njr911 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 I watched The Who - Live at the IoW Festival (1970?) on You Tube at the weekend. It's an amazing gig and well worth a hour and 20 mins of your time. What I did notice and have noticed in the past from watching his playing is his unique technique. Hi picking fingers flying everywhere. How does he play so well and quickly ? They guys a legend! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) Check this out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g6NygXdYtQ Edited April 14, 2014 by icastle Link fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 [quote name='njr911' timestamp='1397466189' post='2424057'] I watched The Who - Live at the IoW Festival (1970?) on You Tube at the weekend. It's an amazing gig and well worth a hour and 20 mins of your time. What I did notice and have noticed in the past from watching his playing is his unique technique. Hi picking fingers flying everywhere. How does he play so well and quickly ? They guys a legend! [/quote] My playing technique to this day is largely inspired by (lovingly ripped-off from) watching the way he plays on that video. That, and my bass collections has centred around Precision-style basses for that Live at Leeds/IoW tone, and Gibson-style basses for the Quadrophenia/Who by Numbers tone. That "typewriter" fingerstyle is definitely something worth mastering - you may find the strings feel a bit "spongy" if you're striking that close to the neck, but it does make them sing a bit more. High gain, and roundwound strings "on the other side of the frets" are also helpful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 It's a bugger if you don't play songs kind to open strings... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 [quote name='njr911' timestamp='1397466189' post='2424057'] I watched The Who - Live at the IoW Festival (1970?) on You Tube at the weekend. It's an amazing gig and well worth a hour and 20 mins of your time. What I did notice and have noticed in the past from watching his playing is his unique technique. Hi picking fingers flying everywhere. How does he play so well and quickly ? They guys a legend! [/quote] I'm surprised you noticed, JE has about 20 seconds of screen time in the whole thing! Incredible concert though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 What's Tekkers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njr911 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1397475597' post='2424190'] What's Tekkers? [/quote] A slang term for technique in football I'm trying (and failing) to be down wiv tha kidz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
njr911 Posted April 14, 2014 Author Share Posted April 14, 2014 [quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1397475416' post='2424188'] I'm surprised you noticed, JE has about 20 seconds of screen time in the whole thing! Incredible concert though. [/quote] and it's hard to look what his fingers are doing when all you can look at is the mental skeleton flared suit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allighatt0r Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) Have you seen the isolated bass tracks on youtube? Won't Get Fooled Again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80dsyo2Ox-0 Baba O'Riley: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lf10U0yZrs Edited April 14, 2014 by icastle Links fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madshadows Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) [quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1397469216' post='2424112'] Check this out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g6NygXdYtQ [/quote] That was a great watch, what a bass player John Edited April 14, 2014 by icastle Link repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhay77 Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 A lot of pick playing too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The fasting showman Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 [quote name='mikhay77' timestamp='1397481704' post='2424305'] A lot of pick playing too! [/quote]Yeah, that always gets overlooked I think. 'Magic Bus' on 'Live at Leeds' has incredible plectrum playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
visog Posted April 14, 2014 Share Posted April 14, 2014 (edited) [quote name='allighatt0r' timestamp='1397469216' post='2424112'] Check this out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7g6NygXdYtQ [/quote] His tone on this awful and he's not using one of his signature bass! Dreadful... But his isolated bass on WGFA is wonderful and the Alembic has that gritty tone without all that chorused overdrive of the clip above... Edited April 14, 2014 by icastle Link fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 [quote name='The fasting showman' timestamp='1397484454' post='2424344'] Yeah, that always gets overlooked I think. 'Magic Bus' on 'Live at Leeds' has incredible plectrum playing. [/quote] Totally agree. Live at Leeds is probably 50/50 pick and fingers. Fantastic pick technique, and yes, unfairly overlooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingdownslow Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Those sleeves all crumpled up around the elbows must be uncomfortable, if he is warm why doesn't he take his jacket off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dyer Posted April 15, 2014 Share Posted April 15, 2014 Ha. That was possibly one of the first tuition videos I purchased, don't remember learning an awful lot from it and I seem to remember it costing me a lot at the time, it's not aged well for sure. It looks so amateurish now, two school chairs and a Marshall, and I agree it sounds pretty awful. Does anyone remember a Flea tuition vid where he arrives hungover and plays really badly, then teams up with Chad at the end for a lesson in playing 'really simply' whilst imagining dancing girls are in the room with you. I really would love to see that again, I could do with a good larf. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolverinebass Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 [quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1397599495' post='2425630'] A unique technique for sure. I've experimented with it at various times out of curiosity. The key is to lower the action so low that conventional fingerstyle technique sounds terrible, but you can dab the strings down near the end of the neck and 'ping' out the notes you desire. It is relatively easy to get speed up this way, especially if you have good finger strenth from conventional playing styles. You then have to use enough distortion to turn the fret buzz into musical harmonic content. A compressor helps as well, but I would personally keep the chorus and flanger pedals [s]in the bin[/s] away from your rig. I don't like playing that way at all, but it does work if you are patient. I admire John for being unique, and for carving out a unique voice on the instrument, far beyond how much I admire him as a musician, sadly. Rather like Ray Manzarek of The Doors (RIP), he does enough to sound flashy, but not enough to stand up to scrutiny, personally. That tuition video really highlights this, as he struggles to explain away a lot of his technique. How much of the content of that video is actually useful? Again, hats of to him for experimenting with treble, roundwounds and distortion at a time when nobody wanted to know. I am a big fan of The Who, but I prefer the band as a musical unit far beyond my personal like of any of the individual members (I just finished Pete's autobiography as well). [/quote] With respect, that isn't really true in part. If you have a bass which you can set the action suicidally low and have a light touch for fingerstyle, it will be fine. As long as you don't play even mediumly hard, there will be very little tone difference. As long as you don't overdo the chorus, it works fine for typewriter. You are quite right about flanging though. It sounds awful with tapping in this method. Yuck.... Isn't it obvious why he doesn't explain his technique? It's because it's all showing off!! He knows this, you know this. Nobody plays bass like that if they want to be a backup man. Obviously, he can't really say that on a mainstream production as (heaven forbid!!) a bass player doing more lead work than the guitarist is always wrong. Apparently. I suppose it depends what you define as "useful." If you're looking to check something out and steal a few bits of technique then yeah it is. If you're looking for a tick box of where something can be used in, well, it is total pants. I always took it as being down to the individual's imagination. I never had any problem retroactively going through songs I play to use it. It's just such a pity that my favourite members of The Who are both dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 It isn't a technique you'd teach and it isn't a technique that would fit in a lot of places. Strudio engrs would be tearing their hair out. Just as well Keith Moon and John Entwhitsle found each other in that vehicle as the mess really works sometimes in the context of the Who. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1397733789' post='2426879'] Just as well Keith Moon and John Entwhitsle found each other in that vehicle as the mess really works sometimes in the context of the Who. [/quote] Mess?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dyer Posted April 17, 2014 Share Posted April 17, 2014 [quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1397724028' post='2426736'] With respect, that isn't really true in part. If you have a bass which you can set the action suicidally low and have a light touch for fingerstyle, it will be fine. As long as you don't play even mediumly hard, there will be very little tone difference. As long as you don't overdo the chorus, it works fine for typewriter. You are quite right about flanging though. It sounds awful with tapping in this method. Yuck.... Isn't it obvious why he doesn't explain his technique? It's because it's all showing off!! He knows this, you know this. Nobody plays bass like that if they want to be a backup man. Obviously, he can't really say that on a mainstream production as (heaven forbid!!) a bass player doing more lead work than the guitarist is always wrong. Apparently. I suppose it depends what you define as "useful." If you're looking to check something out and steal a few bits of technique then yeah it is. If you're looking for a tick box of where something can be used in, well, it is total pants. I always took it as being down to the individual's imagination. I never had any problem retroactively going through songs I play to use it. It's just such a pity that my favourite members of The Who are both dead. [/quote] It was Pete Townsend who said "The Who never really had a bass player but more a second guitarist." (or something like that) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apa Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 [quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1397753430' post='2427142'] It was Pete Townsend who said "The Who never really had a bass player but more a second guitarist." (or something like that) [/quote] Entwistle himself never considered himself as a bass player. A Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted April 18, 2014 Share Posted April 18, 2014 [quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1397574299' post='2425279'] Does anyone remember a Flea tuition vid where he arrives hungover and plays really badly, then teams up with Chad at the end for a lesson in playing 'really simply' whilst imagining dancing girls are in the room with you. I really would love to see that again, I could do with a good larf. [/quote] Is that the one where River Pheonix is hanging around him? Those two had a bizarre relationship. Too much pharma not enough tuition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmo Valdemar Posted April 19, 2014 Share Posted April 19, 2014 (edited) [quote name='apa' timestamp='1397807107' post='2427504'] Entwistle himself never considered himself as a bass player. A [/quote] He certainly did and always appeared fiercely proud of what he had achieved, both in playing style and gear developments. He always referred to himself as a 'bass guitarist' rather than a 'bassist', but that was never meant as a swipe at his chosen instrument or role. As PT said of JE after his death, "He had the power to change the f***ing instrument". And he did, but never forgot his role in the band. For all his extravagance and bravado, I can't think of a single example in the Who's recordings where he doesn't fulfil his role in the band. We were never left wanting. Edited April 19, 2014 by Cosmo Valdemar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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