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Great Bassists with "BAD" Technique

-=DanAtkinson=-

-=DanAtkinson=-

Feb 26, 2008
2,457
125
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Atlanta, GA
#1
I've recently realized that many of my favorite bassists (John Paul Jones, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson) did not use "proper" technique. Jamerson plucked with a single finger on his right hand, JPJ wrapped his thumb over the neck and used the first 2 fingers on his left hand 80% of the time, etc. I'm sure many other famous bassists do the same types of things. So it makes me wonder...is proper technique really up to the individual? Or would these guys be 10 times better if they shed their "bad habits"?
 
#2
i think it depends on the music you play, some are a lot more demanding then others but for the most part, i think technique is what you make it. a lot of people with playing styles not by the book make more of an impact then the ones that follow the books. this is definitly a interesting question you brought up.
 
#3
I think it was Jamerson that sais something along the lines of "It took years for me to get up to speed with one finger, these kids doing it the right way can do it in months".

It's all practice, you practice enoguh and have enough dedication even with "bad" technique you can still produce great music. But I think it is best to learn from other peoples mistakes and try to take the fastest route possible to a "good" technique.
 
#4
bad technique doesn't exist, because these men were happy playing "Badly"

if the technique had mattered to them all that much, or been presented in a way they would have been receptive to, they probably wouldn't have played with "Bad" technique


Its not bad, its just different



thats my view at least, haha...
 
#8
If you've watched his instructional video,
Rocco has to be near the top of the list.

One finger (most of the time) fretting.
Plucking so hard that many of his notes fret-out.
Also lots of fret buzz caused by a combination of both of these "techniques".

We don't hear a lot of this when he plays with the band because 1: He's playing with the band. and 2: He doesn't play with a lot of treble.

However, he is still one of my favorite players due to the greatness of the lines he comes up with year after year.

Sting will never win any "bass gymnastics" awards, but I love his writing (especially The Police).

Adam Clayton. However I don't know how many of those lines are his.

Michael Anthony...who's a much better bassist than he's often given credit.

On the jazz/fusion side: Someone gave me a live CD of Brand X. I had never heard Percy Jones before but had read a great deal. I was appalled at the horrible intonation.

On upright: Saw Charlie Byrd Trio once. His brother Joe Byrd on DB. Seemed like a good player except for bad intonation, even in the lower register.
 
#10
People have commonly criticized John Myung for his left-hand technique. So far I haven't been even able to decrypt what he does with it, but it never struck me as bad technique.

Same for his right hand - in this case, I specifically heard it's a waste of energy extending his fingers for a long pull over the strings. (effectively pulling strings from the "root of the finger" to the tip, as opposed to pulling from the first knuckle).
 
#11
I must say JPJ's technique always looked pretty great to me but then again, I haven't seen him play that often.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's two players that sort of grind my gears:

Geddy Lee's right hand technique looks weird as hell to me, I really can't fathom how it could possibly work for him but apparently it does. Then there's Flea who never feels like using "a finger per fret" right hand technique, no matter where he plays on the neck. The only exception I've come across so far is that one ballad off their latest album whose bass line requires some hefty stretches.

By the way, every time I see Liam Wilson of Dillinger Escape Plan play, I'm always amazed at his textbook technique, even though their bass lines don't really require it, his left hand never seems to go "lazy". (This isn't to say I think their music is easy to play but their bass lines seem to be more about following the tricky rhythms rather than churning out scales and notes).
 
#14
colorblindbass said:
bad technique doesn't exist, because these men were happy playing "Badly"

if the technique had mattered to them all that much, or been presented in a way they would have been receptive to, they probably wouldn't have played with "Bad" technique


Its not bad, its just different



thats my view at least, haha...
Click to expand...

I'd say there is such a thing as bad technique- the qualifier for it would be technique that will likely needlessly injure you in the future. As far as that goes, there are a LOT of bass players who keep their fretting wrists in a near 90 degree angle nearly all of the time- that's just asking for some CTS fun.
 
#17
Great discussion issue.
JP Jones often plucked with ONE finger, Flea often has that thumb wrapped around high and tight, Geddy usually plucks with ONE finger unless he HAS to use two, Justin Chancellor wears his bass very low and ALL these guys DON'T use the one-finger-per-fret / position technique and often shift their hand rather than use their pinky finger to go three frets up from their index finger. Jaco and Jack Bruce have good "proper" technique (though Jack will often pluck with one finger), Geddy, JP Jones, Flea, Justin, Rex Brown ... don't and so what? They're all great. There's another factor too - in my opinion different styles of music often favor different technique. There's a reason metal players that use a pick usually wear their basses low and hunch down. It just plain works for the picking and the style.
My conclusion: use the technique that works for you and what you're playing. If your technique is making certain things difficult, try it another way. DON'T be trapped or nagged by the "proper technique" police. People are different with different physiques. Find what works for what you do and what you're aiming for.
-=DanAtkinson=- said:
I've recently realized that many of my favorite bassists (John Paul Jones, Paul McCartney, James Jamerson) did not use "proper" technique. Jamerson plucked with a single finger on his right hand, JPJ wrapped his thumb over the neck and used the first 2 fingers on his left hand 80% of the time, etc. I'm sure many other famous bassists do the same types of things. So it makes me wonder...is proper technique really up to the individual? Or would these guys be 10 times better if they shed their "bad habits"?
Click to expand...
 
#18
I could be completely off base here, and I'm sure someone in here will vehemently disagree, but I've always believed that the way your hand naturally feels most comfortable on your instrument (and this varies greatly from person to person) is the way you should play your instrument, and that the only "bad" technique is technique in which you will injure yourself. Anything else besides that, If you can make it work to your satisfaction, is proper technique for that particular player.
 
#19
The "good technique" that's been preached to me has largely to do with maximizing efficiency & dexterity. But on the gigs I do (R&B in bars), that's not particularly important. Feel and attitude are way, way, WAY more important than being able to cleanly execute some exercise designed to be a challenge for the left hand.

If I were to attempt a fusion session, I'm sure I'd quickly regret not sticking to the program.
 

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