Look how hard he play...

[mic]

I just wanted to show you how hard Flea play's.
This is a picture of Flea when he play the fast riff of the song "By The Way". I just don't know how he do it. It is such fast riff, and he have time to actually bend the string so much...

Link Removed

 

[Tash]

Flea is one of those bassists who not only consistently defies the rules of bass, but often taunts the laws of physics at the same time...

I've lost count of the number of RHCP songs I've heard where I'd swear the bass line was physically impossible for a human being to play. Then again I'm not completely sure Flea IS a human being, so I might still be right

 

[mic]

Yeah, I thought about it too... I'm really not sure if he's actually a human being...

 

[Syeknom]

That's pretty insane alright =/

 

[Matt Till]

He'll probably have arthritus (sp?) before too much longer. It's actually very damaging to play like that.

 

[mic]

Well, I thing that after almost 30 years of playing, he would have got arthritis already, don't you think?

 

[tplyons]

I play with a very heavy attack and tend to do the same thing. Only problem is after a gig I can't practice for a couple days due to my carpal tunnel syndrome.

 

[Lorenzini]

I play with a very heavy attack and tend to do the same thing. Only problem is after a gig I can't practice for a couple days due to my carpal tunnel syndrome.

Take care of yourself Tim

 

[tplyons]

Take care of yourself Tim

Don't worry, I haven't played a metal gig in quite some time. Taking a slightly more civil style lately

 

[Lorenzini]

Don't worry, I haven't played a metal gig in quite some time. Taking a slightly more civil style lately

Glad to hear =)

 

[Nick man]

Ive seen worse.

 

[Tash]

I used to get really bad pain in my left hand when I was still doing the technical death stuff. That was at least as big a factor as evolving tastes in why I gave it up. I actually auditioned for a quite talented technical death band about 2 years ago, got in and then had to tell them I wasn't up to it. It was just taking me too long to get the riffs down because I don't have the speed I did when I was 17 and am not that interested in spending the hundreds of hours it took to build it back up. Kind of sad but that's the reality: I'm too old to play that stuff anymore

 

[mlowe]

Flea is one of those bassists who not only consistently defies the rules of bass, but often taunts the laws of physics at the same time...

I've lost count of the number of RHCP songs I've heard where I'd swear the bass line was physically impossible for a human being to play. Then again I'm not completely sure Flea IS a human being, so I might still be right

Robert Trujillo is another one, sometimes it just doesn't seem possible.

 

[LowEndLobster]

Drugs.

 

[Atshen]

Cool, must sound like poop.

 

[FunkKing]

Cool, must sound like poop.

Nah, it actually sounds utterly savage.

 

[Gabu]

Is that really a lot? I honestly don't see time and space being torn apart... I bet if you looked at most bassists with a heavy attack and caught them at the right moment, their string pulling would be similar.

 

[Brendan]

Is that really a lot? I honestly don't see time and space being torn apart... I bet if you looked at most bassists with a heavy attack and caught them at the right moment, their string pulling would be similar.

Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

 

[Aussiephoenix]

I dont get it... I can get a heavy attack without using my bass as a bow... so, what is the real use of this technique?
Maybe I'd use something like this to accent a note or something, but not constantly as you're implying...

 

[Gabu]

I dont get it... I can get a heavy attack without using my bass as a bow... so, what is the real use of this technique?
Maybe I'd use something like this to accent a note or something, but not constantly as you're implying...

I didn't really mention consistency... I play soft or hard depending on the need of the song, but... even if it was consistent, that is not using the bass like a bow. You may have a light touch, so perhaps it seems extreme to you, but I have seen heavier.

Click on the link in my sig and check out my band's music. We are not that hard... and I pull my strings like that and more at times... and my notes don't sound like I am trying to snap my bass in half... generally its smooth, round, and bassy. I like heavy thump.

In fact, I bet if a photograph caught you at just the right time, you probably pull the strings slightly more than you realise.