Hamster Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 He's still got more groove then I'm ever likely to have Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XB26354 Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Something that gets me about today's "top" bass players is that they may have squeaky clean technique and be able to slap, pop, tap, double thumb and thump their way to the moon and back, but when they make their own music, why is so much of it a boring endless one chord vamp? It seems to be the fusion disease! It's also amusing in the first video Mike posted above that Victor says "expression is the key, the technique or tools you use are secondary." To me what he is saying in that short insert is that he has great time and can play one helluva lot of notes in Em/E7#9! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Out of alot of his stuff, this is the only one I come back to now and again: Just holding it down and doubling the melody, nothing flash at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urb Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 [quote name='XB26354' post='414568' date='Feb 19 2009, 06:18 PM']Something that gets me about today's "top" bass players is that they may have squeaky clean technique and be able to slap, pop, tap, double thumb and thump their way to the moon and back, but when they make their own music, why is so much of it a boring endless one chord vamp? It seems to be the fusion disease! It's also amusing in the first video Mike posted above that Victor says "expression is the key, the technique or tools you use are secondary." To me what he is saying in that short insert is that he has great time and can play one helluva lot of notes in Em/E7#9![/quote] I definitely agree with you there Mark, re the one chord vamp... to be fair sometimes people get stuck WITHOUT changes and need them to make an interesting solo, finding a multitude of chord possibilities in just one key is something I still love to hear from the best jazzers, but it can just be an excuse to w*** away with every chop you have... or not! But the vids I posted are from his new Groove Workshop DVD that is really, really good and looks at music as a whole, certainly from a bass point of view but it's really musical and not just Wooten noodling, though you get a bit of that as well Vic is one grooving mutha, and yes he can be extremly pyrotechnical but he does have all the basics down and then some and his timing and groove are stunning... listen to him with the Flecktones and he rarely puts a foot wrong, one his own stuff he can go a bit too into iondulgent slap. I'm still a fan and think his book The Music Lesson is great and I recommend it to anyone interested in music. M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 I have to agree with Josh on this one, that YouTube clip is great. From a bass players perspective all the clips great in my opinion, but from a non-bass players perspective it's pretty much all tosh ! Even that Amazing Grace thing he does. Great technically but tunefully it's murder. I'd rather hear it on the Bagpipes than listen to that keech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 [quote name='largo' post='414709' date='Feb 19 2009, 08:33 PM']I'd rather hear it on the Bagpipes than listen to that keech.[/quote] Ask and you shall recieve! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flippyfloop Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 Why do bagpipes make me want to pull my teeth out ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flippyfloop Posted February 19, 2009 Share Posted February 19, 2009 [quote name='urb' post='414651' date='Feb 19 2009, 07:40 PM']I definitely agree with you there Mark, re the one chord vamp... to be fair sometimes people get stuck WITHOUT changes and need them to make an interesting solo, finding a multitude of chord possibilities in just one key is something I still love to hear from the best jazzers, but it can just be an excuse to w*** away with every chop you have... or not! But the vids I posted are from his new Groove Workshop DVD that is really, really good and looks at music as a whole, certainly from a bass point of view but it's really musical and not just Wooten noodling, though you get a bit of that as well Vic is one grooving mutha, and yes he can be extremly pyrotechnical but he does have all the basics down and then some and his timing and groove are stunning... listen to him with the Flecktones and he rarely puts a foot wrong, one his own stuff he can go a bit too into iondulgent slap. I'm still a fan and think his book The Music Lesson is great and I recommend it to anyone interested in music. M[/quote] Well put. Nice one Urb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatboter Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 I'm still a big fan of Wooten, think he is one of the best bass players ever and he has a great groove and timing. His imagination is endless and his ideas are fresh. Sometimes his sound is a bit too thin but that's his choice. He opens doors for me unlike the bassplayers of the Arctic Monkeys or the Kaiser Chiefs whose groove doesn't move me at all but that's a personal taste off course. Sometimes Wooten plays crap but so does Percy Jones or Stanley Clarke or anyone. Wooten doesn't stand still and moves on unlike a lot of other bassplayers (including me a lot of times). I think there's a lot of jealousy going on. If he wouldn't be any good, he wouldn't have a topic going on around here. I like Karn, Giblin, Levin, Wooten, Paul Turner, McCartney, Graham Maby, etc... they all move me for various reasons. This Wooten thing I really like and I would love to be able to play this way. [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_9vLph-9ZA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_9vLph-9ZA[/url] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 [quote name='Jase' post='414270' date='Feb 19 2009, 02:07 PM']Yes, he's Hartke's new big shout![/quote] Wow, that's a hell of a catch for them! [quote name='flippyfloop' post='414836' date='Feb 19 2009, 10:46 PM']Why do bagpipes make me want to pull my teeth out ?[/quote] The definition of a gentleman is someone who knows how to play the bagpipes, but doesn't. One of my personal Vic faves is still 'Me & My Bass Guitar'. Never fails to get the ol' toes tapping. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFW Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 He frustrates me like no other player. He seems able to spoil any groove he gets going by chucking in loads of 'look at me' w***ery. Look at this: Annoying tappity double thumbing nonsense mixed in with flashes of some very tasty grooving (from about 1 minute in) which he then spoils again with 200MPH double thumb bollocks. He's got to a level of adulation amongst some (blinded by technique) players now that he could get on stage and fart (through Hartke amplification of course) and receive a standing ovation. That NAMM buildup thing is just embarrassing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatboter Posted February 20, 2009 Share Posted February 20, 2009 Well, there seem to be plenty of bassplayers who think otherwise... He's got technique and he uses it. I would too if I could. Sometimes passion means also speed and weird fills. There's a whole more in Funk than just playing dull octaves in E while thinking "I'm really grooving... mààààn". A lot of bassplayers think they are funky because they play one note on the "1" for fifteen boring minutes. I can't stand more than ten minutes of Parliament, George Clinton etc because I think it's dull and has few ideas. I bet Wooten can do all that stuff too but if he wants to expand his horizon and play a lot of notes, why shouldn't he ? I get a kick out of him. I was blown away when I first heard him and still am (not always). He made me a more versatile bassplayer than I was. I don't copy him but I use his ideas. And I think he is a very funky guy.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I don't like his playing either... but who cares what I think? While I spend all my days slaving in an office surrounded by self-obsessed w*nk*rs in suits, he gets to jet around the world doing something he (presumably) loves doing. So good luck to the guy, I say Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) We need players like Wooten. He pushes the envelope of what's possible on the instrument. And this in turn inspires us to become better bass players. Otherwise we all might as well just play 12 bar, 3 chord tricks in pubs for the rest of our lives. Edited February 21, 2009 by OutToPlayJazz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 [quote name='flippyfloop' post='414836' date='Feb 19 2009, 10:46 PM']Why do bagpipes make me want to pull my teeth out ?[/quote] They make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. In a good way. I love 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4000 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 (edited) [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='416022' date='Feb 21 2009, 10:44 AM']While I spend all my days slaving in an office surrounded by self-obsessed w*nk*rs in suits, he gets to jet around the world doing something he (presumably) loves doing. So good luck to the guy, I say [/quote] Did I write this post???????? Crikey, we're leading parallel lives!!!! Edited February 21, 2009 by 4000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doctorbass Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 [quote name='steve-soar' post='413800' date='Feb 19 2009, 12:28 AM'][url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYB-5Ih6i2k&NR=1"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYB-5Ih6i2k&NR=1[/url][/quote] Yeah, I can put up with about a minute of that...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SammyDamacy Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 [quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='416025' date='Feb 21 2009, 10:47 AM']We need players like Wooten. He pushes the envelope of what's possible on the instrument. And this in turn inspires us to become better bass players. Otherwise we all might as well just play 12 bar, 3 chord tricks in pubs for the rest of our lives.[/quote] +1 I couldn't agree more, you will find generally the kind of people that hate Wooten are the people that CAN'T do his technique. He, like many famous players has just expanded on a technique, which he is VERY good at. The world of bass would be alot more boring without player's who stepped up and said 'Hey, look what I can do'. Like him or not, he is highly talented, and a massive influence on the world of current and upcoming bass players. Guess it'll be Mark King next aye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buzz Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Wooten is a very good player, however, the bass isn't really suited to being a solo instrument or the lead instrument (it can do leads occasionally, but it really isn't suited to it due to the area of the sonic spectrum it covers), at least not in the way he plays. Near enough every clip I see where he's without the full band isn't impressive to listen too, even if it's technically impressive. On the other hand, the clips where he's part of a band generally sound pretty good, so I'd rather not judge him as a solo artist but more as a bassist. There is a reason why people like Santana/Vai/Satriani are widly known by people outside of their instrument, rather then solely being known by the people who use the instrument. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 I much prefer Wooten in a band situation, obsoiiive: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 Whether you like him or not, I'm 50/50, he's making a better living than I am at playing bass so, good for him, respect to Victor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='416022' date='Feb 21 2009, 10:44 AM']I don't like his playing either... but who cares what I think? While I spend all my days slaving in an office surrounded by self-obsessed w*nk*rs in suits, he gets to jet around the world doing something he (presumably) loves doing. So good luck to the guy, I say [/quote][quote name='4000' post='416042' date='Feb 21 2009, 11:06 AM']Did I write this post???????? Crikey, we're leading parallel lives!!!![/quote] Can I join your club guys? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ashevans09 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 [quote name='alexclaber' post='413874' date='Feb 19 2009, 08:01 AM']It's as aurally enjoyable as a herd of tone-deaf and nervous cats attempting to simultaneously break the land speed record and establish a new record for largest feline chorus singing Handel's Messiah.[/quote] Now to me that sounds pretty damn cool... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
josh3184 Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 sounds EPIC! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 16, 2009 Share Posted March 16, 2009 A [i]herd[/i] of cats..?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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