Jaco is trying a Mørch bass

[pjbassist]

Jaco preferred G&L.

 

[Cutter8]

Aren't all fretting fingers curved?
Who frets with straight fingers?

Yeah, fingers generally curl when fretting, but I think the comment was referring to the fact that Jaco's pinky appears to curve "sideways" in that Guild pic.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Yeah, fingers generally curl when fretting, but I think the comment was referring to the fact that Jaco's pinky appears to curve "sideways" in that Guild pic.

Some times the pinky rolls to the side while fretting.

 

[Cutter8]

Some times the pinky rolls to the side while fretting.
View attachment 3681214

Yep, mine look like that, it was just exaggerated in that shot of Jaco, partly due to the angle of the photo, but also because he had those freakishly "bendy" joints. The one time I saw him play, I was mesmerized by how those hands could contort, and I was envious and both inspired and discouraged at the same time!

 

[Slevage]

[tried...]

In the picture, he is trying.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

In the picture, he is trying.

But in life, he is not...

 

[Watchootognbout]

.....and liked to wiggle them around unnecessarily for theatrical effect. That doesn't mean we should wiggle our fingers like crazy spider legs to be like Jaco! He was just doing that to show off.

"unnecessarily"
When did he do this?
Any vids?

 

[jnuts1]

Like most bass players, Jaco used a combination of one finger per fret (OFPF) and 1-2-4 fingering. He originally started on upright bass so probably learned some Simandl first. If you study his videos, you'll see he mostly used 1-2-4 below the 5th fret/position and/or when playing "easy" tunes like The Chicken. He switched to OFPF as he moved higher up the neck and/or when he was playing more demanding material.

Jaco had funny-looking double-jointed fingers and liked to wiggle them around unnecessarily for theatrical effect. That doesn't mean we should wiggle our fingers like crazy spider legs to be like Jaco! He was just doing that to show off. While Jaco was capable of "flawless technique" (whatever that is) when he wanted, he certainly didn't play anywhere near flawlessly on a typical nightly basis, and he wasn't afraid to deviate from "proper" technique if it made for a good show. (Like the night he flung his bass in the air and it shattered into pieces.)

A lot of people make the mistake of studying Jaco's technique based on his 1985 instructional video. While the instructional video is a good watch, I don't think it is representative of Jaco's technique in his prime. I recommend studying actual great Jaco performances (not the instructional video) to all Jaco wannabes. If you are going to copycat Jaco then at least copycat him in his prime.

And if you're curious what Jaco taught his own non-double-jointed students, check out the video of Michael Manring playing Teentown.

dude it was a joke. everyone took that last thread way too serious and it seems you did too

 

[bearfoot]

 

[Watchootognbout]

dude it was a joke. everyone took that last thread way too serious and it seems you did too

Didn't get the memo that you got.

 

[jnuts1]

I always appreciate a good "gaslighting" on a Friday morning, thank you.

well i didn't know my one liner needed a dissertation. like 2 posts after i said the one finger per fret i said it was because of the last thread everyone went off on......

 

[jnuts1]

I will concede that you successfully "trolled" me. Have a nice day.

i didn't troll anyone. i threw out one comment and you wrote almost 4 paragraphs. you trolled yourself buddy

 

[puff father]

Love those shots of him playing 5 & 6 stringers.

Saved for the inevitable next round of "Jaco only played a..."

It's not "Jaco only played...", it's "Jaco only needed...".

 

[Eminor3rd]

Jaco is trying an Mørch bass View attachment 3680153

But

But



But




That's... that's got FIVE STRINGS! I thought Jaco only needed... what... but what made him think he NEEDED a fifth string?!

 

[Altitude]

And a Guild Pilot and Hartke speakers.
View attachment 3680180

That ad appeared in some guitar or bass magazine in 1989. I clipped it out and pinned it to my dorm room bulletin board in my freshman year at Texas. The combination of Jaco and UT in one picture was amazing and made me feel like UT was probably a bigger jazz presence as a program than it was. I never found out what Jaco was doing in Austin.

 

[JIO]

"This is our latest automaton - it's Jaco Pastorious circa 1978 - so far it can play "Donna Lee" note for note but we're still working on "Barbary Coast". We've got his technical chops to a high level but are having difficulty programing the funky part."

 

[rickster4003]

Aren't all fretting fingers curved?
Who frets with straight fingers?

It's like really curved, he had spider fingers able to crawl up and down the neck with ease.

 

[rickster4003]

Aren't all fretting fingers curved?
Who frets with straight fingers?

Also make sure were talking same curve. It's the lateral curve I'm talking about, never saw anyone with that much sideways curve.

 

[Brad Johnson]

I didn't know Guild and Hartke were aligned at one time.

That's how the cabs originally started out... as Guild/Hartke. And before they made amps they were often paired with Amplified Music Products amps.

 

[JTE]

That's how the cabs originally started out... as Guild/Hartke. And before they made amps they were often paired with Amplified Music Products amps.

Yep, at the first NAMM show I saw the Hartke cabs, they had AMP heads on them.. We ordered some at that show, but the never shipped as the company folded before our order was produced.