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Great players w/ terrible technique

socialleper

socialleper

Bringer of doom and top shelf beer
May 31, 2009
10,158
13,692
Canyon Country, CA
#1
I like to watch live videos of bass players I like for inspiration and technique ideas, and in doing so I've notices that a lot of them have techniques that would drive your "by the book" bass tutors up a wall. It sometimes makes me wonder if technique drill sergeants aren't maybe wrong about what is "right".

So I'm going to start a list of well respected, if not great bass players that have what would be called bad technique. I don't include those that are just unorthodox. Please feel free to add.

James Jamerson- Awesome player, great lines, but always played the electric bass like a stand up double bass. Index finger only.

Geddy Lee- Also guilty of using just his index finger 90% of the time.

Cliff Burton- Again, used just his index finger at times where speed and fatigue would totally call for middle and ring finger use. Also, a lot of crowding and no arch in his left hand.

Geezer Butler- Is notorious for viciously batting away at the strings very close to the neck as well as hitting the strings in a reverse motion like his is strumming.

Nick Schendzielos (Cephlaic Carnage)- inventive player, but live looks like he is just beating the $#!& out of his bass, and yet is still hitting all the right notes.

Who else?
 
#4
Some of these are not examples of terrible technique. These players played this way to get a certain sound. Playing in a different way would give a different sound. (BTW double bass players pluck with two fingers too, unless they use one... to get a certain sound to phrases.)

Bad technique to me, would mean: he played like this, but 10 years later he had to quit playing or undergo surgery to repair his joints from damage caused by playing.
 
#5
Easy on the guy, he's just trying to get a fun list on the go..

How about Bobby Vega? There was a great video on bassplayer.tv with him getting the family stone vibe with some pretty intense right hand work!
 
#6
I'm not saying they are bad or "wrong"; quite the opposite. These are actually some of my favorite players. What I'm saying is that there are some technique snobs that would say that they are doing it wrong, yet clearly they can't be THAT wrong. I just thought it was interesting.
 
#8
Somewhat little known and not exactly a virtuoso, but Vince Hornsby is absolutely insane to see live because he switches off tecnniques so much, most of them look really bad. First off, his bass is WAY too low (not, however, a hindrance for him), so when he plays with a pick, he's oftentimes picking ON the neck. He throws lots of picks to the crowd so he'll go pickless and sometimes finger which doesn't look bad, but his slap technique is literally slapping his bass on the neck. No idea how he does it, but he still does his lines flawlessly.
 
#11
I don't put much stock in so-called technique experts. In my opinion, there is no right or wrong technique. Whatever works and is most comfortable is the best technique. There are times when I use a pick, times when I use just my index finger and times when I use two or three fingers. It really depends on the song and how confortable I feel when I play. With my left hand, I have a tendency to keep it as stationery as possible and use all of my fingers and sometimes my thumb to play notes. I know other players who are always moving their left hand to play notes and mostly use their index and ring fingers. There is not right or wrong technique.
 
#14
Years ago, my bass teacher asked me to look at photos of bass players onstage, fingers perpendicular to fingerboard, thumb behind the neck, etc. Amazing at how many players were in the right position, more or less, and almost an equal amount who are not..

I guess I mean to say that at some point you begin to solve whatever issues with your own technique, the 'hook' included.
 
#15
I've been an Anthony Jackson fan for many, many years. I first got into his playing back in the days of cassettes and vinyl records - pre-internet, pre-YouTube. Anthony was rarely if ever seen on TV, so all you could do was listen and maybe look at photos in Guitar Player magazine - yep, this was before Bass Player magazine came out.

I eventually got to see him perform in NYC clubs and was surprised by his exaggerated and seemingly inefficient left hand technique. The visual was certainly odd to me, but the proof is in the pudding and it's what's in the grooves that count. His recorded output, both in the past and present is brilliant. I learned that the mechanics of how music is performed is secondary to the ideas, musicality, and intent of the performer.
 
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#18
Lots of articles over the years in sports publications regarding these concepts too. Floyd Little being a great running back despite being bow legged and flat footed etc.
By the way I thought the best ergonomics to avoid injury was to play more in the classical guitar to standup bass (i.e. straight wrist mode)?
 
#19
socialleper said:
I like to watch live videos of bass players I like for inspiration and technique ideas, and in doing so I've notices that a lot of them have techniques that would drive your "by the book" bass tutors up a wall. It sometimes makes me wonder if technique drill sergeants aren't maybe wrong about what is "right".

So I'm going to start a list of well respected, if not great bass players that have what would be called bad technique. I don't include those that are just unorthodox. Please feel free to add.

James Jamerson- Awesome player, great lines, but always played the electric bass like a stand up double bass. Index finger only.

Geddy Lee- Also guilty of using just his index finger 90% of the time.

Cliff Burton- Again, used just his index finger at times where speed and fatigue would totally call for middle and ring finger use. Also, a lot of crowding and no arch in his left hand.

Geezer Butler- Is notorious for viciously batting away at the strings very close to the neck as well as hitting the strings in a reverse motion like his is strumming.

Nick Schendzielos (Cephlaic Carnage)- inventive player, but live looks like he is just beating the $#!& out of his bass, and yet is still hitting all the right notes.

Who else?
Click to expand...

I've done a 180 on this over the years. My position now is that the only "bad" techniques are a) the ones that cause injury and b) the ones that prevent you from playing desired note X at time T.

Other than that, anything goes.

I can list techniques that fit into a) or b) for me, tho. The baseball-bat grip on the neck thing is a b) and the creased-in-half wrist thing on either hand is an a) (i.e. my right hand aches when I watch Marcus Miller play finger-style, my left aches when watching John Myung).

This doesn't hold of all players tho, so I can't say any of them than use these methods that injure or impair me are necessarily using "bad" technique. Marcus Miller and John Myung seem to get on just fine, even tho what they do would put me in the hospital.

So I say if it doesn't hurt you or impair you, it's not necessarily "bad" technique.

LS
 

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