Light vs. Heavy Touch

[Jeff Addicott]

I picked the bass over the guitar for macho reasons (didn't we all?). For the first 5 years or so, I didn't have my own amp, so I mostly practiced unplugged (still do, actually). As a result, I developed a relatively heavy touch, and when I played out, it took awhile to get used to having my sound blasting out of this strange box, halfway across the stage. (Doubling on the upright bass doesnt help...)

 

After years of hitting hard, Im finally discovering that its okay to give myself more gain and let the amp do more of the work. Playing with a lighter touch (and more amp gain) gives the bass a whole different sound and feel and opens up more technical possibilities.

 

So my question is: what touch have all of you settled on, and why? Or have you? (Those of us who gig with several different basses may not have the option of settling.)

[brianrost]

My touch has gotten lighter and lighter over the years (even on the upright!).

 

There is definitely a point where hitting the string harder just "chokes" the tone plus you start getting extra noises (fret buzz, etc.) you don't want.

 

I tell people that what I'm trying to do is play lightly enough so that my sound is like punching a pillow, that gets me lots of funny looks http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/rolleyes.gif

[dansouth]

Good question! I'm not sure whether there's a definitive answer. Some great players play hard, some have a light touch. Jamerson had a light touch with great dynamics. In that era, the bass wasn't as mercilessly squashed by compression as it is today, and you can hear his accents clearly. Gary Willis mentioned in a recent BP that you should play lighter as you play faster. - I'll take Gary's word for it. http://www.musicplayer.com/ubb/smile.gif

[jimmyripphotmail.com]

Y'all,

 

I've settled on a 'medium' touch.

 

When I play hard, the tone of my bass gets really constricted and clanky - probably because the strings are ringing all over the place. It also sounds like shit coming through my amp (and then out the PA)!

 

When I play really soft, I don't think that I get the right dynamics in my tone. Plus, my fingers start slipping and I don't have the same follow-through with my attack, which causes me to miss.

 

So, I usually just try and split the difference. That way, I can add dynamics in both directions and everything sounds good. Plus, my fingers don't wear out that quick but I'm still in decent shape to play my upright..

 

Cheers!

 

------------------

Rob Miller

Philadelphia, PA

www.bklounge.net

[Ed Friedland]

I tend to shift from one to the other, sometimes it depends on the night, or the gig. If you have a good amp rig, you can learn to play with a light touch and not lose the impact of the bass. If your amp is underpowered or have too small of a cab for the room, it's hard to take advantage of the light approach. It is possible to choke the life out of a note by playing too heavy, but there is a place where you can really spank the string and get a cool sound. Think Stanley Clarke, sometimes he gets that sound where the string is just plunking off the fingerboard, I like that sometimes. I have been using the light touch more these days, when the amp/room combines properly with the phase of the moon I find I can get a wide range of dynamics from this approach, even on upright.

[CraigLeyhFrameBand.com]

>I usually just try and split the difference. That way, I can add dynamics >in both directions and everything sounds good.

 

This seems what i strive for.

 

------------------

Thank you,

Craig S. Leyh

CraigLeyh@FrameBand.com

[Ed Friedland]

Tonight I did a jazz concert with a quartet, and it was one of those nights when the light touch was working. For some unknown reason, my upright was feeling cooperative and it responded very well to a light touch. It sure makes the up-tempos a lot easier! But with upright players, there's still a strong sentiment for "digging in". I can remember meeting a bassist in New York many years ago that played with a volume pedal. I asked why he used it and he said "there's only one way to play the bass, digging in, with the volume pedal I can control my dynamics." That always struck me as being limiting. Imagine saying something like that! Would you rather control your dynamics from a volume pedal or your hands?

 

That's the kind of old-school machismo that upright bass players love to throw around, but is it really effective? I don't think so, hey guys, they have AMPS now!

[xtian_dup1]

I have always been one to REALLY dig in and alomst rip the tone from the strings.

 

But last night, I cranked my bass amp up and played with a much lighter touch, and I found it very liberating! My dynamics have always been really strong when practicing alone, and completely missing when playing with a band. Turns out that I have always turned my bass up to just where it blends well with the drums when I am really digging in. This left me with no room to lighten up or play harder.

 

So last night I cranked my amp (Peavey MegaBass 400 watt head through an Eden 210XLT), and played with a much lighter touch, and it was GREAT!

 

I have always kinda known in the back of my head that I should do this, but I never did it before.

 

Still learning after 20 years...

- Christian

Budapest, Hungary

www.Crunchy-Frog.com

[BassLand]

I started out with an extreemly light touch and then started playing the upright. This caused me to have to go to heavier strings on my electric and play harder (which I am not particularly happy about). I found that in order to deal with the upright at all I had to strengthen my RH technique. I feel that a lot of upright bassist who play electric tend to clack (overplay to the extent that there is string noise along with the note) the strings.

 

BTW My website was down for a few days last week but is back up again (The server was reconfiguring his machines).

 

------------------

BassLand

www.BassLand.net

 

 

 

This message has been edited by BassLand on 02-14-2001 at 11:46 AM

[Rick Hoffman]

On a search for the true meaning of squash, I encountered this thread.

I think I might like a compression device of sorts for when I really play hard.

I'll continue to search compressors but frist a statement about my Rh technique....

 

I didn't have an amp either when I first started so I was used to playing hard at first. But now I play somewhere in the middle. I let the bass sing, and the amp does the rest.

 

When I play light the harmonics ring out and its a real sweet sound. When I play hard, I love the growl I get.

 

I never used a compressor before but I might try one first before I go and find one on ebay.

[moot]

There are times when I let the amp carry me. Not too often though. Most of the time I get caught up in the energy and beat the crap out of my axe.

My cover band just picked up Mustang Sally and I had a bit of a time with the sparse and light bass line. Always learnin' . . .

[DONUT]

I used to be all about the super light touch. I used to play an old P bass that set up super low. I remember actually having backbow most of the time. Its just the way it was worn in.

 

Lately though,I've been playing with medium action (I guess) and working it more depending on the song. Its kind of economizing my playing,too. When I want to play fast,I have to work a little harder than I'm used to so I do it less,and really try to put it only in the most appropriate places.

 

So yeah,for me its always been about being lazy.

[MvW]

I went through the same thing when I started playing. I'd like to think that I'm finally starting to learn the virtue of varying my touch, even as it applies to different instruments - my Ben Loy model Jazz w/ passive pu's and setup pretty freakin' low doesn't require much digging from me even if that's where the song is carrying me (but I still tend to beat the **** out of it from time to time! ); on the other hand, my Yamaha RBX 5str. w/ active pu's and setup with a beautiful bow to the action (some have called it pretty high, but it just feels natural to me) requires a tighter, more focused approach which usually leaves my touch somewhere in the middle. But again, even after more than 10 years of playing, I'm learning everyday...

[HiRoller]

I play fingerstyle in a rock band and dig in hard. Biggest problem I've been noticing lately is the pitch goes up 5-10 cents, so I'm trying to ease up a bit.

[Prague]

With most any other instrument, this is considered dynamics. It is dynamics with the bass, too. In one song, "touch" can change all the time.

[Bass_god_offspring]

There are times when I let the amp carry me. Not too often though. Most of the time I get caught up in the energy and beat the crap out of my axe.

SAME HERE!!

 

I always jump around and sometimes even hit my bass (love taps, lol) so i usually play hard unless i am playing a bass line that would tire my fingers out too fast by doing that or if it's a soft bit of a song. i really like to feel the bass strings under my fingers, dunno why though.

 

[dohhhhh6]

I was thinking about making a thread recently about this myself.

 

Last week after the basketball game, I vowed to look into playing lighter. For some reason, after an extended period of playing in a band settings (i.e. 2 hours with a drummer), I have finger/callous issues. Usually, I have the callous skin rip off after a good session, leaving me fingers sensitive.

 

I notice that when you play lighter, the dynamics goes up by 10 fold. However, heavy hitting is where my ideal sound is and how I ideally groove. I'm trying to curb it, but there's nothing like diggin' in hard to a good beat.

 

I guess the fingers got the better of me.

 

This weekend, I have 3 days of serious playing (basketball game, normal band rehearsal, worship band rehearsal). We'll see how well this works.

[Seamy ALB]

When I started playing my first band was as loud as you can go heavy metal with 2 guitarist, I found that I played very hard with each hand even to the point of breaking strings. I also developed severe pain in my hands the bells went of that something wasn't right. After some research and a few years of experience I realised that for me the music sounds better and I play better if I relax from the top of my head right down my whole body, breathe regular and let the amp do the work. I also think you have better dynamics within your grasp via this method. Also I mainly practice without an amp and I think you can hear the difference touch with this practice method. For me feeling pain made the difference.

[PhilMan99]

I vote for a "medium" touch, which for most players would actually be a "light" touch, since I play mostly with a pick. I like to play with a medium (for me) touch, so I can quiet-down or play louder using just my hands.

 

I use mild/subtle optical compression, but just enough to even-out my sound. I play with mostly low EQ (with flat-wounds) and use the compressor to even-out the volume on the high strings.

 

Tried a volume pedal briefly - hated it, but may experiment more in the future...

[The Bear Jew]

It really depends on the music.

 

For hardcore and metal, I really want that "clank" that happens when I nail the strings hard with a pick. I get down near the bridge and dig in... and I get the sound I want.

 

However, that "clank" would sound really out of place in some of the Brit-Pop stuff I play... for that stuff, I lay back a bit and pick (or use my fingers) more softly closer to the neck.

 

I just try to match the music.

[RalphM]

As another said, "touch = dynamics". It can be one way for a whole tune and another way for another tune or vary within one tune.

 

Having said that though, a lighter touch is usually faster. Gary Willis is a proponent of light touch. He told me ( at a workshop ) that it took him 2 years to perfect. He basically cranked the gain way up and set out to learn how to still play softly and let his fingers control the volume.

[Aldena]

I think experience plays a part here too. I've only been playing 4 years, so dynamic playing becomes a very conscientious effort.

 

On a fast, busy song like 'Crossroads', I tend to dig in, just so the notes have the right rhythm. That seems counter-intuitive to playing fast.

 

I have tried turning up and playing lightly, and it sounds sooooo good.

[Tom Capasso]

Originally posted by empiremark:

.... my Ben Loy model Jazz w/ passive pu's ....

It's this guy's 3rd post, and he uses the correct name for this bass. And he's from Long Island.

 

Welcome and well done

 

Willie - we need to add Jeff A to the "recently missing" list.

 

I try to strike a medium. As was said, I like wacking down hard when I need the "crack crack" sound. When I can't hear myself, I can feel that I'm playing harder (and much less accurately or effectively), so that's a bad thing. Sometimes I use my plucking hand position to adjust dynamics (move up to the neck).

 

Tom

[MvW]

Thanks for the welcome! Long time lurker, third time poster...

[davebrownbass]

Well, I try to use a gentle touch all the time. Lets the action stay really low.

 

On the other hand, on URB I use a variety of pizz.attacks...ranging from gentle pulls to speed atacks, pulls along the string and pops. I teach at least 3 indispensable pizz. styles.

 

BTW and Completely off topic: I am entering this post on my new Dell Pocket pc. I am handwriting the thing, which is not as fast but has a high "Coolness factor."

[kad]

Great topic!

 

My touch is all over the map, depending on the needs of the current song, room acoustics, crowd response, etc...

 

I play using a right hand technique that's emerged over many years of gigging. I hold a flatpick between my thumb and index finger, and I fingerpick with my middle finger. This allows me to switch back and forth constantly, often within a single passage. I also play a semi hollowbody bass that is extremely sensitive to right hand dynamics. I love having the option of going from a warm, soft tone to blowing up our 18" PA dumps just by changing my right hand technique!

 

Kirk

[Danzilla]

I tend to play differently on each bass; on my Les Paul, I play very heavy-handidly; then again, it's set up much higher than my fretless J, where I use a softer touch and which I use for more expressive and dynamic things anyway. Though I did start out with a heavy technique anyway, partly from only having a 50 watt Fender Bassman Ten amp.

[way2fat]

I just had new pickups put in my J and had the action lowered while I was at it. I'm adjusting to playing with a lighter touch right now. Having started on the URB and until recently used a high action with heavy strings, I'm in the clatter mode bigtime.

[Basshappi]

I adjust my attack and position according to the dynamics needed for the song. But when I really get my groove on I tend to dig in pretty hard.

[BigKahuna855]

my first bass was pretty crappy, and if i used a heavy touch, i would get the worst fretbuzz ever, so i used a really light touch.

 

now i mostly play pickstyle, but when i play fingerstyle, i have a very diverse touch, meaning i can play with anything ranging from an extremely heavy touch that makes me feel like i am breaking strings to a touch so light that you can barely make out the notes