Geddy Lee - Great Bassist - Bad Technique

[Sleeping Giant]

I have been a Rush fan since 2112 came out and have always had great respect for all three of those guys. When I hear what they produced over the years and listen to the creativity even as young men their music had the quality of musicians much older than they were.

Neil Peart gets so much attention (why are non musicians always so excited by drums? I've never seen the appeal) that sometimes he seems to overshadow the other two.

I saw Rush on the Time Machine tour and was struck by Geddy's playing. Heavy handed right hand and the fingers on his left hand looked like they were welded together. This is generally not considered good technique.

To me this just shows that you can have the greatest technique but if you have no talent creatively the music produced can be bland and uninspring. Kind of the opposite of Geddy.

 

[factorplayer]

Yeah I could never figure out what he's doing with the right hand, like he's pulling the string with his entire wrist motion rather than individual fingers.

 

[erigod23]

He's probably not too worried about it, though.

 

[BagelBruin]

I am glad someone else wonders what the heck that right hand does too!

 

[JMac- Wiskerface Designs]

Most of the players that I consider "the greats", could've been considered to have "bad technique" for their time. Take for instance, John Entwistle. What He was doing back in the day would've been considered bad technique to His contemporaries.
Geddy is an awesome player regardless of how He holds and hits the strings, and I couldn't think of another Guy that can do "The Rush thing" any better.

 

[BAMonBASS]

"To me this just shows that you can have the greatest technique but if you have no talent creatively the music produced can be bland and uninspring. Kind of the opposite of Geddy."

+1 I know many a players, not just bass, that have great technique and no talent to create. Actually the guitarist i used to play with was obsessed with BucketHead and can do all sorts of crazy sweeps on his 7 string but can't write a song to save his life. Unfortunately people like this seem to think that because there technique is so good that everyone should be following them and are unwilling to relinquish creative control of the music. Obviously this didn't work out for me playing with him.

 

[Toastfuzz]

I became a way better musician and found way more variety of sounds to get out of my bass when I threw technique out the window.

 

[HeadyVan Halen]

He's not really playing...backing track.

 

[Magyar_Music]

Geddy has tons of technique... his own!

He uses "flutter fingers", one finger playing that is as fast as my two-fingers, strums and chording. I don't think he's worried about "proper technique".

The way he plays makes Rush what it is. I wouldn't call it bad technique, I would call it unique or purposeful for the music.

Good topic though.

 

[bassike]

I'm not sure if there is such a thing as bad technique.

I guess whatever works for you is the right one.

I saw a video of a guy that I can't remember his name but he grabs the bass like a violin.

I guess the so called right technique would be a standard starting point for beginners and after you change things according to your needs and style.

 

[WRBass]

That "bad" right hand technique is a big part of his sound. You could say the same thing for John Entwistle.

 

[lowfreq33]

I saw a video of a guy that I can't remember his name but he grabs the bass like a violin.

I think you're talking about Quentin Berry. Strange to watch, but the guy can play.

 

[waleross]

You can get away with un-orthadox technique on the "bass Guitar" esp. when you have been on top of the music industry like Rush has. NO passion for drums? then try playing a set .......Anyway as far as good technique goes you do need it for the String Bass or even a fretless bass its just the way it is. When they name a bass after you then you can talk, NOw I got gas for a Geddy Lee......

 

[steve_rolfeca]

When it comes to hand and wrist position, technique isn't just about the music. It's also about things like economy of motion, maintaining blood flow, preventing repetitive stress injuries, etc.

Some people have good genes, and can abuse their hands for years without complaint, but others can't. Just 'cause something works for me, or even for Geddy, doesn't mean that you should follow suit.

It's possible to get a distinctive tone with technique that would give a hand surgeon nightmares, and in the right circumstances, to write and perform great-sounding music with barely any technical knowledge at all.

Arguments like "Clapton Is God", or "Geddy rocks, and he's sold more albums than you ever will" don't interest me. Some stars succeed despite their limitations, and lots of them have to ice their wrists after the gig, or make mid-career corrections because of RSI's.

In that sense, the true test of your technique is whether you're able to keep playing the same way, well into your sixties...

 

[darkocuk]

You guys ever seen Keith Jarrett or Pat Metheny play? Those guys are monsters,.... but their technique is painful to watch. Keith looks like his hands are about to seize up completely any minute and Pat has his left hand thumb half way around the fingerboard all the time. Yet,, these guys can rip unbeleivably.
Good topic!

 

[Toolmybass]

lots of them have to ice their wrists after the gig, or make mid-career corrections because of RSI's.

Not sure exactly what Geddy has...but your right!
I saw a vid where he talks about having to go to therapy for his hands after every tour

 

[john_g]

He has an unusual technique thats for sure. My band(s) play lots of Rush tunes and I like to think I have pretty good technique, and I physically play the songs way different than he does. Ill watch videos of him playing and he does lots of things with the one finger on the right hand (not just the flamenco thing) and only three on the left. He moves his left hand way more than I would or do too. But, he is awesome nonetheless.

 

[shadowmac]

NO.

I'm guessing this was sarcastic, but just in case...

I've seen RUSH 13 times and Geddy always does something a little different. I saw the Time Machine tour and actually witnessed Geddy F-up and come into a part a measure early; Neil pulled it back together in two beats...such is the beauty of RUSH. A recorded track would not have had the mistake.

If that isn't enough proof, NOBODY would have used the tone Geddy had at the TM Milwaukee show...it was the worst I've heard...too bright and too loud - and that's saying something, 'cuz I'm not a fan of his tone anyway. Further, Geddy was having a bad vocal night and compensated by overplaying on every song in the first half of the show.

Geddy does have terrible technique, but he is an awesome player. Ripping on Geddy's technique is like ripping on Hendrix for his. I personally don't care how you get there; in the end it's the product that matters and I'm a huge fan of the music created by RUSH.

He's not really playing...backing track.

 

[IPA]

bad technique = technique that ruins your hands, makes you cramp up, etc

geddy plays every night for what, 40 years now? if it works for him, it works.

 

[Yerf Dog]

He's probably not too worried about it, though.