Slamming doors

[@Metal2TheMaxxx]

That’ll give Stella her groove back. Some nice walking lines in that one for sure. Here’s a question, do you pluck on the neck for tone preference? Is it because you’re using the neck pickup? Or is it just playing style? Curious. I still gotta get the hang of the fretless and get my best tone with it, onboard EQ helps but, I can’t help but feel like there’s more to it than the pickups, EQ and strings. And I’m still very curious about the different types of strings, I know there’s flat but I’ve never heard anyone use the ground or tape wound, and I’m really curious what these will do. But I know it has a lot more to do with the player technique and how that person plays it. Keep it up man!

[@mymorningimprovpaulcrowwil2195]

@@Metal2TheMaxxx yeah the string is able to get more of a full vibration and fuller tone farther up like that. Give it a shot.. you'll see what I mean. I actually run the bridge pickup wide open and and roll on a little bit of the neck, usual less than half volume. I run the tone wide open then roll off the treble a bit to minimize buzz and clack but in general on the bass and at the head my EQ is totally flat. You can choose to make yer tone all about the pickups and amp settings but true tone, especially on fretless is in you and how you play for the most part. I choose to just electronics to make that louder but not to color what is actually going on too much. I'm other words, that sound the bass makes when unplugged is the sound I'm trying to project. I'm a roundwound guy. Totally.

[@Metal2TheMaxxx]

@@mymorningimprovpaulcrowwil2195 Well, right now, I’m still using a 70’s Univox Stereobass (Rickenbacker copy, a damn good one though), the Ibanez SDGB1, I ordered and I am purchasing on layaway slowly, because financing the full cost would crush me, so I won’t be able to bring it home for another 6-7 months. it’s about $3200 Canadian with the road case (I’m not spending over $2k on an amazing 9 piece neck-thru bass with that stellar paint job and using a f’n gig bag! No way!). So right now I’m learning as much as I can about fretless and learning as many fretless players I can find (not a whole lot of them out there) and getting back into bass theory and practicing with a rickenbacker 4 string to train myself to be a better player with more control of the instrument, it’s not the same as guitar at all, and the scale throws me off still. I started playing bass in high school because our guitar class was full of guitarists, and I was wanting to not do something that would conflict with cooperating with others, if I played bass, it can only work WITH whatever someone else is doing, rather than end up is disagreements over who is playing what part of the piece. So now I’m learning it again, because I need to be able to compose and arrange complimentary works or pieces, I wanna release an “art rock (metal)” release, and all I have is about 6-8 riffs for a main song which is all metal, but I wanna do instrumental tracks for intro and outro that are NOT metal, but work well in arriving at metal or “resolve” at metal or FROM metal lead out into another style that’s very calm, chill, groovy and “hey this, this is settling, this is really catchy and different, wow…. Did not see this coming!” Think of it like this…. You’ve been a bassist longer than I’ve been a human being I’m sure. But In your experience, have you ever as a bassist using fretless worked with any pro player of a lap steel? I thought “whoa! The sound of a fretless working with a lap steel? Take the fretless, run it through effects for echo or chorus, use an E bow and build a line cliche under the harmony of the lap steel? 👍🏻” I wanna try these things. But I gotta learn way more about being a fretless player to gain the skill to get there. Hence why I watch you every day, again, you’ve incorporated a lot into your improv. Your experience shines through the whole thing, there may not be a defined structure of arrangement in them but the technique, the style and the execution is strong in your playing. So…. Any books or bassists who have lessons online either than Gary Willis or Jaco Pastorius, who you can recommend? I’ll take any suggestions to advance myself in learning to play better and know how to incorporate my bass lines better. I don’t want to just “follow the guitars” that’s not what a bassist is supposed to do, which is what a lot of guitarists tried telling me for years. Bassists work with the drummers and build the rhythm and groove of the song, and a lot of the signature sounds on classic albums are usually defined by the bassist in terms of “signal” licks to indicate the change in the progression. A fine example; early Mercyful Fate, and early Metallica, you’ll know when they’re switching to the chorus or bridge, or when a solo is coming by how the bassist and drummer work together. Not all bassists do this and it’s a crying shame, music loses character and class when the bass doesn’t have its place in the piece of music.

[@mymorningimprovpaulcrowwil2195]

@@Metal2TheMaxxx funny you mention lap steel..I actually have played lap steel for a while. I don't have one anymore but it's an interesting instrument. I also have an actual handmade Mongolian morin khuur that I futz about with but claim no proficiency. As far as other bassists, listen to upright guys like Paul Chambers, Charlie Haden, Ron Carter, Mingus. Then of course Bootsy, Larry Graham, Verdine White. But as far as my own personal thing I have always listened more to horn players. Miles, Ornette, Booker Little, Dolphy, Ted Curson. And another biggie for me is Jimmy Smith. I always say my favorite bass player is Jimmy Smith's left hand. I started off as kid that was fascinated with a particular sound that i would hear on records but had no idea what it was that made that sound. I was 12 when I discovered it was a bass and started playing one. Bass is all I ever wanted to play, that sound. I didn't realize or understand that it had some sort of supportive role and to be honest did not accept that very well when people started trying to force it on me. That's not to say that I can't, don't or won't play a supportive or traditional bass role it's just I do so sometimes in an unorthodox or surprising ways. And I will harmonize and play melodies. I have never actually been trained or educated in any formal way on the bass. I just have always loved the sound it makes and have wanted to develop my own voice with it....much like a horn player. Horn has a much larger influence on me than other bass players. I actually have never listened to many other bass players for too long and certainly never tried to analyze or figger out what they were doing. I'd always just use my bass to sing along with whatever music I was listening to, playing whatever the hell I wanted. Every now and then I'd find a snippet or bass part that was so badass that I HAD to figger it out but often times I come up with my own thing.

[@Metal2TheMaxxx]

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[@Metal2TheMaxxx]

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