Bill Dickens - NAMM 2008 Accugroove / Kot Basses Booth #3

[ghitaciprian]

and at 4:36 he decides to kill the bitch ! =

[DDejon]

I think that this man is simply amazing.

[godiamone]

Great player, but I can hardly hear what he's playing let alone distinguishable notes when he starts speedslapping. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure he's hitting them all, but the amp or recording made on a portable HAM radio isn't doing it any justice. I hear a little more near the end, but still... It's more frustrating the fact that I want to hear all the notes so I can feel it.

[BUILDERPOWER]

man why him and vic dont play! i cant find a vid of them

[ALIONBASS]

Did he pay for the refret? ;-)

[rogerpaul]

Dudes! Can you see the joy in Bill's face? He's just messing around having a good time. Meanwhile y'all just chill and not take life too seriously. If you're a musician and if you had one ounce of this happiness in you, your own playing would evolve exponentially. If you don't play the bass or are not a musician, find something that makes you happy and evolve. It's nice to see someone playing freely and not trying to impress anyone like Bill Dickens is doing right here. That's just his style.

[HCN74]

Awesome skills

But where is the groove?

[Tuttermuts]

What's with all the hate? The guy is just noodling around, and?

[yungsu100]

THESE MOTHERFUCKERS SHOULD PLAY GUITAR

THEY ARE FORGETTING WHAT ROLE BASS PLAYS IN A BAND

[GeeMcBee]

@yungsu100 Get the fuck out, sir.

[sugardust6]

That man is a monster!

[kilabass]

All I have to say is get in the ring with him and see what will happen. you will get blazed. Not on this thump stuff but finger style. Sorry you will cheat a L. Secondly, this is someone randomly record this so let the man explore in peace.

[Headbanger9000]

I'm a bassist and this guy is just amazing, and for those who are talking shit on him probably do not even play a bass and are ignorant. Bass can be a lead instrument as well, its not just there to follow 4 note scales or chord patterns. To those who know of "Buddah" and recognize his skills, you're awesome. And to those who are saying that these are random notes do not know anything about music and should be educated.

[Cambodia69]

WTF? "Clack-it-ty, clack, clack" is not what I want to hear from a bass guitarist.

[giefepatrol]

@Cambodia69 he's just fucking around in this video

[Cambodia69]

@giefepatrol - Surely Kot Basses posted this because they wanted to show that a name like Bill Dickens was playing one of their instruments. If I were Kot Basses, I'd make sure that the sound quality of the recording was up to par before posting any videos. This doesn't do any justice to Kot Basses, Accugroove or Bill Dickens because some of us know what they're capable of but you'd never know it from this clip.

[giefepatrol]

@Cambodia69

I see what you're saying, I agree very much so

[YNVNEone]

What an awesome design. I love that bass. It's beautiful. It's awesome. And soon, it will be mine.

[cicadagodking]

He's just screwing around. Billy plays a 7-string bass like it's nobody's business. I once saw him sit down with Carol Kaye and a drummer and really knock off some beautiful improvisational bass-duet jazz - they were trading such tasty licks back and forth, and I know Billy was tired that day, but he played fabulously for us. And he's a terrific guy!

[2xnkote]

anyone who says he isn't amazing is either a complete idiot, doesn't know who bill dickens is or thinks that playing a bass is simply following chords, or more than likely all three.

[dogbishop]

Amazing technique. Clearly just testing out the tone of the bass rig, still very impressive. Wouldn't want to try to match him lick for lick!

[untrusted74]

disgusting bass player !!!

[gebass6]

The wrong assumption of so many is to think that every bassist is playing a song ,a melody from end to end.He's just screwing around.

[997decio]

A partir de hoje é uma das minhas influências( Now is one of my influence, he is a amazing bassist, great!!!).

[SkipElliottBowman]

Hey Jake, is that one of your basses? I love the tone!!

[johnqpublic2718]

unless you're victor wooten, then maybe you might have a point.

[johnqpublic2718]

seriously, if you watch this video and suddenly get the idea that you're a better bass player than he is, you probably need to reevaluate your own reality.

[wondolf]

Uh oh....Just say grown man sitting Indian Style Fail at 4:00....have some dignity dick!

[wondolf]

He just made that bass get wood...

[630502]

nono...actualy He is GOOD!

[RemiXXKid]

Bill is the man.. always liked him..

[cesarfunk1]

wel thats pretty much the guiness record of slap speed... other than that il take a flea solo any day of the week

pretty impresive by the way

[markee2006]

I swear people on this site talk pure shite ,nobody can touch this guys slapping technique normally he plays on a 7 string .

[mrblackmagichimself]

bo-ring

[SquierClassicVibe35]

I'm not into the fast stuff he does...his rhythm playing is badazz though(like at 4:09).

[sesspleftocore]

i think hes having fun fuck the haters

[Jpkrao]

Is he playing music? Sorry Bill, it is TERRIBLE NOISE!

[Thatguy301]

Bleh. I have no idea how this video is so highly rated. I'm sure that Bill can really play but all I ever see from him is this crap.

[ahaaaaaaaaah]

such a funk virtuoso hahaha...

[Thedeanbassman]

Bill rocks man, yall just mad cause yall can't do it !!! Don't hate the player hate the game........ Crumbs !!!

[TheSmooshster]

All those knobs! What could they possibly control?

Mid

Treble

Bass

Pickup blend

Master volume

Then i lose track lol

[Ronbajista]

I think one of those knobs controls the speed of his fingers! lol!

[lidesnowi]

Good drumming?

[sevenfall00]

Well said friend.

[groovybassist]

Amazing speed, but doesn't do anything for me either.

[bassshred37]

some of you need to research bill a little more he has a massive body of work in virtually every style of music.over a 30 year span.A 5 min amp demonstration at a booth is hardly enough to go off of when judgeing someone.

[Carehuea]

Sorry, but I agree with the comments left by RebornThroughHate. I find it hard to get into Bill?s playing cos it doesn't make me feel anything.

And I must say that he's note selection, even when he's playing lines (finger style) is still not, for me at least, that good.

[xdux]

bill is amazing. and a super nice guy. amazing player.

[RebornThroughHate]

He is a super nice guy and an amazing talent, just that his note selection leaves a lot to be desired at times. At least when he's slapping. As I said earlier, his finger playing is much better.

[sacrumnejr]

no offense meant but,one note? u sure of that? better post your vids so we can hear your choices of many good notes...peace =)

[RebornThroughHate]

Of course it's not one note, but he may as well be playing one note because it often sounds like he just moves up and down the neck without a care to find melody or emotion in there. It's noise, for the most part. I'm a big fan of speed playing, but I think the word wanking was invented just for what Bill is doing when he slaps like that.

[speemo]

I want that bass!

[RebornThroughHate]

I have the utmost respect for Bill, but if you play this, or pretty much any of his slap solos, to non-bass people, they will hear 1 note played over and over. I don't know if it's his slapping style or the way he sets his eq, but there is never enough definition between notes in his (slap) playing, unlike other comparable slappers. I'm sorry, but most people will only hear noise here. It looks impressive, but I'm not sure it sounds as good.

[RebornThroughHate]

Let me just add that I love his regular finger-style playing. He's clearly one of the best at that and, as much as he loves to slap, his finger-style is much better, IMO.

[SwedishBass]

I'm a bassist and musician since 13 years, and it will sound like noise because that's what it is. I've never heard him play anything remotely melodic.

[mstabspeople]

search youtube for the dvds, better vids than this

[REACTSF]

damm right !! just attack and attack

[javiceres]

well,compressed youtube sound isn't the best to hear a bass

[RebornThroughHate]

It has nothing to do with YouTube. This is how he sounds live and on record. Also, listen to Mark King or Wojtek Pilichowski on here. Great sound and, IMO, better technique and note selection.

[thuggedoutbitch]

and a mong is born.

[2xnkote]

then you can't play bass or know anything about playing it

[RebornThroughHate]

Sorry, I refuse to unconditionally worship a player without any sort? of criticism. I'm not a teenager. If I see fault in a bassist, I'll say so. Such is the case even with Bill here, whom I really like otherwise. I do not like his slap style.

[2xnkote]

who asked you to unconditionally worship bill dickens? or even anyone?

[RebornThroughHate]

According to you, if a person dislikes anything about Bill's style, then they must not know anything about bass. Which means you dismiss anyone who doesn't get into a particular aspect of his playing, which further means he is beyond criticism to you. That's the definition of worship.

[2xnkote]

omg you have just proven your idiocy. if you cannot make out what he is playing "but there is never enough definition between notes in his (slap) playing" then you cannot have a good ear for music.

[0kissMYbASS]

I agree. It like listening to buckethead. It sounds like noise if you cant keep up. But if you can its asolutly amazing. Go listen to greenday if you cant get into the groov,. simple beats simple melody simple harmony simple music.

[heir2throneofzamunda]

diegowlasic and ejipci... "dummies" in its most pure definition. Study your bass history before you criticize. that means going back way before you got hip to steve bailey...

[AceOfHearts1321]

i love percussive bass

[ejipci]

All I hear is noise........would never hire him if all he played was THAT on the gig....

[noinwe]

Dickens is a bad boy. Of course he would play like this on anyone record, unless they asked him to. He is just messing around at the Namm show. Check him out with Dapo Torimiro youtube video & that should let you know, that Dickens can lay it down with the best.

[Zzynol]

you wouldnt afford to hire him anyway, stop complaining, hes a good basist

[yhtomitalmighty]

noob.

[vikkijo21]

WOW! This man is AWESOME!

[UcommonAdmiration]

I would love to see him and Victor play together

[diegowlasic]

lot of notes without sense

[mart3442]

Bills a phenomenal Bass player and producer, a first call session man.....he doesn't get called for the chops on show here.

This is only one aspect of his playing taken to the extreme.

[ConnerBass]

It's true. He's actually a pretty sick groove player. Honestly I don't know why he does so much of the fast stuff, cause his more regular playing is about 500x better.

[Zombbg4]

Thats pretty much what NAMM is. People go there to try out gear and only have so much time on the instruments. If you expect musical playing from NAMM, you're looking in the wrong place.

[TaipeiDawg]

@diegowlasic

Hahaha, just coz you can't comprehend it doesn't mean there is no sense there....!!

[iPodGaming]

@diegowlasic

You clearly don't know him.

[judey2008]

@diegowlasic you are very right

[Mafutinuser]

Now that i have finished to listen to him for 6:06 minutes, I am amazed by his skills and speed playin, but unfortunatly I can't remember one single 5 second groove line, that I liked and I would like to hear again and again, you know... like those bass line grooves, three notes and a 4/4 beat :-)

[anahowana]

fortunately he was doing his work in order to show the articulation,deffinition and quality of accugroove but also to show off a bit of his skills.

u can't give final judgement according to 6 min of a utube vid :)

listen to his album studios and his work with stevie wonder...

[Sanioz]

I wish there wasn't so much other noise.

[420revolcisum]

hells yeah brother keep it goin

[FunBizzle]

Amazing ... Speechless ...

[pharoahscurse]

another sensei of a different bass playing method.. wow

[62erPrecision]

Bill Dickens' got skillz...mad skillz...

[bathomarcos]

Very Good!!

[rhythmicreddragon]

sheesh, i wish i could slap like that!

[testosteronious]

You would never get hired for anything copin that, learn how to play like Louis Johnson, Marcus Miller, Larry graham to get a gig.

[LokiNTB]

Who cares about getting gigs if you're playing what you enjoy?

[fingerboy18]

Haha funny thing is this man has played with more artists than any of whom you mentioned. It's hard to believe but it's true.

[majorbrownnose]

music is about love and props. didn't know we had all these surgeons in here, who keep cutting up someone else's talents.

P.S. I know the spelling and the grammer is terrible. English majors. :)

Nice job bruh!

[aestheticpikachu]

haha. this is just bill dickens fucking around. he does know how to play more melodic stuff also. im pretty sure he played bass for aretha franklin for a while. just because he likes to show off some tech to screw around does not mean hes a bad bass player, nor does it mean thats the only thing he can do.

[rstar2008]

I agree! The man is just improvising that's all! You have to have MELODIC pulse, rhythm, etc. to jam with some of today's popular artist including Aretha Frankling, Madonna, etc. The man got skillz!

[fingerboy18]

He's obviously having some fun. You won't get faster unless you let loose some times either. That's FUN! The man can play the damn bass haha!

[arsxxmoriendi]

@aestheticpikachu Exactly. He's just "dickin'" around. Couldn't help it.

[BassCoffeeandWine]

He's a great player, he has even more under his fingers than being just a slap monster. You should check out some of his jazz solo lines as well - excellent stuff.

[lambaobass]

Amazing!!!!!!!

[James015]

Jesus Christ. So bad ass.

[cicciomis]

the marck of bass?

[TonyBtheEG]

This guy can play some serious bass. I'm baffled at his talents.

[MAMAKICKSASSS]

now you guys see where Victor wooten chops all his licks.

[54spiritedwill54]

Thanks for posting! i luv this

[DMCpro6944]

Great Bassplayer!!

[KurtSandford]

Lol just about every bass player in the entire world uses ghost notes. Not just flea.

[Toshfunk]

hahahaha you crack me up,

nothin wrong with muted plucks,

too much of anything is bad,

ive said the same thing as guys like 6y298 and yet i get thumbs down

nathan i dont think you understood what i said

ps: besides just because flea does something doesnt make it right

[NathanFenderBass]

idc what you think i like muted plucks...i admit there is to much of them in this vid, but for some songs or watever it sounds like shit without them

ps:just because bill dickens does something doesnt mean its wrong

[kdubau]

OHHHH he's no joke he is a real player and can lay a solid GROOVE when needed. Do some research. He's just lettin us get our rocks off on his abilty, to make us mere mortals go HMMMMM? Howd he do dat????? LOL.

[toromicman]

amazing for sure, but where is the true feel,soul and feeling in it.this only makes a point of victors impact we can all do this or such but can we move and insight emotion or just try to be task masters

[staplepod]

Dude you can tell he's totally dicking around. And his talent is amazing in doing so. He makes the rest of us look like amateurs.

[originalmo07]

look at him sitting there..

playing that basss....

what a jerk

he mocks my foolishness with his freakish skill.

[ahsoman]

goddddd!@!!!!! THE BUDDAH!!!!!!!

[maddermofo]

Thanks for posting!!!