Tool Sober fingerstyle

[Tupac]

So my band wants to play Sober, and I am faced with the challenge of learning this fingerstyle. Why do this to myself? To learn an important lesson in strumming, and because I've never played with a pick before, and learning it for one song is undesirable.

So can I get a Claypool 101? My fingernails are short and they are staying that way.

 

[Inertialsky]

You won't get the same sound without a pick. Listen to those mutes during the main riff.

 

[flameworker]

Clench a very heavy (purple turtle?) pick between your curled pointer finger and thumb so only about 1/4"-1/2" sticks out, rest your hand on the bridge and pick right over the bridge pickup where the tension feels right. Mute with your palm as you use your wrist to chunk out the notes.

If you have trouble, just tape 4-5 picks to your mic stand, and just use the pic for that section, drop it in between.

Good song, haven't heard it in a long time, thanks for the memories.

 

[FaithNoMan]

Hey, this was my "gateway drug" into becoming primarily a pick player and finding my voice on the bass guitar.

Funny thing is, I can still use my fingers. Toolbox, man.

Toolbox.

 

[flameworker]

Toolbox.

I like the totrtex picks, keeps fingers dry so you can switch.

 

[lowfreq33]

I used to do that song with a band back in college, and I played it fingerstyle. Hold your hand like a closed fist, perpendicular to the strings, palm facing the bass. Open your fist. Close your fist. Repeat. If you keep your nails short you may want to boost the high mids for a little more attack.

 

[anomalybass]

didnt paul d amore? (the original bassist from tool) play fingerstyle?

 

[chuck norriss]

good to see kids are covering classic tool if you have to play w figners maybe crank up the gain & high end or it won't be the same

 

[FaithNoMan]

didnt paul d amore? (the original bassist from tool) play fingerstyle?

He used a pick on that Rickenbacker like he was trying to wipe the strings off the fretboard.

Furthermore, I'd say the Undertow album as a whole is a great example of what a pick can do for a bassline in a rock mix.

 

[Spectrum]

He used a pick on that Rickenbacker like he was trying to wipe the strings off the fretboard.

Furthermore, I'd say the Undertow album as a whole is a great example of what a pick can do for a bassline in a rock mix.

Yup. Great video of him playing it here.



As far as learning to play with a pick, this is one of the easier songs once you get the palm-muting thing down, it's not very complex as far as basslines go, it's all about feel, rythm, and that gritty grindy sound.

But you may be able to get away with using the tips of your thumb and index finger held together as a "virtual pick". Works fine for strumming bass chords.

 

[Tupac]

To all the folks saying to palm mute, I don't see any palm muting in the way Paul plays it.

 

[Spectrum]

To all the folks saying to palm mute, I don't see any palm muting in the way Paul plays it.

True it's mostly fret-hand muting...and harmonics, too.

 

[strictlybass_ic]

I was actually confronted with the same problem not long ago. Now before I get into this, YES it will not sound exactly the same as with a pick, you've been warned. I'm useless with a pick and didn't want to learn for just this one song. But I actually had some luck getting a nice strumming sound using bare hands. Similar to what others stated above i would "flick" my hand across the strings. Making sure that just the very tips of my fingers (bonus points if there is some finger nail in there) hit the strings. The downward strum is easier because you can cheat a bit and hit the strings mid nail letting the tip do the actual "pluck". Upward strum is the same, but slightly hooking the fingers so you almost pop the strings with the tip of your finger's pad (not unlike slap style but less aggressively). Muting is done with a blend of left hand muting (remove pressure from strings so they become unfretted, but keep solid contact with meat of the hand to deaden the strings) and using the outer edge of my strumming hand near the bridge pickup (basically palm muting).

I'm no expert player, and I'm not going to say that people mistook it for a sample from the Tool recording. But it did the job and was an interesting challenge to develop a new trick for the bag.

 

[lokikallas]

Just use a pick. It's not like it's hard, I mean, even a guitarist can do it right?

 

[FaithNoMan]

This morning, before I left for work, I'd played (unplugged) along "Sober" using my method
- "Slap-Power-chords-with-four-right-hand-fingers".
I WOULD PLAY THAT SONG MY WAY easily with a similar band.
This song is just asking for it.
The right hand's "4-finger-pointing-downwards" slapping is kind of monotonous:
slapping the constant 16th notes. I did not leave my right hand on the strings.
(Or don't play the muted 16th notes and leave the right hand fingers on the strings after the second played 16th note.
The left hand mutes the right hand's slaps. For clearly played two 16th notes, the left hand "unmutes" the strings - A, D, and G. The E string is muted, is always muted in this case. What's more, I did not need to press with my left hand twice those two played 16th notes.
Just press on the first 16th, hold it for the second 16th, and mute other 16th notes.


(I took "selfies" in the dark outside - bad quality, but the concept should be clear.)

The left hand:


The right hand:

Very much reminds me of Fieldy's technique.

 

[Brendan5]

I just slap the strings near the bridge. Mute the d string with my index. Lots of attack but it can be tricky to get the feel for the bounce from the tension. Same thing I do on "herold of the rocks"

 

[RandalPinkFloyd]

Stop resisting the pick. I resisted too and now it's another tool as someone said. It's not that big of an adjustment. I'm glad I did because I love Tool and I've recently started playing around with 46 and 2 agains since it's one of my favorite bass lines. Back when I first tried to play it, it never sounded right before because I was strictly a finger player. Now that I know how to play with a pick, I've revsisited it and it finally sounds right. Not to mention it's a fun song to play. Now if I could find a more accurate tab or the sheet music, I'd be set.

 

[Inertialsky]

Now if I could find a more accurate tab or the sheet music, I'd be set.

this should be spot on...

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Mytola]

Me wanting to play some Tool was how I learned playing with a pick. A couple of years later, I can play pretty well with a pickm even though fingerstyle is what I usually do. Stop resisting, and try it out for yourself. You're not going to get the sound you are looking for without a pick,