• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Marcus Miller: What the heck is he doing!?

OldSchoolFlats

OldSchoolFlats

May 29, 2021
947
822
#1
I'm trying to reconcile the basic slap/pop & double-thumbing instructional material with what I see and hear from Marcus Miller. His clean and funky sound (especially in recent years) is much of what got me back into bass.

I saw a couple of old threads here from 10 years ago, but most people seemed as mystified as me.

What really gets me is that Marcus Miller has the speed of double-thumbing, but the crispness of slapping: even on the D/G strings! One of the posts mentions that a lot of it is left-hand ghost-notes and hammer-ons/offs, but still...

Anybody have anything that might provide a little insight?

I find I need double-thumbing to provide speed beyond what slap can provide, as well as to have the D/G strings ring-out, rather than providing a weak clank/harmonic sound. It seems like Marcus is doing it mostly with slap though: not double-thumbing.
 
#2
BTW, in double-thumbing instructional material, they generally describe using the arm like with picking, rather than rotating the wrist like with typical slap.

What I'm wondering is if Marcus has a variant on double-thumbing, where he *does* rotate his wrist when double-thumbing. I did see *one* lesson on double-thumbing that involves rotating the wrist, but again, double-thumbing is generally taught in the style of Victor Wooten (keeping the wrist straight when double-thumbing).
 
#5
IMO he's not doing anything "special" in the sense of some mystery technique, he's just an absolute master. His technique is flawless.

I have been working through The Bass Wizard slap course, as I think he has flawless slap technique too, and it's just a lot of time and patience.. you have to move your arm as you learn, but over time that movement gets less and less until it's just in the wrist.

I've been trying to learn Detroit, which is really good for muting practice, but the fast double-thumb bit is way out of reach for me at the moment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6-3-2, Swamp_Ronin and Groove Doctor
#7
OldSchoolFlats said:
I'm trying to reconcile the basic slap/pop & double-thumbing instructional material with what I see and hear from Marcus Miller. His clean and funky sound (especially in recent years) is much of what got me back into bass.

I saw a couple of old threads here from 10 years ago, but most people seemed as mystified as me.

What really gets me is that Marcus Miller has the speed of double-thumbing, but the crispness of slapping: even on the D/G strings! One of the posts mentions that a lot of it is left-hand ghost-notes and hammer-ons/offs, but still...

Anybody have anything that might provide a little insight?

I find I need double-thumbing to provide speed beyond what slap can provide, as well as to have the D/G strings ring-out, rather than providing a weak clank/harmonic sound. It seems like Marcus is doing it mostly with slap though: not double-thumbing.
Click to expand...

You have to give video examples of songs otherwise we can’t help you. I know he uses regular double thumbing in several songs. But without an specific example we don’t know what you mean cause he has done many things.
 
  • Like
Reactions: andare and Wasnex
#9
bass12 said:
Marcus’ main thing (with slap) is having a very accurate thumb. He mostly uses a simple thumb stroke and will slap on the D and G strings where a lot of people would pop.
Click to expand...

That's what I thought, but I can't imagine how he gets any volume slapping on the D/G higher frets without massive compression, unless he is subtly "thumbing through" the string, rather than bouncing off it. To me, a slap bounces off the string. I did see a vid where he explained he uses a scooped EQ and compression, but he still has more dynamics than I would expect with a lot of compression unless he is "thumbing through" the string.
 
#10
Les Fret said:
You have to give video examples of songs otherwise we can’t help you. I know he uses regular double thumbing in several songs. But without an specific example we don’t know what you mean cause he has done many things.
Click to expand...

I see him double-thumb on one run in Blast!, but if he is double-thumbing much on most songs, I just don't see it. For comparison, it is obvious when Victor Wooten double-thumbs.

Here is an example, Blast!. See 9:50


I don't see anything much except slaps and plucks, but I am probably just slow.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 6-3-2
#11
OldSchoolFlats said:
That's what I thought, but I can't imagine how he gets any volume slapping on the D/G higher frets without massive compression, unless he is subtly "thumbing through" the string, rather than bouncing off it. To me, a slap bounces off the string. I did see a vid where he explained he uses a scooped EQ and compression, but he still has more dynamics than I would expect with a lot of compression unless he is "thumbing through" the string.
Click to expand...
He has an extremely refined way of playing that he has been developing for 40 years. It’s his voice and signature as a true stand-alone Jazz legend. Very few other players can match his abilities.
I constantly hear other bassists and think “lol, that’s a MM rip” which is massive props to the man himself as an original voice on the instrument.
Practice is the key. Lots of it. Then maybe you can develop your own identity using those skills. It’ll be an absolute load of years of work, but the journey is great.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wasnex
#15
I find this (TalkingBass) helps a little:
Power (Marcus Miller) - Bass Tabs & Tutorial

I can tell when he does his 32nd note double-thumbing on tunes like Power or Blast!. What I can't make out is when he's around the 12th fret, on the D and G. It looks like he is slapping, but it sounds like he is popping. I know the quick slap/pop you can do on a string, but what I am wondering is...
...is he getting a thumb-slap (bouncing off the string, not thumbing through the string like the first half of a double-thumb) to sound as loud as a pop around the 12th fret on the D and G?
 
#16
Chickenwheels said:
Click to expand...


Naa, even I (a lowly hobby player) can tell when he does basic double-thumbing. It's when he gets the D and G to ring-out on the higher frets. It looks like he does a lot of slap/pops and slap/double-pops on the high notes, but it's his slap (thumb) that confuses me. I can't tell if (on the high notes) if he:
  • Bounces his thumb on the slap?
  • Thumbs-through: the first half of a double-thumb?
When I bounce my big banana-thumb on the lower frets of E or A, I get a nice sound that rings-out.

When I bounce the same banana-thumb on the higher frets of D or G, all I get is a feeble clack/harmonic.

In my lessons, I MAY recall that you need to thumb-through on high notes to get any volume, but I am not sure.

Can Marcus BOUNCE his thumb off the high frets on D/G, and get a satisfying loud slap?
 
#17
Chickenwheels said:
He has an extremely refined way of playing that he has been developing for 40 years. It’s his voice and signature as a true stand-alone Jazz legend. Very few other players can match his abilities.
I constantly hear other bassists and think “lol, that’s a MM rip” which is massive props to the man himself as an original voice on the instrument.
Practice is the key. Lots of it. Then maybe you can develop your own identity using those skills. It’ll be an absolute load of years of work, but the journey is great.
Click to expand...

My expectations are low. Being about the same age as Marcus, I am about 40 years too late, since I have always been just a hobby player. It is just those slap-licks he has on the high-notes I fell in love with: just one small piece of his playing, but one "trick" I am trying to get down.

It's not speed I am after (like his 32nd note double-thumb runs). It's just the sound he gets on those high notes I am after. I am trying to find software that lets me slow-down his videos, but am not very good with video.
 
Last edited:
#19
OldSchoolFlats said:
My expectations are low. Being about the same age as Marcus, I am about 40 years too late, since I have always been just a hobby player. It is just those slap-licks he has on the high-notes I fell in love with: just one small piece of his playing, but one "trick" I am trying to get down.

It's not speed I am after (like his 32nd note double-thumb runs). It's just the sound he gets on those high notes I am after. I am trying to find software that lets me slow-down his videos, but am not very good with video.
Click to expand...
He’s bouncing his thumb off the D and G in a video of Blast that I’ve seen. Also his index is hooked right under his thumb to pluck the same string on the way up.
When playing the melody, he actually plucks up with the index first and then thumbs down after in various sequences.
 
Last edited:

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back