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Are YOU a Boring Bass Player?


Swift Bass

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4 minutes ago, Dad3353 said:

Cherry-picking..? Just being ornery, or obtuse..? All performers must get up to antics..? You're just being contrary for the sake of it. -_-

Not at all. Are you? 
 

That’s is incredibly tedious. How long are his gigs? 

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As long as people on stage look as tho they are enjoying themselves then i'm happy. I don't mind a bass player standing still and occasionally looking at his fretboard during difficult sections if he seems to be enjoying what he's doing.

Not saying they have to be smiling or laughing in hysterics all the time but you get a general feel from the band that they are having fun or enjoying it. Sometimes its just a smile to another player or the audience or even a happy recognition at the end of the song.

I see many guitarists fret watching during solo's even the very best guitarists do it.

Perhaps its just a happy demeanour. 

Its difficult to pinpoint it but you just know.

Dave

 

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1 hour ago, TimR said:

Not at all. Are you? 
 

That’s is incredibly tedious. How long are his gigs? 

As long as he wanted.  Probably THE most important classical guitarist in history and if it's tedious it's because you don't appreciate classical guitar rather than because he has no stage presence.  I suppose you would prefer it if he was more like Bobby Crush?

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I hope I've never been thought of as boring when doing the thing that I love. 

The bit of the video I watched touched on not staring at the fretboard. This is good advice. Band leaders like musicians who have their eyes up. 

 

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52 minutes ago, Nicko said:

As long as he wanted.  Probably THE most important classical guitarist in history and if it's tedious it's because you don't appreciate classical guitar rather than because he has no stage presence.  I suppose you would prefer it if he was more like Bobby Crush?

Nothing to do with what he was playing. It was just expressionless. 

There are more recent videos of him on YouTube where he raises eyebrows and nods his head and leans back and forth. 
 

Maybe in 1961 before TV was a big thing it was acceptable to sit in the dark completely expressionless and motionless. 
 

Life has moved on. Show some passion. 

Edited by TimR
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Back in 61 it probably was quite different. He was classed as an expert in classical guitar and that's the part he was showing rather than a show as we know it today.

Modern classical guitarist tend to have some degree of showmanship but that was a completely different era and people were wary of cameras shoved in their faces when playing.

I get both sides of this argument so its a difficult call as to what's right or wrong.

I like Steve Hackett but he's not renowned for moving about much and does watch his fretboard when doing classical stuff but i appreciate his skill and then you have someone like Steve Vai or the late Eddie Van Halen who were more than capable of entertaining as showman and their technique. No matter what they do on stage Hackett, Vai and EVH all look as tho they enjoy doing what they do. 

Dave

Edited by dmccombe7
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1 hour ago, TimR said:

Nothing to do with what he was playing. It was just expressionless. 

There are more recent videos of him on YouTube where he raises eyebrows and nods his head and leans back and forth. 
 

Maybe in 1961 before TV was a big thing it was acceptable to sit in the dark completely expressionless and motionless. 
 

Life has moved on. Show some passion. 

0cYDHtn.jpg

:lol: :P

Edited by Dad3353
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It should be noted that Segovia was at the (small c) conservative end of the spectrum when it came to performances. One time, he raised an eyebrow while onstage and women in the audience fainted from shock.

At the other end of the spectrum is Paganini who embraced a 'physical' approach to his stage appearances and sometimes even deliberately weakened his strings so that they would break in mid-performance, this to demonstrate his virtuoso ability to rock out on three, then two, then finally one string. True, this.

Nigel Kennedy sits somewhere in between but he is a twonk and therefore outwith the scope of our analysis.

Edited by skankdelvar
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I’m not sure why people are arguing about this – it’s pretty clear cut. if you are playing classical or the more cerebral types of jazz then it doesn’t really matter if you dance or not. Of course, a bit of showmanship doesn’t hurt, as everyone from Mozart to Paganini to Louis Armstrong to Jaco have shown. But generally speaking, if you are not expecting the audience to dance then it doesn’t matter if you do.

However, if you are playing rock / pop / funk or whatever then you had better have some sort of stage presence going on. I suppose you can get by without if you are playing the lower level of function / wedding band work, where the audience are not there to see the band but for the occasion / free bar. But if you want to people to come and see your band then you need to put on a show of some sort. This doesn’t necessarily mean running around like Angus Young, just looking comfortable onstage and acknowledging the audience will do for a start. But if you can’t engage an audience then no one will make an effort to come and see your rock / pop band.

Edited by peteb
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16 hours ago, skankdelvar said:

Nigel Kennedy sits somewhere in between but he is a twonk and therefore outwith the scope of our analysis.

As does Bobby Crush whose high steppin’ piaffe-type dressage approach to striking the keyboard is something I’m trying to adapt into my bass technique.

 

Edited by Frank Blank
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7 hours ago, TimR said:

What were the conductor and soloists doing? 
 String section? Pianist? 

I have never seen a classical player sat still staring at their music stand. 

Have you got your debating hat on again?

Of your list of live performance crimes the only one I can't forgive is overplaying so I would put that at the top.

Bass moves the waist. Concentrating on that duty gets in the way of jiggling about like you have ants in your pants sometimes.

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29 minutes ago, Frank Blank said:

As does Bobby Crush whose high steppin’ piaffe type dressage approach to striking the keyboard is something I’m trying to adapt into my bass technique.

 

I think you could do better...

 

 

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This is (or rather, was...) our hypnotically mesmerising band, playing at a local mini-festival a few years ago now. You'll understand from the insane antics of all of us the magnetic attraction we emanate, which explains why we get called upon so often. The choreography is meticulously rehearsed, perhaps even more so than the research for the best sound, and pays off handsomely (although it's hard on the knees, and the stunts are dangerous for the untrained. Do not try this at home...). I'll let those that get to the end judge the (modest...) popularity of our 'performance'. So, with no further ado, I'll leave the stage and welcome... The Daubs..! (sporadic applause...)

 

Edited by Dad3353
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7 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

This is (or rather, was...) our hypnotically mesmerising band, playing at a local mini-festival a few years ago now. You'll understand from the insane antics of all of us the magnetic attraction we emanate, which explains why we get called upon so often. The choreography is meticulously rehearsed, perhaps even more so than the research for the best sound, and pays off handsomely (although it's hard on the knees, and the stunts are dangerous for the untrained. Do not try this at home...). I'll let those that get to the end judge the (modest...) popularity of our 'performance'. So, with no further ado, I'll leave the stage and welcome... The Daubs..! (sporadic applause...)

 

That's not the style of music i was expecting from you @Dad3353

For some reason i exxpected something a little bit more "sedate" but well done sir.

Shame we couldn't get a decent view of the bass player tho. 

Are you on drums in this one ?

Dave

Edited by dmccombe7
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7 hours ago, Dad3353 said:

a39K7aO.gif

Yes, yes; now go and lie down, you'll feel better in the morning. 9_9

(... but thanks for watching,  just the same... :friends:)

I wasn’t sure if your original comment was satire or not. 
 

The singer commands the stage. The guitarist on the right is moving a lot. The guitarist on the left is using what space he has. 

No music stands immediately obvious.

That’s not exactly what I’m thinking when I say shoe gazing or fretboard gazing. 

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