If you are suggesting he could be a nightmare in a band then I am inclined to agree. There is nothing wrong with creating 'opportunities to shine' within a band setting, but 95% of the time that's not the job.
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Davie504 finally playing live
- Thread starter fnp5150
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If you are suggesting he could be a nightmare in a band then I am inclined to agree. There is nothing wrong with creating 'opportunities to shine' within a band setting, but 95% of the time that's not the job.
It could be argued that Davie is the quintessential armchair bassist.
To me Davie is kind of the equivalent of the one-man band in terms of entertainment appeal. It’s the sort of thing that people get a kick out of not so much because of the musical content but because of the novelty factor. I would honestly be surprised if the majority of Davie’s subscribers are bassists. I’d wager that a good proportion of them are the kinds of people who used to shout “slappa da bass” at every given opportunity and who now have an actual mascot of sorts to go along with that line.
Davie is awesome. He plays things that I would bet the majority of us cannot and does it with humor, grace and a deadpan style that works for him. He could probably fill in for just about any bass player out in the wild and do a good job. I highly doubt that slap bass is his only fort'e. And he makes millions doing something he loves. We need more bass players like Davie, Charles, Ellen, etc...
Here is Davie not slapping...sounds great
Here is Davie not slapping...sounds great
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The term "botched" implies that he attempted to play it "correctly" (by your definition) and failed. That's obviously not what happened. He played the arrangement he wanted to play, and he played it successfully. You just don't like it.
I think JonathanPDX should post a video of him playing the same lick the "correct" way to show us mere mortals how to do it.
- Claypool doesn't play those Fs either. He too must have felt they detract from the general feel of the slap bass arrangement (Berthoud plays them, and and the result is predictably less impactful).
Or maybe, Les "can't play it" either, or is just as "lazy".
- Davie made MoP his "signature tune"?
- Two F eighth notes are hardly "changes".
Davie could out jazz, out blues, out rock, and out country the crap out of me, you, and many here on this platform. But why would he? He is making MILLIONS of dollars doing what he loves; solo slap bass videos. I can't even begin to imagine the countless hours that he has put into being as good as he his on the bass.
But go ahead and take a crap all over someone else's artistic expression that they have poured their entire life trying to make.
Funny how many people are trying to shout down criticism.
Some people like it, some don't. Go have a beer and relax.
Some people like it, some don't. Go have a beer and relax.
Seriously? You really believe some dude whose entire career is slapping in his bedroom has the chops to go hold his own in, say, a blues or country band and actually do they job they want him to?
If you enjoy influencers that's fine. But I think it's absurd to think a bedroom player has the same skills as someone who has actually spent their career on a real stage working with other actual musicians.
Les is fretting them with his thumb; it's muted and not nearly as clean as the actual line, but he's still nailing the feel. Davie is just hacking over the top, like the dude who listens to a song on the radio on his way to the gig and then kinda sorta plays the line.
And would that really change your opinion of anything at all?
I thought so too, but he really isn't. Using the left thumb to fret the F notes, I mean. He's not.
Go back and give it another listen. Slow it down if you want. No eff, akch.
He must have listened to it on the way to Woodstock and decided to kindit-sort it, too.
Well, until next post in which you'll once again try and dress your personal dislike in objectivity.
Well, it would take maybe a couple of gigs for him to adjust to playing in those live situations, but after like 2 or 3 gigs, he'd be one of the top dogs. He has the chops to play anything, and he seems to have a very good ear and musical knowledge based on his compositions.
Instead of critiquing him, can we all just try to appreciate his talent? It's not like he is trash-talking all of the hard-core gigging players like you are trash-talking him. Music is meant to bring enjoyment and entertainment; it's not a competition in which we all gang up and spit on everyone else.
Personally, when I watch someone else play, I just try to enjoy the music. I don't try to count every mistake, and I also am not keeping track of all the things I do better than them. That would be borderline psychopathic.
Spoken like someone who has never had to gig for a living. That stuff takes a lot of work, and it has nothing to do with chops.
I spent over 20 years gigging full time. Yes, I can play the Victor Wooten stuff, I can slap as fast as Davie and the other influencer bass players. But that never got me a gig, because nobody hires for that stuff. Actual working musician skills are a lot deeper and take a lot of time in the real world to develop. Knowing thousands of songs, being able to think on your feet, reading/writing charts, navigating all the weird stuff that happens on gigs, those the the skills dudes like Davie don't show and likely don't have due to their lack of actual ensemble experience.
Good for him for learning to slap fast and mastering the art of YouTube shaky cams and quick cuts. I'm sure it makes him a lot of money. But that doesn't magically grant him the same skills as Nathan East.
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