Sounds nice, no matter how people say it's not like the original. It's a cover, so it should have some original approach to it, and yours has that aplenty. Your bass sounds rather like a upright bass with the twang and all even though it seems fretted!
I also like your index finger picking technique, I've been trying a similar approach now and then as I don't like picks, but would welcome the benefits of the technique. My upstroke just sounds a bit dull and lacks power to pop the string.
@Hellesens Yes, I'm aware that John Taylor is playing this fingerstyle, but I was trying a sort of B.Edwards approach. What works good for the upstroke is when you use high gain in your amp (or a gain pedal such as Tech21 VT) for an overdriven bright tone, and then turn down the tone on your bass about half way in order to tame the overly bright distrortion into a kind of slight dark growl: when you do that, then the index picking comes out nicely aggressive with pick-like attack. cheers
Thanks for the tips, I'll be sure to try them next time I feel the urge to fingerpick. Now I'm mostly training chords with both multi-finger plucking and Claypool style flamenco-strums, they really spice up the basslines when used in right spots.
I also use flatwounds on my basses, as I like their feel and mellow sound more than the rough and snappy roundwounds. They're a bit difficult to find these days as hardly anyone uses them.
@Hellesens well, flatwounds ok to find on many online shops. And about the mellow tone, when pushed into treble by eq or overdrive, their sound is soo much better than rounds. Just listen to JOe Jackson's "I'm the man" album: Graham Maby is playing flabbergating bass with flatwounds pushing his old Ibanez amp treble eq to the max... fantatic!
hmm ...just not the same friend ....did you expect different? you look like a strat player picking a bass ....Rio is all fingers dude, and the fingers bring the tone! ...put the time in or it's only a pale imitation. you're not even close at this point ...sorry!
@zaksnaporaz its alright man i thought it was nice. where is matako07's videos of him playing bass any better than you? ohh thats right they dont exist.
@matako07 of course you think this guy can't play. Just look at the shit that you favorited on your account. You need to wash your boyband jizz out your ear so you can hear real music for once.
I don't know. I bought it in nov 2008 from Slikktim who had it for a year. Why don't you ask him ? (and watch his awesome youtube postings, by the way)
well, after trying both I agree. And then you have to carry all your picks with you, which is somewhat annoying. But still, there have been / are a few great pick bass players out there that deserve due respect...
I also have a Bach P51, only mine is orange, and probably has some other wood for the body. However, mine sounds nothing like that! How much of your sound would you say comes from the bass itself and how much from the strings? Have you done any modifications to it? Any special amp or pedal? Or are LaBellas just that awesome-sounding? :)
Hi Robbanzana, I think the sound of this bass comes mainly from the wood: unlike all fenders made of alder or ash, this one's made of mahogany. The dark character and fairly textured midrange are really working best with flatwounds. It so happened that the (nice) guy who sold me this bass put quite thick LaBellas on it and I have to say the are just the right thing. In general I prefer flatwound strings for they convey much more fundamental tone, plus they sit better in the mix IMHO.
Ah darn, should've picked the mahogany one then. Mine is Alder, but it's got a cool paintjob so it's okay. I'll check out LaBella. My P51 has Fender flats on right now and they're really really stiff. Takes some serious muscle to play through a whole set.
Thanks for the video. Not a Duran Duran fan but I like my Bach. :P
not a great fan of Duran Duran either, but I do like John Taylors groovy and somewhat understated bass playing. About fender flats, they're the cheapest flats but I think they're a bit too bright in a harsh way and also too stiff. So don't judge flats based on that. The most elastic flats I tried are Thomastic Infelds Jazz Flats, very nice not everbody likes em though. Daddario Chromes light are very nice to me, but if it's the Motown thump you're after then LaBellas seem to be the way to go...
John Taylor plays with his fingers. He states he doesn't like the "clicking" sound of the pick and feels that using his fingers he gets the note and not much else. He did use a pick on one of his early songs however. He is a great bassist and I think is the largest part of Duran Duran's sound. Good job by the way.
yes, it's what some call a telecaster bass (or 51 p-bass model) czech copy, but with mahogany body and maple neck. It does sound very vintagy indeed, with tons of deep bass.
Some of the most influential bass players EVER played with picks - James Jameson, Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman and Carol Kaye to name a few. Even John Entwistle played with a pick a lot in the early days of The Who.
And I have seen John Taylor play with a pick. Not on this song but others.
Yes, that's all fine and good. But I just feel that the song is a funk bass line and played with the fingers. Every bass player should know how to play without a pick. Some songs dictate it, some don't.
It is funk for sure but I just don't subscribe to the "bass must be played with the fingers" school of thought - 90% of all songs ever written don't require playing with the fingers. Now if all you do is slap and pop in every song then yeah you need to. But who does that?
On the flip side, should every bass player know how to play with a pick? I never have. It feels so weird in my hand. Any advice on how to make that work? I feel there are a lot of lines that just don't work for me b/c I don't play with a pick. Thx!
just try to play some bass lines by great pick-players until it gets comfortable, there are many: pauc mc cartney, jj burnel, bruce foxton, paul simonon, the guy from pink floyd, the guy from joy division / new order, chris squire, simon gallup......
Thank you very kindly for your response and the pick player suggestions. I love the way those guys play! Looks like I've some woodshedding to do... :-)
I have film footage from '61 from a Motown Revue show and Jameson is using a pick in some songs. Like Carol Kaye is often used a flet oick in the studio as well.
He was essentially a "one finger" bass player but was a finger "purist" as you seem to be.
Jamerson was a finger player for a simple reason: He learned to play double bass first. Sometimes he would play with the thumb, by resting his pinkie and ring fingers in the pickup cover. Carol Kaye was clearly a pick player as she converted from Electric guitar to Bass.
For the record: I think I am more influential than Bill Wyman, although he probably was the first to record an electric fretless bass.
I am not a purist, I just play bass they way it suppose to be.
The upright actually bass comes from giant double basses that were used by some classical composers in the 17th century. They were huge 10ft tall basses that the musician had to stand on a chair to play. A sort of alto-double-bass.
I think that any technique is good, depending on the feel you want to give to the song: finger, thumb, pluck, strum, pop, pick... - whatever. Great funk bass lines were played with a pick. It's true Macca played mainly with a pick, but Jamerson played with his index only: another technique that 99 out of 100 bass teachers would probably laugh at you for if Jamerson hadn't existed.
And by the way, I wasn't playing with a pick here, it's with my index finger
Only one song: Planet Earth, because the groove wasn't possible to capture without one. He's said as much in interviews. All the others his plays with his fingers.
Hey man, I gotta say the bass fits you very well ! You've got such a massive tone with it. And guess what I've never heard of that track. Definately an awesome pop bass line. The way you played it gave it a great 70s flair !
Cool beans.
Darmesis 1 week ago
fucking nailed it. thank you
tacorubio 5 months ago
this is great!
skintrade 10 months ago
no plectrum there, dude
zaksnaporaz 11 months ago
throw away the plectrum LOL
sammyp1971 11 months ago
That bass is begging to have its frets removed! I think it would sound amazing.
MisAnnThorpe 11 months ago
FANTASTIC !! thank you for sharing this
chickapey 1 year ago
Sounds nice, no matter how people say it's not like the original. It's a cover, so it should have some original approach to it, and yours has that aplenty. Your bass sounds rather like a upright bass with the twang and all even though it seems fretted!
I also like your index finger picking technique, I've been trying a similar approach now and then as I don't like picks, but would welcome the benefits of the technique. My upstroke just sounds a bit dull and lacks power to pop the string.
Hellesens 1 year ago
@Hellesens Yes, I'm aware that John Taylor is playing this fingerstyle, but I was trying a sort of B.Edwards approach. What works good for the upstroke is when you use high gain in your amp (or a gain pedal such as Tech21 VT) for an overdriven bright tone, and then turn down the tone on your bass about half way in order to tame the overly bright distrortion into a kind of slight dark growl: when you do that, then the index picking comes out nicely aggressive with pick-like attack. cheers
zaksnaporaz 1 year ago
@zaksnaporaz @zaksnaporaz
Thanks for the tips, I'll be sure to try them next time I feel the urge to fingerpick. Now I'm mostly training chords with both multi-finger plucking and Claypool style flamenco-strums, they really spice up the basslines when used in right spots.
I also use flatwounds on my basses, as I like their feel and mellow sound more than the rough and snappy roundwounds. They're a bit difficult to find these days as hardly anyone uses them.
Hellesens 1 year ago
@Hellesens well, flatwounds ok to find on many online shops. And about the mellow tone, when pushed into treble by eq or overdrive, their sound is soo much better than rounds. Just listen to JOe Jackson's "I'm the man" album: Graham Maby is playing flabbergating bass with flatwounds pushing his old Ibanez amp treble eq to the max... fantatic!
zaksnaporaz 1 year ago
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My friend that is a brilliant effort , I make a noise on my bass ( I wouldn't say I play it ! ) much respect you sound really great well done ,
djm1964 1 year ago
My friend that is a brilliant effort , I make a noise on my bass ( I wouldn't say I play it ! ) much respect you sound rerally great well done ,
djm1964 1 year ago
hey ,i'm diggin' that pickin'.
MrNathan791 1 year ago
oh yuk such klunk, use ur fingers dude !
neonjunglejumper 1 year ago
hmm ...just not the same friend ....did you expect different? you look like a strat player picking a bass ....Rio is all fingers dude, and the fingers bring the tone! ...put the time in or it's only a pale imitation. you're not even close at this point ...sorry!
sammyp1971 1 year ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
a pick?...AND SLOPPY?....I turned you OFF at exactly minute :32.
matako07 1 year ago
no pick, no. it's a free world.
zaksnaporaz 1 year ago 5
@zaksnaporaz its alright man i thought it was nice. where is matako07's videos of him playing bass any better than you? ohh thats right they dont exist.
337camo 11 months ago
@matako07 of course you think this guy can't play. Just look at the shit that you favorited on your account. You need to wash your boyband jizz out your ear so you can hear real music for once.
Bowyerma 1 year ago 4
Awesome playing, tele bass & sound! What year is that tele monster?
adebicki 2 years ago
I don't know. I bought it in nov 2008 from Slikktim who had it for a year. Why don't you ask him ? (and watch his awesome youtube postings, by the way)
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
Bernie Edward's chucking lives on! Awesome dude, I've also got several bass covers I chuck to, it's a great technique.
If you're a bassist wondering if you should learn how to play with a pick, don't. Learn how to chuck instead, it sounds better & it's plastic-free!
falcon45ca 2 years ago
well, after trying both I agree. And then you have to carry all your picks with you, which is somewhat annoying. But still, there have been / are a few great pick bass players out there that deserve due respect...
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
Great picking, man!
I also have a Bach P51, only mine is orange, and probably has some other wood for the body. However, mine sounds nothing like that! How much of your sound would you say comes from the bass itself and how much from the strings? Have you done any modifications to it? Any special amp or pedal? Or are LaBellas just that awesome-sounding? :)
robbanzana 2 years ago
Hi Robbanzana, I think the sound of this bass comes mainly from the wood: unlike all fenders made of alder or ash, this one's made of mahogany. The dark character and fairly textured midrange are really working best with flatwounds. It so happened that the (nice) guy who sold me this bass put quite thick LaBellas on it and I have to say the are just the right thing. In general I prefer flatwound strings for they convey much more fundamental tone, plus they sit better in the mix IMHO.
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
Ah darn, should've picked the mahogany one then. Mine is Alder, but it's got a cool paintjob so it's okay. I'll check out LaBella. My P51 has Fender flats on right now and they're really really stiff. Takes some serious muscle to play through a whole set.
Thanks for the video. Not a Duran Duran fan but I like my Bach. :P
robbanzana 2 years ago
not a great fan of Duran Duran either, but I do like John Taylors groovy and somewhat understated bass playing. About fender flats, they're the cheapest flats but I think they're a bit too bright in a harsh way and also too stiff. So don't judge flats based on that. The most elastic flats I tried are Thomastic Infelds Jazz Flats, very nice not everbody likes em though. Daddario Chromes light are very nice to me, but if it's the Motown thump you're after then LaBellas seem to be the way to go...
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
nice riffs and fills
Parley454 2 years ago
cheers for this mate. My band´s goona cover this and this has been most helpful.
a1re2 2 years ago
John Taylor plays with his fingers. He states he doesn't like the "clicking" sound of the pick and feels that using his fingers he gets the note and not much else. He did use a pick on one of his early songs however. He is a great bassist and I think is the largest part of Duran Duran's sound. Good job by the way.
jamo387 2 years ago
Thank you for posting this! It's so good to be able to see the notes so well articulated. It's such a fast line...
VerdureVision 2 years ago
mm not sure on the sound, good job anyway, go fingers man !
neonjunglejumper 2 years ago
yes, it's what some call a telecaster bass (or 51 p-bass model) czech copy, but with mahogany body and maple neck. It does sound very vintagy indeed, with tons of deep bass.
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
Comment removed
Jimmy25693 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
it's bad enough you play with a pick. bass sounds sad. change the pickups or change them strings just please do something. pal.
fishfan67 2 years ago
The pickup needs adjustment i believe. low strings sound much louder.
wtfAvailableUser 2 years ago
Lower strings get choked out.
heisking 2 years ago
^ Response to: The pickup needs adjustment i believe. low strings sound much louder.
I disagree, in other words. The bass sounds amazing the way it's being played and I'm sure as a result of how it's set up.
heisking 2 years ago
NIce pick playing dood!
SLITSTERBASS 2 years ago
thanks. but it's without a pick, just using my index finger as a pick
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
John Taylor doesn't use a pick!
spawnmc 3 years ago
correct ! great finger-style player that fellow is !
zaksnaporaz 3 years ago
fantastic!!!!!
kittenpearl 3 years ago
Great playing !
Like Tim, I didn't know that track. And Tim knows a lot about music !
Great job. *****
Peace,
Fred
dkcvv 3 years ago
definitely got the fingering down, good job ... now ditch the freakin' pick and get down wit' it!
sleestak44 3 years ago
Some of us don't or can't play with our fingers.
Some of the most influential bass players EVER played with picks - James Jameson, Paul McCartney, Bill Wyman and Carol Kaye to name a few. Even John Entwistle played with a pick a lot in the early days of The Who.
And I have seen John Taylor play with a pick. Not on this song but others.
RocktheStageNYC 2 years ago
Yes, that's all fine and good. But I just feel that the song is a funk bass line and played with the fingers. Every bass player should know how to play without a pick. Some songs dictate it, some don't.
sleestak44 2 years ago
It is funk for sure but I just don't subscribe to the "bass must be played with the fingers" school of thought - 90% of all songs ever written don't require playing with the fingers. Now if all you do is slap and pop in every song then yeah you need to. But who does that?
RocktheStageNYC 2 years ago
On the flip side, should every bass player know how to play with a pick? I never have. It feels so weird in my hand. Any advice on how to make that work? I feel there are a lot of lines that just don't work for me b/c I don't play with a pick. Thx!
VerdureVision 2 years ago
just try to play some bass lines by great pick-players until it gets comfortable, there are many: pauc mc cartney, jj burnel, bruce foxton, paul simonon, the guy from pink floyd, the guy from joy division / new order, chris squire, simon gallup......
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
Thank you very kindly for your response and the pick player suggestions. I love the way those guys play! Looks like I've some woodshedding to do... :-)
VerdureVision 2 years ago
Justin Chancelor
touretul 2 years ago
In the UK it's referred to as a plectrum and not a pick. (for info only).
cooperman2112 2 years ago
Cheers for the info! I knew that already, about "plectrum" in the UK, but I'm a Yank, so "pick" it is for me. :-)
VerdureVision 2 years ago
In my opinion the greatest bass picker ( he double picks, sort of how dick dale plays guitar ) is Matt Freeman from Rancid.
Parley454 2 years ago
RocktheStageNYC,
Kid, send me the book or article where it says James Jamerson played with a pick. Unless his index was called a pick, he never did.
Picking is for noses... if you want to sound like a pick do it like this guy with thumb and index together or like Larry Graham, using his thumb nail.
wysiwyg248 2 years ago
I have film footage from '61 from a Motown Revue show and Jameson is using a pick in some songs. Like Carol Kaye is often used a flet oick in the studio as well.
He was essentially a "one finger" bass player but was a finger "purist" as you seem to be.
RocktheStageNYC 2 years ago
Jamerson was a finger player for a simple reason: He learned to play double bass first. Sometimes he would play with the thumb, by resting his pinkie and ring fingers in the pickup cover. Carol Kaye was clearly a pick player as she converted from Electric guitar to Bass.
For the record: I think I am more influential than Bill Wyman, although he probably was the first to record an electric fretless bass.
I am not a purist, I just play bass they way it suppose to be.
wysiwyg248 2 years ago
The upright actually bass comes from giant double basses that were used by some classical composers in the 17th century. They were huge 10ft tall basses that the musician had to stand on a chair to play. A sort of alto-double-bass.
so technically bass should be played with a bow.
RocktheStageNYC 2 years ago
Ah, the finger or pick debate again !
I think that any technique is good, depending on the feel you want to give to the song: finger, thumb, pluck, strum, pop, pick... - whatever. Great funk bass lines were played with a pick. It's true Macca played mainly with a pick, but Jamerson played with his index only: another technique that 99 out of 100 bass teachers would probably laugh at you for if Jamerson hadn't existed.
And by the way, I wasn't playing with a pick here, it's with my index finger
zaksnaporaz 2 years ago
Only one song: Planet Earth, because the groove wasn't possible to capture without one. He's said as much in interviews. All the others his plays with his fingers.
VerdureVision 2 years ago
Watch him play it on the youtube videos from 1981. He plays it finger style.
mobysick9 2 years ago
NIce Job!
BABBYGORILLA73 3 years ago 2
Hey man, I gotta say the bass fits you very well ! You've got such a massive tone with it. And guess what I've never heard of that track. Definately an awesome pop bass line. The way you played it gave it a great 70s flair !
SlikkTim 3 years ago 2
thanks Tim, you're too kind !
And you gotta know that John Taylor and Bernard Edwards were great friends. Just take a look at this gem :
/watch?v=14kXaX5D6Ng
There are also a couple of other great bass lines by JT, like girls on film for instance... cheers :o)
zaksnaporaz 3 years ago
pretty good man
RSLICKER 3 years ago