Pick virtuosi?

[Roger W]

Did he really play on any Lynyrd Skynyrd records? I think of him as .38 Special's Larry Junstrom.

No, you’re correct.

 

[WillyW]

When I was in uni, my best friend got a fretless jazz bass. I picked it up and started playing it with a plectrum and he found it scandalous.

Edit: it was a lined fretless, btw. Don't go thinking I can play fretless. I can barely play fretted.

I play fretless with a pick, I practice fingers too in case I drop my pick.

 

[iammr2]

Driving along and All Along the Watchtower came on the radio. Jimi's bass playing on that, IMO, would lend me to call him a pick-playing virtuoso.

 

[Kevin Teed]

Entwistle was great with pick or without

Roger Waters’ playing near the bridge in the Live at Pompeii.

I love that tone! One of my favorites.

 

[B-Mac]

Tony Levin plays a lot with a pick. He also plays with magic. We don't all have magic powers but we can all use a pick sometimes.

Never saw Tony play with a pick when I saw him in King Crimson and Stick Men. All fingers.
Also, EU in Levin Bothers all fingers.

 

[AlvarHanso]

Never saw Tony play with a pick when I saw him in King Crimson and Stick Men. All fingers.
Also, EU in Levin Bothers all fingers.

He's playing with one here. And as added bonuses, he gets down on the cowbell, and Steve Gadd.

 

[B-Mac]

He's playing with one here. And as added bonuses, he gets down on the cowbell, and Steve Gadd.

I don’t see a pic.
I see him playing with his thumb and index finger pointed together to play strings directly similar to how Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton and Stephen Stills sometimes play guitar.
Like this:
Using the index finger as a pseudo-pick
At time interval 0:47 his thumb and index finger separate.
There is no pic.

Although he does state in this interview that he does sometimes play with a pic

Tony Levin – FretlessBass.com

 

[Raman]

I cannot play with a plectrums not even guitar or my Ukulele just cannot do it and I do not like bass playing played that way, always seems to me to be wrong. I am pretty old so don't shout at me too hard.

I was like that for maybe my 1st decade playing bass. I once described playing with a plectrum as unpleasant as playing with gloves on.
But I ended up working at it and now it's at least an option. I still more naturally go with finger-picking. But the plectrum definitely gives it, for me, a more punk, more explosive feel.

 

[Beff Juckley]

Quite funky, thanks for sharing that one.

EDIT: The singer reminds me of Harry Nilsson.

 

[Jeff Scott]

He's playing with one here. And as added bonuses, he gets down on the cowbell, and Steve Gadd.

Did you miss that he's also playing keyboards at the same time?

 

[AlvarHanso]

Did you miss that he's also playing keyboards at the same time?

With that grainy 1980 video the bald keyboardist does look like Tony. Nifty trick defying the laws of physics and being on Gadd's left and right. Paul Simon should have convinced Eric Gale to shave the rest of his head for a band with three cueballs.

 

[Richland123]

Dave Hope of Kansas

 

[Raman]

Many great entries in this thread. Thanks!
I'm not sure I would call them all virtuosi. But there are some in the lot. And many other very talented plectrum-playing bassists.

One more which I especially like: Michael Dempsey, from early The Cure.
I just love how punchy his attack is!

 

[Clank Plank]

Carol Kaye, a master of picked bass, has advised always picking close to the neck “for the best tone.” Joe Osborn picked up there as well; check out the old Ricky Nelson video clips on youtube. When playing live and for more growl I point to Roger Waters’ playing near the bridge in the Live at Pompeii. Serve the song, gang!

Thanks Rambler, I didn't know that. Very interesting, and I'd be inclined to agree. Best of all, it gives me an excuse to carry on what i'm doing!

 

[RCMJ Bass]

Anyone mentioned Helmut Hattler yet?



..here's a good one to start with:

 

[Richland123]

David Ellefson of Megadeth

 

[Richland123]

Justin Chancellor of Tool

 

[MixBass]

You want virtuoso....only one guy in the world who does this , Carles Benavent!

 

[Raman]

You want virtuoso....only one guy in the world who does this , Carles Benavent!

Definitely qualifies

 

[Jeff Scott]

You want virtuoso....only one guy in the world who does this , Carles Benavent!

Yeah, Carles had been mentioned a few time, going all the way back to near the beginning of this thread. There a full concert video posted too, back too.