Why do people play so hard..

[SWR_n_EB]

The other day i was at GC and i saw this dude playing a stingray, and man, he was butchering it, by playin it was to hard. AM i the only one that sees this a wrong. So many people today are playing bass with thier fingers, (as do i) and some pople almost yank on the strings. Ok, i can see it when people get into it, but it's so much better to play lightly.

I guess my point is, that if people play lighter, it would sound better, and plus, lower action. I play moderate, and have a string action of around 2mm. And with the lower action, it's so much easier to slap. Plus, if you want, u can overdrive it occasionally by plucking the strings harder, and get a sick sound for added tension.

Ne one see things like i do, or am i going old at 16..

 

[basscat]

Well, if you're getting old at 16 I'm probably already dead at 36. Anyways, I agree with, a light to medium touch works wonders for the tone and for the action. It also gives you a greater dynamic range. But it also makes string noises when shifting positions more noticable so it takes som getting used to. It also depends to some extent on the bass and the setup. Some cheaper basses don't respond very well to a light touch. I've heard people sound good with light as well as heavy touches. Gary Willis, Matt Garrison and few others use a very light touch and sound terrific but so does Marcus Miller who digs in quite much at times.

Basscat

 

[thumper]

Yah I agree.I notice that alot.I play with a soft touch,there are so many benifits to playing lightly as you guys mentioned...If your old at 16 and your buried at 36....LOL...Im already rotten...


Thumper

 

[Rod Trussbroken]

For me...light to medium touch and let the amp do all the work...

 

[SWR_n_EB]

Thank you, i started talking about this to a firend, and he thought playing hard was the best way, but if you have a MM and a good amp, lets them do the work for you.

 

[ARES]

I played extremely hard for years, and I paid the price by developing a bit of tendonitis! Wasn't worth it, because now that I play very softly, it sounds much better anyhow. My fingerstyle playing used to be as hard as my slapping, but now I have to crank the gain just to hear myself fingerstyle.