Flea and Wooten

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 4:50 pm

I think flashy showy bass players are overrated while the guys that are coming up with interesting melodies/countermelodies all while holding down the groove are being ignored.

Victor is fun to watch, and obviously it takes some serious skill to do the flashy showy things, and while I enjoying watching it, it doesn't really interest me all that much. I'd much rather listen to the melodic stuff Flea has been doing since Blood Sugar Sex Magic, the stuff Adam Clayton does with U2, Colin Greenwood from Radiohead, etc. etc.

tietjen2k · Unread post by **tietjen2k** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:09 pm

well i agree in a sense - but people who have to be flashy usually do it because their a solo bassist. lets take marcus miller for example - hes a bass player in which everything is centered around his playing, theyll add some drums and background vocals - but miller is supposed to be in the spotlight. Now to keep things interesting they need to not just hold a good groove but throw flashy things in aswell.

Now if we were to put miller in a setting like radiohead im sure he could easily just sit back and do plainer type melodies.

another example is victor whos a very flashy bassist and uses a load of different techniques - victor goes on tour with his band "the victor wooten band" and its basicly the same concept that i explained with miller. What victor really gets known for is how he just stands up there absolutly by himself and plays - now of course hes going to have to be flashy. Anybody up there alone will have to be flashy.

Plus could you imagine people calling it the victor wooten band while victor just sits in the back and holds the main groove.

basic element on why all those bass players are flashy is well, they have to be to keep the crowds attention. and keeping the crowds attention as only a bass player takes a lot of talent, work, and composing. So i wouldnt so much say their over-rated.

maybe their just not your style which is perfectly cool as everybody has different tastes out there. but i find those guys to be ingenious rather than over-rated.

fatjack · Unread post by **fatjack** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:35 pm

tietjen2k wrote:and as for the sarcasum...lol...its ok if you didnt know what it was. its really no big deal

even after it you were questioning dueling and what it was though, you have a strange sense of sarcasm, but hey ill take it.

so now you are insulting my intelligence, thats nice

playing is all that is required to get better, you shouldn't give a damn what other people think as long as you enjoy yourself

tietjen2k · Unread post by **tietjen2k** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:41 pm

lol sorry, i didnt mean to insult your intelegance. really isnt a big deal.

i still disagree that just by playing will make you a well rounded musician. you should care what other people think so you can understand why they think that, then disect what they like better and try to understand it and add it to your playing.

im sure people like stefan didnt just sit in their room and play all day to get better. im sure he went around, tried different music out, spoke with people about what they like and why and just tried to get well rounded and understanding what makes music "tick."

If you want to be close minded and not care what other people think...go for it. But it will stunt your growth not only in bass playing, but mentally.

tietjen2k · Unread post by **tietjen2k** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:48 pm

keep in mind - stefan started out as an upright bass player. when dave recruited him they wanted him to make the switch to bass guitar.

now im sure stefan had a real firm bond to the upright bass as he was raised with it, but when they wanted him to switch and change what he grew up with for something newer he did it. He could of had your attitude and said "Whats wrong with the stand up bass??? I can play a stand up bass in a rock band fine. I dont care what you think, i enjoy playing standup." but he took that step and even though it was something new that he didnt have a grasp of, he moved on and took their advice.

doesnt mean you have to leave your shit behind for other people, just try stuff that other people like and feel you should do. though i personally dont know, but im guessing stefan now enjoys the bass guitar rather than the standup - cause he gave it a chance and listened to other people.

like i said, doesnt mean u gotta leave ur shit behind, stefan still plays his standup off and on at concerts to this day.

fatjack · Unread post by **fatjack** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 6:50 pm

tietjen2k wrote:lol sorry, i didnt mean to insult your intelegance. really isnt a big deal.

i still disagree that just by playing will make you a well rounded musician. you should care what other people think so you can understand why they think that, then disect what they like better and try to understand it and add it to your playing.

im sure people like stefan didnt just sit in their room and play all day to get better. im sure he went around, tried different music out, spoke with people about what they like and why and just tried to get well rounded and understanding what makes music "tick."

If you want to be close minded and not care what other people think...go for it. But it will stunt your growth not only in bass playing, but mentally.

if you are talking about taking other musical styles into account, i think that is necessary, but the you shouldn't let people's opinions shape how you play.

since you like to talk about victor wooten so much, lets use him as an example. vic plays what he wants, not what other people want him to play. sure people like his music, but that just happens because people share similar tastes.

you complain that young people dont appreciate vic and they overpraise flea. the reason that people dont appreciate vic is because most people dont even know who he is. you want to know why? because vic isn't playing the type of music most people like. its that simple. if vic wanted these kind of people to like him, he could just play stuff similar to flea or any other popular bassist, but he doesn't because he isn't a fucking tool.

you should really consider what you said in yuor first post: why do you give a shit what these people think? i can say with assurance that wooten or flea sure as hell dont. anyone who says flea is a better technical bassist is a dumbass and thusly their opinion considered invalid anyway

tietjen2k · Unread post by **tietjen2k** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 7:21 pm

the post i made about stefan was refering to when you said playing alone makes you a better bassist and that you shouldn't care what other people think. So i responded with the statement saying playing alone isnt gonna make you better. you gotta keep yourself open and grow from other peoples opinions and musical taste. thats really where a lot of spice comes from with other musicians.

the reason i use victor as an example so much in this thread is because i know victor the best out of other musicians. I could use other musicians but I dont know them as personally and well as i know victor - so i dont get any facts mixed up. And I use flea as a comparison because i've listened to the chili peppers for a long time now and i know what kind of music he plays and I play a lot of the song he wrote, so i know his style.

i could use other musicians, but i think id mix them up a bit more than the two i know best.

the reason i posted the first post i made, "flea and wooten", was because I wanted to see if people would say "part of thats true BUT" and maybe explain why they think flea is better than victor so maybe I could look into it more. Technically victor is the better bassist (which some people to this day still disagree on cause they havent seen victor play). But I want to see if theres any VALID reasons why people think hes better >AS A BASS PLAYER< - thats why i posted this and gave my understanding of why i personally think victor is better.

i like tictacs · Unread post by **i like tictacs** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:11 pm

I dont think victor tries to be flashy. Watch his video with carter beauford, he explains everything, and he keeps his movements as subtle as possible. he says he could do all the flashy shit, but he keeps it together because he doesn't need that to love the music.

i like tictacs · Unread post by **i like tictacs** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:16 pm

tietjen2k wrote:keep in mind - stefan started out as an upright bass player. when dave recruited him they wanted him to make the switch to bass guitar.

**stefan actually wanted to play the upright, but he switched because he thought the band required more of an electric sound.

i like tictacs · Unread post by **i like tictacs** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 9:19 pm

victor is a better bass player. he's been playing longer than flea has been alive. but to come in here and start busting peoples nuts about flea and victor is fucked up. flea is great. he is an innovator, people think of slap, they think of flea. he's a bass great. very very good. so to say he's overrated isn't true i don't think. he's a good bassist who's made a name for himself.

whatshername · Unread post by **whatshername** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 10:25 pm

tietjen2k wrote:I dont see how anybody can think that flea is better or even up to par with wooten. Wooten is such an inovater of the bass world, coming up with new techniques or bringing older techniques back into the bass world.

He does every kind of music and isnt afraid to break down boundaries of the bass world, all with a very humble and fun attitude.

All flea seems to do is slap octaves and do slap/mute paterns and jump around a lot more. Then he'll do really quick slap fills and everyone will be like blown away.

Now lets just imagine flea and victor in a duel. Flea mainly does slapping and poping octave paterns. Victor comes out with double thump pluck pluck paterns, taping, and unbelivable speed but acuracy.

I really feel that flea is such a big name in the bass world because hes in a more mainstream band. If you put both flea and victor in a band that wasnt popular with the public, who do you think youd hear of more?

With victors dynamics and mindset my obvious opinion would be victor. Anyone who has seen victor live im sure would agree.

flea is ridiculously good. so is wooten. but i like flea better. i feel like they have different talents. flea rules.

tietjen2k · Unread post by **tietjen2k** » Thu Jun 17, 2004 11:32 pm

i like tictacs wrote:
tietjen2k wrote:keep in mind - stefan started out as an upright bass player. when dave recruited him they wanted him to make the switch to bass guitar.

**stefan actually wanted to play the upright, but he switched because he thought the band required more of an electric sound.

you sure about that? i remember reading somewhere that stefan was called in for the DMB at age 15 cause his upright bass teacher new dave and suggested him? maybe i mixed it up though. just curious.

kopie101 · Unread post by **kopie101** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 8:38 am

he was recommended to dave by his upright teacher and then after playing a little with the group, he decided they needed more of an electric sound, so he changed. dave did not tell him to change, it was his decision of what he felt would work best with the music.

street fish · Unread post by **street fish** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:26 am

i like tictacs wrote:victor is a better bass player. he's been playing longer than flea has been alive.

Flea is over 40 dude.

Flea was one of the people to bring slap to the masses, but I think where he has really excelled in the last 10-15 years is in his more melodic, song-oriented (opposed to instrument-centered) playing. He has even said in numerous interviews that as he gets older he is more interested in sitting back and playing what the song demands.

i like tictacs · Unread post by **i like tictacs** » Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:48 am

street fish wrote:
i like tictacs wrote:victor is a better bass player. he's been playing longer than flea has been alive.

Flea is over 40 dude.

Flea was one of the people to bring slap to the masses, but I think where he has really excelled in the last 10-15 years is in his more melodic, song-oriented (opposed to instrument-centered) playing. He has even said in numerous interviews that as he gets older he is more interested in sitting back and playing what the song demands.

my mistake

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