I know that you do. Simple question... do you fret with the force AND precision of a capo?
Are you a betting man? I guarantee that I can fret my basses in the same area of the capo without the negative effects that you still think are unavoidable. Because my hands aren't capos.
Playing bass is not about applying a consistent amount of pressure like a machine. The very fact that someone could offer up a demo that is as thoughtless as yours AND that some might think that it has a real bearing on a human playing an instrument is sad IMO. People who don't know better might buy into this and that's really what bothers me. Was the string fretted to the fingerboard with the capo?
I have no doubt that you mean well but damn...
Uh, yes, one can try to achieve the force and precision of a capo. Believe it or not, many great players have worked on optimizing the amount of pressure needed to play notes properly. It's efficiency, and in doing so you can play faster and more accurately. Any player that has achieved a high level has studied efficiency, consciously or not, some are born with more speed and agility than others, but it's all efficiency in the end.
The demo was to show, as predicted, and as known by many, that the further you move from the fret, the more pressure is needed to play a note properly. I'm not sure if you a) don't care, b) don't understand why using more pressure than necessary is undesirable, or c) don't understand the experiment at all. You seem strangely concerned with the method, as if I don't understand you can just push down harder to get a good note out further behind a fret. I understand that! I really do! You shouldn't have to push down any harder than necessary- to prevent wasting energy, simply push down closer to the fret! That's the point of the demo!
I also really, truly understand you have a bass with extremely low action and can get satisfactory results further off the fret. That doesn't mean the concept of efficiency couldn't be used to get even faster and more articulate, maybe even on your bass. If those aren't goals of yours, so be it, but the facts I've presented don't change.
To accuse me of purposely misleading people is absolutely bizarre. I don't know how relaying factual information, and demonstrating it in action, is harmful. If you're expecting me to throw my hands up and say, "aw shucks, you're right, just fret any old place, it doesn't matter," THEN I would be spreading misinformation. My only intention, from my first post onward, was to inform people of the most efficient fretting technique possible, since it seemed like there was a bit of confusion on that. Still seems like that for some, but I sincerely hope my posts and demo have reached and helped someone.
OP, congrats on the bass, that thing is badass, I declare this hijacking over, didn't intend it from the get go
