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HELP ME PLAY LIKE LES CLAYPOOL!
- Thread starter touchofgrey549
- Start date
That's a really good effort!!! Enjoyed it.
Improvements? I know Les goes fishing a lot, do you fish?
I'll second all those who state that you should find your own style. That's what Les has done. While learning to play like him will have advantages, I believe that you should create your own sound. He's an original not only with the sailor hats and all around fishing themes, but his antics, stage presence and on and on... I have him listed as one of my main influences, but I sound nothing like him. Learn to play like him and then blend other influences into it as well. That's true style. "Don't seek to be like the great players, seek what they sought."
To play like Les, you have to suck..... awesomely.
I recommend forgetting any musical approach you are familiar with. No tabs, no playing along with the tape, don't even try to transcribe into sheet music.
Just sit down with your bass and thump and thwack at the strings in a sort of meditative state. Let your fingers go apepoopie. DON'T THINK! Just spew out random noises and listen. I mean seriously LISTEN.
When you hear something that sounds like Les, then listen for it to happen again and try to pay attention to how you accidentally made that sound so you can do it again.
I'm pretty sure that's how he writes his own music as well.
I recommend forgetting any musical approach you are familiar with. No tabs, no playing along with the tape, don't even try to transcribe into sheet music.
Just sit down with your bass and thump and thwack at the strings in a sort of meditative state. Let your fingers go apepoopie. DON'T THINK! Just spew out random noises and listen. I mean seriously LISTEN.
When you hear something that sounds like Les, then listen for it to happen again and try to pay attention to how you accidentally made that sound so you can do it again.
I'm pretty sure that's how he writes his own music as well.
Why do people always want to try to sound like someone else?
To contribute positively to the OP's question:
1. Purchase a bass
2. Practice your ass off
3. Profit
To contribute positively to the OP's question:
1. Purchase a bass
2. Practice your ass off
3. Profit
I spent many nights in my apartment with my bass in my lap and watching Les's DVDs. A lot can be learned from watching the master at work. If you dont have any Primus/Les Claypool DVDs, I suggest you get them... All of them! They are Badass to watch when you're bored or when to have on when your cleaning the house or doing laundry or something. I used to have these vids playing all the time and then I'd sit down and watch particular parts with my bass in hand and it really helped me see how he was technically acomplishing some sounds that I just could not picture. Having said all that this was several years ago and I still don't play like Claypool, but his playing and learning from his techniques has greatly influenced my own playing and I am finding that I am settling into my own style of slapping, strumming, tapping, and plucking. Oh and if you can get youre hands on some Victor Wooten instruction vids , I'd check those out to.!
The only thing I haven't tried yet is to learn how to fly fish.
I love his tone, always will, but I gave up and settled somewhere in between him and a marcus miller type tone. Technique wise I'd practice thumping with a drummer, and left hand slaps. Be more percussive and play more with less.
I love his tone, always will, but I gave up and settled somewhere in between him and a marcus miller type tone. Technique wise I'd practice thumping with a drummer, and left hand slaps. Be more percussive and play more with less.
there are a lot a douche bag guitarists acting all holier than thou on this telling you that you shouldn't learn to play like less claypool, be your own style bla bla. you are just asking the wrong question. i mean of course you don't want to copy les claypool, you just want to know what he did to get so good. well the thing with him is that he just kinda made up a tonne of stuff that is unique to him. he started off like anybody else, with a metronome, and a ridiculous amount of spare time. he started off small, playing the little basic riffs and techniques and constantly built off of it. just figure out your music theory first (i suggest learning acoustic guitar for that, that's what i did) you know to get things like chords arrpegios and all that jazz. then master all the cool techniques you can, and then practice melding them together. once you can do that, just let the music flow. what i used to do is smoke a bowl, sit down for three hours and just let my soul poor out its sweet nectar in the form of gloriously written riffs. and man, being good at music and being able to play in front of everyone, maybe even getting a career out of it, is such a small part of the experiance. its all about getting that good. putting all those hours in, and knowing they payed off. that's what music is about, the mother ****in journey. NEVER STOP THE ROCK
Hmm. They look like standard gauges to me.
View attachment 313151
He uses a piccolo bass sometimes but only rarely.
View attachment 313151
He uses a piccolo bass sometimes but only rarely.
I've given up on 'trying to play the way he plays'.
I got frustrated and annoyed. So I went with what I felt, is a more comfortable way of playing.
I always have my bass pretty horizontal. When I'm screwing about, I play with my hammer ons and pull offs. I LOVE to slide, sliding then skipping a string and sliding that one with a sharp hammer. Double stops are continuously 'popping' up (I kill myself).
I WILL however, tell you one thing Mr. Claypool does that I use all the time. And that's the Flamenco style of playing. You can search for it and find some useful tips, but he uses that a lot. And with practice i've gotten a ton load better at it, you'll hear it in Wynona's big brown beaver and The awaiting (I think it's called)
Geddy Lee uses the same style which is blatently obvious in YYZ.
So yeah, check that style out, fill your brain with as many techniques and skills and most importantly, learn them, then make them your own.
I got frustrated and annoyed. So I went with what I felt, is a more comfortable way of playing.
I always have my bass pretty horizontal. When I'm screwing about, I play with my hammer ons and pull offs. I LOVE to slide, sliding then skipping a string and sliding that one with a sharp hammer. Double stops are continuously 'popping' up (I kill myself).
I WILL however, tell you one thing Mr. Claypool does that I use all the time. And that's the Flamenco style of playing. You can search for it and find some useful tips, but he uses that a lot. And with practice i've gotten a ton load better at it, you'll hear it in Wynona's big brown beaver and The awaiting (I think it's called)
Geddy Lee uses the same style which is blatently obvious in YYZ.
So yeah, check that style out, fill your brain with as many techniques and skills and most importantly, learn them, then make them your own.
Les Claypool Bass tabs and techniques
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Les Claypool gets a Taste of the Big Time
by Karl Coryat.
Taken from Bass Player Magazine.
http://www.ram.org/music/primus/articles/bp1.html
Bass Musician Magazine Featuring Les Claypool / July 2011 Issue
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Les Claypool's technique- Tommy the Cat "Simplified" - Free Bass Lesson - Nick Weiss Music
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Les Claypool gets a Taste of the Big Time
by Karl Coryat.
Taken from Bass Player Magazine.
http://www.ram.org/music/primus/articles/bp1.html
Bass Musician Magazine Featuring Les Claypool / July 2011 Issue
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
Les Claypool's technique- Tommy the Cat "Simplified" - Free Bass Lesson - Nick Weiss Music
1 First-learn to play bass really , really well.
2.Play killer bass line.
3 Play any random notes, fast. pay no attention to what you hit, in fact try to hit wrong ones.
4. repeat your random weirdness so that it sounds like you meant to do it.
that's
what I think his method is, and yes he IS one of my favorites.
crank up your midrange . that will really cut thru the mix too. NO Smile curves on the eq.
and flick all 4 fingers like hold pinkie behind thumb, and spring, like flamincoish
2.Play killer bass line.
3 Play any random notes, fast. pay no attention to what you hit, in fact try to hit wrong ones.
4. repeat your random weirdness so that it sounds like you meant to do it.
that's
what I think his method is, and yes he IS one of my favorites.
crank up your midrange . that will really cut thru the mix too. NO Smile curves on the eq.
and flick all 4 fingers like hold pinkie behind thumb, and spring, like flamincoish
