Guitar players who turn bass players scare me.
Too busy in their playing.

Oh ... wait ... is that a mirror over there ... damn ....

:)

john micek


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kerry Kompost" <kerry_kompost@yahoo.com>
To: <audities@smoe.org>
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2007 1:05 PM
Subject: Re: Bassists


> Thanks in large part to Kenny Howes, I got to spend a
> little time with Chris Squire last year (he played the
> Rickenbacker 50th anniversary shindig last summer,
> Kenny worked his ass off putting that thing
> together!).
>
> I was privy to a rehearsal or two; it was truly
> amazing to see Squire simply plug "that bass" into the
> rehearsal studio stock bass amp, sans pedals, and
> immediately get "that sound". Unreal. I talked to his
> tech who told me that the Rickenbacker was flawed in
> some respect with regard to the pick-ups; this flaw is
> -- supposedly -- responsible for "that sound". The
> tech told me that, in the late 60's, he'd "fixed" the
> bass and it changed the sound, so he "un-fixed" it and
> it's been legend ever since.
>
> And, no, he didn't tell me how to do it myself, the
> bastard.
>
> Man, there are so many great bass players, and, for
> melodic pop music, it truly does start with Paul
> McCartney. I often think his bass playing is
> overshadowed by all his other talents, but the bass
> line for "Silly Love Songs", alone, cements his
> position at the top of the four-stringed heap, IMHO.
>
> I guess my favorite rock bassist -- go ahead, laugh!
> -- is Geddy Lee. There are moments where Lee and Peart
> do some incredibly intense inter-locked sections that
> have, on occasion, moved me to tears. For an example,
> please, I beg you, listen closely to the bass and
> drums underneath the guitar solo on the song "Red
> Barchetta". Oh man! That bass melody -- played so
> fiercely, with such chutzpah and attitude! -- is
> simply perfection. It's the melody Lee plays that I
> find truly moving. It's just beautiful.
>
> There's a bassist named Bryan Beller who is also
> insanely great, albeit more in a Berkeley School of
> Music way rather than as a pure melodic player. Chops,
> chops and more chops, but also melodic as anything.
> Again, he turns my ears on because he's able to
> combine melody with finesse and technique and, in the
> process, elevate the song.
>
> I admit, I just love playing bass, even though guitar
> is my main focus. If you can play guitar, you can play
> bass, although not always in the same way as a "pure"
> bassist. But as a guitarist playing bass, it's really
> freeing because you realize, "Hey, I'm basically
> solo-ing here all the time!" It's so much fun. Plus,
> you REALLY have to clam, big-time, to have a
> detrimental effect on the song; you can get away with
> a little more leeway than the other instruments.
>
> kErrY
> www.myspace.com/kompost
>
>
> 
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