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What kind of touch do you use playing bass?


Perfessor

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Posted

There are times when a light touch is nesessary but I usually like to dig in and play hard. I prefer to get volume from plucking hard on the strings. What is your string attack like?

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There are times when a light touch is nesessary but I usually like to dig in and play hard. I prefer to get volume from plucking hard on the strings. What is your string attack like?

 

 

Same thing you have here. I keep all dynamics controlled by the hands and rely less on amp volume.

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I've had a very heavy touch , fretting hand too, since my upright days and I've never been able to develop a softer playing style. My biggest problem is when I do try to play softly, and have the amp up higher than I normally do, I kind of need a compressor to keep the spikes down when I let those occasional unplanned heavy hits fly. My technique feels like I'm dragging a boat anchor all the time.:cry:

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On bass, I've managed to develop a fairly light touch. The way I have my bass set up, it doesn't buzz when I play because of my light touch, but when other bassists play, it buzzes like mad...

 

Guitar is a totally different story; I play ridiculously hard on guitar.

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Both. Some songs I know go from quiet and mellow to heavy as {censored}. And for it so sound right you have to play as soft as you can then crank up the overdrive and play like a {censored}ing madman.

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Same thing you have here. I keep all dynamics controlled by the hands and rely less on amp volume.

 

 

+1

 

I think I learned my light touch by watching catphish play with UBP. I'm not the same caliber of player as he is, but I noticed early on that he plays with a light touch and lets the amp do the work.

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Sensual.......VERY sensual. :cool:

 

 

In all seriousness, I play with a lot of dynamics. I play with a medium attack for the most part but I like the option to hit the strings soft or really whack them to get more grit or oomph when needed.

 

The sound guy at church continues to piss me off too. Whenever I play soft or hard, he adjusts the volume. It drives me nuts!!!!!!! :mad: How many times/ways can I say "Don't mess with my volume once its set!!"

 

:p

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It really depends. I normally play VERY hard, and I still have fair room for dynamic change, but if it's a slow, soft piece, I use less string attack and a more lenient fretting style. I play with a medium-high action, normally.

 

A rep at a local shop blamed the fretbuzz from a bass I bought there on my technique. That made me angry, because I normally get compliments on my technique, if nothing else. :(

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I used to be pretty aggressive on the strings but lately I've been playing with a lighter touch. My tech set the action on my 55-94 a bit low for my tastes and I'm too lazy to take it back to him. When I start to get aggressive on the strings, I get all kinds of fret noise. Now, I've come to like the lighter style of playing.

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Depends on the song really.

 

Generally, I use a medium touch. Near the bridge I tend to dig in a little harder sometimes. Just depends.

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For the most part, I play with a medium to light touch, although I've been hitting the strings a little harder lately since it sounds good that way on fretless. Thanks to jazz band, I can play really dynamically when the tune calls for it.

 

Generally, I try to play at the borderline of click for the given setup.

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Posted

My biggest problem playing bass....

 

When I first started the only amp that was in my "affordable" range was an Acoustic 150B on a 1x15 Acoustic bottom (8-ohm). The first band I was in had a smokin'-hot drummer and two killer guitarists with Marshall half-stacks. Needless to say, I practically had to rip the strings to be heard at all, and since it lasted for about 8 months until the Acoustic 360 surfaced in my price range, that style of play became ingrained in my psyche, and to this day I have to reign myself back in on occasion, especially with the super-pickup/preamp combination on the 'Ray...I can pretty-much drive any preamp into clip with the 'Ray by playing as heavily as I used to...

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