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Do you lower your Bass for a Biker Gig ?

Do you change Bass Height ?

  • Total voters
    244
  • Poll closed .
#41
pudgychef said:
OR

If you play it hung at chest level - you play like a heart - steady, consistent, providing the life blood to keep the body going

If you play at gut level you play like a gut - kinda rumble-y, gurgley, touch acidic and on its own schedule regardless of the needs of the rest of the body

If you play at ball level you are playing like balls....kinda silly looking if you really focus, shying away from the heat, hiding from the cold...on its own agenda - hair is pathetically laughable when viewed in any arena outside its own fishbowl........

;)
Click to expand...

Some folks play like balls no matter where they wear their bass :D
 
#42
Why change playing positions for a gig? Especially if it's to a position you aren't used to. It may cause mistakes in your playing.

I play low mostly because I like to keep my wrist straight. It cramps my entire arm when I have to bend my elbow to 90 degrees then bend my wrist down to reach the strings and play that way for a while. I also can't play as fast or smooth with my wrist bent.
 
#44
Actium said:
I play low mostly because I like to keep my wrist straight. It cramps my entire arm when I have to bend my elbow to 90 degrees then bend my wrist down to reach the strings and play that way for a while. I also can't play as fast or smooth with my wrist bent.
Click to expand...

Exactly.
Here's an old video that Gary himself dislikes, he's young and nervous but the when I first saw the part about straight wrists, it was like a like coming on.
YouTube - ‪Gary Willis - Progressive Bassics Pt. 2‬‏
 
#45
I voted for "never change"... If I'm comfortable and my wrists don't hurt, then the music is usually better.

However, on rare occasions I get together with friends to tear up old Clash covers. It's only right on those occasions to wear my P low enough to get my Paul Simonon on... You know, just to channel the mojo correctly. :-)

Cheers,
Chris
 
#46
Makatak said:
Random thought , youre at tonights Biker gig , you throw your Bass on and its still at the same height as last nights prog Rock underneath the chin " stare at the fretboard all night " gig ........do you automatically lower it to avoid looking like a tool ? .
Just a fun question , im sure it may have crossed many of youre minds at some stage........or not ??
Click to expand...

Who's gonna care how high you wear your bass?
I really can't see the point of this...
You play music for looks??
 
#49
Well, over the years I've moved my bass up and down....started out medium, then went down thigh-high for the "Jimmy Page" look, then stuck with chest high for decades.....now I've settled on waist high.

I must say though that I'm suprised at some of the inflexibility some people have about their strap length.....myself I consider myself a bass player first but a band member a close second, and as such I understand we as a group are not only providing a sonic experience for our fans but a visual one as well, and so I dress and act accordingly, and also with variations depending upon the venue.

I go with and without hat, glasses, pony tail tie, all-black, etc and find that to be another fun aspect of gigging with my friends. If we play a punk-ier club, we dress accordingly, if a rocker club, out come the docs....

So, given the OQ regarding dropping my bass at a biker bar: Heck yeah! What the hell, it isn't a life changing move, and unless you are trying to stand out [think DEVO!] what's the matter with having fun with fitting in?
 
#51
I will lower/raise my strap depending on the style of music, to be honest. If I happened to be playing jazz/funk/fusion or the like at this biker gig, I'd probably wear it a little higher so my left hand can access the whole fretboard easier. If I were playing hard rock/metal, on the other hand, I would likely go a little lower (not obscenely low) because it is more comfortable for my right hand when blasting out rhythmic mindwarps.

As far as looks, who gives. Anyone who doesn't like where I strap my bass can eat their own farts.
 
#54
My assumption was a big biker rally (motorcycles, Harleys, other related bikes). So if we go by stereotypes, these guys *might* get blistering drunk and get really upset with the nerdy bass player for wearing his strap too high, like a nancy boy. :hiding:
 
#59
RedLeg said:
i have one strap with 3 strap locks on it (2 on the end, 1 on the front). The hi setting is for sitting, the low setting (4 inch difference) is for standing. My bass sits around my gut.
I give less than a damn what people think about what position I play my axe. I am paid to play and that is what I do.
Click to expand...

I do the same thing with my strap-high for Funk or Jazz, low for Rock.
I was into the Ramones when I first started playing, so low fells more comfortable most of the time, but not practical for slapping or soloing.
 
#60
TMart99 said:
I set my height for comfort and optimum playability.

Not for visual coolness.


I'm already cool enough:D ...as it is. I don't need to rely on bass height positioning to increase my cool factor:D

(BTW, the last two sentences are playfull jokes, not to be taken seriously:D)
Click to expand...

I actually take your post very seriously. In a positive sense.
If MTV existed in 1965, Janis Joplin would have never had national fame. Music videos were the beginning of the decline that caused disco. Can you play or not. If I bring it, don't try to tell me how to dress or when to cut my hair.
 

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