Does anyone know this guy?

[KennysFord]

thought it was all very nice....and fair play to the guy.

[skankdelvar]

I deliberately haven't listened to it, but I still think it's the devil's work.

Edited January 29, 2009 by skankdelvar

[ednaplate]

Jeez, didn't think I'd be opening such a can of worms.

[bremen]

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='394568' date='Jan 29 2009, 02:06 PM']I deliberately haven't listened to it, but I still think it's the devil's work.[/quote]

I have no idea what you're talking about, but I have to agree.

[Hector]

I'd like to think of myself as a musician first and bass player second.

Paradigm breaking is part of the game!

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='skankdelvar' post='394568' date='Jan 29 2009, 02:06 PM']I deliberately haven't listened to it, but I still think it's the devil's work.[/quote]

You could start a petition. Obviously it would have to be pen and paper and not on-line - so that us Luddites could sign it.

[BigBeefChief]

I'm all about the pussy.

Crack open a beer, maybe a bit of topless darts?

Just me, a cowboy hat and my trusty .44 Magnum.

[Josh]

Going from his descriptions in his videos, he seems like the kind of guy who likes to have a good long cry after a romantic novel.

[Dr.Dave]

[quote name='Hector' post='394618' date='Jan 29 2009, 02:51 PM']I'd like to think of myself as a musician first and bass player second.[/quote]

You'll do for me - my thoughts exactly.

[thedontcarebear]

Finally watched this, thought it was balls quite frankly.

[WHUFC BASS]

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='394765' date='Jan 29 2009, 05:53 PM']Finally watched this, thought it was balls quite frankly.[/quote]

LOL! The eloquence ! Very true though.

[ped]

Lol

[Shockwave]

Hes a bass player alright. I mean if a guitarist were to play a 7 string and downtune alot, he would still be known as a guitarist. If a guitarist tuned up to play some slide or weird tuning, he would still be called a guitarist.

So if a bass player decides he wants to tune up with some light gauge strings, Why is he not a bass player?

John Enwhistle and Jack Bruce have played Fender VI's which are far more guitar like to look at then that mans Zon.

Would you dream of calling them non bass players?

Heres one thing i have learnt in listening to viewing clips of bass players. Never pigeonhole their playing style with clips you have seen online, Chances are they can play many other different styles, Traditional and progressive if you actually meet them in real life. But they choose to put what they want to put online. I have no doubt this guy can tear it up on a "normal" strung bass.

Another example i have seen "Such and such bass player Suuuuuxxxxx" This was a comment made about Ian Hill of Judas priest. Just because he bangs on root notes alot does not make him a bad player, Hes playing to the song and to the genre he likes. However he is definitely not a bad technical bass player as showcased in Judas Preists early stuff. Plus he could probably outplay most of us in a solo setting without a band. I would NEVER ever judge a player by their released material. I would only judge a player if i have seen them in real life in a relaxed session to see what they can really do.

Edited January 29, 2009 by Shockwave

[Faithless]

Beautiful music. Though, I won't dig into those 'is he bassplayer or guitard or whatever' - there's no point in it.

[BossHog]

[quote name='Toasted' post='394190' date='Jan 28 2009, 11:23 PM']Some pretty luddite views in this thread.

There seem to be a lot of members scared of change, which is kind of ironic considering that the thing that brings us all together is an instrument that was invented less than 60 years ago.[/quote]

Completely agree.

Edited January 30, 2009 by BossHog

[bassicinstinct]

[quote name='BigAlonBass' post='394012' date='Jan 28 2009, 08:18 PM']Nope. Still don't get it. If you're that determined to sound like a six-string acoustic guitar, why not go and buy a six-string acoustic guitar, instead of modifying a Bass out of all recognition, so you can show how good you are on something that sounds exactly like a six-string acoustic guitar, while telling everybody it's a Bass? [/quote]

Very succinctly put.

I can't get my head around why people do it either.

Some sort of psychosis I suspect.

[ednaplate]

Well I contacted Zander about the site suggesting that any feedback from him would be welcome as it dividing opinion on here. This was his reply;

"[i]wow, that was pretty intense. thanks for the link!

i'm happy to answer anyone's questions via youtube's messaging system, but don't know if i could handle being part of that debate (and don't know if i should be, either). therefore, please feel free to copy and paste this message into the chat if you want to... : )

---

first of all, thanks to everyone who has said nice things about my compositions and arrangements.

to be honest, i'm honoured that so many people are debating my music/what the bass can do.
personally, i play the sort of music that i play because i enjoy it. that's what it comes down to: it makes me happy.

people don't have to like it if they don't want to - that's fine with me. i also don't mind if people call it a bass or a guitar. whatever you want to call it, it's my chosen instrument.

i have a lot of fun exploring different techniques on the bass and trying out new styles. it's exciting, challenging and humbling to me. piccolo strings' altered tuning capabilities allow me a massive pitch range, which makes for lots of interesting possibilities. as the actual instrument is a long-scale bass (no debating that), it creates a warmer sound than a guitar - this suits me more.

like i mentioned earlier, other bass players of course don't have to like what i'm doing. but i do feel, philosophically speaking, that perhaps you shouldn't place limits on creativity?

in any event, the bass is a very young instrument and i feel excited to be playing it during this time in its development.

thanks,

zander"[/i]

I agree. The bass is a young instrument and if people weren't prepared to push the boundaries there would be no 5 or 6 string basses, or worse!

[risingson]

He, just listened to this. Pretty odd to be honest. I'd say it's too far removed from the traditional role of bass usually, but I don't think it matters... if you find it easy enough to express your musicality that way then who is anyone to complain!

[Ou7shined]

Luddite says : I feel intimidated by his ability, consequently using my frustration as a catalyst must find an excuse to hate it (psychology 101).
Ah-ha, it's tuned funny therefor this is not bass. TO THE HILLS! RAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!

Ou7shined says : I think it is "nice". I remember seeing a vid of his that was dedicated to his g/f - it was "nice" too.
I applaud the lad and see a great future for him in yoga vid soundtracks or mall music. Keep on sticking it to the man Zander. \m/

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='396175' date='Jan 31 2009, 03:02 PM']Luddite says : I feel intimidated by his ability, consequently using my frustration as a catalyst must find an excuse to hate it (psychology 101).[/quote]

"Bass Virtuoso" says: All my peers are getting gigs and they can't play half the awful-sounding pretentious sh*te I can. And they've got girlfriends and they don't get hung off the bog doors by their pants.

Edited January 31, 2009 by thisnameistaken

[Ou7shined]

Lawl

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='394829' date='Jan 29 2009, 07:17 PM']Hes a bass player alright. I mean if a guitarist were to play a 7 string and downtune alot, he would still be known as a guitarist. If a guitarist tuned up to play some slide or weird tuning, he would still be called a guitarist.

So if a bass player decides he wants to tune up with some light gauge strings, Why is he not a bass player?

John Enwhistle and Jack Bruce have played Fender VI's which are far more guitar like to look at then that mans Zon.

Would you dream of calling them non bass players?[/quote]

No Luddism here but I'd say Fender VI is a bass guitar because of the range of its tuning just like my Precision is a bass guitar because of its tuning. What makes something 'bass' is not what you play on it or how you play it or its scale length or how it looks but the range of its tuning. If your 7-string guitarist tunes down enough then he's bass guitar player. That's why tuning up to, say, A or B is then called baritone and not bass and why some people use contrabass for an instrument tuned right down to B or F# or even lower. Mind you, people can and will do whatever they want and call it what they want, I'm not bothered. However, if the advert asked for a bass player you may well not get the gig if you're not playing in the bass register.

[quote name='Shockwave' post='394829' date='Jan 29 2009, 07:17 PM']Heres one thing i have learnt in listening to viewing clips of bass players. Never pigeonhole their playing style with clips you have seen online, Chances are they can play many other different styles, Traditional and progressive if you actually meet them in real life. But they choose to put what they want to put online. I have no doubt this guy can tear it up on a "normal" strung bass.

Another example i have seen "Such and such bass player Suuuuuxxxxx" This was a comment made about Ian Hill of Judas priest. Just because he bangs on root notes alot does not make him a bad player, Hes playing to the song and to the genre he likes. However he is definitely not a bad technical bass player as showcased in Judas Preists early stuff. Plus he could probably outplay most of us in a solo setting without a band. I would NEVER ever judge a player by their released material. I would only judge a player if i have seen them in real life in a relaxed session to see what they can really do.[/quote]

+1 on this bit. What the guy in the OP did sounded good and anyway tells you nothing about what else he can do.

Edited February 1, 2009 by EssentialTension

[Kev]

Sorry, i just don't understand why he is playing a bass rather than a guitar.

[spacecowboy]

I loved it. Good on him.

[Dubs]

[quote name='EssentialTension' post='396789' date='Feb 1 2009, 01:45 PM']No Luddism here but I'd say Fender VI is a bass guitar because of the range of its tuning just like my Precision is a bass guitar because of its tuning. What makes something 'bass' is not what you play on it or how you play it or its scale length or how it looks but the range of its tuning. If your 7-string guitarist tunes down enough then he's bass guitar player. That's why tuning up to, say, A or B is then called baritone and not bass and why some people use contrabass for an instrument tuned right down to B or F# or even lower. Mind you, people can and will do whatever they want and call it what they want, I'm not bothered. However, if the advert asked for a bass player you may well not get the gig if you're not playing in the bass register.[/quote]
I think you’ve got a non argument there – you’re effectively saying that if he had a 7/8/9/whatever string bass with the highest 4 strings tuned to his piccolo tuning and the rest tuned a lot lower, then that would be ok and he would be considered by you to be playing a “Bass” even if he didn’t use the lower strings but because the range potential is there it’s a “Bass”? Doesn’t really make a lot of sense. I see what you’re saying about the literal meaning of a “Bass” Guitar, but I don’t think you’re argument works. Maybe he’s invented the “Alto Bass Guitar”? or even the “Soprano Bass Guitar”? – I’m not sure what sort of range he’s covering.
[center]------------------------------------------------------------------------[/center]
I think the guy plays some nice stuff but it’s not really ground breaking or actually even that original. It’s a good idea/concept to put piccolo strings on a bass though and see what sounds can be made, but what he’s doing with it has been done to the death in the past with classical guitars. I think the sound is too limited and what you can do with that sound is too limited; look at all his other videos – it’s like a Muzak Greatest Hits or something. I think he’s in danger of wearing out his reverb. It's great if you like that sort of thing but I couldn't listen to it that often. However, I think his technique is great and I’d love to have that skill and musicality. I’m knocking the style, not the musician. He gets a pat on the back from me for thinking outside the box and trying something a bit unorthodox with the strings. He must be doing something right to get us all talking about him.

Not a bass? My arse. Ask Zon what instrument he’s playing. Since when did the name of the instrument change with the gage/type of the strings that were put on it?