about 30 or so pro Jazz players. And I tell you - these guys (and women) can play anything and better than you've probably heard it played anywhere else. So I have heard the pros, do great Ska,Reggae, Funk - Stevie Wonder songs as good as the originals but with improvising and original "takes" or arrangements , Soul, African Music , Samba, Afro Cuban, fusions with Early English Madrigals , "abstract" music, Jimi Hendrix meets "In a Silent Way" and so on - I could name a dozen more styles.

Whereas, I played rock/pop music for about 15 years in the 80s/90s and met hundreds of "musicians" who couldn't play anything except straight 4/4 time and a handful of chords that they used in every song. I met loads of bass players who could play nothing but root notes square on the beat and didn't even know that that was what they were doing! :rolleyes:
 
#31
There a many players out there who use theory and music-reading as a crutch for not being creative or interesting. Innovative players who just go for it to discover new approaches and sounds, dont even know they're breaking the rules . Its better to be unconfined by the rigid bricks of theory. Go ahead, break down the theory walls and be free!!!!!!!!
 
#32
Originally posted by brewer9
There a many players out there who use theory and music-reading as a crutch for not being creative or interesting. Innovative players who just go for it to discover new approaches and sounds, dont even know they're breaking the rules . Its better to be unconfined by the rigid bricks of theory. Go ahead, break down the theory walls and be free!!!!!!!!
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Let stupidity set you free!!!
 
#33
Originally posted by Angus
Slapping the bass won't get the clicky sound. It has nothing to do with technique at all.

About the jazz comment...:rolleyes:

Notice how it's always the people who DON'T know theory and can't play jazz who hate the people who DO know and CAN play?
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I don't hate people who play jazz, just the jazz snobs, theres a diffrence. Also, what do you know about my theory knowledge?
K thanx.

/lovebown
 
#35
BTW, about the clicking sound, that is NOT technique, that's a miked tweeter. Him hitting his strings doesn't do it. This just amplifies the fret noise to an extent where it's more prevalent than his bass. :rolleyes:
 
#37
Originally posted by brewer9
There a many players out there who use theory and music-reading as a crutch for not being creative or interesting. Innovative players who just go for it to discover new approaches and sounds, dont even know they're breaking the rules . Its better to be unconfined by the rigid bricks of theory. Go ahead, break down the theory walls and be free!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

And it's probable (99% ?) that what the so called innovative player finds out is already covered by theory.
 
#39
Originally posted by NJXT


If the guy is european, has long hair and wears stretchy pants ... you can bet he has a double life ;)
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Well, his chest hair is kinda long...
does that count? :D:p
But nah. He's Canadian.

As for 'jazz snobs'...
what the heck is that?
Did we just make something up by ourselves here?
I would think, if anything, jazz players have the RIGHT to think of themselves as better than the rest, seeing as in most cases, they are...

Well, maybe not jazz players specifically, but anyone who's had proper training et al. :)
 
#40
My apologies for dragging this off-topic once again.

For the record, jazz doesn't float my boat. Although I appreciate jazz as an art form, I'd rather listen to Tool over Miles Davis any day. Jazz has never moved me the way rock does (hello, check the avatar).

That's kind of my point. Rock/metal/pop/non-jazz whatever is not intellectually inferior to jazz, IMO. And it insults musicians who choose rock over jazz to buy into the idea that it's limited to just mindless, "creative" noodling. Nearly all of the TRULY great rock players (not poseurs who wouldn't have a had a prayer in the pre-MTV age) have had a solid grasp of theory, and often formal classical training. You're kidding yourself if you think otherwise. Wake the f*** up.

And I'm still waiting for that list of theory-ignorant bass gods.
 
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