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Noob here! Squire, Geddy, etc

#23
Other than top 40 my first eye openers were Mel and Geezer (I'm Old). Then came YES and OMG Squire. I never cared for Rush until many, many, many, years later. I was at lunch in a GS store checking out the live sound (PA) area. They were showing and entire RUSH concert on a huge screen with the sound running thru one of their systems. Holy Cow I was late going back to work that day, I stood there and watched that entire concert. I came back the next day and did the same...Fantastic. It's amazing how a live show can change your perception, like when I saw Korn last year. That was another OMG moment for this old guy.
 
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#24
Spidey2112 said:
Took a break from rehearsals this week to play... for 'fun'... more like welcome torture...

... got together, last night, with a good friend whom I will refer to as, 'Neil, Jr.'. He's really that good... just the two of us... Geddy and Neil... no wives, no kids...

... 3 hours of RUSH, with 'Sweet Emotion' thrown in there, as it's a good workout, as well...

... let's just say, 'Neil' remembered 'La Villa Strangiato' a litter better than 'Geddy'...

... my rendition was more like, 'The Village Will Strangle Me, If I Play It Like THAT, Again'.
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Nice.. Strangiato aint the easiest Rush number, but is damn fun! And its truly great to have an ace drummer to play with. I mean, Ive played with (not mentioning the terrible ones) SOLID metronome drummers, powerful drummers, Intricate detailed drummers, open natural drummers, ...they all bring out something different. You know, the PROBLEM as a guitar player.. its really tough finding a bass player. Its moderately difficult finding a DECENT drummer, and hard to find a GOOD one.. but then you end up jamming without a bass player & its kinda bleh. just not complete!
Thats probably the biggest reason I just started writing & recording.
 
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#25
Luciferiad said:
I've played guitar for...well, let's say 20 years (I'm 36 now). My dad gave me a Teisco Spectrum when I was 9 but I barely knew one end of that thing from the other for several years. About 12 or 13 years ago, a guitar player friend wanted to start a new power trio and asked if I wanted to learn to play bass for his band.

I was a solidly mediocre guitar player. I still am. It wasn't until I started playing bass, and then really started getting into it, that I realized I never really had a feel for guitar playing. I can do it. I can read music or tab and work it out. I'm okay. To be honest I don't know what the hell he was thinking when he asked me; he knew I was an average-at-best guitarist, but hey, here are are over a decade later working on our 3rd project together, this time actually writing music together instead of playing covers.

But bass comes naturally, and that was the best thing that couldve happened to me musically. And sure, you can translate a lot of stuff from guitar to bass, the theory is similar. Application is totally different.

I love playing bass, man. I'm no virtuoso. I know enough theory to get myself in trouble. But I really enjoy it and somehow it just comes naturally. The way there is so much more to playing it, but all the time you're doing it, you're trying to figure out how to apply exactly what you need to when you need to. Like a balancing act no one even notices you're doing...unless you're doing a bad job of it lol

Never been a huge Rush fan, although I like a lot of their tunes and of course appreciate Geddy's skill. The bass players I love to listen to and love to play along with are (in no particular order) Jack Bruce, Geezer, Peter Steele, David Ellefson, and Tim Commorford.
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I like the way you describe it. Its slightly different for me... Im a mediocre guitar player, but I can be decently creative, so sometimes it balances. Timing is something I work on. So when I get serious with bass, well its funny but after a while, I found myself able to lock in. I still dont really have those bass player chops.. the ghost notes, walks, the little transitional notes... but occasionally I get by on creativity, luck, & just lock in.

But yeah, I used to play with this one bass player who was really just good & solid. You never really noticed how good he was doing, until he wasnt, or you had a hack stand in. :laugh:
 
#26
juancaminos said:
Other than top 40 my first eye openers were Mel and Geezer (I'm Old). Then came YES and OMG Squire. I never cared for Rush until many, many, many, years later. I was at lunch in a GS store checking out the live sound (PA) area. They were showing and entire RUSH concert on a huge screen with the sound running thru one of their systems. Holy Cow I was late going back to work that day, I stood there and watched that entire concert. I came back the next day and did the same...Fantastic. It's amazing how a live show can change your perception, like when I saw Korn last year. That was another OMG moment for this old guy.
Click to expand...

Sounds like this one time me & a friend went to the beach. On our way back we stopped at a GC. Well as were wandering, getting ready to leave, theres some guy toward the back setting up a pretty bitchen drumset. We're wondering who he could be setting them up for... I mean chairs were out... maybe somebody good! Well, the guy finishes & is trying them... & then just starts with a little seminar. It was Terry Bozzio! So yeah, we stayed & enjoyed that one! ;)
 
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#27
Riffed said:
Nice.. Strangiato aint the easiest Rush number, but is damn fun! And its truly great to have an ace drummer to play with. I mean, Ive played with (not mentioning the terrible ones) SOLID metronome drummers, powerful drummers, Intricate detailed drummers, open natural drummers, ...they all bring out something different. You know, the PROBLEM as a guitar player.. its really tough finding a bass player. Its moderately difficult finding a DECENT drummer, and hard to find a GOOD one.. but then you end up jamming without a bass player & its kinda bleh. just not complete!
Thats probably the biggest reason I just started writing & recording.
Click to expand...

I actually play guitar myself, and find both 'La Villa' and 'YYZ' easier on it, than playing them on the bass... the part in 'La Villa' I've always had the hardest time with is the '64th noted, 1000 bpm' bass fill... I'll have it down better, before our next get together, for sure.

'YYZ' is an exercise, and should be exorcised from my routine, but it gives me plenty of headroom to work toward.
 
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#28
Sorry you missed Dug, he's truly a great player with a unique tone. Kings X is fantastic live. BUT....you did get to see another very good one that night you should listen to more....Monty Colvin from GC. He has a similar vibe to Dug's tone but in his own way. Monty is a great player, very fast and quite a showman. And a good dude :)
Hope to see him again as GC is back together recording and will hopefully tour. Very underrated band....welcome :)
 
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#29
Riffed said:
I got the CHANCE to... I think it was in the 90s, small venue in Ca. Them and Galactic Cowboys.
Galactic was very good, & then they gave us the news that Ty took a ride to the hospital.....:eek: I think Galactic played a little more & then we got to mess around chatting with them all. Bummer, but it wasnt a bad evening, ya know?
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I saw the same tour - but actually saw Kings X. Galactic Cowboys were one of my fave bands at the time but they were the loudest thing I'd heard since Slayer.
 
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#33
Welcome to TB, Riffed. If you love the tone (and similar playing) of Squire, check out Dave Meros in Spock's Beard. Their material to their fifth cd (named V) had Dave playing a Rick and generally using a pick so he had Chris Squire's sound in those days.
My first Rush concert was 'Tour of the Hemispheres'. Sadly, we hadn't been exposed to that album so I didn't know how good it was until after the album was in the house. My brother and I did have Farewell to Kings so we were waiting with baited breath for Xanadu!
 
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#34
Riffed said:
First post here ladies & gents. That said, heres a little about me.

Ive been a guitar player mainly. Played with a few different bands, recorded a little... Used to think a guitarist could pick up a bass apply the same principles, DONE. LOL :laugh: ..Well, sure you CAN, but I realized at some point that its not gonna be a great bass experience. LOL

I ended up playing with at least a couple of pretty good bass players both very different. One was a slap monster and very unconventional & creative! The other was more of a good solid rock bass player but not a “follow the guitar” player.

But lately I've been recording an album myself... couldnt recruit or find a good bass player so by default I started trying to playing my own bass lines… well going back a little further I was a Rush fan. So not tracking precisely with the guitar was always in my blood.. but during this (several years off & on) period of recording the album, & trying to play good bass on it; Ive been paying more attention to different bass styles & techniques.. The intricacies & the things that are very unlike guitar. Very enlightening & daunting!!

I have actually done a few now that Im proud of! Oh, its no big deal, but its ok, & better than I was before. And one thing I strive to do in anything creative, is not imitate. Much as I love some of those great players, I detach from anything & just try to grab it from the heart, or the fingers, or ether, or whatever!


That said.. I was listening again to some Yes, it had been a while. I got into Yes & Rush at the same time, loved em both. Yes might have been a little more open, but Rush held my interest over time (mostly because they seemed a little heavier). Anyhow, freakin Squire man…. What a badass. The whole band was great, CREATIVE GENIUSES. But I was realizing that Yes came down the pyke before Rush, & went down a more prog or creative path 1st! Since Geddys sound was very similar to Squires I was interested in seeing if Geddy said anything about that. I did see that in Yes’s hall of fame induction, that both Geddy & Alex mentioned how influential Yes was on them. So thats cool… it opened their musical eyes a bit & helped them along! Well, I gotta say, they (and many others) helped me a long a lot.


It just SUCKS that they inducted Yes AFTER Squire died.. Just a big indication of the F’n stupid BS in the mainstream music industry.


Anyhow, I came here to share, enjoy & learn from the bass community. In guitar forums, Ive tried to say "WOW, listen to this bass player, or this bass-line!" And what do I get? ...Crickets! :roflmao: Many a guitarist just grabs a bass & plays the same thing they did on guitar. Boring....
Well, thanks for listening, & CARRY ON!!
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"CARRY ON!!" and in California? Is it safe to assume you are/were in the Marine Corps, also?
Not important. Just curious.
Welcome aboard! I've been a member of many threads for different topics of interest and this by far is the most informative, responsive and genuinely helpful that I've experienced.
ENJOY!
 
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#36
Riffed said:
A big THANKS to you all! :thumbsup:
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As a long time prog Yes / ELP etc fan and bassist my first real bass was a 72 Burgundyglo Ric 4001.

First thing I did was to install Rotosound Swing Bass 66 round wound strings and play exclusively with a pick I believe Geddy mostly used finger style

My style now varies as needed

I may get slammed hard for this but before you invest in more expensive basses ; it is my experience that Rotosound 66 rounds will give essentially Any bass THAT prog tone especially when played with a pick and close to bridge with treble tones boosted on bass/ amp

You can invest in an inexpensive bass for now and install round wound strings to do your recording project and later invest in a more expensive bass if you like

I own less expensive basses as well as more expensive ones. String choice is paramount in tone chain next to head heart hands

THAT prog tone is short lived and requires frequent string changes or you can clean strings after each use with rubbing alcohol and soft lint free cloth to extend

Frankly only hard core progger audience will even notice or care in my experience

Audiences want to be entertained by us not educated by us and may not ever notice your overall tone nuances

Good luck. Welcome Aboard and keep us posted
 
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#37
zon6c-f said:
As a long time prog Yes / ELP etc fan and bassist my first real bass was a 72 Burgundyglo Ric 4001.

First thing I did was to install Rotosound Swing Bass 66 round wound strings and play exclusively with a pick I believe Geddy mostly used finger style

My style now varies as needed

I may get slammed hard for this but before you invest in more expensive basses ; it is my experience that Rotosound 66 rounds will give essentially Any bass THAT prog tone especially when played with a pick and close to bridge with treble tones boosted on bass/ amp

You can invest in an inexpensive bass for now and install round wound strings to do your recording project and later invest in a more expensive bass if you like

I own less expensive basses as well as more expensive ones. String choice is paramount in tone chain next to head heart hands

THAT prog tone is short lived and requires frequent string changes or you can clean strings after each use with rubbing alcohol and soft lint free cloth to extend

Frankly only hard core progger audience will even notice or care in my experience

Audiences want to be entertained by us not educated by us and may not ever notice your overall tone nuances

Good luck. Welcome Aboard and keep us posted
Click to expand...

Oh... No Ric-o-sound? No problem

Buy an ABY box. Run one amp clean and one amp with effects Make sure both amps have different tone voices
 
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