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Post subject: "Graceland" by Paul Simon
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:19 pm
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Hi, everyone. The title track of Paul Simon's "Graceland" album has got me itching to learn how to play the bass. Does anyone out here on the forums know how that particular sound was acheived? Did the bassist use a wah pedal or some other sort of phase effect?

The same effect can be prominently heard on "Diamonds In The Soles Of Her Shoes" (same album) and on The Decemberists' "Life from SoHo" EP. Any and all thoughts would be greatly appreciated :)

Thanks for reading!


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Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:30 pm
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This place may know.

http://www.bradpriddy.com/paul_simon/

I'm sorry i cant answer your question but this fella seems quite knowledgable. Theres a very accurate tab of hearts and bones on that site.

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Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:48 pm
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nikininja wrote:
This place may know.

http://www.bradpriddy.com/paul_simon/

I'm sorry i cant answer your question but this fella seems quite knowledgable. Theres a very accurate tab of hearts and bones on that site.


Thanks for the response nikininja! I'll check them out.


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Post subject: Re: "Graceland" by Paul Simon
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 1:48 pm
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Hi themoodmusic: I don't have that album to hand at this moment to check, but from memory was it some kind of "tape reverse" effect?

If so, then these days it is easily achieved with any number of manufacturers' digital delay units. Only because it has a sound clip to listen to here is Line 6's version. You obviously have to imagine it tweaked a bit and with bass piped through it...

http://line6.com/tonecore/echoPark.html

Cheers - C


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Post subject: Re: "Graceland" by Paul Simon
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 2:55 pm
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Ceri wrote:
http://line6.com/tonecore/echoPark.html

Cheers - C


Thanks for the link, Ceri. Very cool site, btw. I run Boss pedals and haven't ever looked at the Line 6 site, but I must say I dig the layout better than Boss' site. That's definitely one to bookmark.


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Post subject: Re: "Graceland" by Paul Simon
Posted: Sun Jan 18, 2009 4:43 pm
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themoodsmusic wrote:
Thanks for the link, Ceri... I run Boss pedals...


Hi again, themoodsmusic: far as I know the Boss DD-6 and DD-7 compact pedals both have the reverse tape effect available. Assuming that's how Bakithi Kumalo (who I believe played bass on the tracks you named) got that sound, that is...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 7:14 am
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Lot's of knowledgeable folks over at harmony central ...
http://acapella.harmony-central.com/for ... y.php?f=17

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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 9:13 am
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Hard to believe that album is 23 yrs old!

The reverse effect was most likely done on the studio mixing desk.
Everything was still analog then. Digital recording wasn't quite there yet.

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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:11 am
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-Ryco wrote:
Hard to believe that album is 23 yrs old!


Yes, that is unbelievable that it is that old already... I still enjoy the CD today... I actually saw a production on Sundance Channel... Abby Road, where Simon and his studio band performed. The guitar player actually used a paintbrush as his guitar pick!

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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:13 pm
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No, no: cancel what I said before! Wrong wrong wrong!

Just got home after the weekend, put on Graceland for a listen for the first time for a shamefully long while... and that ain't the reverse effect after all! I misremembered that bass sound.

My bad - big apologies! :oops: :roll:

I do hope no cash has been spent on FX on the basis of my faulty memory (though it's a neat effect to have anyhow).

I don't know exactly what processing is being done on those tracks, but at heart that is just some very nice bass playing. I bet that guy could sound pretty much like that through a Roland Bass Cube.

I'm afraid the solution is - you have to learn to play the notes. It ain't gonna come out of a box. And the lesson to Ceri is - double check your sources before giving out suggestions!

Lesson learned (I hope). Still. They're fab tracks, ain't they? I'm sure going to be listening to that album some more over the next few days. Whilst smacking my own face, to save you the trouble...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:26 pm
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:P Hah, no worries, Ceri! I haven't had the chance to do any investigating aside from checking out the sites to which I was directed by the posts above. In any case, any excuse to buy a pedal is a good excuse in my book, so if I'd gone out and picked up a DD box, I wouldn't have held it against ya!!

Btw, I caught the pix you posted in the Forum t-shirt contest thread - very, very cool! Your Townsend in the air pix get my vote for coolest of the batch.


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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 5:39 pm
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themoodsmusic wrote:
Btw, I caught the pix you posted in the Forum t-shirt contest thread - very, very cool! Your Townsend in the air pix get my vote for coolest of the batch.


Haha - thanks very much! Very nice of you.

(Though my T-shirt vote would go to FenderFanatic on page nine of that thread: that pic just says something about how we all feel about our guitars...)

Sorry again over the FX. I was so sure I could hear that bass sound in my head - till I actually listened to it again...!

Image

Cheers - C


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Posted: Mon Jan 19, 2009 11:03 pm
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The name of the group that backed up Paul Simon is called Ladysmith Black Moumbazo. You may be able to find out more about the bass players effects by finding a site with them. 8)


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Post subject: How'd he do that?
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:05 am
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I haven't heard it lately so I'm going from memory, but it sounded a lot to me like really good technique on a fretless bass.

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Post subject: Re: How'd he do that?
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2009 10:12 am
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bigfrank wrote:
I haven't heard it lately so I'm going from memory, but it sounded a lot to me like really good technique on a fretless bass.


Hi bigfrank: yes, good, I was wondering if it was a fretless. But after my earlier over-hasty suggestion I thought I'd leave it to someone else: don't want to make a fool of myself twice on one thread!

And after all, we've no shortage of real bass players here, have we?

Cheers - C


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