I'm going to go with "because it's funny".
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Geddy Lee Technique
- Thread starter N4860
- Start date
Yeah, that's another Geddy thing. He runs his bass direct, but rock shows demand big stacks of amps. So he puts silly stuff behind him just to take up space on the stage. The rotisseries are my personal favorite. Notice that they're mic'd.
Also, if you're not aware of it, Google "celebrity basters". Some pretty cool people have basted them there chickens.
And Ungerleider in the chicken suit.
OK, well I'd argue that I saw Rush in 1981 and Geddy did nothing of the sort at that show, while I saw Stanley in 1978 and he not only did it at that show, but he also did it on upright!
And I'd argue it was the 2112 album where Rush finally gained acceptance from anyone except a small band of hardcore fans.
I call it gedding because of him! I do it for chords; for a single note line like the one in "Animate" I play it with two fingers.
I've been using the flamenco technique for a long time, picked it up from covering Rush in my tribute project years ago, kept it because I don't like mucking around with a pick. It gets used often in plenty of different non-Rush songs, one my favorites being Tool's Sober.
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For me I was a few years behind you and it was the Signals album. As a kid I must have really liked the song Subdivisions so bought the album and played it all through summer break. I remember absolutely loving the basslines on that whole album and the tone of it! When it was back to school time I rented a bass... and then eventually ended up here...
Depends. Washing machines have a darker tone.
Because running direct sounds like trash, you have to have like tubes and speakers to get "your" tone.
(it's all part of the same big joke)
A long time ago My bass teacher (a jazz guitarist) used to use the flamenco "flick" with his fingers to strum chords on my bass, it amazed me, but i didn't know how to or the technique he was using to effectively voice the chords, i asked him, but it was kind of his "thing" he liked to show off, i never got it down, but was always fasinated by it. I knew it was a righthand flamenco technique though.
So when i saw geddy doing it. I just thought.... "hey he's doing that flamenco thing", I never figured out. oh, well even with the YouTube videos, I still can't incorporate it in to my playing
I even tried growing out my finger nails{creepy} bass player)... GL it figuring out!!
Was it that hilarious before I asked about it? I think there's more to it than just humor, because there are way too many drummers in a Rush audience for it to be a worthwhile effort at humor.
Neil pranked drummers for 40 years with that huge kit.
I recall a quote that Geddy liked the dryers "for their dry, warm tone".
That's his whole hand....he only uses one finger since counterparts. Honestly it kind of gives me the willies....lol
Looks like he uses his whole hand on Leave that thing alone from the Rush in Rio video.
It's actually as GED himself calls it.. that one "noisy bastard"
What Stanley and Claypool do is something different. That's strumming chords one two strings. What Geddy does playing single notes up and down rest strokes with one finger. Just like you would use a pick but he start up instead of down like you would do with a pick.
Also it is not a flameco technique because flamenco guitar players never play like that on single strings.
Is Geddy still using extremely light strings? I read that he used Rotosound funkmaster 66 strings with 90 70 50 30 gauge. At least in his Wal period. Did he use normal gauge strings when switching back to the Fender jazz basses?
The first song I ever learned was Animate, I started using "Geddy finger" just because I didn't have any two finger speed yet (much less one finger) it wasn't until later I found out that is exactly what he did to get that sound/speed, when the song goes to the chorus you get that cool pop sound by flicking the string right before the hammer-on, and for the one part of the song that plays the chorded notes, I use the middle finger- it's a very loud bass line!
I use that technique for Hysteria, I can do it with two fingers, but I'm more efficient with one.
I love the pluck-rake-hammer/pull thing he does, it's not that hard to do and it sounds so freaking fast.
From what I heard Geddy played so hard that he needed therapy on his right hand after the tours.
The guy is a legend, they all are, thank God their carer didn't end short, because there were a few times they could have disbanded years before they hung up the hat.
I use that technique for Hysteria, I can do it with two fingers, but I'm more efficient with one.
I love the pluck-rake-hammer/pull thing he does, it's not that hard to do and it sounds so freaking fast.
From what I heard Geddy played so hard that he needed therapy on his right hand after the tours.
The guy is a legend, they all are, thank God their carer didn't end short, because there were a few times they could have disbanded years before they hung up the hat.
