Lowender

[quote name='sykilz' timestamp='1365609420' post='2041784'] [media]http://youtu.be/mg3mUhGVCgo[/media] Groovy Rocky baby. [/quote] The drums are what makes that groove. He's just hitting the notes. Like Anthony Jackson said -- " when I play with Steve Gadd, I just have to hit an open E and I sound like a genius!"

Pretty simple part. Clever though, especially for the time.

Of course it's subjective, but I owned a Fodera and that was the worst tone I've ever gotten. Oddly enough, there aren't too many bassist whose tone bothers me -- except for Les Claypool and Victor Wooton. Maybe there's something to a bass being TOO solid that makes it sound thin.

[quote name='risingson' timestamp='1365607614' post='2041746'] Michael Jackson never rocked? You ever heard Beat It or Dirty Diana? [/quote] Oddly enough I think "Beat it" is a good example of TRYING to rock and failing miserably. It sounds stiff, contrived, false and forced. The solo is the only thing that keeps it from being totally lame.

[quote name='spike' timestamp='1365584930' post='2041279'] I'd say anyone could excel at both if they wanted to, it's just a matter of feel and practice. [/quote] Couldn't disagree more. Those are intrinsic qualities. Sure, practice perfects them but it';s not like if you put X amount of hours in you'll be able to groove. Guys play all their lives and never learn to groove well. As for the OP question. There are plenty of guys who do both well. I think Chris Squire and Steve Harris have amazing groove, but it isn't "funky." So yeah, what is really being asked. John Paul Jones is a good example of someone who can rock and be funky. Anthony Jackson is another. I'd like to do both, butI like both kinds of music. Many people concentrate on one style.

Nobody ever heard of recording devices?

I love how when anyone in the band hears low end rumble, they assume it's because the bass player is too loud! But the original comment is about assumptions in general. I've seen (once or twice) people right here on this forum (believe it or not) make a complete assessment about a player based on having heard them once for a minute. The thing is, some people may be better than you think, and in some cases, some people may sound great at one thing and later you find out that one thing was all they could do!

[quote name='SpaceChick' timestamp='1365257659' post='2037307'] I'm fed up of people coming to the house (delivery men, boiler engineers etc), seeing the basses and asking "Does your husband play the bass" no he bleeding well doesn't.... I'm the bassist and damn proud of it! [/quote] LOL! Good one.

Maybe not lyrically, but oddly enough, anything by AC/DC would be in a female register. Also-- Journey, Pete Cetera, YES and Iron Maiden are usually too high for most males.

I think we all have a prejudice -- in that we "pre-judge" musicians based on initial perception. In other words, if you hear a bad ass rick and roller, you wouldn't think he could play jazz very convincingly. (Because it would be unlikely). I recently met someone who work in a major symphony and was anxious to talk about classical music and as it turns out his favorite band was AC/DC. (?!?!?!) The tendency to pigeonhole is obvious and natural. I do it all the time. lol As an example, here is a clip from two guys to whom I'm subscribed on YouTube. One is known as a Chris Squire clone and the other as a solo bassist who plays guitar. Yet, in these clips, the CS guy is playing a really nice piece that is nothing at all like Squire. And the second is playing in a manner that is decidingly unlike a soloist. Cool stuff. But not everyone may agree. [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LxcwOs3qj8[/media] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nG3WkUZnmNY[/media]

La Bella flatwounds. It's the law.

Guilt is a useless emotion.

There should be 2 types of practice. One is the type where you work things out. That can be done without even plugging in. The other is the type where you play the way you're going to perform. If it's loud music, play loud and learn how to make it sound good and loud -- not just loud and sloppy. As for the drummer, in moist situations he'd be miked so asking him to "play softer" is silly since it'll affect the feel of the music. You have to lay into drums to get a sound. Of course if you're in a cocktail lounge band, that's one thing, but if it's a rock band , you have to HIT the drums. And yeah, you should always wear something in your ears.

[quote name='dand666' timestamp='1364926610' post='2032820'] [media]http://youtu.be/ThZZnS4Jvwc[/media] We take everything from these guys, from handshakes at beginning and end of gig to the clothes. [/quote] That works. It fits the vibe of the music. This doesn't. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L4AooQza4U

I always find it interesting to compare high end instruments with cheaper ones using the same amps and settings. For example -- A MIM Jazz bass vs an AS jazz bass vs a Squier classic vibe vs a Sadowsky.

More than theatrics -- it's charisma. And ya either got it or ya ain't. McCArtney and Sting are perfect examples of people who are simply captivating on stage just doing their thing. Meanwhile, posers are trying so hard to be spectacular just wind up looking like losers. It's kinda like Johnny Depp. People say he's a great actor but he just underacts. He does have a great face though. Meanwhile, some short, fat bald guy can recite Hamlet and no one is going to want to hear it.

Anybody can make a list. Why is this one important?

[quote name='theplumber' timestamp='1364837567' post='2031515'] Pointless.....next!!! [/quote] What isn't?

I can go either way here. I can enjoy and appreciate it...or...I can take the typical basschat-er approach and find what's wrong with it. lol. j/k. Actually, I found it interesting but the quirkiness wore off quickly. A minute into the song I was yearning for a melody. The bass player was fine, but I wasn't hearing anything especially creative. Not a knock -- just a critique.

[quote name='martin8708' timestamp='1364764709' post='2030714'] Compared to say, piano or violin , guitar and bass are pretty easy to start of with . As you get better , the instruments require different mind-frames or attitudes , but I think the guitar would be the more difficult to master from a technical point of view , but the bass player is more aware of the band/ song as a whole , so would require a different set of skills. [/quote] Actually piano doesn't require as much of a touch to get a sound and the notes are linear, making it easier in some ways . But again, this is all moot after a few months.

It's easier to play a melody on a harmonica than it is on a violin, but it's easier to be a really crappy violin player than a really good harmonica player.

[quote name='skidder652003' timestamp='1364755302' post='2030491'] oh dear... that makes for great evidence that bass should always be used in a band context! [/quote] That made me curious, so I found examples of each of them in a band context. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtczqxkUUns https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YLJbYjVO388&list=UUICoLVS4cEm9cAPwGfYrrJw&index=14

[quote name='whynot' timestamp='1364758275' post='2030574'] Mark King is not to my taste either, much prefer Marcus if I have to listen to slap. [/quote] And I find Marcus to be repetitive. He plays a great groove but it's the same groove in 3 different tempos in 3 different keys. Go figure. No one is beyond criticism. But it's nice to just appreciate people making art.

Wow. Tough crowd.

[quote name='musophilr' timestamp='1364742244' post='2030246'] But they're as ugly as sin, and there's no mid range in the sound to define it. All you get is a dull thud plus a bit of 'plick' if you're using a plectrum. Nobody would know whether you're playing a B or a Bb. Horrible things! [/quote] They are what they are, in both looks in sound. Oddly enough, I can hear the difference in the notes very well here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57F7vlT_PK8