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I know that many bassists don't like 'showboaters' ....


Angel
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And that is fine, we are all entitled to our own opinions.

Personally I don't like showboating when it is terrible, indulgent drivel (like many bass solos I've seen live over the past 40 years!), but when it is musical, when it has groove etc, yes, I really like that sort of thing.

A bass player that I really enjoy is Charles Berthoud, he plays solo stuff on Youtube etc, and he has a mindblowing level of technique, but he keeps musicality at the centre, and gets a great groove going. To that end I really enjoyed this cover of Uptown funk. If you don't want his preamble, playing starts at 40 seconds.

 

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1 hour ago, Angel said:

And that is fine, we are all entitled to our own opinions.

Personally I don't like showboating when it is terrible, indulgent drivel (like many bass solos I've seen live over the past 40 years!), but when it is musical, when it has groove etc, yes, I really like that sort of thing.

A bass player that I really enjoy is Charles Berthoud, he plays solo stuff on Youtube etc, and he has a mindblowing level of technique, but he keeps musicality at the centre, and gets a great groove going. To that end I really enjoyed this cover of Uptown funk. If you don't want his preamble, playing starts at 40 seconds.

 

I agree, I really like Charles  Berthoud. I've said in another thread I think he is the most technically accomplished bassist I've ever seen,  as much as its not a competition, he may actually be the best bassist I have ever seen. 

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When I scroll through the likes of Instagram, a lot of what I see is various players up at the dusty end, noodling away through various modes, or some noisy slappity, poppity nonsense (the kind of thing you hear at bass shows). That kind of soloing leaves me cold. This, however, is great because, although all the elements mentioned before are present and correct, he’s actually playing a tune. Proper structure, melodic ideas and rhythm, interspersed with some tasty fills. That’s how it should be done. Any solo that doesn’t reference the actual song, or isn’t a tune within the tune is pointless willy waggling. Thanks for sharing.

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He's a tremendous player. Personally, I find his presentation style a bit in yer face, but I suppose that's what you have to do to stand out and get views.

There are quite a few people with fantastic ability making similar videos. It's almost as if, having spent countless hours developing awesome technique, they struggle to find opportunities to use it (relatively few bass playing jobs call for that level of playing and certainly few require you to be that busy). So I guess the obvious thing is to make YT vid's to showcase it.

They are useful in that you can use them to learn a few new things to incorporate into your own playing.

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41 minutes ago, Dan Dare said:

Personally, I find his presentation style a bit in yer face, but I suppose that's what you have to do to stand out and get views.

I think you have hit the nail in the head there. It's what he has to do to get views and earn a living. 

If you look at his earlier YT videos they are much more about the bass playing. He got his big YT break when doing a Fiver video for Davie504 and then a bass battle with Davie504. I think the path was then clear that to make a living out of music he would actually be able to eat from making YT videos, rather then solo bass gigs. 

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Granted he is superb but there was a bit of overdubbing going on in that song. At times I was hearing another bass when he was doing something else. I like things as they are played.

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I like showboaters.

I'm impressed by any bassist who is good at their craft. I like inventive players who have good skills and technique. I stood 6 feet away from Victor Wooten when he was doing a bass clinic and my eyes were out on stalks for most of the evening.

Sadly, I can't see most of what they play fitting in to any musical situation that's relevant to me. Maybe I should have more imagination!

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1 hour ago, ubit said:

Granted he is superb but there was a bit of overdubbing going on in that song. At times I was hearing another bass when he was doing something else. I like things as they are played.

There are plenty of videos where he does just that - the only extra bass on the backing track there is just doing the root notes.

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33 minutes ago, chris_b said:

I like showboaters.

I'm impressed by any bassist who is good at their craft. I like inventive players who have good skills and technique. I stood 6 feet away from Victor Wooten when he was doing a bass clinic and my eyes were out on stalks for most of the evening.

Sadly, I can't see most of what they play fitting in to any musical situation that's relevant to me. Maybe I should have more imagination!

See, that's the point for me, I do love a bit of pyrotechnics, Geddy Lee's playing is a huge influence, as was Jaco, but it has to work in context of the song, and often that level of virtuosity outshines the composition, there's a reason Micheal Manring plays solo...

That may just be an excuse for my lack of talent however...

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56 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

There are plenty of videos where he does just that - the only extra bass on the backing track there is just doing the root notes.

Nope, there was high end noodling going on as well which wasn't being played. I'm not slagging his playing, just that its been given a bit of extra jhazoom.

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10 hours ago, Crawford13 said:

I agree, I really like Charles  Berthoud. I've said in another thread I think he is the most technically accomplished bassist I've ever seen,  as much as its not a competition, he may actually be the best bassist I have ever seen. 

And with humour.

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6 hours ago, ubit said:

Granted he is superb but there was a bit of overdubbing going on in that song. At times I was hearing another bass when he was doing something else. I like things as they are played.

I would argue that you are sailing dangerously close to making it a sport with a comment like that. He is merely playing along to a backing track and making music. We are all bass players around here, we can all see what he is playing or not. 

Still, I shouldn't really work at defending, you have every right to make that comment.

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10 hours ago, Angel said:

I would argue that you are sailing dangerously close to making it a sport with a comment like that. He is merely playing along to a backing track and making music. We are all bass players around here, we can all see what he is playing or not. 

Still, I shouldn't really work at defending, you have every right to make that comment.

Fair comment mate, I just wanted to point out that he is selling it as a live performance when it's clearly not. The guy is HUGELY talented and I bow to his skill and dexterity.

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Live from the bedroom?

True, this seems to be the thing today - no "jitter" or tiny faults. No false notes or rhythmic issues.

But I want my live out there in the stages without extreme post processing. Raw, full dialogue between band members.

He plays well, no doubt. But I doubt, too, this has very little to do with live. This is a recording in a bedroom studio.

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5 minutes ago, itu said:

He plays well, no doubt. But I doubt, too, this has very little to do with live. This is a recording in a bedroom studio.

The guys is much more than a bedroom instagrammer. It's just what everyone has been forced to do in these times. 

 

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2 hours ago, Crawford13 said:

The guys is much more than a bedroom instagrammer. It's just what everyone has been forced to do in these times.

Sure, and it is a real pity we have no chance to meet these players face to face.

No more Teams, Mural, Meet, Hangouts, Zoom, Insta, YT, or anything else from any screen! I want to see the real musicians on a physical stage. Me want to go to a gig, too.

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