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Disco style: Root-Octave jumps

#21
Check out this:
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Chili Peppers "Right on time" octave notes in the chorus 22 seconds in (excuse the video part might not be safe for work)

That's too fast for me, even practicing octave jumps I can't go this fast without getting super sloppy.... Any tips?
 
#22
I use a two-finger/thumb approach which lends itself naturally to octaves. I can play eighth-note roots with doubled sixteenths on the octave, but the limitation with the thumb comes with doubling up on the roots.

For songs like Right on Time and River People by Weather Report (THE perfect octave exercise), you just have to work with two fingers and jumping strings. The jumping is definitely the hardest part (especially when you're trying to avoid being sloppy), but it'll come with time.
 
#25
Funk 'N' Stein said:
No ...it isnt wrong. It's the most comfortable way to do it. Believe me...if you are playing a tune which requires you to finger octaves for several minutes without a break (i.e. Dance Dance Dance by CHIC) this is the only way!!!.

Here's some great 'octave style' bass playing for you...check this cat out . He's got it down....


http://youtube.com/watch?v=oEvwkR6_ptM

practice this fingerstyle (or you can thump it like Marlowedk/Larry Graham)
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Hey thanks man, MarloweDK is an awesome bassist and I enjoy all of his videos. I play fretless and using 1 on the root and pinky on the octave is the only way to guarantee comfort, intonation and efficiency
 
#26
bassrique said:
Even if you don't get the joke, it's still a great exercise. Turn off the monitor, leave the cheesy music on, and double up on the octaves at tempo. I can do it with my fingers, and for a couple minutes with my thumb [slapping], but with a pick I'm hopeless.

And I had no idea the greaseman [Village People, RIP] was straight. :D

Edit: I can't slap it at tempo I just found out -- I'm a little slow. Again, double up on the synth line, not the sparse bass.
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Ohhh...it took a few for the music to load. The first time I clicked the link I didn't wait long enough I guess, or my volume was down...hence the :eyebrow:. You're right though, it is cheesy! :D
 
#27
jaywa said:
If you really want to give your self a challenge, play those octaves with a pick.

Personally, for right hand technique I "thumb" the root and use my middle finger for the octave... however, I believe (or at least it sure sounds like) a lot of those 70s disco recordings were done with a pick and for me at least, that commands a LOT more respect cause it is freaking tough to jump back and forth two strings with a pick and keep all the strings muted as they should be.
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Its no more difficult to do it with a pick really Jaywa. I learned how to do it with a pick so for me its easier than doing it with fingers. My metal band have recently accussed me of playing with too much of a "disco" style in our newer material because I REALLY enjoy playing that sorta root octave type riff with a very disco type muting. I actually learned how to do it playing 16ths playing root,root,root,octave patterns at fairly high speeds (180bpm-200bpm) and obviously, when starting this, I was really sloppy, but eventually with a lot of practice, it pulls itself together and when I got that, I found it quite easy to do most patterns except the root root,octave, octave which I had to practice seperately.

I use pointer and pinky on the lower frets but as I get up the neck, past the 5th fret I use pointer and ring finger. Leaves me open for more embellishments.
 

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