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Dig in and turn down, or play light and turn up?

Play heavy and turn down? Or play light and turn up?

  • Play heavy and turn down

    Votes: 53 33.5%

  • Play light and turn up

    Votes: 105 66.5%
  • Total voters
    158
#41
Real men dig in until the skin falls off their fingers and melts into the giant firey explosions that enhance the insane rocking energy bestowed upon my bass and your ears by my right hand!


Just kidding. While 'digging in' as hard as you can is the psuedo-manly-guys weapon of choice, I doubt you will find many guys that have worked really hard to improve there right hand technique espousing the virtues of digging in as hard as you can, as loud as you can.

Of course the beauty is that you can play whatever and however you like...that is the freedom of music...but I'll bet you anything that if you take the time to learn 'proper' right hand technique, you will never again advise others that 'digging in as hard as possible' is a superior technique.
 
#42
Wannaflea said:
Oh good man x1000 Mellowship Slinky, nothing better! :bassist: I can appreciate some of by the way, californication and stadium arcadium, but it's just not as funky and not as fun to play.

And yes, I was being sarcastic matey! :D
Click to expand...

I'm really hoping their new album will go back to their funk roots, but I don't think they will :(
 
#44
I prefer a light touch, somewhere around 40% as hard as I could be hitting the strings. That way, I can go down a bit for softer passages while leaving a good chunk of space to get louder. I've found I don't like to mess with my knobs too much (despite a bass with a 3-band pre) so I use my hands for volume control. Playing on the soft side of things makes that easier for me.
 
#46
chaseman said:
I apologise for my error Mr. Buzz-Killington.
Click to expand...

ach I swear they actually are funk, with punk too, though, verging towards softrock from by the way onwards.
Either way, I don't honestly think that you could capture RHCP in one genre, I mean compare 'The Power of Equality' to Midnight or Cabron! :rollno:

And it would be nice to have a bit of BSSM funk in there. That said, I felt that 'she's only 18' and 'warlocks' of stadium arcadium really reached back to those times, and I have to say I took a guilty pleasure in Frusciante abandonning his 'less is more' style! The solo's on Dani California, Wet sand and Readymade are just amazing! :bassist:
 
#47
The Peppers are a great band...and Flea has great right hand technique....it's just that they really aren't a funk band. I don't know anyone with an extensive knowledge of funk artists, funk music, or funk history that would consider them a funk band. However, it is quite common for those well versed more exclusively in rock to think that RHCP is funk. RHCP incorporates so many influences and are very diverse; however, at their core, they really are a rock band imo and in the opinion of every die hard funk afficianado I have ever encountered. Listen to the difference and decide for yourself.

Funk:

Maceo Parker - YouTube - ‪Soul Power '74‬‏

Fred Wesley and The JB's - YouTube - ‪Fred Wesley & The JB's - Doin' It To Death (1973)‬‏

Nite Liters - YouTube - ‪The Nite-Liters‬‏

Bobby Byrd - YouTube - ‪BOBBY BYRD - NEVER GET ENOUGH‬‏

Chili Peppers = Rock -

'Suck My Kiss' - YouTube - ‪Red Hot Chili Peppers- Suck My Kiss‬‏

'Give It Away'- YouTube - ‪Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give it away w/lyrics on description‬‏

'Fight Like a Brave' - YouTube - ‪Red Hot Chili Peppers - Fight Like A Brave‬‏

Now Back to your regularly scheduled program - Battle 'DIGGIN IN' VS. 'Light Zen Touch' :)
 
#48
faulknersj said:
The Peppers are a great band...and Flea has great right hand technique....it's just that they really aren't a funk band. I don't know anyone with an extensive knowledge of funk artists, funk music, or funk history that would consider them RHCP a funk band. However, it is quite common for those well versed more exclusively in rock to think that RHCP is funk. RHCP incorporates so many influences and are very diverse; however, at their core, they really are a rock band imo and in the opinion of every die hard funk afficianado I have ever encountered. Listen to the difference and decide for yourself.

Funk:

Maceo Parker - YouTube - ?Soul Power '74??

Fred Wesley and The JB's - YouTube - ?Fred Wesley & The JB's - Doin' It To Death (1973)??

Nite Liters - YouTube - ?The Nite-Liters??

Bobby Byrd - YouTube - ?BOBBY BYRD - NEVER GET ENOUGH??

Chili Peppers = Rock -

'Suck My Kiss' - YouTube - ?Red Hot Chili Peppers- Suck My Kiss??

'Give It Away'- YouTube - ?Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give it away w/lyrics on description??

'Fight Like a Brave' - YouTube - ?Red Hot Chili Peppers - Fight Like A Brave??

Now Back to your regularly scheduled program - Battle 'DIGGIN IN' VS. 'Light Zen Touch' :)
Click to expand...

Well put, thanks for the insight :)
 
#49
About 15 years ago I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff Berlin, and got to supply and set up a backline for him. I played his bass at soundcheck, and was surprised to see how low the string height was, and how light the strings. For my way of playing at that time it was almost unplayable, yet he got a fantastic tone and timbre. I then realised how important a light touch is..... sorta like carressing a woman. :D Lesson learnt.
 
#50
faulknersj said:
RHCP incorporates so many influences and are very diverse
Click to expand...

Best point ever made there bud! I concede that the chilis are far to rock to be funk, but far to funk to be rock, if that makes sense?
listen to songs like 'walkabout', 'warlocks', 'funky monks' (clues in the name :p ) and 'taste the pain' (sorry for no youtube links, but my internet is appaling tonight :spit: )
Those songs you picked out were very definitely rock songs, but I don't think that's a fair representation of rhcp's repertoir, as it were. Either way - great band and, importantly, great basslines! :bassist:
 
#55
Check out Rocco Prestia...sounds like he is really digging in....but he's not (compared to what many consider 'digging in..kind of like Jimmy said back on page 1).
Also notice his right hand technique...probably not a big advocate for 'raking' a lot.

Lesson 1 - YouTube - ‪Francis Rocco Prestia - Fingerstyle Funk (1/7)‬‏

Lesson 2 - Check this one out for sure...its a great vid of Rocco's technique on Tower of Powers 'What is Hip'
 
#56
#57
Partially...but more technique honestly. It's kind of like how Bruce Lee could chop a thick piece of wood in half with his hand only inches away. The key is minimal motion...which equals maximum efficiency of motion...and putting the work in to master the technique. All these 'boring' fundamental excersises are so important..they are what will take your playing to the next level. They must be practiced until they become habit. Rocco could not play this stuff if he played hard and failed to alternate his index and middle fingers consistently. I contribute his sound 95% to his technique. He will sound like that on any bass through any rig.
 
#58
Concerning the music that I write, it truly depends on the song and the style. On something relatively modern or that is just a bass filler for a song, I'm going to turn up and play light to ensure that I have a lot of clarity and I am less tempted to create finger noise by playing harder to hear myself. If I'm playing a funk song or a Jamerson style riff on my P-bass, I'm gonna dig in hard and turn down the amp as needed. For me it boils down to what kind of song, but...gun to the head? I'd choose play light and turn up.
 
#59
faulknersj said:
Partially...but more technique honestly....Rocco could not play this stuff if he played hard and failed to alternate his index and middle fingers consistently. I contribute his sound 95% to his technique. He will sound like that on any bass through any rig.
Click to expand...

Of course, but if you want to sound like Entwistle, such technique won't work.
But that's an extreme example. Most of the time a light touch will sound similar to a heavier hand with
some volume/EQ adjustments, but if you desire the far end of aggressive playing then no gear switch will suffice.
At least, that's what I've gathered...
 

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