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Great players w/ terrible technique

#41
Deathblade Eric said:
Totally disagree. If they had learned to play the 'right' way, it's highly debatable that they'd have developed their particular style at all, you'd just be left with some kind of generic Berklee 'cookie cutter' session player.

You don't need 'perfect' or 'correct' or 'right' technique (whatever the hell that actually 'is') to play Jamerson's or Dunn's lines. But to come up with them in the first place, you DO need to be James Jamerson or Duck Dunn.
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Without getting into a tedious semantic debate about this - and I do see your point by the way - I would just say that there's too much general ambiguity and confusion about what we mean by "style". It consists of a lot more than just having an idiosyncratic playing technique, and entails numerous non-physical, conceptual musical elements - including one's unique compositional "voice", one's note choices, one's improvisational approach, and much more.

Therefore, it is perfectly possible to achieve a highly distinctive, unique and even unorthodox musical style...yet still adhere to solid, fundamental, widely-acknowledged principles of good technique... :hmm:

MM
 
#43
Lots of Bill Clintons on this thread (he was master at answering his own question, not the one asked).

My answer: Paul McCartney. My all time favorite bass player. His technic is putting index finger to thumb (looks like he's holdin a pick) and uses the index finger nail on down strokes and thumb nail on up strokes. Not saying right/wrong or good/bad but if he was my student I would correct that.
 
#46
An oft referenced 'rule' regarding technique that I see lots of pro players 'violate' is the wrist curvature on the left hand. An example would be John Myung: studied at Berklee, yet his wrist often exhibits curvature which would attract criticism from lots of instructors out there.
 
#47
What I find interesting about guys like Geddy Lee and Geezer Butler who almost use their index finger like a pick is that I would think it would hurt and jack up your knuckle joints. If you find a video of Rush playing Animate you'll see what I mean. It just looks painful.
 
#48
Mayers said:
Stanley Clarke has a very wierd plucking hand position when finger style. In the Bass Player mag, where SMV lunched their album he said it was a bad position.
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I know what you're saying about Clarke. I can't help but wonder if a little of it if because of the instrument he chooses to play (those Alembics have a weird neck) or because of those big old banana hands he has.
 
#49
socialleper said:
I know what you're saying about Clarke. I can't help but wonder if a little of it if because of the instrument he chooses to play (those Alembics have a weird neck) or because of those big old banana hands he has.
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neither. it's because he started on upright, and most upright players play pizzicato with their hand bent like that so they can get more finger onto the string for a bigger sound. he regrets doing it now, but hasn't seemed to slow him down.

anyway, i'm glad i learned solid proper technique to keep my hands pain free and to make me more efficient when i need it. but 99% of the time on my gigs i don't need it so i'll lapse now and then, especially with the left hand. good technique may not be the be-all and end-all of good playing, but it certainly doesn't hurt.
 
#57
i don't get the inclusion of Geddy in this list
while he may say he does not have good technique
he is saying that because he is a perfectionist
his right hand technique is actually quite good
the floating thumb is more efficient than anchoring your thumb
and i have seen him pluck with index and middle fingers plenty often enough
 
#58
the last 3 are some of my absolute faves (check out the new cephalic carnage album to hear some ripping stuff from Nick, and his tone isnt overly super aggressive either) along with Alex Webster. Alex's technique is solid as though. geezer is known to have a weird way of playing, over the high frets sometimes, yet his work on the early sabbath stuff is just awesome. some folk just have it.
 

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