risingson Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 I don't think it's bass playing. But that's not a bad thing, in fact what he is doing is incredibly musical and highly unique. Plus, unlike a lot of solo stuff that gets performed on a 'bass', that was incredibly enjoyable to listen to (and watch). But the voicing is too high for me to think about it like a bass guitar. I don't see many settings where it could work in a band situation for example, but Manring utilises his Zon in a solo sense very well, you can't help but be a bit amazed by it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 Man and machine in perfect harmony. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted February 7, 2012 Share Posted February 7, 2012 (edited) I love listening to Michael Manring. As pointed out "man and bass in perfect harmony" I find him very entertaining as far as soloists go but the tunes he plays are also very melodic. I do sometimes wonder about all the tuning levers on his bass as RichF post shows a guy playing the same song on a standard fretted bass. I would say that IMO its not quite as fluid and melodic as Michael's but it is fairly if not very impressive. Surely Michael could do that. I would guess he is more than capable of playing the song on a standard bass so why use all the tuning levers ? No matter what he uses he still sounds unbelieveable and i can only dream of reaching that level of playing and performance. I do love that bass he uses but out of my price range. Dave Edited February 7, 2012 by dmccombe7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M-N-Y Posted February 12, 2012 Share Posted February 12, 2012 (edited) To hear him playing an amazing groove piece try and find a tune called 'Theseus in the Rains'. I can't find a link on You tube but it is on CD Baby. It says more about his approach as a bass player. It's a very quirky and impressive groove. http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/manringm Edited February 12, 2012 by M-N-Y Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Seen Michael up close at a gig in London (literally a few feet away, had a chat with him afterwards. He is a total musician, and a staggering composer. He happens to make music with an adapted bass. I think he would probably be outstanding whatever instrument he played. To those who say in ine breath he is pushing the bounds of the instrumetn and in the other its not bass playing, well thats a given. It is not traditional bass playing by virtue of the fact that he is extending the perceived possiblilities of the instrument ergo it isnt traditional bass playing. The real question is doe this music move people emotionally, and for me it does incredibly, seeing Selene and Enormous Room played up close in a packed (I mean rammed) albeit small venue was incredible, and the entire place was utterly captivated by the musicality of the pieces on offer. He is a musical genius, IMO. He also plays a mean bit of more normal bass playing too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx1RccwlF5g&feature=BFa&list=AVGxdCwVVULXdXi3Bmm7CJcOj4XxEwyCTB&lf=list_related Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 Not able to see any attachments at work but will get a look at home tonight. 51m0n - i haven't seen Michael play a "normal" bass that i can remember however i've only been following him in past few yrs when i was bemused and amazed at his style and technique with his Zon bass. I'll need to check for some of his older material using a standard bass. Thanks Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 See if you can find almost anything listed at the [url="http://www.manthing.com/Manthing/recordings.html"]bottom of this page[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichF Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 [quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1329131255' post='1537439'] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx1RccwlF5g&feature=BFa&list=AVGxdCwVVULXdXi3Bmm7CJcOj4XxEwyCTB&lf=list_related[/media] [/quote] wow, indeed. what's he doing at the end there in terms of generating notes? He puts down the eBow and starts using FX? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted February 13, 2012 Share Posted February 13, 2012 He's turning the volume down to 0, strumming a harmonic chord, then swelling the volume up, this is driving a long delay/reverb effect so you dont hear the tone disappear as he drops the volume each time. Clever and deeply powerful sound, makes the hairs on my neck stand up on end! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urb Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 [quote name='51m0n' timestamp='1329130975' post='1537428'] He is a musical genius, IMO. He also plays a mean bit of more normal bass playing too.... [/quote] Agreed.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG-qltNvjek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yorks5stringer Posted February 14, 2012 Share Posted February 14, 2012 Like some of the other posters, I have seen him too, at a Bass Gear/Zon/Mark Bass sponsored event in Harrogate last year. His technique and use of the detuners created something amazing and he admitted a lot of his playing that evening was improvised. I spoke to him before and after the event and he was very approachable and patient: I guess he's had to explain how the tuners work at least 1m times! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 It's clearly an amazing achievement (never seen a Hipshot solo before!) and I'm sure I don't understand what he's doing enough to appreciate it fully but I'm not warmed by it nor wanting to play like it. I wouldn't buy an album of his. Perhaps its like looking at Bugatti sports car or a 60"tv, amazing but I can't think of a use for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 For a little bit more normal.. Manring Tim Alexander Alex Skolnik http://www.amazon.co.uk/Idiot-King-Attention-Deficit/dp/B00005J9YD/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1329267500&sr=1-4 It's Jazz Jim, but not as we know it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Guys like Manring have to exist and should absolutely be celebrated but, for me, their achievements are so 'off the scale' that I find myself admiring them as I would a racehorse or a fantastic piece of scenery. There is huge pleasure in the spectacle but very little I can draw upon in terms of developing my own playing. The music is what matters and I find Manring to me one of the most musical of the 'trickster' bass players. If any player can be called a genius, its him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Hmm genius. Different to the definition, if you accept it, as applied to Jamerson but probably more apt here if you take away 'influence' from its definition. That hipshot stuff, almost like those amazing abilities from sufferers of autism, beyond what you would expect from a mind (how could he possibly keep up with it all those tuning adjustments and make music at the same time). I suppose its a little geeky for my clumsy tastes to enjoy. To me, it's like using just three tubes of paint to knock colours up on the fly while creating a beautifully shaded picture at the speed of Rolf Harris, or those people who use spray paints and pieces of plastic and card. The painting becomes amazing because that's how he did it, even if few would like it for its own sake. I wonder if he made lines with his toy cars as a toddler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I disagree with the idea that Manring's compositions are showcases for his techniques. My head is rarely turned by those kinds of things as I look for something musical rather than athletic; I listen with my ears not watch with my eyes. Manring makes great music using these tools unlike, say, Stu Hamm, Billy Sheehan or Dave LaRue, who are just stuntmen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soliloquy Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I spent a day 'studying' with him a couple of years ago. He was totally mind blowing to watch. He played a lot and talked and demonstrated his various techniques, and showed how he uses his various bits of gear. Hi depth of musicality is totally unnerving, to me anyway. How someone can come up with what he does his just amazing. On any bass a fretted note will sound different to an open note, fretted A at the 5th fret on the E string for example. He uses this in his compositions, hence his detuning. He is also one of the most honest, friendliest and down to earth people that I have ever met. At the end of the day he performed a piece that involved him playing three basses at the same time. This wasn't just a party trick, it was a genuine performance of a piece of music he'd written for three basses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I'm really happy to listen to you guys who know him better then I (ie not at all). While I still couldn't see me wanting to buy an album of music written for three basses I would love to have had your experiences. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derrenleepoole Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 [quote name='fretmeister' timestamp='1329267759' post='1539956'] For a little bit more normal.. Manring Tim Alexander Alex Skolnik http://www.amazon.co.uk/Idiot-King-Attention-Deficit/dp/B00005J9YD/ref=sr_1_4?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1329267500&sr=1-4 It's Jazz Jim, but not as we know it! [/quote] I've got their albums at home, and haven't listened to them in bloody ages. I'm so digging these out tonight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1329306422' post='1540259'] I listen with my ears not watch with my eyes.[/quote] + Infinity. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4 Strings Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 Do lamposts figure heavily in your life? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowdown Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I suppose they would if i was a dog. Garry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 I personally would rather watch him playing simply because his technique fascinates me. Take away the VID and it could be a number of very competent bassists playing the same piece. However when Michael plays it he produces a visual show and IMO its the 2 together that make it interesting for me. I wouldn't say I was a huge fan but what he does is so different from anyone else it prays on my mind trying to figure out how he does it and how he is able to come up with so many unusual techniques and ideas. That again is pushing the boundaries of bass playing. Like others have stated I don't want to play like him or copy everything he does but it stimulates the mind to try different approaches, to pick out the odd phrase that i am able to play and use it within my own style. That is learning and i enjoy it. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted February 15, 2012 Share Posted February 15, 2012 [quote name='Bilbo' timestamp='1329306422' post='1540259'] ...unlike, say, Stu Hamm, Billy Sheehan or Dave LaRue, who are just stuntmen... [/quote] At last, the truth! Can you only get away with saying this if you're a Mod?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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