Quote:
Originally Posted by saddle_sore
People say playing bass is easier as you don't have to play chords, although that is not strictly accurate - I quite like playing chords on my bass - just check out Lenny from Motorhead! hehe
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A perfect example of how yes like most instruments Bass has chords, it's a ridiculous misconception if anything bass chords are much harder to play because you're restricted to 4 strings, they're more inventive; also if you can find me any smarmy guitarist who wants to tell me Bass is easy I want to see them play this for me on Bass.
or this....
If anything guitarists are lazy bassists, I find that guitar is quite straight and uninventive generally in what you play, most guitarists use a pick or finger pick, bass is open to many unique techniques.
For instance Stanley clarke opened us up to Raking, victor Wooten and Marcus miller to double and triple plucking, Larry Graham the double thumb, Abraham Laboriel to Palm slapping and how to implement flamenco styles such as Rasciado into raking type techniques as well as of course great pick bassists like Bruce Foxton, great finger-style players like John Entwhistle, Jean Basello I was watching the other day a french bassist and some of the stuff he was doing I'd still never seen before and it was incredible he was using a palm muted style sort of playing, there's of course great players who utilize muted notes such as Jaco also then you transcend between the Bass guitar and upright bass and open everything up again for bassists like Marcus Miller and James Jameson.
I think bassists go to far greater length to be more creative and inventive on the whole than guitarists where as guitarists just seem to assume in modern rock that the bass has to be just part of the back-line. It's a beautiful instrument and there are so many things you can do with it.
Anyway that's just my two cents, I'll put up some videos for reference to what I've been talking about.
Stanley Clarke - Raking style
Victor Wooten expanding on the double thumb technique
Abraham percussive open technique
Larry Graham (couldn't find anything on the technique specifically)
Just something on Laboriels Flamenco style playing.
John entwistle finger-style solo
A bit of Jaco Pastorius...always a pleasure
I'm tired now but I think I've made my point.