So I encourage my bass playing brethren? If you do not own a fretless? Buy one... If you suck at playing it? Do not despair, practice, and understand that it's all about the patterns, the geometry (you have to be precise…), the subtleties?
It's all about the sliding? And quarter and 1/2 notes. In the end, it may take a few years? But the fretless bass, well... It's just really cool the way that you can play it like a normal bass when you want? But you can get "slinky" and slide around between notes, and wiggle them with an exaggerated up and down vibrato? If you are a bass player, this is a natural evolution. And if you're not? WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? LOL!
I'm still not that good at it? But I'm not bad ;-) And I work at it :-) (I'll be better next year God willing...) Frank, you made my summer (you know I have much respect for you as a bass player) Thanks!
=================
And finally, this is a salute to Scotty... Because, if you're are a bass player like me? And like many of us? And you've tried to play the fretless? Well, "it's challenging..." We have no idea, or perspective of just how challenging it really is? Because we play bass? And the bass "is a long scale instrument..." What that means is, it's fer piece to get from here to there? From where your finger lands to the friggen bridge "is a mile!" It is a long scale instrument. And it is STILL incredibly difficult/challanging, and we're playing "with toys..."
Scotty does the same thing on a short scale instrument? That violin, the neck is only this long... (you know how long it is) So you take the clumsy mistakes we make? On that long scale instrument? And you multiply them, by a factor of "X" with X being the difference between the long scale instrument and the short scale instrument?
What you get in the end, if you understand this? Is that playing the bass is easy. Playing the fretless bass is harder, and some may say hard? Playing the violin, and doing so at the level that he does it? "Is impossible." Until you've tried to play a fretless instrument? You really cannot understand or appreciate the genius that goes in to doing what Mr. Campbell does. So while this is my song? And my thread? this comment is about the fretless bass (which is cool, don't get me wrong?) But that damn violin? It's a fretless instrument "in miniture" compared to a fretless bass. You should all really respect what Scotty does, it is amazing... Playing a fretless bass by comparison is like? Well, let me think... It's like roller skating on monster truck tires? You can't fall over, and you can crush cars? It's a big difference. Big difference... Think about it?