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Help/advice on 'What Is Hip?'


Funky Dunky
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I'm looking to learn this Tower of Power classic, and I've had a look at it before, but found that my right hand wasn't quite up to the task of keeping the required tempo, evenly and consistently. It's got to be incredibly steady. I've found a few decent bass covers on YouTube (Leslie Johnson's is possibly better than the original!) but no breakdowns or studies with tips on right hand attack.

If anyone has learned this RH tour de force, are there any tips you could impart, aside from starting out really slowly and nailing each part before moving on? There seems to be a very specific approach to keeping the staccato feel, but I haven't figured it out yet.

Any help at all would go a long way.

Thanks

Edited by Funky Dunky
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I've got a transcription. Had to play it at uni.

I just found the best thing was, like you say, to start slowly and build up to speed. We had some quiet detailed notes about the preparation, I'll try and find them.

I remember it being incredibly hard, made worse by the drummers and guitarists playing it too fast. The tutors examining us had to stop the performances a few times and tell them to slow down.

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That would be great if you could find the notes. I set myself the challenge of learning it by ear but I may have to admit defeat and look for tab online at some point. In the meantime, here's Leslie Johnson's absolutely smoking cover. For some reason I can no longer embed videos on BC :(

http://www.youtube.com/shared?ci=5yC4CEof_20

Edited by Funky Dunky
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Hope you can see these ok.

[attachment=229994:Screen Shot 2016-10-16 at 00.37.43.png][attachment=229995:Screen Shot 2016-10-16 at 00.38.13.png][attachment=229996:Screen Shot 2016-10-16 at 00.38.31.png][attachment=229997:Screen Shot 2016-10-16 at 00.38.57.png]

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[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1476551987' post='3155171']
If anyone has learned this RH tour de force, are there any tips you could impart, aside from starting out really slowly and nailing each part before moving on? There seems to be a very specific approach to keeping the staccato feel, but I haven't figured it out yet.
[/quote]

Tempo is only around 100bpm on this tune so it is nothing beyond your reach, the tricky part is keeping it even and really getting it in the pocket. As with everything, work on each section in isolation, start slowly and only increase the tempo when you can play it cleanly a number of times.

In order to cop Rocco's staccato feel on the verse, play the E on the A string with the first finger of your left hand and gently rest the other fingers flat across the strings to mute them slightly. Rocco plays a [i]lot[/i] of his lines like this, watch him play and you'll see him moving his hand around the neck to fret with the first finger whilst muting with the others as opposed to playing 'in position'.

Ambient's transcription looks like it came from here: [url="http://freebasspart.pv24.pagesperso-orange.fr/Tower_Of_Power.htm"]http://freebasspart.pv24.pagesperso-orange.fr/Tower_Of_Power.htm[/url] - plenty more ToP transcriptions there to keep you busy!

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[quote name='Stickman' timestamp='1476722090' post='3156654']




In order to cop Rocco's staccato feel on the verse, play the E on the A string with the first finger of your left hand and gently rest the other fingers flat across the strings to mute them slightly. Rocco plays a [i]lot[/i] of his lines like this, watch him play and you'll see him moving his hand around the neck to fret with the first finger whilst muting with the others as opposed to playing 'in position'.
[/quote]

Ah, very helpful! Thanks for this, exactly the kind of tip I'm looking for. It's particularly this that's eluded me thus far, so thank you!

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[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1476841841' post='3157744']
Ah, very helpful! Thanks for this, exactly the kind of tip I'm looking for. It's particularly this that's eluded me thus far, so thank you!
[/quote]

No problem! He explains it in the clip below, if you jump to about the 9 minute mark he demonstrates the line:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lQ614j2keI

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His Right hand is consistent, of course, his left hand pretty flat and not animated as he frets with a closed left hand a lot..hene it moving around a LOT.
NO biggie..Will Lee does this to great effect

I'd not suggest you ape this technique completely but switch between say, Jaco's take with left hand mute, which means he is damping with the fretting fingers. This is basically a lift off of the fret and not difficult in itself but is lends it self to a far more fluid line, whereas RP's are much more stilted IMV.

Once you can get RH playing solid 16th's, that is where you start....you can then lift off the note as and when

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