TOO MANY

[mgsmith9]

I know this isn't bass related per se, but I just watched a part of a live concert and the group had 4 guitarists playing 1 part and 2 bassists playing 1 part (I know this because I know the song, and its def. only 1 part). Please tell me I am not the only one who thinks this is overkill and doesn't really sound very good.

 

[WayneP]

Yeah, I’d agree. In fact, this is one of my biggest “pet peeves” about guitar players. While there is no shortage of them, it seems hard to find one who can make a meaningful contribution to a song. Typically all they can deliver is rudimentary eighth- or sixteenth-note chord strumming. “Dumb-strumming,” I call it. It requires no imagination or talent, just a mastery of a number of chords and a steely resolve to beat them to death. Even on a slow song they’ll strike the chord for every beat, when once at the top of the measure or at each chord change would do just fine, thank you very much. Never seems to dawn on them, “Why am I doing the exact same thing as my buddy across the stage there? Do we all need to be doing this? Am I adding anything to this song? Maybe I should try to come up with something unique and interesting.”

Nope. We should live so long. Imagine if drummers, bass players or keyboardists played the same way – nothing but repetitive eighth notes for each and every, and every, and every song. (“Huh? What do you mean, ‘Can I do anything else?’&#8221 How long would we keep our gigs if we played like that? (By the way, anyone who thinks that this is the way a guitar is supposed to be played, the only way it can be played, needs to pick up any of Steely Dan’s later albums, for one example. Precious little (if any) dumb-strumming.)

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt



Pedulla Club #45

 

[projectMalamute]

Worked fine for Phil Spector. Maybe that band just sucked.