How do you get that sound, what does it call?

[jlepre]

The most iconic bass slide of all time

 

[THany]

I call it a Woooooooooooooooooooo! Fretted basses can do this, any bass would work.

It's on a lot of funk and disco. Play a note lower on neck, and then you slide up the neck very quickly...slowing a bit toward the end...and slide back down slower.

I played the one I heard in the OP's Salya. The note is B. I started 2nd fret of the A string and slid up to the 14th fret to get the octave of the "Wooo" and then back down...you don't slide all the way back down to B...the note decays about half way down the slide and it's done.

Wow, thanks.

 

[THany]

Is the bass player Cheikh Tidiane Seck? I just did some research and he's listed as playing guitar bass and keyboards, it's an extended family, they've been playing for 40 years. There is a family like intimacy and easy precision to this rhythm section and it's swinging micro gestures (one of which you are asking about but it's all in context.) I bet everybody is a drummer. (Do you own a talking drum or is there a drum circle in your neighborhood?) They grew up together. It's like they are breathing together. Do you have a brother who plays drums? Growing up in the Senegalese musical atmosphere helped allot, because that incredible swing comes from the culture.

Its not him
I used to play percussion, and played with guys from Camerun, Kenya, Ganah, so I know african rythms and talking drums.

 

[40Hz]

There’s a certain ghostly DNA at work in the bass world. The growly slide thing even shows up in such unlikely places as 70s prog rock. In this example the naturally growly and scooped Ric timbre gets close in overall sound (although not the polyrhythmic complexity) of some of the…whatever you want to try and label it: bass style…technique?…coming from bands like Toure Kunda. (For the record, I just think of it as fine bass playing.)

Here’s prog rock band Jasper Wrath from back in the mists of time with their song You. Check out the bass line during the verses:

 

[BassBrass]

Its not him
I used to play percussion, and played with guys from Camerun, Kenya, Ganah, so I know african rythms and talking drums.

GREAT! venture forth

 

[BassBrass]

This is not the same one, the basist I saw in 1987 was a handsom, black, dreadlock guy. I was trying to search his name, but couldnt find any credits in English, maybe in French, which I dont speak, Im really curiouse about him. (Lol, he looked like he had a big ego, wearing tight pants, like a ballet dancer, if you know what I mean )

Interesting I couldn't find many credits published at all, quite culturally unlike every American & British/Irish band were people want credit! All the promotion about the band is about the family, the song and the joy.
Also, what some people here have said about basic musicianship is true, these are Just great African bass players who happen to live in France by right of colonial return, these instrumental gestures are common to African and African influenced music, and I bet they all can move well too. I love Mick Karn because of his African influenced wiggle and deep beat

 

[teh-slb]

Is the bass player Cheikh Tidiane Seck?

Nope! The bass work in this particular concert was done by Chyco Dru, who also played with Kaoma.

(If one listens closely, he's even mentioned by name at around 3:30, during the band introduction.)

Edit: found the credits: Invalid Link Removed

 

[LowActionHero]

Cool tune.

Various types of slides, glisses, or glissandos are very common in old Rick James tunes. Go to 1:10 in this video for a nice double slide:

Another bass player behind Rick? Was he known for that or was that a one time thing?

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Another bass player behind Rick? Was he known for that or was that a one time thing?

Rick wasn’t the best bass player. He was ok. But Oscar Alston was the man that laid down his bass lines.
Also Allen McGrier worked with Rick on Mary Jane Girls and Teena Marie .

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Is the bass player Cheikh Tidiane Seck? I just did some research and he's listed as playing guitar bass and keyboards, it's an extended family, they've been playing for 40 years. There is a family like intimacy and easy precision to this rhythm section and it's swinging micro gestures (one of which you are asking about but it's all in context.) I bet everybody is a drummer. (Do you own a talking drum or is there a drum circle in your neighborhood?) They grew up together. It's like they are breathing together. Do you have a brother who plays drums? Growing up in the Senegalese musical atmosphere helped allot, because that incredible swing comes from the culture.

The Internets says it's Roger Chyco Dru. Fantastic playing on this one! Dang.

 

[RyanOh]

Woooooooooooooooooooooo!


Nonstop Adooooowooooodooooowoooops

 

[Wasnex]

Another bass player behind Rick? Was he known for that or was that a one time thing?

IMHO the video was lip synced rather poorly and looks super cheesy. There are several videos where Rick wears a bass, but make no real effort to do a good job faking it. He appears to approach the bass more like a guitar IMHO. Apparently he did play bass at some time in his career as he is credited on the album "Glow" along with Jerry Livingston.

The bassist on the actual album the video is from, "Fire It Up," was Oscar Alston. Fire It Up (Rick James album) - Wikipedia Oscar was Rick's regular bassist through 1982 I believe, so I suspect he is the other bassist in the video.

 

[Wasnex]

Rick wasn’t the best bass player. He was ok. But Oscar Alston was the man that laid down his bass lines.
Also Allen McGrier worked with Rick on Mary Jane Girls and Teena Marie .

I learned a lot from transcribing Oscar's bass lines. Nice mix of attitude, flash, and style. I mentioned him in this thread, because I think what he does with slides is very nuanced and varied. I studied his slides very intently.

 

[Chrisk-K]

I don’t think it’s a fretless. All the bass notes do not have a trait associated with a fretless.

 

[bfields]

Doing this on fretted bass I also find I have to watch the amount of left-hand pressure carefully to keep the volume even.

My only advice is get a fretless, and practice a lot. A whole lot. I only wish I could play at that level, that's some really fine playing.

Definitely true, but the OP shouldn't take that as saying that this one technique is too advanced somehow. They should go ahead and learn it and I'll bet they'll be finding places to use it sooner than they expect....

 

[LBS-bass]

Sounds like a slide up and then down again. Possibly fretless, but can also be achieved on a fretted bass I think. Cool bassline and song anyway.

Yeah, I get that sound on my fretted bass; it's one of my favorite things to do. When you slide fast and if you don't press overly hard, you don't hear the frets.

 

[40Hz]

I don’t think it’s a fretless. All the bass notes do not have a trait associated with a fretless.

I don’t think so either.

But just out of curiosity, which specific trait are you referring to?

 

[40Hz]

Yeah, I get that sound on my fretted bass; it's one of my favorite things to do. When you slide fast and if you don't press overly hard, you don't hear the frets.

Bingo!

 

[devnulljp]

You can do it on a fretted bass too, just a slide. Emphasise it by sliding up and then back down again quickly in time.
That track doesn't sound particularly fretless to me either.

Most obvious example I can think of is the intro to Scott's bas lessons

 

[Cutter8]

Its not a reguler slide from note to note, it sounds like a ham/growl?? Dont know how to describe it . Its fat and barks at you, and I love it.

I can’t stop laughing right now. It’s not even really laughing, it’s like the uncontrollable ’fart in church’ giggles that would hit me when I was a kid. “It’s Fat and Barks at You” is, without question, an album I would buy just just out of respect for the title! Every time I hear it in my head I crack up. And then there’s “...it sounds like a ham/growl??” which is priceless on its own. I’m thinking it’s probably just me (I know my sense of humor can be a bit odd and less than sophisticated), but if it made anyone else chuckle, I would feel a little less foolish about it.