Fodera in Gospel

[PeterKLee]

The Fodera sounds good. Nothing wrong with that tone, but...

Does anybody else have a problem with every note he uses vibrato on being bent sharp? Vibrato is a cool thing, but Mr. Lee never lets the fundamental pitch ring and immediately bends notes sharp. I was not able to listen to him for very long.

Of course, this is one man's opinion, and I am not the MD on this gig. Gouche, Raines, Sharay Reed... you will not hear them doing this.

It is worth noting that Gouche frequently uses this technique, and you can see him demonstrating it in this video at 3:31: .


Justin Raines also employs this style, as seen here: .

I have spent a great deal of time transcribing their playing and listening closely to the gospel community, so it is incorrect to suggest they don't use this technique. While I acknowledge that I may overdo it at times, my approach is directly inspired by their playing. I believe it is important to share accurate information regarding these stylistic influences.

 

[PeterKLee]

If the song does not require the C string, why must he play it?

Yessir! Some people seem to think that if you have a low B string, you are obligated to use it constantly, regardless of your personal choices

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

he was running wild with those bends for sure.

I've noticed its a thing in gospel to nowadays to have this super mid-forward and even overdriven sound. It's interesting. I wonder where this started with. That kirk franklin tiny desk is the best example. Bass is just nuts on that. I've heard the brazilian players do it too.

That Tiny desk with Matt Ramsey from Kirk’s band on that Sire certainly showcased that growling overdrive.

I’m pretty sure I heard Snoop Evans on his Performance Jazz Basses using that tone with Todd Delaney live .

Sharay gets that growl too with his Fodera. His is more subtle.

One thing they all have in common is they use GK amps.

Super versions of Jazz 5 like BassMods paired with the new GK amps seems to be the current Urban Gospel Flavor.

 

[Dbassmon]

I tend to doit more when I’m excited especially in the church band, though I use it much less on slower songs haha.

You are a great player, Peter, and vibrato adds vocal quality to the bass sound. There is such value in recording a performance, as what you think it sounds like and what it actually sounds like are often very different. As we progress in our careers, and we get to play with better players, better venues, and better gigs, a huge thing is to control adrenaline. I want to hear a player sing, and vibrato is part of that. Control is what is lacking here. If you were not aware that you were doing the bend out of tune thing, you now have the info. Keep working on that. You are a talented bassist and you are right there... keep going!

You misread my comment about Sharay, Raines, and Gouche, etc. They have beautiful vibrato.

 

[micguy]

The Fodera sounds good. Nothing wrong with that tone, but...

Does anybody else have a problem with every note he uses vibrato on being bent sharp?

Explain to me how you would bend a note flat on a fretted instrument?

 

[iqi616]

Explain to me how you would bend a note flat on a fretted instrument?

With a vibrato tailpiece?

 

[BassicJazzy]

With a vibrato tailpiece?

How about a Drop D extender, on all the tuners? Saw someone playing that in a vid here recently. Drove me crazy watching it.

 

[iqi616]

Yessir! Some people seem to think that if you have a low B string, you are obligated to use it constantly, regardless of your personal choices

Some 5-string basses seem to have better E-strings than many 4-stringers which could be reason enough for playing one but I've not played that many so it's possibly not a thing.

 

[N4860]

Explain to me how you would bend a note flat on a fretted instrument?

You can bend a note flat slightly if you fret and pull your finger with the string towards the bridge. Not something I would do but it is possible.

 

[logdrum]

Now that you guys mentioned the bends, he is out of tune many times and on that Hallelujah part, between the lead guitar and him, it is a hard listen. I stopped after that and it probably did noit go any better. It is a nice sounding bass but does not really elevate this worship music . BTW not a Church goer -- so I do not know modern gospel

 

[SomewhatHarmles]

Explain to me how you would bend a note flat on a fretted instrument?

I dunno with bass, but for classical guitar I'd sometimes put too much pressure on my fretting hand and "pull" it towards the bridge.
My perfect pitch friend really hated that, as it'd go flat.

To do that on a bass, you'll probably have to be super strong.

 

[Dbassmon]

Explain to me how you would bend a note flat on a fretted instrument?

Watch Peter’s video.

 

[Metal Sombreros]

Of all the music and players out there, Gospel musicians are consistently among the best just amazing music

 

[micguy]

With a vibrato tailpiece?

Commonly found of basses, of course. ;-)

 

[micguy]

You can bend a note flat slightly if you fret and pull your finger with the string towards the bridge. Not something I would do but it is possible.

I invite you to try to do this. When I try, i order to get enough grip on the string to put some horizontal force on it, I end up bending the note sharp with the fretting finger. It doesn't work.

 

[micguy]

Watch Peter’s video.

I did. He does normal bends - the pitch goes up.

 

[iqi616]

Commonly found of basses, of course. ;-)

Yep, you only asked about bending flat on fretted instruments so I chose a different fretted instrument .

On bass, I'd hit the note below pre-bent sharp and ease it off. I had a bassline that was built around that technique but now I play it on fretless.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I think I prefer Gospel on a J style instrument, but my opinion has zero impact on gospel.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

This is my favorite video by this YouTuber on a Fodera in a Modern Gospel setting.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

And then we have Sharay. Perfection.