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Think you could play this low?

#41
bolophonic said:
Man, this thread is filling up with some serious non-rock and roll vibes. Soundgarden was an incredible band that nobody saw coming. I first saw them in 1989 and my mind was blown. I wasn't sure how I felt about it, but I knew it was important.

I guess if you can't handle rock and roll, you can always jam out with some Victor Wooten Amazing Grace to cool yourself off.
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I clearly remember exactly where I was when the "Seattle Sound" hit me point blank in the throat. It was 1992, I had just gotten back from a six month deployment to Sicily. So I'm in the barracks in Maine, and three of us are B.S.'ing while watching MTV. They played "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and then "Rusty Cage" back to back. I instantly knew something was shifting. I hated glam metal with a fury and so when I saw that these guys looked like regular guys with regular clothes but the music was ultra riff heavy, I was instantly drawn. That's the same year I picked up a bass guitar. Couldn't even hold it properly. A guitarist friend of mine showed me how to play the main part of "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and then after that the first bass line I deciphered on my own was "Lucretia My Reflection".

Ahhhh, such fond memories.
 
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#46
I always thought it was something of a disgrace to play that low. Never really had much of a reason aside from thinking those types were secretly trying to communicate that they were hung. I suppose stage presence is important, too.

I play mostly sitting down or with the body against my abdominal section. I don't think I've ever seen a jazz bassist play below his pelvis. You'll never catch me dead playing like that.
 
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#50
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#56
Its a Seattle thing. I’m sure folks on the east coast as well as LA played uber low but def in the beginning of the grunge movement there was alotta bassist from Seattle that slung low. Ben, Van Conner, Jason Everman, John Monte, Krist Novaselic, Liz Davis, Tim Paul, Kurt Danielson and on and on. All these guys played super low. It was kindofa joke of who cud play the lowest without knocking their jack out with their foot.

Ima way huge Sheperd fan. SG, Wellwater Conspiracy, Dessert Sessions, Hater. Loved it all. Still do
 
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#57
bolophonic said:
No offense to anyone, but the dude was rocking out to like, 10,000 people. Nobody pays money to see a guy standing around, watching his left hand.
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Really? Maybe somebody should have told that to John Entwistle. He almost never moved yet is considered one of the best bass players ever.
 
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#58
jasonrp said:
I love Soundgarden but the first time I saw their bass player I was like, "How can he even play that thing?" Seen them live twice and both times Cornell got pretty quiet on the high notes. I expected the blast from the albums and got a screechy whine instead.

Still like the band though
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That stinks that he couldn't quite get the high notes. I saw them only three times myself. Once in 1993, in 2013, and 2014. Massachusetts, Oregon, New Jersey. Chris sounded good during those three shows. I was lucky.
 
#59
Dang I thought I played low, that's so low it's almost to the flo! I like to play low because it feels awkward to have to hold my plucking hand up (I play with my fingers). I can adjust my fretting hand to almost anything, but the fingers that pluck the strings want to hang just so.
 

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