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Some general technique ideas, probably frowned upon

G

Gruntruck

Jun 21, 2009
2
0
#1
Hey. I'm new to this place...so, hello fellow bassists. I have a few queries that maybe the more experienced can answer; I have been playing bass for just under a year and it's coming along great, all my fingers are strong as can be and I can play pretty much anything by ear if the bassline's prominent.

But. Recently I've been experimenting a lot more with my playing, using weird tunings and such, and in my escapades I've developed a few playing styles which (to my knowledge) aren't officially recognised as 'good' techniques. I don't even have a teacher - I'm entirely self-taught (for now), which is why I'm asking this on a message board.

First of all: using my bass guitar as percussion. Not just whacking the strings (which I do know is a real style of playing that many bassists employ) but just...slapping everything. The frets. The main body. I should explain this, I'm also a drummer.

Second of all: using a pick on its side. Especially with chords, it creates a quieter, more harmonic sound. Not sure whether that's accepted in the wider bassist circle, though.
 
#4
Gruntruck said:
Second of all: using a pick on its side. Especially with chords, it creates a quieter, more harmonic sound. Not sure whether that's accepted in the wider bassist circle, though.
Click to expand...

Once upon a time, when I played with a pick ... that was my prefered method. I found it to lessen the amount of drag (making it quicker), and to produce a fatter tone; with less "pick" sound.



The next thing to try ... rig up some "Funky Fingers" ala Tony Levin (he uses old drum sticks ... I found that fat highlighter pen tubes work well too; I used some duct tape to soften the tips).

Tony using Funky Fingers.
 
#5


That video is part 2 of a Victor Wooten composition, which is about the falling of the Twin Towers in NYC on September 11, 2001. As you can see, he's using a lot of unorthodox sounds, which I assume are to emulate the building's collapse.

As far as tuning is concerned, most fingerpicking guitarists use altered tunings on their guitars to compose (i.e., CandyRat Records). I don't see why bass should be considered any differently.

There's nothing wrong with experimenting, as long as whatever techniques you develop work for you, don't cause you any long-term physical damage, and sound good within the context of whatever you're playing. In my humble opinion, music would have gotten REALLY old REALLY fast if no one ever tried to innovate, so I say, keep it up. :)
 
#7
i saw steuart liebig do some really strange percussive stuff that i couldnt quite make out (even though i was like twenty feet away). it was very, very weird.

so, to answer your question, you are no freak of nature and should pursue your creativity. it may lead you to success, or at least happiness.
 

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