Geddy Lee Technique

[N4860]

I don't often see many people mention Geddy's right hand technique, particularly from the 90's on. It seems to be one of the most unique right hand techniques so I'm curious to see if there's any other pros that use the same technique or if any of you had experimented with it. I've briefly tried to learn it but its pretty hard to get the hang of but seems to work great for those songs where he just plays a consistent 16th note pattern. The way he grooves and accents different notes just playing straight 16ths is pretty crazy.

 

[Ezmar]

He met Les Claypool between Roll the Bones and Counterparts. Primus was even thanked in the liner notes of the latter. I'm pretty sure he took some notes from him.

 

[two fingers]

I didn't hear what you were talking about in the second song at all. Can you post a time for me?

As for Animate, he really does a great job of that with his fingers. Hats off to the guy. But I can NAIL that tone with a pick with half the motion and ten times the efficiency. (I play fingers and pick about 50/50.)

 

[N4860]

I didn't hear what you were talking about in the second song at all. Can you post a time for me?

As for Animate, he really does a great job of that with his fingers. Hats off to the guy. But I can NAIL that tone with a pick with half the motion and ten times the efficiency. (I play fingers and pick about 50/50.)

I think he's doing all those double stops in the second song with 1 finger like a pick and then hitting muted 16ths between them. His technique is pretty efficient as it's just 1 finger playing up and down like pick though.

 

[two fingers]

I think he's doing all those double stops in the second song with 1 finger like a pick and then hitting muted 16ths between them. His technique is pretty efficient as it's just 1 finger playing up and down like pick though.

That's even more impressive.

 

[N4860]

That's even more impressive.

I believe that is the technique he developed over the last few decades. Primarily just playing with his index finger going up and down. Almost like a sort of flamenco technique.

 

[CallMeAl]

I believe that is the technique he developed over the last few decades. Primarily just playing with his index finger going up and down. Almost like a sort of flamenco technique.

Exactly, I read an interview he was inspired by flamenco. He does that down stroke rake, very innovative!

 

[N4860]

Here's some footage of Rush playing Animate live, you can see him using that technique through the whole song. I've always just played with 2 fingers on my right hand, but when you get to that second chorus (~2:25), it's almost impossible for me to hit those chords that fast without using some technique as he does.

 

[MonetBass]

This is cool. I've been using that technique for years, mainly in an attempt to play a bass part of Steve Vai's "The Attitude Song" (the part where Stu does a pentatonic run up from the low E, and plays triplets for the chromatic D-D#-E parts). Being a guitar player as well, it made sense to use my index and play up and down as if I were using a pick.

 

[john_g]

Actually, there has been alot of talk about his flamenco thing. Ive read where he said it developed from a couple of things: some issue with his plucking finger, and wanting to replicate a pick sound. I like it in VERY small doses, but he even admits he went overboard with it. He would do it in older songs that it really didnt belong in (IMO of course). He doesnt, or didnt, do it as much in the last few tours so maybe thats why talk died down.

 

[Jehos]

After watching that last video, it's totally a Les Claypool move, but Les does it with his whole hand. Geddy is keeping it a smaller and tighter motion.



I do it whole-hand style like Les and rake with my middle and ring fingers. It's just what felt natural when I tried to replicate what I saw Les doing on stage when I saw Primus live for the first time. It was a revelation because I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to make that sound until I saw him do it.

 

[Holdsg]

the Gedmesiter - time will show that he was one of a small number of true innovators on the instrument

 

[pbass2]

Explains how Geddy was able to play Roundabout so well with his fingers(er, uh, finger...) at the Yes Hall of Fame performance.

 

[N4860]

Actually, there has been alot of talk about his flamenco thing. Ive read where he said it developed from a couple of things: some issue with his plucking finger, and wanting to replicate a pick sound. I like it in VERY small doses, but he even admits he went overboard with it. He would do it in older songs that it really didnt belong in (IMO of course). He doesnt, or didnt, do it as much in the last few tours so maybe thats why talk died down.

Yeah, I can definitely see how it wouldn't really fit for everything, particularly older rush songs. Still something I might try and learn for doing faster chord stuff.

After watching that last video, it's totally a Les Claypool move, but Les does it with his whole hand. Geddy is keeping it a smaller and tighter motion.



I do it whole-hand style like Les and rake with my middle and ring fingers. It's just what felt natural when I tried to replicate what I saw Les doing on stage when I saw Primus live for the first time. It was a revelation because I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to make that sound until I saw him do it.

I might try doing it this way as well. Feel like I might be able to get more control using the middle and ring fingers together as one.

 

[Spidey2112]

My ill informed 'superior' asked me if RUSH was ever going to tour again...

"In my mind, they've never stopped.", I replied.

I starting using this technique to play the bass solo, in 'Bouree'... comes in quite handy.

 

[JimmyM]

Not to put down Geddy, who is a fantastic bass player, but Stanley Clarke was doing that Flamenco thing in the early 70s long before anybody knew of Geddy Lee or Les Claypool.

 

[N4860]

Not to put down Geddy, who is a fantastic bass player, but Stanley Clarke was doing that Flamenco thing in the early 70s long before anybody knew of Geddy Lee or Les Claypool.

True, I've seen him doing that for the chords in School Days but I'm not familiar with much else of his catalog. Is it something he did like Geddy for faster sixteenth note sections too?

 

[Jehos]

Not to put down Geddy, who is a fantastic bass player, but Stanley Clarke was doing that Flamenco thing in the early 70s long before anybody knew of Geddy Lee or Les Claypool.

Yup, School Days is all that. Pretty sure Claypool got it from Clarke and Geddy got it from Claypool.

Then there's the really weird Ryan Martinie "invisible pick" style.



Ryan's whole playing style is just so foreign to me, but it works so well for him. So precise but so forceful.

 

[micguy]

OK, granted this is a bit of a tangent, but my favorite part of the live video is noticing that the washing machines behind Geddy are miked. As a young kid, I never liked Rush, but somehow, somewhere along the way, I got that fact that they didn't take themselves all that seriously (perhaps the rotisseries and washing machines had something to do with that), and that and their music flipped me to the positive side.

 

[Corevalay]

I'm not a RUSH fan by any stretch, but I can watch live videos of them all day long. I have such a respect for that band, and especially, Geddy. One of the few people who leaves me in awe.