but anyway...the use of a pick doesnt guage talent. a pick isnt any better or worse than pluck or slap, just different. Different sound is achieved etc. I think both paul and justin are extraordinary musicians and their styles both suit tool's very well.
I'm not being oppositional when I say that I enjoy hearing Paul play the bass rather than Justin.
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Yes Justin uses a pick too. I have tried to justify the need for a bass pick in tool, and I have decided that if I played bass with them I would use one too. They are very precise, and the bass tone that I think fits is the sharp picked sound. I have always bashed bassists who pick, but that's mainly because I watched P-Nut when I was in college and he is just amazing. I wanted that funky energy-filled groovy style, and that's best played with fingers. But, to each his own, I will probably never be in tool so I will probably never play with a pick. :-)
Paul is not a bad bassist. He puts good bass in a song which is what a good bassist does. He just doesnt have the all-aroundness Justin brings to the table. Justin can be very melodic, and can move with Danny a little more freely, which gives danny a chance to open up even more.
i think that justin is a bit better because his basslines seem a bit more complex and wasn't paul a guitarist before ?.. and doesn't he still play guitar?....well anywho, i think the song is just really awesome because of that funky bassline
I always saw Paul's bass lines as more "funky" than Justin's. That is a good thing depending on what you are going after. I think that Justin's style fits TOOL better because he has a sound behind him when he plays that has an aura of power. I can personally feel a more "intimate" power coming from Justin than Paul. I do think that Paul is an excellent bassist however, just not the better fit for TOOL.
Yes it does. On Opiate and Undertow, Tool had kind of a more disgusting sound than on Aenima and Lateralus thanks mostly to Paul's style. You can even notice the difference on the songs on Aenima that Paul wrote the bass parts for.
I wanted that funky energy-filled groovy style, and that's best played with fingers. But, to each his own, I will probably never be in tool so I will probably never play with a pick.
Yes, there is a big difference of one person's playing style and anothers... You can also bring in Iron Maiden here and talk about their bass player... I'd suggest his bass lines might be easier to play with a pick, but he uses his fingers (one or two at most), which seems impossible... At least it makes mine go numb within about 10min so I don't know how he does it, but the way he plays is the way Iron Maiden sounds... If he changed then Iron Maiden wouldn't be Iron Maiden anymore, it just wouldn't work...
It's funny like that... I'm not bothered by either Paul or Justin... IMHO, I think Paul would have made songs from Ænima sound very different... But that's just the way things work... You can't replace someone and expect the replacement to emulate them...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dead Ohio Sky
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Originally Posted by TDN Tool FAQ
Pushit, Stinkfist, Eulogy, and Ænema.
Interesting that Justin gets so much respect from his playing on Ænima... Would it have been the same if Paul played?
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The blood imparted in little sips
The smell of you still on my hands
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yeah have you noticed after paul left, maynard dropped the deeper and throaty voice and got a softer and more melodic voice... relation? mayhaps? <_< >_>
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i prefer justins style but it could just be because i think the songwritting as a whole progressed as the released more albums and so as justin came in as they were improving it isnt realy a surprise to me that i prefer his playing so i find it kinda hard to distinguish between whether it is his playing, his music writing style or the songs as a whole that i like more.
i think that it was paul that gave tool that darker and moody tones in opiate and undertow cuz he doesn't really use the high frequencies on bass. Justin really uses a lot of high frequencies and comes up with some cool melodic tunes.
i play bass and i think both are very good bass players that come up with awesome basslines its just that paul has a heavyness to his playing. Oh and yeah, that bassline on hush is pretty damn sweet.
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hmmm as a bass player I would have to say that it is not neccisarily easier to play with a pick, so I wouldnt judge either of them by their style of bass playing, rather how it sounds with the whole band. The most intense and technically challanging bassline may also take away from the sound of the song as a whole. In which case I believe both bass players are do a great job in the band... but there does seem to be a change in maynards vocal styles with the different bassists. Which shows some of maynards dexterity as an artist.
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i play guitar but for a while i played bass in a band and i always played with a pick. i found it so much easier but thats probably because i was used to it on the guitar.
they both play with a pick. and i used to play bass, and maybe just because guitar is my primary instrument, but i'd say playing with a pick is simple. you can play notes really fast with a pick very easily, without one it's hard to do, especially for a long time. i would even go as far as saying playing without a pick sounds better. you have several options as to how to play: slapping, popping, plucking, tapping, etc.
just a side note: if you know how to tap on bass or guitar, it's really fun :D
Maybe its because i played classical bass for almost 8 years before starting electric, but i find it much easier to play with my fingers... except the pinky... i had to teach myself to use a pick because i was so used to playing the upright bass where all you use is your fingers and a bow. so that would be the basis of my last comment. There are actually excersizes you can do with your fingers to make it easier to play for a long time. They work for bass and guitar and will strengthen your fingers like nothing else.
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Mark D Points: 5
Personally I prefer Justin; his bass lines are more of a second melody - I have often mistook bass lines for guitar parts until I noticed the tabs (Grudge being a good example). Paul's bass lines are more of a "normal" bassist - they're a harmony, or supplimentary part of the music. Justin is more a second guitarist I think.
I find it a hell of a lot easier to play cords with a pick... how you can play 4 string cords with your fingers is a bit beyond me (but that might be because I have small hands).
And in reference to the Iorn Madien bassist, if you ever watch how he plays, he just taps the string.. this sugguests he uses a lot of gain on his amp/effects, so a small vibration still creats a loud noise.
__________________ l don't want to be alone again today...
Hold me close and together we'll pray
That this moment never fades away...
Fade away, fade away, like any other day.
Matt Freeman uses picks and his fingers. He's still the best.
__________________ l don't want to be alone again today...
Hold me close and together we'll pray
That this moment never fades away...
Fade away, fade away, like any other day.
I love him. I used to be like, "PICKS ARE SATAN" and stuff, but after hearing him and JC, I appreciate picks. Notice I said APPRECIATE. I don't play with them, but they do have their place.
Paul's tone is one of the best Rickenbacker tones i've ever heard.
Paul was much more funky and fun, whereas Justin is much more cleaner and matter of fact. Justin is the better bass player for the direction tool has gone as of late. Paul was better for their early stuff, though.
Justin can be very melodic, and can move with Danny a little more freely, which gives danny a chance to open up even more.
its funny that you said that because i have noticed while watching bootlegs that justin 90% of the time will turn and face danny they both seem to feed off of each other's energy
i think that justin is a bit better because his basslines seem a bit more complex and wasn't paul a guitarist before ?.. and doesn't he still play guitar?....well anywho, i think the song is just really awesome because of that funky bassline
justin was a guitarist before as well
check out peach
I agree with redmanics. Until I learned to distinguish between bass and guitar, Tool's songs confused the hell out of me because I swore I was hearing two guitarists. Justin is like a rhythm guitarist who plays bass. Listen to Lateralus or Rosetta Stoned, and you'll clearly hear Justin's bass line at various points, with Adam layered over it (this sounds really really good in Rosetta Stoned). And you can't forget Schism.... Also, I much prefer their post-switch sound.
this song does have some proper funk to it, it just sums up the stage they were at with their career as musicians. many of the songs seem to hold their own style, each exploring the new way forward. listening to 10000 day, youwould never guess that this was what the band first started out like. still i like it both.
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