Danny Sapko discovers… (now including follow up vid that is worse!)

[HeadlessBassist]

5 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Yes... Bear in mind that Liszt (and Paganini) was a showman, playing things others thought impossible and some thought was just musical pyrotechnics that had little bearing on actual music... His concerts caused mass fainting fits among women in the audience, he had a "piano battle" with Sigismond Thalberg in Paris (see Davie 504 vs Berthoud), he was the first musical superstar.

And while I wouldn't necessarily compare the talent of 200bpm bassman to the awesome skillz of Liszt (😁), the showing off part is deeply rooted in Liszt's legacy. 

 

1. I visited Franz Liszt's house in the Weimar Republic in the late 80s while I was a music student. Yes, yes, I know. He was out. Saw his Piano, though. Anyway, did you know that he totally knackered his tendons by taping wooden blocks in between his fingers in order to try and gain an even wider hand span? (Eejit!)

 

2. Also, is this the five minute argument, or the full half hour..?

Edited August 20 by HeadlessBassist

[Burns-bass]

5 hours ago, Leonard Smalls said:

Yes... Bear in mind that Liszt (and Paganini) was a showman, playing things others thought impossible and some thought was just musical pyrotechnics that had little bearing on actual music... His concerts caused mass fainting fits among women in the audience, he had a "piano battle" with Sigismond Thalberg in Paris (see Davie 504 vs Berthoud), he was the first musical superstar.

And while I wouldn't necessarily compare the talent of 200bpm bassman to the awesome skillz of Liszt (😁), the showing off part is deeply rooted in Liszt's legacy. 

Not sure I’d put Davie and Charles at that level of creativity and virtuosity but the principle is the same, I agree.

 

I think we sort of agree.

 

I love showing off. I regularly go to classical recitals where it’s 2 hours of virtuosity. I play jazz and that’s basically continual showing off. I’ve played so long the whole point now is showing off because the basic stuff is dull.

 

But because nobody actually comes to my gigs, im not monetising it!

 

I actually saw the pillar that holds Chopin’s heart. Apparently he was afraid of being buried alive so when he died he had it take out and sent back to Poland.

 

 

[TimR]

2 hours ago, Burns-bass said:

I love showing off. I regularly go to classical recitals where it’s 2 hours of virtuosity. I play jazz and that’s basically continual showing off. I’ve played so long the whole point now is showing off because the basic stuff is dull.

 

We all do. 

 

The difference is, people either walk out or clap. 

 

I'm guessing the Edinburgh Fringe is kind of like a real life TicTok where you actually see the faces of the people scrolling past. 

 

Maybe there will be a point at which someone will put a vertical window in front of themselves so the passing people actually have to stop for a few seconds to look in before passing on to the next performer.

[Woodinblack]

7 hours ago, TimR said:

Maybe there will be a point at which someone will put a vertical window in front of themselves so the passing people actually have to stop for a few seconds to look in before passing on to the next performer.

 

I have seen such things in several european countries!

[Count Bassy]

On 20/08/2025 at 08:54, Leonard Smalls said:

Aye... Playing anything complicated or difficult shouldn't be allowed! Just because they're using a musical instrument to produce sound doesn't mean it's music, it's just about inflating their own ego. They should just stick to straightforward and easy tunes, so for keyboards, no harder than Chopsticks, and for bass players, stick to the root and throw in the occasional fifth if you really must.

I blame that Paganini and Liszt.

What's this "fifth" thing you mention?

Edited August 21 by Count Bassy

[peteb]

Just seen this from Francis Dunnery on Facebook that made me think of this thread

 

"At 62 years old, so far as guitar playing is concerned, 'fast' has lost its relevance. I watch a hundred guitar players a day on social media playing utterly incredible licks and runs, stunning dexterity, outrageous acrobatics, tapping, arpeggios, faster and faster until it sounds like a pacman arcade game. But to be honest, at this stage of the game I'd rather listen to the acoustic guitar part in 'band on the run' or 'horse with no name'. That's what age does to you.

Most of the people who look for attention performing on a stage are unconsciously trying to get their parents approval via an audience. 'look at me, look how special I am'. When you get older you don't need that. You have your own approval. You've accepted yourself for what and who you are. All of the showboat guitar playing is actually fantastic. It really is. But I still prefer the riff from 'smoke on the water' and that great moment when the bass comes in. It never really got any better than that for me." 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

15 minutes ago, peteb said:

Just seen this from Francis Dunnery on Facebook that made me think of this thread

 

"At 62 years old, so far as guitar playing is concerned, 'fast' has lost its relevance. I watch a hundred guitar players a day on social media playing utterly incredible licks and runs, stunning dexterity, outrageous acrobatics, tapping, arpeggios, faster and faster until it sounds like a pacman arcade game. But to be honest, at this stage of the game I'd rather listen to the acoustic guitar part in 'band on the run' or 'horse with no name'. That's what age does to you.

Most of the people who look for attention performing on a stage are unconsciously trying to get their parents approval via an audience. 'look at me, look how special I am'. When you get older you don't need that. You have your own approval. You've accepted yourself for what and who you are. All of the showboat guitar playing is actually fantastic. It really is. But I still prefer the riff from 'smoke on the water' and that great moment when the bass comes in. It never really got any better than that for me." 

 

 

[peteb]

24 minutes ago, HeadlessBassist said:

 

 

The thing is that all of those songs (with the possible exception of Jimmy Buffet's back catalogue) were f***ing great the first time you heard them! Yes, you may be sick to the back teeth of them now, but you shouldn't underestimate how good they were until you got sick of them, because you heard them so many times. Of course, this is because people overplayed these songs because they were such brilliant tracks to begin with. 

 

I have to play Stairway regularly at gigs because I'm in A Zep tribute band. Although I roll my eyes every time I have to play it, it is worthwhile because of the reaction from punters who perhaps, haven't been as over-exposed to it as much as I have been. The same thing goes for SOTW, as Dunnery says, the simple chromatic bass run up and then playing straight 8s on the root as the riff and drums build moves people in a way that all the shredders playing unbelievable stuff on social media never will. 

 

 

Edited August 24 by peteb

[Leonard Smalls]

10 hours ago, peteb said:

But to be honest, at this stage of the game I'd rather listen to the acoustic guitar part in 'band on the run' or 'horse with no name'. That's what age does to you.

 But I still prefer the riff from 'smoke on the water' and that great moment when the bass comes in. It never really got any better than that for me.

 

Aye, that is what age does to you!

😁

But to be fair, people's favourite musical moments are often based on how they were feeling at the time they first heard it. So all Mr D is saying is that he prefers "Smoke on't Watter". Doesn't mean it's better or worse than owt else, just that it's more to his taste and it obviously moves something in him. And why not!

For me, I love the bit in Rollins Band's "Liar" after Melvin Gibbs' wonderful phased bass intro when it comes in, completely in your face.

Or when the crazed guitar comes in in You've Got Foetus On Your Breath's "Wash It All Off". (though the original single version is far better than the album)

Or in Jamaaladeen Tacuma's "Let's Have a Good Time" off the Dreamscape album where, after a bass solo and long repetitive Harmolodic section it becomes unexpectedly and impossibly funky... 

[TimR]

12 hours ago, peteb said:

Most of the people who look for attention performing on a stage are unconsciously trying to get their parents approval via an audience. 'look at me, look how special I am'. When you get older you don't need that. You have your own approval. You've accepted yourself for what and who you are.

 

That's an interesting take. 

[fretmeister]

It seems Giacomo is back.... and still stealing from other youtubers with low followers

 

 

 

Disappointing that Alberto Rigoni seems to be playing with him now.

[Beer of the Bass]

On 15/10/2025 at 14:52, fretmeister said:

It seems Giacomo is back.... and still stealing from other youtubers with low followers

 

 

 

Disappointing that Alberto Rigoni seems to be playing with him now.

 

It's confusing; to be lifting all those lines as closely as he is, he has to have fairly high-level transcribing skills even if the actual playing of the lines might be massaged a little. It's a surprising amount of work to put in for something that's still passing off other people's work. I feel like most people able to do that probably have the skills come up with their own variations "in the style of", if they wanted to.

So beyond the "what" and the "how", the "why?" part is puzzling me. 

[Beedster]

17 minutes ago, Beer of the Bass said:

 

It's confusing; to be lifting all those lines as closely as he is, he has to have fairly high-level transcribing skills even if the actual playing of the lines might be massaged a little. It's a surprising amount of work to put in for something that's still passing off other people's work. I feel like most people able to do that probably have the skills come up with their own variations "in the style of", if they wanted to.

So beyond the "what" and the "how", the "why?" part is puzzling me. 

 

He's an addict, he gets his kicks this way as well as some income. There are people who pretty much rewrite other people's books and sell them on Amazon. They don't do it for the money, they do it because the curious form of status they believe it brings makes them feel good, or at least makes them feel their version of good. This guy's gonna keep on going, he's like gambler or a stalker, the normal rules that apply to people like us just don't apply to his psyche, and there's enough people in hyperspace who don't know his background or who don't care to keep making him feel good 

[Cato]

47 minutes ago, Beer of the Bass said:

So beyond the "what" and the "how", the "why?" part is puzzling me

 

Maybe he doesn't have the skills to write his own?

 

In the same way I can learn a reasonably complex guitar solo note by note but I don't really have the chops to write an original guitar solo myself that's any more complex or interesting than a basic blues improv.

Edited 3 hours ago by Cato

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, Beer of the Bass said:

 

It's confusing; to be lifting all those lines as closely as he is, he has to have fairly high-level transcribing skills even if the actual playing of the lines might be massaged a little. It's a surprising amount of work to put in for something that's still passing off other people's work. I feel like most people able to do that probably have the skills come up with their own variations "in the style of", if they wanted to.

So beyond the "what" and the "how", the "why?" part is puzzling me. 

 

 

Some older vids suggest that he's actually used MIDI/AI to lift the melodies. Others suggest that he's recording them at a very low speed and then speeding up.

 

As Beato noticed - he's not good enough to be on RB's channel.

 

The stupid thing is - if he put this much effort into learning the skills to rip people off for so long (and that's not including the guitars he was lent that he sold / given to advertise and then just sold without keeping his end up) then he could have put that effort into actually learning to play.

[Dood]

2 hours ago, Beer of the Bass said:

 

So beyond the "what" and the "how", the "why?" part is puzzling me. 

 

It's an "interesting" skill set. Over the years, doing dep gigs, as many of us here have, it becomes very easy to notate, crib and ape the bass lines of many, many songs. I know that I am not alone in learning over 40 songs in under a week and then reproducing them acurately for corporate events, weddings etc etc. - Oh, and all those licks get stored mentally and I often use them when improvising too.

 

That for many is actually easier than writing, creating, recording and producing their own work. It also comes with the massive psychological safety net of not pouring your own heart out on the page and risking kick back if you feel it isn't good enough. 

 

I wonder if there's some of that going on? Content creators need to spew out huge amounts of material to stay relevant and to feed the algorithm and therefore earn some decent money (especially if they aren't just relying on err.. their pound of flesh for likes) so, the fastest way to produce "quality" (?) content is to recycle stuff you already know. Unfortunately in this case, he's forgotten that the internet remembers everything. Only yesterday I questioned someone over something they said, as I remembered a contradictory post by the same person two years ago. Probably need to get out more often. 

[Burns-bass]

There was a story Jeff Berlin tells about listening to the Jaco record. Jeff said it his brother “I can play all that, it’s not that hard.” To which his brother replied, “yes, but could you write it?”

 

I’m paraphrasing a bit but the essence is the same. Coming up with this stuff is the hard bit, there are plenty of others in the world who can play it.

[Beer of the Bass]

7 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

There was a story Jeff Berlin tells about listening to the Jaco record. Jeff said it his brother “I can play all that, it’s not that hard.” To which his brother replied, “yes, but could you write it?”

 

I’m paraphrasing a bit but the essence is the same. Coming up with this stuff is the hard bit, there are plenty of others in the world who can play it.

 

Jeff Berlin is one who could probably warrant his own thread (though it wouldn't go well). Facebook keeps thrusting his posts and other people's responses at me, and I can only think that however fine a player he may be/have been, he hasn't been a well man for the last decade or more. 

[Beedster]

 

[Burns-bass]

55 minutes ago, Beer of the Bass said:

 

Jeff Berlin is one who could probably warrant his own thread (though it wouldn't go well). Facebook keeps thrusting his posts and other people's responses at me, and I can only think that however fine a player he may be/have been, he hasn't been a well man for the last decade or more. 

The guy is bonkers and just seems angry at the world for not venerating him as a genius. But he can’t half play.

 

It seems sad that he’s become embittered given he’s had a stellar career. It’s just that the bass pyrotechnics stuff isn’t as popular as it once was and he’s arguably been eclipsed by the next generation who are a little more tasteful. 
 

If you’re reading this Jeff, I’d go for a beer with you.