Conference mr1pst::music

      I'm not a musican but my son is, so in regards to your question
    about a 6 string bass, my son does own one.  If you would like
    any info on it let me know and I'll pass it on to him for you.
      He also gives lesson if interested.
    
    gerry
    

    Hey Fred!
    
    Can you give me some more info on "Great Plains"?  They are playing at
    the Crazy Horse this month and I wonder if it would be a good show to
    go to.
    
    Thanks in advance.
    
    Virginia

    
    .1 Gerry, I was curious with regard to where the additional strings
    fit. Is a string added to the "low range" and the "high range", or are
    both added "high" or "low", or is the entire string range widened or
    reset? The above terms are not correct in musical terms but I'm
    intersested in what is done with the 2 added strings.
    
    .2 Virginia, I only saw about the last song and a-half of the show, but
    if you have the chance to see them I believe you would enjoy yourself. The
    singer sounds very similar to John Hiatt, in fact I thought it was his
    group until the credits rolled! The lead guitarist put on quite a show
    with "Tobacco Road". The group sounded very tight, there were two
    guitars, bass guitar, electric violin, and a drummer. I did not notice
    a steel slide guitar. From what I saw and heard I will probably look
    for a Great Plains CD.
    
    			a music lover,
    
    				fred deady

     Six string basses add  both a low "B" and a high "C" to the normal 
     range of the electric bass. This simply adds to the notes available 
     to the player. What a player actually does with the extra strings, 
     would be up to the individual player. 
     
     
    Tom
    
    ---
    Dictated with Dragon Dictate.
    
    

    If I'm not too late.  checek out john Pettitucci (sp?).
    
    On Chick Corea's electric band album, john does some wonderfull things. 
    Saw them on some late night show last year and he made it seem so
    easy!.
    
    

    
    I may be mistaken, but I think Jack Bruce (of 'Cream') used to play
    a six string fretless base. That's a pretty rare combo.
    
                 -Joe

     Les Claypool of Primus plays a fretless 6 string bass 
     
     
    Tom
    
    ---
    Dictated with Dragon Dictate.
    

    Jack Bruce was one of the first I know of to play one. The 5 stringed
    ones (B-E-A-D-G) got real popular about a decade ago, & the 6 stringed
    ones followed. Prior to that, they were few & far between. If you watch
    Arsenio Hall (& who doesn't ;8-), his bass player often uses a
    6-string. He's no slouch when it comes to handeling the beast either.
    Bill Levine (King Cromson et.al.) plays a thing called a "Stick" which
    has something like 20 strings, & I have no idea how they're (normally ?) 
    tuned. The Fender Bass 5 of the late '60's was intended to be tuned
    E-A-D-G-C. Even Bruce Hornsby's bass player used a 5 string (B-E-A-D-G) !  
    

    re: -.1 Nit
    
    That's Tony Levin of King Crimson, et. al.  He used The Stick on SNL
    backing up Peter Gabriel on one song.  On the other, it looked like he
    was using something like drums sticks to play a Music Man.  I'd like
    to know what that was about.
    
    Peter

    Now that I think of it, it may have been a Clevinger (electric-type 
    stand-up bass) instead of The Stick.  So now I have two questions.
    
    Peter

    Yes, I believe it was an electric stand-up bass, not The Stick.
    
    I too was curious about the other bass he played. It looked like he had
    sticks extending from the index and middle fingers  of his right hand
    and he was hitting the bass (or the strings).  Very odd.   Any ideas
    about this?
    
    	

    Yeah, you guys have got it right; no big mystery.  He has finger
    extenders on his index and middle fingers.  He's been doing this
    for a while now that I know of; saw him using these on the Anderson/
    Bruford/Wakeman/Howe tour a few years ago.  I've occasionally
    experimented with drumsticks on the bass strings; it's a different feel
    and you can get a nice percussive pop.  I get the idea that Mr Levin
    does this as much for visual effect as for musical.
    
    Six-string basses have been around for a while now.  The earliest I
    recall were built by Fender in the mid-60's; these looked like Jaguar
    guitars and had fairly short scale and very light strings (and a whammy
    bar!).  Jack Bruce played one of these in the early days of Cream.
    There's general agreement that the "modern" six-string bass as we know
    it today was the brainchild of famed studio bassist Anthony Jackson
    (remember the bassline for the O'Jay's "For the Love of Money?) and
    N.Y. custom builder Ken Smith, circa mid 70's.  These feature full-length
    scales (34" and more!) and standard gauge bass strings.  You can find all
    sorts of sixes on the market today, from relatively inexpensive models by
    manufacturers like Peavey and Ibanez up through high-end exotic models
    from small custom builders.  I currently play a Tune six, a fairly high
    end production bass from Japan.
    
    /rick

    I kid you not, I saw Allen Woody of the Allman Brothers play
    an 18 string bass in concert. It was pretty much a gimmick.
    He brought it out and played mostly chords on it. Capped off
    an utterly boring bass solo. The rest of the show was good, 
    though.
    
    -Tom

    The Fender Bass VI was introduced in 1961.
    
    The Danelectro 6-string bass predates it and was a very popular
    instrument on early R&R records, substituting for the baritone sax that
    was often used on R&B records. Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" is a good
    example of the Dan-O bass sound from 1959.
    
    Danny W.

    re: .14
    
    Danny, when you say it substituted for the baritone sax, do you mean it
    was used in addition to a "regular" bass, or was it the only bass
    instrument on the recording?
    
    Dave

    The Dan-O bass was almost always used in addition to a regular bass. It
    generally played rhythm riffs while the "real" bass played either a
    walking line or root-fifth stuff. If you listen to almost any up-tempo 
    tune from the late '50's or early '60's you'll find one.
    
    Danny W.

    Anyone (care to) remember the 8 string bass by Guild & Hagstrom that
    was tuned in octaves like a 12 string guitar. I've seen pictures of the
    Fender bass VI. Did it tune like a 6 string guitar only down one
    octave ? 
    There's a gadget that you can get for a guitar that is a frame that you
    clip on & 6 little "hammers" that you tap on to play. This may be what
    Tony Levin (I.S.C.) is trying to do. I remember playing the left hand
    part of the guitar solo to a Van Halen tune while turning around so my
    drummer could pound out the right hand part. Slightly impressive, lots
    of fun.
    Paul  
     

    re: 16
    
    Thanks, Danny.  I seem to recall a lot of rhythm work going on in some 
    of those songs, but always assumed it was a guitar.  I'll have to
    listen more closely now.
    
    Dave

    
    Just caught the Chris Duarte group (from Austin) in Providence.  The bass 
    player uses a scary looking 6 string...  quite the bass.
    
    - Sean

    check out Slipknot...John uses a 6-strng bass ala Phil Lesh...and plays
    it well too...
    
    Wes

    aw c'mon guys, don't tease.  Any clue as to what the make/model of
    these were?  Any distinguishing features?  Lesh plays a Modulus, btw