For me, depend on the situation and the amount of notes i got to play. When you play too hard you cant play too fast, so i usually use a medium touch.
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How hard do you play?
- Thread starter drewsky2004
- Start date
I've been known to kill it on stage and it really has a lot to do with the style of music you're playing (at least for me). As has been said, every song should be approached within its own sense of what's needed. I haven't had blister issues since I was 15 so maybe you just need to build up your calluses or attack a little differently.
One other important aspect is breathing, make sure you're breathing right on stage and not holding your breath when you go for a big fill or something. That can cause you to cramp up. Stay hydrated as well.
Just my two cents.
One other important aspect is breathing, make sure you're breathing right on stage and not holding your breath when you go for a big fill or something. That can cause you to cramp up. Stay hydrated as well.
Just my two cents.
Medium unless I need distortion.
The majority of the patches I've developed and use(20~24) are set up such that they mimic a tube amp way loud and right on that fine line of clean vs distortion.
Play normal to medium = great sound, sustain, clean
Play medium to hard = very slight dirt shows up
Play hard = nice CRUNCHY distortion shows up(without pedals yet)
This also keeps how hard one plays in check as most songs we do do not require dirt even though I LOVE dirt(i.e. Geddy, Marco Hietala, Jack Bruce, Justin Chancellor). That's why the patches CAN do those though....
The majority of the patches I've developed and use(20~24) are set up such that they mimic a tube amp way loud and right on that fine line of clean vs distortion.
Play normal to medium = great sound, sustain, clean
Play medium to hard = very slight dirt shows up
Play hard = nice CRUNCHY distortion shows up(without pedals yet)
This also keeps how hard one plays in check as most songs we do do not require dirt even though I LOVE dirt(i.e. Geddy, Marco Hietala, Jack Bruce, Justin Chancellor). That's why the patches CAN do those though....
Used to play too hard with both hands - for 8-12 hours per day for many years. I now have arthritis in both hands and have been forced to learn to play with a light touch and setup my bass with low action.
If you're playing too hard, stop NOW. Learn from my mistake.
If you're playing too hard, stop NOW. Learn from my mistake.
Nowadays I play hard depending on the situation, but I used to always beat the crap out of my strings. I had the action too low for a while and it would sound like I was slapping.
I break 3 or 4 strings a year, so I guess I play pretty hard on the right hand. I'm probably too old a dog to change my style much. It works for what I do.
Did I read somewhere that Jamerson pounded the bejesus out his p?
I play with medium action, and varied attack. Last year I went through a period where my right hand would completely freeze with cramps in the last few tunes of the third set because I was playing too hard. Shortly after that started happening, I started playing upright. Now I'm REALLY thinking about intensity all the time.
As much as I love a grinding bass tone, there's something glorious about a tasteful line played softly through a quiet passage in a tune (especially when played through a big tube amp). Dynamics!
I play with medium action, and varied attack. Last year I went through a period where my right hand would completely freeze with cramps in the last few tunes of the third set because I was playing too hard. Shortly after that started happening, I started playing upright. Now I'm REALLY thinking about intensity all the time.
As much as I love a grinding bass tone, there's something glorious about a tasteful line played softly through a quiet passage in a tune (especially when played through a big tube amp). Dynamics!
I guess I'm playing a lot lighter than you. I don't think I've broken 3 strings in 30 years.
i doubt it. i've seen vids of him play and he didn't. he did have pretty high action and telephone cables for strings, though.
Hey Ed, well put! I love a reasonable firm attack, but will play a bit softer if dynamicaly it's called for. Overly-aggresive attack on strings just becomes toneless sound, no definition, no overtones, just quick thud-then dead! My first teacher taught me years ago-"Let your amp do the work. That's what it does."
I love smashing the thing to bit's now and again, it rids me of the aggression, like some artists de-construct tonality, I like to reduce bass to primordial wrench, and then I put it all back together again, nice and tidy.
I also love synth basslines, a different approach than a stringed instrument player would ever come up with, but that's just me, I like lot's of stuff.
I also love synth basslines, a different approach than a stringed instrument player would ever come up with, but that's just me, I like lot's of stuff.
I dig in a lot, but I use the natural movement of the strings to minimize the amount of force needed by my hands. Get a lesson from someone locally who's style you admire.
I try to make a point of playing light, sometimes when soloing/fills you get excited and dig in. I try not to when I'm thinking of it..
Randy
Randy
Sub 1mm HiC
Sub 2mm LowB
Sure is light. But sounds like thunder with the 18v preamp.
Move towards the board and the fret sound makes it sound like I am smashing the thing.
This is an Entwistle thing though.
Switch to snaping and thumping, it just gets blistering and made one bassists at a Battle of the Bands watch me and scream as he pressed his beer against his face.
He later said that he almost thought there was a track running, but it all blew him away.
That was fun. I never suspected such.
I have been using my fingernails since forever.
Run it low and run it hot.
Peace, Blessings, and Bass
Sub 2mm LowB
Sure is light. But sounds like thunder with the 18v preamp.
Move towards the board and the fret sound makes it sound like I am smashing the thing.
This is an Entwistle thing though.
Switch to snaping and thumping, it just gets blistering and made one bassists at a Battle of the Bands watch me and scream as he pressed his beer against his face.
He later said that he almost thought there was a track running, but it all blew him away.
That was fun. I never suspected such.
I have been using my fingernails since forever.
Run it low and run it hot.
Peace, Blessings, and Bass
On a scale of one to ten, one being barely tickling the strings and ten being slamming the strings off the fretboard, I'm generally around a six. We have a lot of dynamics in our songs, so sometimes I have to go down to a three, and on one tune in particular, I'm almost up to an eight. My amp and bass' volume is constant, so I have to control dynamics with my right hand technique.
