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Playing bass with your feet


LiveMusic

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I'm looking for something you can buy, ready to go. Or if you gotta rig something up, how to rig it up and what you'd need. Or maybe there is no choice but to rig something up, piecemeal.

 

Reason being, I like playing with a bass player. I'd rather not do sequencing if I can do it live. But if I could do it on my own, that would be nice. The last two guys I auditioned smoked so much, we never got anything done cuz they had to step outside for a fix. Heavy chain smokers. Not picking on bass players. Just so happened that way.

> > > [ Live! ] < < <

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Originally posted by getz76:

What about the do-hickey that attached to the back of a guitar neck and you could play bass notes where your thumb?

Anyone know what this do-hickey is? Sounds interesting.

 

Even if something triggers a midi sound, that's okay. I'd just rather it be composed live on the fly.

 

That Moog thing, whoever posted it, yeah, that could work.

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Seems like a nice toy, that JamBass.

 

I didn't like this quote (from their "press reviews" section)

 

"Innovativepretty handy if the bass player flakes on a gig. This device has a whole lot of possibilities." Gig Magazine

 

Guitar players thinking bassists are going to flake? HMMMMMMMMMMM>

 

Pot calling the kettle black, if ya ask me.

"Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread.

 

Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate.

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Originally posted by getz76:

Do-hickey ended up being the JamBass.

 

See here: http://www.jambass.com/

 

Looks like it would work for power-chords.

I don't understand. I'm playing guitar, how am I going to play the bass notes and keep playing guitar? Assuming solo guitar, that's it. Nobody else on stage. Or are you supposed to lay down loops or what? Thanks.

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I looked at this post and immediately thought of a guy I saw on Venice Beach once...

 

He played guitar with his hands, a snare drum with his elbow and a kick drum with his knee... while playing a bass with his feet by stomping on the strings with one foot and standing on the neck with the other.

 

And he sang, too.

 

When he played, it looked like he was doing a crazy dance.

 

Had it all running through a portable PA.

 

Believe it or not, he was frickin' great.

 

Other than that... I dunno what to tell you.

\m/

Erik

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

--Sun Tzu

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Originally posted by CMDN:

I looked at this post and immediately thought of a guy I saw on Venice Beach once...

 

...Believe it or not, he was frickin' great.

Isn't that Cedric - The World's Greatest One Man Band?

 

I read about him in the first ever copy of Bass Player I bought and despite protracted googling I've yet to pull up anymore info on him.

 

Apparently he does loads of soul and funk covers as medleys - the mind boggles!!!

 

Alex

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You could get a Roland PK-5 (13 pedals) or PK-7 (25 pedals) organ pedal setup and run them through a MIDI module. The PK-5 runs just under $400 and I think the PK-7 is over a grand, so it may be cheaper to just pay a competent bass player. :)
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My cousin is a guitarist/singer, his wife is a singer. Has used computer software (and some live recordings) to build a library of background tracks. He plays and sings; his wife sings; the computer plays the rest. He has considered hiring dummy players when a client wants to see a band (I think I qualify for this). When it all goes through a PA, most audience members can't tell the difference, or don't care because it sounds good, and there is a live component.

 

You could do likewise.

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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Originally posted by   :

Why play it mit der footnicks when Susan Calvin's worst "Three Laws" nightmares can instead do the honors?:

It's "mit die footnicks" but Duden isn't posting here so who cares.. http://home.comcast.net/~steforce/pg_wave.gif

 

:)

Steve Force,

Durham, North Carolina

--------

My Professional Websites

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I'd look at looping and octave pedals if I were you -- this way it'd all be guitar and you'd have "manual" control over tone. If I were me (which I am) I'd go for a sequencing keyboard with some organ pedals.

 

Or, if you just need the root then just plug a wah-pedal into a feedback loop on a separate amp. You can change the pitch with the pedal, throw in a volume pedal as well and you've just built a theramin (sort of).

A man is not usually called upon to have an opinion of his own talents at all; he can very well go on improving them to the best of his ability without deciding on his own precise niche in the temple of Fame. -- C.S.Lewis
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Or Stick, Warr, or Mobius Megatar - or a (or-more string Basslike instrument with a contrupuntally-aligned player for that matter...

 

Lots of tools available that can allow one person to arguably play as complex of self-accompanied music as keyboardists have been capable of for ages. Of course the keyboardists won't get the benefit of all those oh-so-pithy "Jaco did it with Four" statements however ; }

.
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Originally posted by PickPunk:

GREENBOY IS BACK!!!

yes he is.

 

Tis A Time To Rejoice! :D

http://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/blue.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/black.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/fuscia.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/grey.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/orange.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/purple.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/red.JPGhttp://www.briantimpe.com/images/LDL/dots/yellow.JPG
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Originally posted by Tom Capasso:

My cousin is a guitarist/singer, his wife is a singer. Has used computer software (and some live recordings) to build a library of background tracks. He plays and sings; his wife sings; the computer plays the rest. He has considered hiring dummy players when a client wants to see a band (I think I qualify for this). When it all goes through a PA, most audience members can't tell the difference, or don't care because it sounds good, and there is a live component.

 

You could do likewise.

Tom

No way could I do that. Two things come to mind. First, a singer in a band my friend had. This guy would strap on a guitar and fake play. He was getting started. He could sing well. And his mama owned the club my buddy had the nightly gig at. All the bandmates wanted to kill the guy. They finally disbanded over the b.s.

 

Second, I saw a band a couple of years ago. It was so obvious to ME that the drummer was not drumming. He was hitting air. No telling what else. In a casino. I was flabbergasted. Probably had to do with noise level or something. No way could I do that.

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LiveMusic,

 

I agree that fake players is pretty lame.

When you are looking at an "act", you want to see people playing, and outside a few odd samples, I'd rather it be live.

 

My cousin and his wife do "supper club" stuff, where no one is watching them - they are eating. I don't mind the "playing along to background tracks" as much in that circumstance - especially because all of the tracks/arrangements were done by my cousin (he's not playing along to Karaoke CDs).

 

I offered that as an alternative for you - software instead of liveware - which doesn't fit for you.

 

I look forward to hearing some samples as you move forward.

 

Tom

www.stoneflyrocks.com

Acoustic Color

 

Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars and keep your feet on the ground. - Theodore Roosevelt

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Isn't that Cedric - The World's Greatest One Man Band?
Coulda been... he was really pretty amazing. I stood there staring... my wife had a hard time pulling me away.

\m/

Erik

"To fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting."

--Sun Tzu

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If you'd come here saying you were a bass player & wanted to put guitar chords over your bass lines, everyone would've steered you immediately to Ed Friedland\'s website . But I suppose the concept will still work if you want to put bass lines under guitar chords. ;)

 

Ed does absolutely amazing things with basses, piccolo basses (strung & voiced like guitars, basically), some cool gadgets, a bag full of monster chops, and a looper. Check it out.

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