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How could anyone not like Victor Wooten?

#41
Bunk McNulty said:
I read his book, Invalid Link Removed, and came away scratching my head, probably because I'm someone who still aspires to being a good sight-reader. Wooten, as best I can tell, is talking about going beyond skill and into pure musicality. Truthfully, I don't hear that in his playing, but I'm in no position to judge.
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not "pure musicality," but real musicianship. musicianship is not a gift your born with, it's skills you develop, and most of all, a mindset. i feel like thats what he worked towards with that book, and he gets those points across well i thought.

i'm amazed at some of the things i've read in this thread. when victor is playing bass in a band, he lays back further than most of us would. he is such a role model for "play only what the music calls for." when he does solo arrangement, he seriously does them. when he's grooving, he just grooves.

i agree with the OP- he's a wonderful man, great teacher, and a role model musician- in bass function, as well as a soloist.
 
#42
I'm not a super fan of slapbass which to me is what hes more known for. He IS talented I'll give him that, and if he had any advice on bass Id shut my mouth and listen I just dont dig his music mostly. As for his personality, I havent ever met him and I havent seen enough videos on him to take a guess.
 
#43
Harper said:
Seriously, even if his music isn't your thing, does he ever not come off like someone you'd want to hang out with? I don't aspire to play like him at all, but every time I hear him talk about/play bass I pick up a little something for the tool box or gain a new way to think about the instrument.
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He seems to be one of the nicest people in the music business ... and a really good bass player as well.

Victor jamming with Govt Mule ... nice solo around 6 minutes in ..
 
#45
Beats the heck out of me! One of the nicest guys I know and I really like his playing and The Music Lesson as well.
Generally, it's hard to dislike most bassplayers. We tend to be easygoing people as a rule.
 
#46
I absolutely can't stand him. Saw him live with 2 other professional musicians. He's total ********, it's all an act. Gimmicky looper trick, nonsensical notes. He clearly states any note is fine to play whatever. He also says completely made up musical misinformation to a dumb audience of stoner teenagers about time signatures. Worst of all it's faux humility, with a mix of motivational speaker act. Incredibly lame. We all laugh about him now and dislike him with a passion.
 
#47
VincentB said:
I absolutely can't stand him. Saw him live with 2 other professional musicians. He's total ********, it's all an act. Gimmicky looper trick, nonsensical notes. He clearly states any note is fine to play whatever. He also says completely made up musical misinformation to a dumb audience of stoner teenagers about time signatures. Worst of all it's faux humility, with a mix of motivational speaker act. Incredibly lame. We all laugh about him now and dislike him with a passion.
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***! Really? Are we trolling?
 
#48
jerry said:
***! Really? Are we trolling?
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Is disagreeing the new term for trolling? The thread is a about how could you not like him...well I'm honestly telling you first hand why I and 2 other professional musicians are thoroughly rubbed the wrong way by him and his act. It boiled down to showmanship, gimmicky spectical, Jordan Rudus style playing mindless fast scales. It got really boring and unimpressive after the 2nd time. Rise and repeat act each song + preachy lessons to audience. That was our experience and interaction with him. What can I say..
 
#49
The only thing I can't stand about him are those fluttery non-musical rough fast blasts of non-musical birdchirp sounding note bursts. There is no consistency, no control of dynamics, no sense of timing, and a complete lack of finesse when he does that. With an empty, thin, modern hi-fi bass tone, those fluttery explosions just sound like ass wankery at its worst.

Everything else he does is fine.
 
#50
I don't like Victor Wooten because he refused to come to my birthday party.
What a dick.
I mean, just because he doesn't know me....and I made a lot of threats....that's no reason to blow off cake and ice cream.
Right?
 
#51
VincentB said:
Is disagreeing the new term for trolling? The thread is a about how could you not like him...well I'm honestly telling you first hand why I and 2 other professional musicians are thoroughly rubbed the wrong way by him and his act. It boiled down to showmanship, gimmicky spectical, Jordan Rudus style playing mindless fast scales. It got really boring and unimpressive after the 2nd time. Rise and repeat act each song + preachy lessons to audience. That was our experience and interaction with him. What can I say..
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Disagreeing is cool, it just seemed a little over the top to me.
 
#52
ggoat!!! said:
The only thing I can't stand about him are those fluttery non-musical rough fast blasts of non-musical birdchirp sounding note bursts. There is no consistency, no control of dynamics, no sense of timing, and a complete lack of finesse when he does that. With an empty, thin, modern hi-fi bass tone, those fluttery explosions just sound like ass wankery at its worst.

Everything else he does is fine.
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Lol!
 
#54
Im not a fan. To me he is more or less a circus act. Dont like his tone...dont like his music. But of course Im comparing him to people like Anthony Jackson, Jaco and Marcus Miller..i guess that is a compliment, but to me he is not in that leauge.
 
#55
lfmn16 said:
Some people are frightened by progress and new ideas. They want ALL bass players to play root/5th and maybe a passing tone or two, but only when absolutely necessary. They get belligerent when their pre-conceived role for the bass is challenged and think everyone has to think like they do. Victor embodies change and some people can't handle it.
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I couldn't agree more.

I find it extremely difficult to dislike someone, a person, who is both so very talented but yet also so willing to teach his craft to others.
 
#56
To me what I enjoy about Victor Wooten the most,isn't just the music. I've never seen a musician that I could say has just as much important stuff to say in speaking as they did in playing,with Wooten being the exception.
Sometimes when he speaks it's more or less he's speaking as a philosopher rather than a musician,and that begs me to contemplate the fact maybe all musicians are philosophers and just don't realize it.
 
#59
VincentB said:
Is disagreeing the new term for trolling? The thread is a about how could you not like him...well I'm honestly telling you first hand why I and 2 other professional musicians are thoroughly rubbed the wrong way by him and his act. It boiled down to showmanship, gimmicky spectical, Jordan Rudus style playing mindless fast scales. It got really boring and unimpressive after the 2nd time. Rise and repeat act each song + preachy lessons to audience. That was our experience and interaction with him. What can I say..
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haters-gonna-hate.jpg
 
#60
jallenbass said:
When I listen to him play the first thing I hear is music. Always. He happens to have a lot of techniques with which to express himself. Gratuitous wanking? Not to my ears.
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Conversely, I've only seen Wooten live once, and it was as a guest artist for another act so he didn't even do his full set, he just...well, wanked gratuitously.

I've heard him do some lovely, very musical things on Cds or youtube videos. But there was nothing lovely nor frankly even particularly musical about his gratuitous wanking the night I saw him live. It was a cross between an athletic event and a demonstration of his newfangled Fodera 4-Stringed Percussion Instrument®
 

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