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I've never heard someone play like this....Amazing

#21
Inara said:
My post was intended to be very tongue-in-cheek ...
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I totally dig it, remember when he was playing Fernandez?
I still have the 97 (I think) issue of Fender Frontline, with the never released Rocco S.S. bass.
I asked him about it in 2014, and he didn't seem to like the query.
So I made my own, so funky, it'll kiya, some things will kill you, this'll kiya.
 
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#25
AGCurry said:
(staccato doesn't really apply to plucked strings).
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What do mean? Staccato just mean short notes. Applies to any instrument or technique.

I don't see anything special or new on the technique in that video by the way. It's just basic funk playing. Nothing wrong with that but what is it that the OP has never heard?
 
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#27
Sounds like the kinda' vamp I too like to play whenever trying a bass guitar. SO entertaining, and at the same time the right way to show how the bass sounds is both played soft and digging in (I hate reviewers who don'tplay with some pressure on their right hand, digged in is where it's at for showing the character of a bass). The guy's groovy and definitely has the chops, the muting technique, etc., but that's about it, no "revolutionary" technique, just a good bass player, the kind I look up to.

 
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#28
LeFunk Machine said:
I don't know much about this technique. In the video, he said it was staccato technique. I don't know if you guys know about the technique or have heard him played before. Can you play like this in other styles of music....like worship songs? At 2:01 and 4:16

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It may have already been said, but yes, I use the technique in many styles, including worship songs. First, figure out how to get that tone, or at least one you like, then try it in different songs. See how it fits and serves the song. First, serve the song. I typically have that type of technique Over bridges or fills, but there are other possibilities too.
 
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#34
I think it's probably a 99.99999% chance that you HAVE heard someone play like this, lots of times, but in the context of a mix so you haven't really noticed before. It's a very normal way to play a bass.

Controlling sustain/decay like that is possibly THE most important thing to make a song groove IMO. How you're ENDING a note is just as important as how you START a note.

It doesn't have to be done in an ultra-funky style. Just a subtle control of sustain that can create some movement and totally transform the feel of a song. And often for the better.

It will depend on what genre you're playing of course. Some specific genres don't normally use this "technique" much but I still think this is such a basic, fundamental part of bass playing that I don't even think of it as a technique. It's just something you should be able to do subconsciously whenever the song calls for it. I'm definitely no funk player but I play like that all the time, as I'm sure many (or even most) of you do.
 
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#35
devnulljp said:
That is the ugliest fretboard I have ever seen. Looks like cheap chocolate that's been melted and re-solidified a bunch of times in the back room of a bodega.
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Agreed!

I've said it before: Fender seem unable to make great pau ferro fretboards. Pau ferro is actually one of my favourite fretboard woods EXCEPT in Fenders where it always looks bland and feels like cardboard.

With CITES no longer an issue, I wonder if they will revert to rosewood for the MIMs or if they want to save rosewood for the MIAs to make them seem more "premium".

Still, you gotta buy Ultra or Custom Shop to get the REALLY nice rosewood from Fender these days but at least a "bad" piece of rosewood doesn't look like vomit. Bad pao ferro looks horrible. A "bad" piece of rosewood usually just looks slightly less nice than the good stuff.

Just my personal opinion of course! YMMV
 
#37
Staccato means you play the note shorter. It's indicated on sheet music with a dot under the note. If you see 4 quarter notes with dots underneath, you don't let them ring out for the full beat. The opposite is legato, where you play the notes for their entire full length and transition between notes in a smooth and flowing sort of fashion. As mentioned, proper note length is key to establishing a groove in any style of music.

To get the staccato sound this guy is doing, you can use a combination of mostly left hand muting to deaden the string just after plucking the note. The first thing to try would be lifting your fretting finger up just a bit after you pluck the note, leaving the left hand in contact with the strings so the note does not sustain. You can also use the other fingers on your left hand to accomplish the same thing on faster passages. Let's say you fret the note with your index finger, you'd use the middle and ring fingers as your mute, bringing them down over the string to stop the note from ringing. Like anything, use a metronome, start slow and gradually build up speed.
 
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